Disappointing, uncomfortable experience and would 100% not return…read more
We booked a trip with Southern Maryland Bowfishing as a group of three, excited to try bowfishing for the first time and hopefully catch some snakehead (we're optimistic like that). I had assumed based on our communication that our small group would have the small boat to ourselves, which is typically why I pay for extra spots; to keep things private. Unfortunately, when we arrived, we were surprised to find that two of the captain's "regulars" were added to our trip without any heads-up, which immediately shifted the tone of the experience.
Things only got worse from there. Fewer than five minutes into the trip, the captain commented on how "good" my English was and that I didn't have an accent; clearly implying that, as a Hispanic person, I was expected to speak with one. We quietly noted that we didn't even make it five minutes without a tone-deaf comment, and tried to move on and enjoy the trip anyway.
Unfortunately, we didn't. There was very little instruction provided, and we mostly had to ask questions to figure out what to do. Meanwhile, the couple of regulars, clearly more experienced, were set up at the front of the boat catching fish, while we were left to figure things out ourselves or ask a million questions. We felt like spectators rather than participants.
To add a final insult to injury, when we returned to the dock and I still tipped the captain out of courtesy, I overheard him in conversation with a small group of men joking about how much he charged. One of them turned to me and commented that I should make sure to come back again (It was clearly implied we had overpaid or been taken advantage of). The captain then offered for us to come back in another season since we didn't catch anything which honestly just felt like a weak consolation.
This was an overall uncomfortable and disappointing experience. Between the lack of professionalism, the unwelcoming vibe, and the racial microaggressions, I can confidently say we won't be returning. Luckily, there's no shortage of other bowfishing charters in the area, we'll try one of those once the bad taste from this experience fades.
Alternatively we recently chartered a boat for blue catfish fishing and had a completely different experience. Look for that review if you're looking for a good time fishing.