christopherdA7248FM
Mar 2023
The first mate was great - always trying to cheer us up and talk about his fishing experiences and the great catches others have had on their boat. He could not have been nicer. The captain said hi and bye and nothing else and came down twice only to get snacks. Did not discuss the boat, his experience, where we would go, etc. I have gone on many private fishing charters in Hawaii and elsewhere and I appreciate that there is no guarantee of catching fish. But in 25 years of going, I have never had a trip where I did not even have a chance to fish - not sit in the attack chair or reel in any line - nothing. No bites for 6+ hours is not something that I ever want to repeat. Moreover, we only trolled, there were no individual poles and reels for us to use as we have had on every other deep sea fishing experience we have done in HI and FL so that we can past the time and at least feel like we are fishing. That made the trip monotonous and a bad experience for my teen daughters, who has been with me four times and is always the big angler typically catching the largest fish and most fish, including in Oahu last year.
The boat needs upkeep as I am used to riding in a vessel that is spotless and not in need of repair. Not a big deal, but at this price point, one expects a spotless vessel and a captain that can find the best fishing spots. In other trips like this, the captain goes to different hot areas and we try that for a while and then move on if no bites. This usually results in success. This time, we just went up and down the coast with not ONE bite. Beautiful weather and spending time with my daughter was great, but her disappointment made me regret not looking at some of the reviews who had similar comments. Again, the first mate (Ryan, I believe) was stellar and he was the highlight of the trip. I do not write flippant reviews and I thought long and hard about submitting this, but my daughter still talks about her disappointment and therefore, I do not want others to have the same experience.