Offshore @ Steinhatchee

[What a mess]

Booked a Charter his claim is he has the fastest boat on the river.

We went last Wednesday hoping for an exciting day of fishing.

The deckhand was a no show. Then they finally went and picked him up slow start.

He is hung over and proud of the alcohol he had consumed the night before we got a drink by drink explanation.

Plucked a few from the traps and hauled butt all twenty mph for an hour we got all the way to 45 feet and hung some squid over the side.

Have they been reading Pat's column? The speed at which we rode was stunning (fastest boat on the river)?

The bite was on an occasional Pink Mouth a couple of Black Sea Bass and almost no Grouper.

The wind turns green and foul for once it isn't me ( I am the gassiest man in the US ) next the Captain decides it is time to sit on a five gallon bucket.

About three times an hour for the rest of the day.

We took on four legal grouper and two buckets of PMG in ten hours on the radio they said they were catching them in a little deeper water.

The captain heads to the next rock over even though the PMG'S were slow and Grouper are not chewing he just wasn't going to go deeper.

I hook what I am sure is a 50 lb. Grouper and put the whup azz all over it.

Three minutes later there is a very green seven foot long Nurse Shark next to the boat oops.

It was about two pm and hot I am cramping everywhere back ribs arms thighs etc..

My cootchie hurts I didn't even know I had one, it is suggested I take two Midol and call back in the morning.

We head to a wreck nada to the rocks we get a couple drive by shootings no wire and they are gone.

To the hill and the storm whips up it looks bad but it doesn't get us.

We are back and safe they ask if I will be back I don't think so.

Maybe if I am sure the fish are shallow seeing they don't want to waste their gas going deep.

The Captain wants to shake hands and I won't that hand has been up his butt a dozen times.

Sorry maybe we can shake hands next time.

Oops again I don't think there is going to be a next time.

Effort
Commitment
Gear
Execution
Boat
Explosive diarrhea
Nice guy

[Big Bend Brian]

Sorry to hear that. I for one would like to know the captains name (or charter name) so I don’t recommend him to others. I’d be pizzed for sure.
Brian

[birddog]

Nice write up WAM. An awful trip though. Hate you had to go through all that.

[Tom Keels]

I know who he is talking about and I really find that hard to believe. I thought Capt. Brian was one of the best captains I've ever fished with.

[What a mess]

I did not mention his name on purpose but you guessed right.

I brought a friend that had never fished offshore before, if you need another witness I can hook you up!

Great boat, great gear, great guy,

Fish over there are not in their winter, spring 30' to 50' holes it is summer they are deep it is not a secret.

Why have a boat with twin four strokes and the ability to get to the fish and not go?

It was clear he wasn't going long before he got sick.

I liked him there just was no effort to get it done.

I call them hoo hah trips this was just that.

I have fished on equally calm days and caught more fish out of a 19' center console this time of year there.

I have also fished there with another charter that he recommended once when he was already booked.

We caught 5 times as many fish and didn't have what we or the captain thought was a very good day.

That was about what we do when I go with the guy that started me saltwater fishing a while back and he is no guide.

Quite often we do better than that.

Yeah I may be wrong but in the past when I have chartered and gone off shore only once have we had those type of results.

Usually it is we get em or you can see the frustration of the captain if we are not.

Sick not his fault but pretty unpleasant just the same.

I damn sure don't get the I ain't been catching them here for weeks but this is where we are fishing.

The weather we had and the craft we were in we could have gone a little farther with no real major expense.

[Tom Keels]

Not defending the Captain at all but he could have had reasons. This is more for informational purposes than anything.

First mate bullcrap, unacceptable.

I would beg to differ about where the fish are this time of year. Grouper do not migrate to deeper water, they pretty much stay put all year long. Check my reports to verify. The captain may know where they are since he fishes over there more. Fishing in that area from 30-50 feet would be where I would go as well.

Did you tell the captain your expectations for the trip? That you were not some weekender looking for a pull, but would like to be put on grouper/snapper and nothing else? Whenever I book a charter I make sure to tell the captain I have been fishing all my life and that I want a special trip, not something I could put together with a few buddies. It has almost always worked out.

If the fish didn't bite, they didn't bite. I have captained many a "charter" trip. Yesterday was one. We hit 20 or so of my best numbers. Had the bait, had the tackle, had the show on the bottom machine. The fish did not bite. Stuff like that happens.

