RUN AWAY! I have not had many opportunities to fish in my life, and decided to give it a try since I was on my first trip visiting the beautiful San Juan Islands. The advertisments for this charter fishing trip is everywhere, and we initially found the advertisement on the ferry crossing. Upon arrival he indicated it was a cash only transaction, and we should have known right away. It is a trap! Our four hour fishing trip was mostly wasted because Monty's boat did not run right. We got to the fishing location, but just after the poles were setup for trolling, the motor on his boat died. It would not run or idle at all. After swapping some parts and battery connections, his next most popular repair technique was smacking the carbureator with a wrench. He also kept WD-40 very close by in a cup holder which he sprayed liberally as a magic fix. Fortunately one of the other charter passengers knew a bit about engines and he fixed the initial problem. We managed to get two hours of fishing in and one actual bite attempt, but the lines tangled and the fish got away. When we finally pulled up lines to head for home, the motor died a final time and was beyond repair. We required harbor rescue assistance to get back to the Marina. This messed up our scheduled timeline, and the next ferry departure was 4+ hours. A waste of money for sure, and a huge aggravation. Monty offered us $100 back and to avoid making a scene, I accepted and left. Of all the other businesses there (whale watching, tours) it is obvious that this boat is in need of some general maintenance. Don't waste your time or money. I wish I had looked at the other review before I booked my trip. Lesson learned. Save your money and go watch the whales or Kayak instead! read more

We were very disappointed. Capt. Monty squeezed 6 folks onto the boat that we thought we had reserved for two couples. The boat only had seats for 4. We were fortunate that the other 2 boat mates were fun and gracious. The boat smelled, we were the crew, had to take turns steering the boat, bare bones experience. Felt ripped off; but fortunate that the at times clunking motor didn't die. I agree with the other reviewer, run or you might have to swim. Should you ignore our warnings because Capt Monty of Trophy is the name most touted (for good recommendations ask the folks at King's Marine and Clothing on Spring Street), "be warned" you have to carry your fish to the street in a cooler and pay someone to clean them and pay for your own bait to go crabbing. read more

NEVER EVER use this horrible business! I've gone fishing numerous times and this was the worst trip ever; not because of the few fishes we caught but because the captain lacks people skills. I found him brusk and unhelpful. He didn't want to have any conversation; he treated us like cargo rather than customers interested in an experience. He did not explain things well and expected us to be expert fishermen. Literally, the second my wife reeled in a fish, he sighed in relief and zoomed back to the dock 40 min before he originally told us we'd go back and even sooner if you count the fact we left 1 HR late while waiting for another couple who didn't show. We envy the other customers who wised up. read more

Horrible Day. Avoid and don't waste your money. Boat in disrepair and smelled. No guarantee you will catch anything or get a partial refund. Caught nothing and only stayed in one spot with so many other places we could have tried. I fish a lot and this was just an expensive boat ride. read more

We had the same experiance yesterday. We went out for 5 hours and cought nothing. We trolled around the island with only 2 bites. Both got away and he just said it was cause we weren't doing it right and didn't bother to show us how to real in the poles. We spent 500 to catch nothing.... Boat was was filthy and smelled horrible. He would only accept cash and said his card reader got wet and broke (not likely as the whole boat is inclosed with a dirty plastic cover.) Wasn't helpful at all and did not get out of his seat. Made us run all over town before we even left to pay him cash from an ATM. He then said there was $27 of tax!!! You cant charge tax on services. He is a scammer and i don't think he knows anything about fishing. beware. Don't book your charter trip with him if you actually want to have a good time or catch any fish... read more

Would have put 0 stars if could. If you want to actually fish - go with an other outfitter. He knew is boat was broken, but didn't tell us until an hour before we were to meet him. The least he could do is reimburse for our ferry, hotel and fishing license cost. We incurred great expense to get to Friday Horbor to fish - If he'd told us the night before we could have made other arrangements. What a selfish, dishonest business man. read more

Trophy fishing - NOT. Disappointed. I realize it's about the fishing and not the catching but after 4 hrs in the same spot with 4 lines going and not even a bite. After 1 hr we didn't relocate, we didn't change lures. We just stayed in the same place. The boat was in disrepair. The captain barely spoke more than a few words during the excursion, except to answer his cell phone to book more unlucky patrons... seemingly only interested in putting his time in. STAY AWAY. You won't get any value. Pictures on website not representative - grime decades ago. read more

Had fun on our honeymoon. We were the only ones on the charter. We hooked into 8 pinks and one king. Best price on the island.

HORRIBLE!!! DO NOT EVER MAKE RESERVATIONS!! He never showed up, we went and had to purchase fishing licenses for $40. We were to show up at 2:00 and he never called to cancel or let us know. After talking to the locals they said he is the WORST EVER!! Some of the stories include, having one fishing pole for 6 people, he smells along with his boat, he has taken people out fishing when his boat has broke down and left the people stranded on an island, he won't help you fish (He just sits there), he has told people he was a park ranger to say bad things about other captains when clearly he is the worst ever!!! IT would be a huge mistake to ever take him!! We ended up finding North Shore Charter off Orcas Island.. Captin Marty will come pick you up for free if you are staying at San Juan Island, he was great!! read more

I completely agree with the previous review! The Problem with this charter boat is DEFINITELY the "captain" if that's what you want to call him! It was completely obvious that he was there for one thing and that is the cash in hand that he requires! No paperwork, no receipts. Also there was another couple on our boat who wanted to only take 1 out of the 3 fish they caught and he just kept the fish, didn't even offer them to us....doesn't he have the opportunity to fish 7 days a week? He also showed up late and went in early....totally disappointed with this experience for how much money we paid! read more

WORST EVER. I have been on many onshore/offshore fishing charters and Captain Monty was by far the worst! In a nutshell ... he has zero people skills. Most of our trip (in 08/2010) he spent talking on the phone to book other charters instead of taking care of us. I would rather chew tin foil and shave my head with a cheese grader than to ever fish with this guy again! read more

DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY! Wow, what a huge disappointment. I am an avid fisherperson from the East Coast, and this was the part of the trip I was most excited about. Monty himself is the problem. He was visibly bored for our four hour trip, and did everything except help us to fish. He did not leave his seat, and barely turned around to watch us fish off the back of the boat. (He clipped his fingernails, took and made several calls booking trips and taking care of errands, etc.) His "underwater camera" is a lie- he offered several lame excuses for why he couldn't turn it on. His "bait provided" is true... if you count 10-year old basic lures as bait. His boat is old and filthy. Basically, take this trip if you want to pay top dollar to rent an old, slow boat that comes with an ornery old man sitting on a chair and the most basic equipment available. San Juan Island needs a better fishing outfit! read more