John-Mark Fortner

Rating

Anglers' gallery (614)

What anglers say

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  Kathryn Reese

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  Texas, US

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  Member since 2026

  5.0

  Verified

  NEW

  BEST FISHING

  4-Hour Bay/Jetty Fishing Excursion on October 7, 2026 • 2 adults

  big tex fishing was really great. capt john was really great.we got the small bait fish first and then went further out and he bait and cast the larger poles out. in minutes. we had caught a small shark that welet go but then we caught 4 or 5 of these big fish, it was too hard for me to hold the pole and reel it in so he took ovsr for me and gave to my husband to bring in. we fished. for nearly the 4 hours we booked.we only kept 2 of the fish. But we got some great pictures and my. husband had a blast. this was a dream of his that he talked of for 25 years so it was very special to us and our 25th wedding annivervsary present to my husband. i would recomend using big tex to everyone, he knows how to make great memories for people.

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  Response from Captain

  October 9, 2026

  Thank you so much for the great review! It was a pleasure taking y’all out fishing and making memories! So glad y’all had such a great time!

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  Michael Bolton

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  Texas, US

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  Member since 2026

  5.0

  Verified

  Great experience!

  4-Hour Bay/Jetty Fishing Excursion on September 2, 2026 • 5 adults

  Went out with Captain John on Sept 2, 2026. Start of the trip was rough. 30 mph winds, started fishing the south jetty and the storm brought in too much seaweed. He decided we needed to get out of the seaweed and started to move to another spot and just got rougher. Mother nature. Lol. Heavy rain. Enough to ask us if we wanted to quit for the day, but we persevered. Good thing we did. Fished in the harbor and probably caught around a total of 100 fish. Including a 38-39 inch bull red. Lost 2 good red drums. (Not his fault. It happens) 5 of us. Not one minute went by that at least one of us wasn't pulling in a fish. Great conversation too! Thanks again John! Definitely recommend!

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  Reported catch:

  

  

  

  

  +3

  

  Response from Captain

  September 5, 2026

  Thanks for the great review, Michael! I’m so glad y’all had a great time and made it happen despite the weather!

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  Tony Magaldi

  Repeat angler

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  Indiana, US

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  Member since 2026

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  2 trips

  5.0

  Verified

  More food than we could eat!

  6-Hour Bay/Jetty Fishing Excursion on August 21, 2026 • 2 adults

  Went out with Captain John and had an absolute ball! What a day to remember! Within the first 10 minutes, we were catching fish as fast as we could pull them in. Talk about a feeding frenzy! Our biggest challenge was reeling them in fast enough before the dolphins decided they wanted our catch for dinner! 😂🐬🎣 We caught all sorts of fish**, spadefish, ladyfish, sand trout, speckled trout, blacktip shark, bonnethead shark, croaker, catfish, stingray, pinfish, and black drum.** It seemed like we never knew what was going to be on the end of the line next! Captain John was fantastic. He was great to converse with, kept things fun, and there was no sailor language, just pure fun, lots of laughs, and some great memories. To top it all off, Captain John hooked us up with a local restaurant that cooked our fresh catch four different ways: cornmeal fried, blackened, beer battered, and grilled. Let’s just say we definitely didn’t go home hungry! Thanks, Captain John, for an incredible day on the water. We’ll definitely be back! 🎣🐬🦈 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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  Reported catch:

  

  

  

  

  +2

  

  Response from Captain

  August 23, 2026

  Thank you so much for such an awesome review! It was fun taking y’all out fishing and I am so glad you all had such a fantastic time! Looking forward to the next time!

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  David Cowee

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  Texas, US

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  Member since 2026

  5.0

  Verified

  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Fantastic Family Fishing Trip – Great for All Ages

  6-Hour Bay/Jetty Fishing Excursion on July 24, 2026 • 5 adults • 1 child

  We had an outstanding fishing trip! Our entire family had a great time, especially my two grandsons, who were smiling from start to finish. Everyone on the boat caught fish, which made the experience exciting for all of us. The highlight of the day was when one of my sons-in-law landed two huge bull reds (38” & 36”) — something we’ll be talking about for years! Captain John worked hard to keep us on the fish, was patient with my grandsons, and made sure everyone had a memorable experience. If you’re looking for a fun family fishing trip where everyone has a chance to catch fish, I highly recommend Captain John Mark. We can’t wait to come back!

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  Reported catch:

  

  

  

  

  +1

  

  Response from Captain

  July 25, 2026

  Thank you so much for the fantastic review, David!! I am so glad that everyone had a great time out fishing and such a great experience. It was a pleasure taking you and your family out on the water. Looking forward to the next time!

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  Lindel Wheeler

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  Louisiana, US

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  Member since 2026

  5.0

  Verified

  First timers.

  4-Hour Bay/Jetty Fishing Excursion - 11:30 AM on July 4, 2026 • 2 adults

  We went out in the afternoon on the 4th of July with Captain John. We started out by some rocks. We got a few nibbles, caught a black drum and a stingray. Then Captain John asked if we wanted some action. He mislead us. He should have asked if we wanted some, back breaking, arm straining, heart racing, lung bursting excitement! times 7 - in one hour. Captain took us out, slowed down, tossed out a line and within minutes had a black tip shark hooked. While I was fighting that shark another line started singing. I passed that one to my husband and I took the next. We both hauled in a 4 foot black tip each. What a fight! We kept pulling them in, catch and release, until our arms gave out. We asked him to take us back to the slow spot for our last bit of time. We had such a great day. The water was calm, the weather was mild and there was a pleasant breeze. Which was great since it was our first time on a boat. He was very professional and super helpful. Did I say he was patient. Yes, very patient.

  Reported catch:

  

  

  

  

  +1

  

  Response from Captain

  July 5, 2026

  Thanks for the great review! It was fun taking y’all out and getting lots of sharks! I’m so glad y’all had such a great time on your first time out!