Captain
Mark Ratchford

Member since September 2015 Melbourne, Australia

Background: Captain Mark has been involved in the fishing industry for over 20 years. He is the only person to have fished the whole Australian coast in one trip – this was a 5-month epic journey catching more species then he can remember. He has stories about catching fish from every state in Australia that he is happy to share with you. He is an able fisherman and skipper who can put his clients on Squid or offshore species such as Mako Shark and Bluefin Tuna. Mark and his friendly staff will be more than happy to accommodate you.

Hey, I'm Captain Mark Ratchford

Melbourne, Australia

Background: Captain Mark has been involved in the fishing industry for over 20 years. He is the only person to have fished the whole Australian coast in one trip – this was a 5-month epic journey catching more species then he can remember. He has stories about catching fish from every state in Australia that he is happy to share with you. He is an able fisherman and skipper who can put his clients on Squid or offshore species such as Mako Shark and Bluefin Tuna. Mark and his friendly staff will be more than happy to accommodate you.

146

Reviews

Fishing Reports

My Charter Listings

The Reel Thing Charters – Carrum

4.7 / 5

(129 reviews)

4.7 / 5

(129 reviews)

Melbourne • 28 ft • 8 persons

trips from US $121

The Reel Thing Charters – St Kilda

5.0 / 5

(16 reviews)

5.0 / 5

(16 reviews)

Melbourne • 28 ft • 8 persons

trips from US $1,270

The Reel Thing Charters – Private Tuna Trips

5.0 / 5

(1 review)

5.0 / 5

(1 review)

Melbourne • 28 ft • 6 persons

trips from US $1,347

Fishing Reports

FISH FEVER.

Nov 13, 2022 Melbourne

We only had a short break in Melbourne's unpredictable weather but it was enough to get out on the water to try our luck with the Snapper, we caught Snapper on every trip with only one trip getting a small catch, every other trip seen good numbers of fish come aboard. The children led the way with some great catches.

Another great day on the water

Nov 30, 2021 Melbourne

We love it when a family is aboard and all catch a nice snapper, the fish were a little fickle but some hard work paid off.

Xmas Lunch Served

Nov 27, 2021 Melbourne

WOW! The weekend has seen more action than the past month, everyone was going home with fish for breakfast lunch and dinner. We love to see you all catch fish, don't leave your trip until later, get onboard now while the fish are hungry.

Kids catching big Snapper

Nov 24, 2021 Melbourne

On the afternoon charter yesterday the kids braved some rough weather with their parents to catch some big snapper out from Carrum, Great effort guys.

Crazy Snapper fishing. Great to see a fa

Nov 23, 2021 Melbourne

This trip was from our Carrum departure.

Snapper for Dinner

Dec 9, 2020 Melbourne

Fishing out from Carrum this week and the Snapper have been in good numbers and many are good size fish ranging from 1kg up to 7kg. Most customers taking home a good feed.

Customer reviews

Rating summary

4.7 / 5

out of 5 stars from 146 reviews

See details

Boat

4.7 / 5

Crew

4.8 / 5

Experience

4.7 / 5

Photos & videos by reviewers (79)

+76

Anglers claimed

Good experience
	88%
Friendly captain
	99%
Recommend this charter
	88%
Appropriate for children
	93%
Satisfied with the boat
	97%
Caught fish
	80%

Appropriate for children
	93%
Satisfied with the boat
	97%
Caught fish
	80%

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Sort by: Featured

Showing:

5 of 146 reviews

Showing 46 - 50 of 146 reviews

Chelsea G.

Salem, NH

5.0 / 5

Experience:

5.0 / 5

Boat

5.0 / 5

Crew

5.0 / 5

Overall

Fishing with Mark

VERIFIED 5 Hour Trip – Shared (AM) on February 19, 2022

Chelsea G.

Salem, NH

5.0 / 5

Feb 19, 2022

5 Hour Trip – Shared (AM)

Fishing with Mark

VERIFIED

Chelsea G. recommends The Reel Thing Charters – Carrum

Mark review as helpful

Mark Ratchford (The Captain)

Replied on February 20, 2022

Thanks for the positive feedback Chelsea .

Mark Ratchford (The Captain)

Replied on February 20, 2022

Thanks for the positive feedback Chelsea .

Captain replied

David F.

Melbourne, VIC

5.0 / 5

Experience:

5.0 / 5

Boat

5.0 / 5

Crew

5.0 / 5

Overall

10am till 3pm

VERIFIED 5 Hour Trip – Shared (AM) on January 13, 2021

David F.

