From the moment we stepped onto the dock we were greeted by the first mate George and Capt. Will. The boat was incredible, clean, spacious and most important (for the kids) air conditioned! These guys did a great job getting us on fish and helping us get them onto the boat! The equipment was in excellent condition looking almost new! The best part was every time we hooked onto a fish these guys got genuinely excited for us, which made all 10 fish a blast to catch! Canโt wait until our next trip to see Will and George!!! Book this charter you will not be disappointed!
From the moment we stepped onto the dock we were greeted by the first mate George and Capt. Will. The boat was incredible, clean, spacious and most important (for the kids) air conditioned! These guys did a great job getting us on fish and helping us get them onto the boat! The equipment was in excellent condition looking almost new! The best part was every time we hooked onto a fish these guys got genuinely excited for us, which made all 10 fish a blast to catch! Canโt wait until our next trip... More
We took a 4 hours and caught 72 fish! This man knows where they are and how to put you on them! His mate keep things running smooth. You wonโt always catch as many as we did but Captain will is the fish god I promise you that!!
Our trip was an absolute blast! It was a great time from start to finish, never a dull moment. Captain Will got us right on the fish and had them in the boat in no time thanks to his two great deckhands. If youโre ever in the Gulf Shores area, I highly recommend these gentleman. He will be our Go-To fishing charter from here on out. Thanks again, Captain Will and Crew!
Let first by saying I was so pumped up for this trip. We booked a 6 hr bottom/ trolling AM trip that was $1,425 before the $300 trip for the deck hand, specified what kind of fish that we wanted to target mahi, wahoo, amberjack, cobia but never got a message back but a phone call at 8:15pm the night before. The captain told us that we were leaving in the morning at 7am instead of 6am which I have never experienced. But made sense when I heard that he was at the bar the night before where post Malone was. Saying that we will have a good time and get on some fish. While going to leave in the morning he informs me that we will target vermillion snapper and trigger fish, which wasnโt at all what I wanted to do and that he couldnโt catch what I wanted on a 6 hour trip which I have never in my life heard or experienced on any charter. So I told him that I would pay for a 8-10 hr trip if needed and he proceeds to tell me I would need to pay for the 12-24 hr trip if I wanted to catch really big game. But says we will get us on some good fish. Then while leaving says that we have to go fuel up on our way out which should have been done before the time of our trip started. Once we finally start heading out he stated yea itโs going to be a bumpy ride but I was fine with that because I have been fishing my whole life and have been through worse. It took almost an hour and a half for the deck hand to drop lines to troll and then trolling for only 30 minutes where we stopped and caught two undersized trigger fish and tiny vermilion snapper where the deck hand fished to just but meat in the boat. After about 30 minutes I said canโt we move on to catch bigger game because I feel like I am catching bream and the captain just says this is what you get for a 6 hr tripโฆand I love to fish and anyone who knows me knows that I never put a rod down but I did and went in the cabin to sit with my wife to calm down because I was so pissed. finally we move for another 30 minute ride just to catch a couple of live bait. Then the captain comes in the cabin to dump the septic tank because he says itโs full, just things that should have been taken care of before the captain was on our paid time. Just for another 45 minute ride going closer back to shore where he said we can get you on some amberjack but I caught two red snapper, second one which snapped the rod while I tried to keep him from going under the boat because I could not go left or right since the the deck hand was fishing and did not pull rods out of the way or captain try and maneuver the boat to help and proceeded to say Iโm high tipping the rod acting like it was my fault. The deck hand set up one more rod and the line got cut and then the captain ok thatโs it we are heading back. Keep in mind we didnโt leave until 7:30 after fueling up and now itโs 11:40. Where some how it took us an hour to get back in to the dock so we couldnโt keep fishing and the deck hand just cleaned the boat and didnโt let us troll in. Once back he says next time you come out with us donโt use fishing booker because foreign companies are getting that money and should pay him directly. The tells my to pay the remaining $1,140 and $300 to the deck hand which was more than 20% tip for a terrible experience. Needless to say I felt robbed and didnโt even want to pay him for how unprofessional this charter was and feel like a should get atleast get a portion back for the waste of time and money. I will never book with the great escape charter again. I fish mainly out of Louisiana out of my 18โ xpress bay boat with a 115 Yamaha 2 stroke and can make it 30 miles offshore in alittle over and hour. We only went 9-10 miles offshore being able to see the shore most of the time.
Let first by saying I was so pumped up for this trip. We booked a 6 hr bottom/ trolling AM trip that was $1,425 before the $300 trip for the deck hand, specified what kind of fish that we wanted to target mahi, wahoo, amberjack, cobia but never got a message back but a phone call at 8:15pm the night before. The captain told us that we were leaving in the morning at 7am instead of 6am which I have never experienced. But made sense when I heard that he was at the bar the night before where post... More
Thank you for sharing your thoughtsโwe genuinely appreciate your feedback and the opportunity to respond.
Weโre sorry to hear that the experience didnโt meet your expectations, especially given how excited you were for the trip. That said, there are a few important points weโd like to clarify for the sake of fairness and accuracy.
To start, our records indicate your party arrived late to the dock, which delayed our departure. Additionally, we had to make an unplanned stop early in the trip to address a full holding tank due to a guest falling illโsomething that, while unfortunate, was necessary for everyoneโs comfort and safety.
We also want to clarify that we traveled approximately 24 miles offshore, not 9โ10 as mentioned in your review. While you initially requested to target species like mahi, wahoo, amberjack, and cobia, these are typically found farther out and often require 10โ12+ hour trips to pursue reliably. On a 6-hour charter, we focused on the most productive options for the conditions and time allowed.
We understand the disappointment in not targeting your preferred species, and this is where direct communication with the captain prior to the trip would have made a big difference. Unfortunately, the third-party booking platform you used doesnโt allow early dialogue between guests and captains, which often limits our ability to set clear expectations in advance. We always recommend reaching out to us directly when possible for this very reason.
Despite the challenges, itโs worth noting that your charter limited out on the species we were able to target, including vermilion snapper and triggerfishโboth of which are quality reef species and make for great eating.
As for the trolling setup and deckhand interaction, weโve shared your feedback with our crew and will continue to review procedures to ensure every guest feels taken care of.
While itโs clear this trip didnโt meet your personal expectations, we hope this response helps provide some context. If youโd like to speak further or discuss ways we might make things right, please feel free to reach out to us directly at **hidden content**.
We wish you nothing but great fishing and smooth waters in the future.
Sincerely, Capt. Will Owner Great Escape Charters
Thank you for sharing your thoughtsโwe genuinely appreciate your feedback and the opportunity to respond. Weโre sorry to hear that the experience didnโt meet your expectations, especially given how excited you were for the trip. That said, there are a few important points weโd like to clarify for the sake of fairness and accuracy. To start, our records indicate your party arrived late to the dock, which delayed our departure. Additionally, we had to make an unplanned stop... More
We all had the best time fishing. We had 2 adults and 4 children.ย It was super rough seas but Will put us on the fish and we had a blast catching some red snapper. Will is an excellent captain and knows what he is doing. I would definitely recommend Will and we will be going fishing with him again.