These guys are horrible. They Will schedule you then cancel a bunch of times and keep your deposit. These guys are crooks, don't use them. Read all the reviews here. There are many other great charters in the area to even mess with these idiots ....... read more

We all spent 4 hours on the boat and the ENTIRE BOAT of over 25 people caught nothing! My family drove 2.5 hours to get there and it turned out to be worthless. Sigh! read more

We took the four hour perch fishing trip with a group of six (wife, son, daughter, sister-in-law & brother-in-law). The fish weren't particularly on, but everyone caught at least one perch and some people on the boat caught up to a dozen. A good sized catfish (est 10 lbs) and a small salmon were also caught by others on the boat. The weather was pretty close to ideal - gentle breeze, sunny, pleasant temperature. Even with ideal conditions, my son and I both had some seasickness symptoms, although I found that going up deck and watching the horizon resolved that, as did fishing the side of the boat where the waves were on-coming and I could anticipate the movement of the boat. The boat itself was in solid working condition - not fancy, but certainly serviceable. The men's bathroom was clean and in working order, didn't visit the women's since I'm not an aspiring professional bathroom reviewer or a creepy-type. We brought our own tackle, so I can't speak to the quality of the rental equipment, however the crew was really great! When we boarded, our rods weren't setup for perch fishing, so one of the crew members helped us get each of the rods set with a spread perch rig to fish a couple minnows at around 12" and 40" deep. When the fishing was slow, another member of the crew offered advice and garnered some success with the fish dance. (suffice to say, I wish I'd taken a video of it and my son would tell you that he's glad I didn't...) The crew was friendly, accessible, and always willing to answer questions. The total price of the trip (including the various up charges) felt reasonable and I felt it was a fair value for the experience. On a per pound of fish basis it was not a good value, but I fault the fish for that and not the crew. I didn't mind paying for bait and I was happy leaving a tip for the crew as they certainly earned it by giving us a fun experience. The $5 per parking is the only charge I initially wondered about, but it's a pittance of the overall cost and with the limited parking, they need something that encourages people to carpool if they're in a group, which I suspect that does. Note: there is a 10% surcharge for not paying cash, so definitely bring ample cash to pay for parking, bait, anything else you buy on the boat, and a decent tip for the crew. Overall, we all had a nice experience on our first big lake charter and would certainly consider doing it again. read more

They have too many people packed in, spent 4 hours with no fish...for being so expensive you would think they would have a gps where the fish is located...wouldn't recommend to anyone...Too expensive to catch nothing! read more

Had a great time spite the October weather, that came in July. We went out on the morning Perch charter, and had a very good time. Fishing was a little slow, but we did not come home empty handed. The captain and crew were very helpful and nice to all on board, and tried their best to make sure everyone had fun and caught some fish. Only "negative" is all the "extra cash only fees" you should be aware of. $5.00 to park, $5.00 for bait, $5.00 for rental of rod and reel, $3.00 for the "big fish contest" (optional), and having to get a state fishing licences before you arrive (you can do this online at (http://www.michigan.gov/dnr) and get a 24 hour licences for $10.00. If your not prepared for all these "extras" it could be a bit upsetting. read more

I was very nervous booking this trip seeing previous reviews. To my relief, my low expectations turned a very decent outing into an outstanding one! We had a great time and the kids really wanted to do it again - they are the best reviewers :-))) Long story short: we didn't exactly killed it... But that's why it's called fishing not catching! Kids got bored very quickly with a very slow bite. But the deck hands tried very hard to keep the mood up which was very difficult with the boat full and bad weather impending. Almost everybody was impatient "why are fish not biting". Kid next to me tangled me, my kid and my wife on 3 separate occasions. Because it was slow he was trying to jig therefore tangling us. He tangled his dad too. But what you're gonna do? My youngest started playing with him and they were off leaving us to fishing. We would call them back when we had a bite. The boat was clean, the service prompt and the captain repositioned the boat 4 times to improve the bite. What else can one ask for other that the fishing gods improve the bite? And if kids are bored and bitchy it's not the captains fault. We showed the kids how to set the poles so they can see the bite and they played with minnows and each other. Yes we ourselves got tired and frustrated but after a very nice Bloody Mary the mood and the bite improved. Yes they charge for everything but as a business owner I realize this enterprise has only so many days out of the year to do business therefore it has to look for income everywhere it can. It's annoying but the service was outstanding. And how funny that being so understanding brought us more service and we caught more fish than the boat average. We got home with fish to fry and funny stories. Kids were super excited that we came in second in the fish pool!!! Highly recommended but check expectations before you think it's going to be an epic fishing trip with a boat filled with 40+ people. And even with so many people we had plenty of space, fun and made new friends! read more

