Both of the gentlemen on the boat were very professional and pleasant. I could tell they have fished these waters for quite some time. Captain James worked very hard to put us on fish and we did catch a lot of fish, the downside was that many of them we couldnโt keep due to being out of season or under the size limit. We came back with seven very nice fish, 3 Red Snapper and 4 Mangrove Snapper, one of which was 24 inches, which is huge by todayโs standards.
I have only fished twice now in Florida, and I am unsure if I will do it again due to the mismanagement of the fishery and the cost. It is difficult to justify the expense when limits are so low (ex: 2 Red Snapper per person). I recommend that at least six people go and split the expense.
As I said, Captain James and the crew (whose name I cannot remember) were very professional, kind, and worked very hard.ย We went to a new spot theyโd never fished before and I caught a keeper Red Snapper so I was able to name the spot in the GPS, named it after my son - Landonโs Reef, that was very cool. In fact, they worked so hard we continued to fish beyond the 8-hr limit. I really appreciated that.
If I had to express a lack of enthusiasm about anything, it would be that I did not know ahead of time that the crew does not clean the fish kept. The customer can have the fish filleted at a processor at the dock for $1 per pound, in our case that was an extra $24 I wasnโt expecting to pay. I wish Iโd known that at the beginning of the trip as it was sort of a deflating moment when advised of this at the end of the trip. This may be a standard way of working here in Florida, but I was unaccustomed to it as this is not done in Texas where I am from. A very small detail, but I believe this should be disclosed at the beginning of the trip, or should be included in the cost of the trip, since the Captain has made the decision not to clean the fish kept.
None-the-less, my son and I had a great day on the water, would have liked to come back with more fish meat, but I absolutely know that Captain James and crew did their best to put us on keeper fish.
I was very impressed with them and I do highly recommend them. I would use them again should I choose to fish Florida in the future.
Both of the gentlemen on the boat were very professional and pleasant. I could tell they have fished these waters for quite...