Rusty Hooker Charters 

As it was our first time deep sea fishing, we were total amateurs and didn’t know much about it, but the team went made our first time fun and successful. Lupe and Alejandro were incredible guides, setting the lines and hooks and teaching us along the way. By a stroke of beginners luck, we caught an 80 pound wahoo, and Alejandro gave us advice as we reeled in the fish. Alejandro also brought the fish onto the boat cleaned it. Lupe was a fantastic captain who drove the boat smoothly and found great spots to fish. After we docked, they took us to the cutting station to get our fish filleted and cleaned, they made it a wonderful first time!

while the boat is in bad need of maintenance and upkeep, the reels worked, the crew knew where the fish were, and we caught what i was targeting, Marlin! We ended up with two striped marlin, one for each of us. The tackle all worked great and were not over sized. I hate wenching in fish! The crew did an excellent job keeping the baits fresh and getting us shots! i usually catch and release billfish, but the crew asked if they could keep them for food, and i have no problem with that. I am a hard core fisherman living in Key Largo, FL. we iffshore fish regularly in our own boat. Not having a fancy boat means absolutely zero to me. However, if you are the type of person who needs fancy or pampered, this is not the boat for you. The price is Right, so If you dont care if you are running on one engine and the outrigger is a little tweeked, but your catching massive fish and the tackle is in good working order (like us) then you found the right boat!

We staryef with trolling then bottom fishing, caught approximately 12 in total : 2 grouper and 9 snappers, as well as one tuna. Trolling proved less fruitful no marlin, but we did catch one excellent mahi mahi. The captain and mate were very pleasant. The equipment was average, but it performedwell . The boat was quite comfortable for eight people. After the trip, we took the fillets (cleaned by the crew) to a restaurant and had a wonderful meal, with plenty of leftovers to take home.

Overall, this was a solid trip with some tradeoffs depending on what you’re looking for. We ended up landing a 120 lb striped marlin for my wife’s birthday, which was the goal going in, and the crew came through. We saw multiple marlin early, had one on by around 9:20, and probably saw another 8 throughout the day. After we landed ours, they stayed on it and kept working to get my son and I a shot as well, even though the bite slowed down. We also saw about half a dozen whales along the way, which was a great bonus. We likely would have stayed out longer, but the wind picked up and the water got pretty rough. On the front end, communication was strong. The captain/owner was responsive through the app and easy to coordinate with. We were originally scheduled to leave at 8:00 out of San Jose, but I asked about going earlier and we were able to get underway at 6:30, which I appreciated. I would recommend going out as early as possible to give yourself the best opportunity. When it came time to settle up before the trip, it wasn’t negative, just a little confusing since the captain wasn’t there. We were able to get it sorted out, but it felt a little less organized than expected. One thing I did appreciate compared to past trips out of Cabo was the dock experience. It was straightforward and not full of people trying to tack on extra charges for everything. We paid $20 to have the fish cut up, and they coordinated someone right at the dock to take it for vacuum sealing and freezing so we could bring it home. That part was smooth and easy. The boat itself is still in rough shape. It gets the job done, but it’s clearly in need of maintenance. The biggest issue was the head. The black tank was full, so the toilet was basically unusable, which is something that should be handled before a trip. That said, the rods and reels were in good shape and fully functional for the job, which matters most when you’re actually on fish. Bottom line, if your priority is getting on fish and having a crew that knows what they’re doing, they deliver. If you’re expecting a clean, polished boat and everything dialed in from an operations standpoint, just go in with the right expectations. My wife and I would absolutely go out with this charter again without hesitation. If you want fish you should too.

Did the 3/4 day trip. Caught 2 marlin but released the second one since it was smaller. The one we kept must have been over 150lbs! The Captain knew where the fish were, thats for sure. And the equipment was good. That being said, the boat is definitely in need of some repairs. Its mostly cosmetic, so it doesn’t affect your ability to catch fish. As long as you don’t freak out seeing a roach or two, it’s definitely worth it!