Let me start out by saying that this trip was well worth the money! Your expectations should always be the same when going out on a boat, that what whatever may come just enjoy the experience, but today was a different day maybe a little life altering.
To start let me say that Captain Rob, Sean and Justin are extremely courteous and professional men who take their craft seriously. They will advise you of everything you need prior to the trip and will let you know what the expectations are during and after the trip. No surprises, gimmicks, tricksโฆ straight shooters and I loved that, because some places will try and take advantage of tourist. I never felt like that fishing with these guys. It felt like I was on a boat with some new buddies.
Our tour left out 6:15, the FishingBooker app mentioned 5:15am, but shortly after booking we were told the time had changed. We met at the dock door and Justin was waiting for us in the lot and let us down the dock to the ship. Green deck lights and you cannot miss them, nice and bright. We arrived at 6:14 a minute shy of our departure time after getting stuck in the McDonaldโs nearby. Side note of two helpful tips!! A. Donโt eat McDonaldโs before going out on these trips, B. Take Dramamine the night before and another dose the day of for the trip. Also, bring patches. I took my sons for food they ate and only one got sick. All I had was coffee I also got sick. Once we both had see. The side of the ship we were good.
Iโm glad we did a longer tour because we didnโt start to see any bites until 3hrs into the tour around 9:15 or so. From there it was onโฆ we caught 7 fish total. Starting with Mahi-Mahi x2, then it was Yellow Fin tuna x3, followed by a Skipjack Tuna, followed last but not least by 1 large Wahoo aka Ono.
The Wahoo was the last fish we caught as we were headed back to the shore today. Justin had asked if we wanted to troll heading back in or just pull the lines and head to the shore. I asked since we were all just hanging out if we could troll a little longer, so glad we did. My eldest boy who had lost a fish earlier because he wasnโt reeling fast enough redeemed himself. The fish hit and then the fight was on, he was asking to be relieved many times to rest instead of bringing in the fish, I refused to relieve and instead pushed him to be the best he could beโฆ he learned about perseverance and determination today. Things money alone cannot buy! I made memories today with my sons that regardless of whatever happens years from now no one will ever be able to take away from us! That to me alone is priceless!
We returned to the Port Allen Small Boat Harbor and Sean and Justin proceeded to clean and wash the deck and the fish. We were permitted to keep a sizable amount of fish, we opted for the yellow fin as my sons and I like to eat Poke, and the Mahi-Mahi for grilling or frying. We left with two large gallon sized ziplock bags full. We tipped for our amazing service and we were on our way!
I will say if you are considering other boats keep in mind what youโre getting. Most other boats I noticed that the reviews mentioned captains that were either not very friendly, or they didnโt permit you to keep hardly any of the fish you caught. At makai they said any fish 40lbs or under. What we took will definitely be enough for us for the remainder of our 8 day trip. Also, their ship is very comfortable the cabin has Air conditioning, a bathroom, sink and smaller full size fridge, and comfy couches which both of my sons fell asleep on during our trip. This is the way to go! Well worth every penny!
To the crew Mahalo!!! From the Denver Bell family!!
Let me start out by saying that this trip was well worth the money! Your expectations should always be the same when going...