As for him not running his boat hard, well, I have never met a captain that did. They have to maintain a living and the boat is vital. And I have seen some of the boats that run out of Steinhatchee, most won't make 20 mph if you dropped them from an airplane.

I would highly recommend you contact the captain personally and let him know your displeasure for the trip and how and where you thought he could have made it right. He will either thank you for your info, or cuss you for it. Either way you have your answer as to whether to ever book him again.

[What a mess]

I didn't think he should run wot but we usually run a comfortable 27 or so in the cape horn about the same on the parker I rode out on when I was in Steinhatchee before. I don't often fish over on the other side mostly Swanee Steinhatchee and Keaton we always fish deeper in the summer.
Same is true of the dozen or so trips out of Panama City Beach.

Expectations were clear, we would have had to run way further to have a chance at snapper.

The radio comes to life they are catching them in 65' we are in 50' so at that time we are talking 7 miles maybe 10 what would that take ten bucks in fuel?

Brought my own tackle so I would have braided line and circle hooks.

My friend that had never fished offshore before caught his first grouper

I caught two, the other three men accounted for the one other that was caught.

On the PMG'S the two of us easiley gathered 65% of those again braid and circles make a difference.


45' on squid of course is a joke.

He said he hasn't been on fish there in a while heck I am not saying middle grounds but something ain't werkin.

[Tom Keels]

I didn't think he should run wot but we usually run a comfortable 27 or so in the cape horn about the same on the parker I rode out on when I was in Steinhatchee before. I don't often fish over on the other side mostly Swanee Steinhatchee and Keaton we always fish deeper in the summer.
Same is true of the dozen or so trips out of Panama City Beach.

You are mixing apples and oranges talking when talking eastern and western gulf. Completely different.

And if you and your friends fish deeper in the summer, then what I am saying is you are running over the top of fish to get there. I think the captain probably knows that.

If he actually said, he hasn't been on fish in a while then that's quite a telling statement.

[Breambuster]

Sorry to hear that your trip was not up to your expectation. Is this one of the Wednesday Special mix-and-match trip? If it is, do you get to keep all the fish you catch or do you and your friend have to share your catch with the other three not so lucky fishermen? Obviously you did better than the rest of the "riders".

[dolphinatic]

Sorry to hear about the bad experience. I have to agree with Tom though. Any charter trip we have ever taken has had our motives explained to the captain before we even booked the trip. If they don't want to give us the trip we are paying good money for, then we go somewhere else. I've found that if you tell a captain you are an experienced fisherman and bring some of your own gear, they go out of their way to put you on the fish. I don't try to be a know-it-all, because I'm not, but upfront expectations are usually welcomed with the right attitude in presenting them. It's good business. Being self-employed, I know the importance of repeat business and referrals. As for the "brown tide", that can happen to the best of us. The deckhand situation sounds totally unacceptable. Deckhands are usually tipped well and usually work hard for what they get. I would have complained or just left without him. Experienced fisherman dont always need deckhands, but it is nice to have your bait cut and leaders tied from time to time As for the fish, we catch them in the same places year round. We have inshore and offshore numbers and fish them both year round depending on where the weather allows us to go on any certain day. The fish are there, they just dont always bite. Again, sorry to hear about your experience and I hope the next time will be a better experience.

[CairoTrout]

My bossman and my coworkers went out with th same guy last monday.
They were very dissapointed with the whole trip.Another point if you advertise you have the fastest boat you better show me something. This same captain tried to catch jewfish knowing my buds were on a meat trip.
Everyone of yall did have some good points though. And Tom Keels you catch nice fish everytime you go, you da man.

[Tom Keels]

That's a shame to hear. My trip a few years back with Capt. Brian was one of my most memorable trips.

[Frank Bradfield]

Tom quit telling them lies about shallow migrating grouper ! You know they are in 80ft or better... , I'll agree with Tom on one thing, plenty of day's i've been out and on fish and they won't bite much at all. I know, i've seen em ! Sorry you guy's had a bummer trip !

[Reel Slow]

Bummer WAM. Sorry to hear about your trip. That is alot of effort for farts and squirts.

[BAD BEHAVIOR]

Reel Slow said Farts and squirts!!!