The experience was very pleasant Captain Paul and Steve were great but unfortunately we only caught 5 small fish that we had to release; waters were rough. Great harbor tour and views
Lots of fun!

TLDR: Captain Paul was easy to communicate with and seems like a good guy, however without a first mate there were a few issues and in the end I do not think I got my $800 worth out of this charter. I wouldn’t advise booking this charter under the same circumstances.

Full review:

I should start by saying that Captain Paul was quick to reply to message prior to the trip, met us on time at the marina, was friendly, and overall seems like a good guy.  I have no complaints at all about him personally. The boat was clean, good for six guys, and we had a fun time crusing the harbor with some drinks and great weather.

So why the three star review?

My main complaint is that there was no other crewman/first mate. I booked the charter a month in advance and Capt. Paul didn’t have anyone helping him.  So sure I felt bad he had to take on those duties, but I expected a little more.

For starters, he only allowed us to have two or three lines in the water so that we did not get them tangled. Assuming here that a first mate would keep the lines in order.  It seemed that the fish were not really biting as we had only one near catch (see below) and I’m no expert, but with six guys on the boat I think putting more lines in would’ve increased our chances at a catch.  Not to mention the fact that when you book a charter for six and three or four guys are sitting there with no chance of catching anything, it just seems like you’re getting cheated.

Similarly, at one point when we were changing spots, we reeled our lines in and found that the bait was no longer hooked. Who knows how long we were out there with empty hooks? Again I think a first mate would have been on this and one man was not sufficient to captain the boat and maintain the lines at the same time.

We did have one ‘catch’ that was nearly in the boat, but got away. Capt. Paul came down to help but the guy was reeling it in and not “walking it back” and the line snapped. A first mate could have helped with this sooner and maybe we would’ve had something to take home.  With that being said, if we had other bites after this one we probably would have made the adjustments. Unfortunately the fish just weren’t biting that day so we never got the chance.

In the end I just felt like I did not get my money’s worth. It is hard to say if the fish just weren’t biting or we weren’t doing it right. It felt like a bit of both but I would be less inclined to blame the captain if it felt like we had the full attention of a crewman on board.

So i book tickets $600 ,we got no fish not fun and we got back is bad luck today. Next time (ok they said)when we drive 19 hours. So i think they should do something. Instead tell me i have to tip the fisher