Captain Hook's Sportfishing - Kids weighing the catch - Boat Charters Near Me - St. Joseph, Michigan

We had a great morning on the lake and went home with enough fish for a meal too. They took great care of us. We rented equipment & bait and paid for cleaning which was fantastic. They cannot make the fish bite but they certainly got us in the neighborhood. Well done Captain Kevin! read more

Sadly the reviews are true. Our trip was scheduled at 8:00 so it makes sense that the crew would have the boat ready to go by 8:00 right? Wrong. The crew started coming in at about 10 minutes to 8 and we didn't even leave the dock until 9. Most of the crew doesn't know much about fishing. I'm not sure if the party boat even has a graph on it as the whole boat caught maybe 10 fish the whole trip. They charge you for everything like previous reviews mention so I wasn't completely caught off guard. It's a bit shady when they confiscate your bottled water just so they can charge you $2.00 a bottle for theirs. At the end of the trip they come around with a bucket and pretty much shame you into throwing a tip in. The whole crew certainly didn't deserve a tip. The kid they have working for them is about the only one who deserved one. Overall you get what you pay for considering most people there were because of a groupon deal. Fishing on a crowded boat isn't the greatest experience to begin with but when they nickel and dime you for everything and the crew is mostly all clueless it makes for a long day. read more

This is my 2nd time Salmon fishing with Captain Nate. Both times were great and we caught a ton of fish. I cannot say one bad thing about this trip. Almost limited out both times! Captain Nate really knows what he is doing. I will definetly be back read more

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Worst fishing experience I've ever had. First of all, they are impossible to get a hold of, so if you have any questions, you might as well forget about asking them. Phone was disconnected, no answers via email. They will nickel and dime you. $5 to park on their lot, $5 for a rod n' reel, $5 for for bait. $2 for a 5oz bottle of water. No outside food or drinks allowed. $5 for a bud light. $10 for a frozen 12in pizza. The port-a-potty in the parking lot was nicer than the restroom located on the boat. No running water, couldn't wash my hands. And the toilet didn't flush, it was so full of urine it was splashing out with the movement from the waves. So the crew let us know up front that they were working for tips. So, lines would tangle, and there was no one to help un-tangle them, we ran out of bait, although we paid for unlimited bait. I don't recall a single employee asking if we needed and help, or make the rounds to see how things were going. There were thirty+ passengers on the boat, and less than 5 fish were caught. The captain seemed to have no idea where the fish were, aimlessly driving around. It was a dog and pony show. On top of the cake, I cast out, and the tip of my pole broke off from the tension, and proceed to charge me $25 for the breaking of the junky fishing rod. Overall, I would give them negative stars. And they had the gull to ask me for a tip. Ha, should have listened to the reviews. Take my advice and stay away, unless you are into wasting your time and money. read more

Did not put us on any fish not even one bite. When I left a neg review I was bombarded by emails and I felt I was being harassed for leaving a neg review. read more

