Booked a 3 hour pm charter on the Savannah Ray with Captain Bill in July 2023 with a friend.

Hands down the best boat fishing experience we have had on the Jersey Shore.

Pros:

Preparedness - solid. Captain Bill had already been prior to us arriving making sure everything was set up and ready to go. It took maybe 5 minutes to go from parking my car to being out on the water. No waiting around

Captain Bill - great captain. Vast knowledge of NJ waterways and fishing habitats. Operated the boat safely and attentively through the trip. Brought us to spots where we had some great catches. Very personable and makes for great conversation. Made it feel like we were out on a friend’s boat.

Savannah Ray - a great boat with enough room for 4 people to comfortably fish without crossing lines or bumping into each other. The boat was clean, well maintained, and most importantly had very comfortable chairs to sit.

Price - if you do the math for 4 people, you’ll see the cost per-person is comparable to those large 40+ person boats. Great deal for a small private group

Cons:

Less of a con and more of a limit - like i said 4 people can fish from the boat deck comfortably. Larger parties may want to talk to the Captain prior to booking

Overall a great experience and will be booking with Captain Bill and the Savannah Ray the next opportunity we get.

On a day when other boats weren’t catching, Captain Bill put us on fish.  We were the only ones in our spot, and had 2-3 fish on each drift.  We ended up with two keepers.

BONUS: On the way back, Capt Bill pulled along side another fishing boat, and we got lobster and scallops to supplement our catch. 

It was a fantastic day.  We’ll definitely book again.

I had 3 friends visiting from Europe and we had a limited time slot available for spending quality time on the water. The 3 hour afternoon trip just hit the spot for us. We had a great time, caught some fish, and would do it again in a heartbeat. Thanks Captain Bill!