Melbourne, VIC

5.0 / 5

Jan 13, 2021

5 Hour Trip – Shared (AM)

10am till 3pm

VERIFIED

Captain Mark was brilliant. Even went allowed us an extra 1.5 hours at no extra cost. Could not recommend any higher. Thanks for the great trip Mark.

Captain Mark was brilliant. Even went allowed us an extra 1.5 hours at no extra cost. Could not recommend any higher. Thanks...

David F. recommends The Reel Thing Charters – Carrum

Mark review as helpful

Adam H.

Brisbane, QLD

5.0 / 5

Experience:

5.0 / 5

Boat

5.0 / 5

Crew

5.0 / 5

Overall

A great fishing experience

VERIFIED 5 Hour Trip – Shared (5AM) on December 9, 2019

Adam H.

Brisbane, QLD

5.0 / 5

Dec 9, 2019

5 Hour Trip – Shared (5AM)

Captain Mark is a very experienced operator and clearly loves his job and more importantly takes care of the customer, my son and I were lucky to catch a few snapper this morning and this was a direct result of Marks knowledge (me knowing nothing about fishing). The boat is a good size with ample room to move about. We will certainly be back and absolutely had a great time, thoroughly recommend this charter. Thanks Captain Mark!

Captain Mark is a very experienced operator and clearly loves his job and more importantly takes care of the customer, my son...

Adam H. recommends The Reel Thing Charters – Carrum

Mark review as helpful

Kelly T.

Melbourne, VIC

5.0 / 5

Experience:

5.0 / 5

Boat

5.0 / 5

Crew

5.0 / 5

Overall

Fishing with Mark

VERIFIED 5 Hour Trip – Shared (PM) on February 16, 2019

Kelly T.

Melbourne, VIC

5.0 / 5

Feb 16, 2019

5 Hour Trip – Shared (PM)

Fishing with Mark

VERIFIED

Awesome day out. We caught a lot of fish but unfortunately only a couple of them were keepers, still was a great day overall. When the fish stopped biting we moved on to another spot with 4 or 5 spots overall. Captain Mark and deckhand Sean were easy going, friendly and were always on hand to help with re-baiting our lines and getting the fish off the lines. Highly recommend these guys and will look to book another charter with them in the future.

Awesome day out. We caught a lot of fish but unfortunately only a couple of them were keepers, still was a great day overall. ...

Kelly T. recommends The Reel Thing Charters – Carrum

Mark review as helpful

Mark Ratchford (The Captain)

Replied on February 17, 2019

Thank you Kelly, it was a pleasure to have you and your man onboard, this was a very busy charter being it was a full boat. We try our best to tend to everyone’s needs. See you next time.

Mark Ratchford (The Captain)

Replied on February 17, 2019

Thank you Kelly, it was a pleasure to have you and your man onboard, this was a very busy charter being it was a full boat. We try our best to tend to everyone’s needs. See you next time.

Captain replied

Michael H.

Cranbourne, VIC

5.0 / 5

Experience:

5.0 / 5

Boat

5.0 / 5

Crew

5.0 / 5

Overall

Fishing with Mark

VERIFIED 5 Hour Trip – Shared (5AM) on November 30, 2021

Michael H.

Cranbourne, VIC

5.0 / 5

Nov 30, 2021

5 Hour Trip – Shared (5AM)

Fishing with Mark

VERIFIED

Friendly, knowledgeable and dedicated in their efforts to ensure plenty of fish were caught and everyone enjoyed the experience !

Friendly, knowledgeable and dedicated in their efforts to ensure plenty of fish were caught and everyone enjoyed the experience...

Michael H. recommends The Reel Thing Charters – Carrum

Mark review as helpful

Mark Ratchford (The Captain)

Replied on November 30, 2021

Thank you guys, we thoroughly enjoyed having all of you on board. I am glad we caught some nice fish and i hope you enjoy them on the plate.

Mark Ratchford (The Captain)

Replied on November 30, 2021

Thank you guys, we thoroughly enjoyed having all of you on board. I am glad we caught some nice fish and i hope you enjoy them on the plate.

Captain replied

...

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5 stars		113
4 stars		16
3 stars		4
2 stars		2
1 star		1

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Captain
Mark Ratchford

Hey, I'm Captain Mark Ratchford

My Charter Listings

The Reel Thing Charters – Carrum

The Reel Thing Charters – St Kilda

The Reel Thing Charters – Private Tuna Trips

Fishing Reports

Fishing Reports

Customer reviews

Fishing with Mark

Fishing with Mark

10am till 3pm

10am till 3pm

A great fishing experience

A great fishing experience

Fishing with Mark

Fishing with Mark

Fishing with Mark

Fishing with Mark

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