I bought a groupon for this place for my dad and uncle as a late Father's Day present while they were here in michigan. I honestly wish I had spent the money elsewhere. They went on the 4 hour perch fishing trip and caught nothing. They said there were about 40 people on the boat but only 3 fish were caught the entire time. What a rip off. I know they aren't responsible for fish not biting but what is up with nobody really catching anything??? Most places like this offer a money back guarantee if fish aren't caught but this place does not. I guess I should have read reviews first. Also keep in mind that you can't even bring a bottle of water with you onto the boat but they will charge you $2 for a dinky little bottle of water. I am going to steal the phrase from other reviews - Captain CROOKS indeed. Very disappointing. read more

We had my husbands birthday party on the party time boat. We had 45 people on board and captain and crew made it a wonderful experience! Everyone had a great time. Lunch was great! Tammy made sure everything was taken care of for us. I would highly recommend this family owned business read more

My wife and I went on the Par-te-tyme perch charter. The ride and being on the water was nice but the fishing not so great. There were about 15 people aboard and there were only about 8 fish caught at least half were small . We got a Groupon deal so it wasn't that bad but I wouldn't pay full price. We didn't go out far at all. Close enough to take good pics of the Lighthouse if you zoom in with a smartphone. For about 2 hrs we didn't get anything. The crew members were friendly but the captain could have moved us around to try more than 1 spot. I understand you can't make fish bite but sitting in the same place not catching anything doesn't help! read more

Review for Party-time Sunset Cruise Just got off the phone with the business owner. She was not interested in honoring pricing on the internet because she didn't design the website. Prices advertised were 15 for adults and 12 for kids. The woman on the phone quoted us 20 and 15. In my opinion this is not proper business practice, didn't get a good vibe, and decided not to book the trip. read more

We drove down the night before and stayed in a motel, they canceled the trip the next morning on account of weather, truth be told they did not have enough people to run the boat, they wanted us to reschedule however I am not going to waste the gas and effort to return, They act like shysters to me, Would not recommend. read more

I'm a local resident but never have gone on this sunset cruise before. It goes out the St Joseph River to Lake Michigan and cruises along the shoreline for about an hour and turns around to head back as the sun sets. Total ride is about 1 1/2 hrs. Website says the cost is $15 but it was $20 (would have been 10% more if credit card was used) but I presume that is because of the higher gas prices. The day before, when I made the reservation, they weren't sure they would have the minimum number (12) of people to go out. But the next day, when we arrived there were about 40 people from one of the local senior residences. The staff did tell us to board first and go up on the top deck since we had reservations. I'm not sure how it went so quickly from too few to so many. The view on the top deck is great but the seats are wood stools which were too high for any of the adults in our group and also uncomfortable. The view from lower deck would have been minimal for many of the seniors since the windows are small and high. Didn't look like much seating down there either. So definitely you want to be on the top deck. Unfortunately once we were under way the captain started up a portable generator right by us to power a cd player that blasted rock music over speakers for the entire duration of the cruise. What would have been a pleasant trip on Lake Michigan was spoiled by the noise from the generator and the music speakers. Can't imagine the choice or volume of the music was good for the seniors on the lower deck either. For my money, the cruise out of Saugatuck is a much more pleasant experience. There is narration on the way out covering what you are seeing and a quiet trip back in after the sunset. All the seats on that boat have good viewing. I'd drive the hour north for that the next time. read more

I found a groupon deal for this charter with plans for a great fishing trip. Upon calling, they were terribly rude. After they got my groupon number and redeemed it, I was no longer able to contact them for weeks-- neither through phone nor email during normal business hours. I left countless messages by phone and online through their website. When I finally was able to contact them using a different number, they reaffirmed their poor customer service, telling me rudely that thet received no messages and that it was too late to cancel the trip. The earlier post of "Captain Crooks" is perfectly fitting in regards to my experience with this company. I've contacted Groupon and I'm in the process of getting my money back. Note: I believe that the 4-star review by Jim G. was mistakenly posted here. It is referring to a different "Captain Hook's" charter fishing company that fishes Lake Erie and is based in Port Clinton, OH. read more

