You can read a longer review below, but if you just want the highlights, I'd summarize this as the best fishing value in Cancun. Price (In USD Cash) was great, location next to the Hotel Zone is unbeatable. Captain Filipe and his crew worked HARD (VERY HARD) to keep us catching fish. We ended up with 11 big fish including a Red Snapper, 3+-foot Barracuda, and 9 Amberjack 40lbs+. This is not a cruising boat- it is a sport fisher, and ~4 people will have the best time if they are ready to work for it.
Long Story: I booked an 8hr trip with Captain Filipe and the Big Hook for my 14 year old son and I. Attending us for the ride were two mates, Mel and Juan. This boat is docked right on the north side of the Hotel Zone, 10 minutes (max) from my hotel. This is fantastic, as so many of the other bookable boats are nearly a half hour away, for the same or more price!
The crew was waiting for us and ready when we arrived at 6:50am. Before starting, Capt Filipe warned me that it was going to be pretty rough weather- with ~5 foot waves. I appreciated him giving me the option to reschedule here, but this was really the only day that would work, so we carried on. I paid up and we were on our way. A note here is that the booking agency prefers USD Cash for their payment.
It was definitely rough weather. We never felt unsafe, but you had to be very careful not to fall as the boat rolled about, and my son ended up sea sick (he's a trooper and was fighting fish moments after giving them his breakfast). But we pushed through and spent about an hour getting offshore, diverting to catch "live bait" along the way. (As a stream fisherman, 10 inch bonito and tuna don't feel like bait to me, but your mileage may vary.)
I cannot over state just how hard Mel, Juan and even Capt Felipe were working to get us fish. I have had great experiences with previous crews, but never have I seen guys just constantly working. We would troll to a location then drop for some bottom fishing, fight in some fish, then move to the next location- trolling along the way. Each phase, Mel and Juan were resetting poles, trolling, deep trolling, pulling in the trolling gear and getting the live bait ready for bottom fishing. It was clear that their sole purpose was to get as many hooks in the water at all times. The only times they stopped, it was to ask if my son or I wanted a drink.
Captain Filipe knows how to get you on the fish. Other than catching a bunch of mackerel, bonito and other smaller fish as bait, the first major catch was a MONSTER barracuda. Feeling that guy take my hook and run to the bottom of the ocean was crazy, and fighting him all the way back alone would have been a successful trip for me. But then we hauled up 9 more monster Amberjack. These aren't called "Reef Donkeys" for nothing. These stubborn guys sat like rocks, and pulling them in was 7 to 10 minutes at a time (though I am no expert, so your mileage may vary). The final catch before heading back was a red snapper that had a totally different fight to it. When we got back, the agency met us, and made sure we had a cab ride back to the resort.
Overall, this trip was amazing. I think a party of ~4 would be happy. Much larger, and I think you would be lacking for seating space and getting in the way of the crew as they reset. Make sure to bring food. In previous trips, crew gave us snacks like ceviche or guacamole. Big Hook does not (and probably for the best, since they are working on gear, not the galley). Again, bringing USD Cash is probably the easiest way to pay- especially if you are booking with USD.
Big Hook is not the biggest and fanciest boat in Cancun. But it is hands down the hardest working value in the area, as is its crew.