After seeing Kyle at the recent Ultimate fishing show and reading a few of your reviews I decided to share my horror story. Kyle showed up hungover with no first mate, so he would order one of my buddies to drive the boat while Kyle set lines. There was no fuel so he stayed as close to the river as possible. The bathroom had vomit and crap all over it......the poor women had it hold it the entire day. As soon as each of us landed a fish Kyle ran us back to shore. I called Kyle's mom to complain, but I think she has heard it before. She was not very pleasent on the phone. Trust me I wasn't looking for a free trip! I now interview the charters and share my horror story..... read more

NEVER use Captain Hook's Charters. I could not help but laugh when I read the above review and saw that Craig D. called them Captain "Crooks"... as THAT is exactly what I said to my friends yesterday when they SCAMMED us on a perch fishing GROUPON that I purchased online. I am from out of state and TRUSTED they would be a good Charter, their website looks good. Don't be fooled. They are extremely RUDE, UNPROFESSIONAL, and DISHONEST. They promised us one thing and then they delivered another. Waves were several feet high and they STILL refused to give us a refund. THANK GOD, Groupon felt sorry for my experience and refunded the money I spent. I should have known when I went to a local fishing store in Niles, MI to purchase tackle for the charter the next day. The owner of the shop said, "Oh, no... you aren't going out with Captain Hooks are you??" They have a very poor reputation in the area by PROFESSIONAL fisherman. Even when EVERY SINGLE Charter canceled for the weekend, Captain Crooks still forced their reservations to go out or lose their money. It's too bad that people in this world are able to exploit those that love to fish and enjoy a nice time with family and friends. Instead of building up their business with CUSTOMER SERVICE and HONESTY. My friend even called from his phone to ask questions and the lady that answered let him know that she was in the middle of lunch..very rude, sarcastic, and TACKY. We enjoyed our day without them and went to Warren Sand Dunes instead. ;) read more

Went on the perch trip had a great time. If your going to bring your own tackle and rod. I would suggest a 5 ft ice fishing rod. The perch hit your bait very lightly and it is hard to feel the bite on anything except like tackle. read more

You get what you pay for here, which is minimal at best. The crew was extremely rude. After being in the sun for 3 hours, my Irish, fair skinned husband needed to apply sun block. However, he was told he wouldn't be allowed to fish for the rest of the excursion if he put any on, as no sunblock is allowed onboard. We were also given a broken fishing rod, and then told we would need to pay for it when we asked for a new one. We also witnessed the captain verbally abuse one of the crew members, who apparently must have done something wrong. Even though the price is right, the people running the boat soured the experience. read more

Not worth the One star that we have to give it.!!! No concerted effort made to actually find fish.!! $ 5.oo for parking $5.oo for pole rental $5.oo for bait.!! $25.00 if their used POS beat up pole breaks while you're just holding it over the rail fishing; and they keep the mox-nix spinning reel.!! If you are compelled to go by virtue of a Groupon or a friend; carpool, drink large amounts of adult beverage from your car before you get on board, sneak a protein bar or something to eat in your jacket if you need it.!! It is my belief that these people no longer want to be in the charter business.!! Buyer beware.!! read more

This is more a nice day on the water than serious fishing.we had 20 or more on the boat and did not catch many fish. With so many lines in the water at yah same time, there is a lot of time spent untangling lines but the crew was very good at it. We got a discount using Groupon. Alcohol and snacks are served on the boat. His and her toilets are available but no running water to wash up. Courteous and helpful crew. Leave early as the location is hard to find with GPS. read more

Extremely rude crew, killed baby perch when they could have easily been caught and released, they charge you $5 for everything even breathing, You go 1/2 mile off shore and sit in the same bad fishing spot for 3 hours, forced to tip as the captin comes around and stares you down with a tip jar, one lady would literally grab your fishing pole and not give it back if you were using the "wrong lure" It was a terrible waste of money and time. Did I mention the boat is on the small side and you are literally shoulder to shoulder with other people? AND the groupon advertises 50% off but the price is actually cheaper if you don't buy the Groupon because the Groupon marks it up 60%!!! Overall I felt robbed. read more

Reviews for Captain Crook's Charters I took my mom, sister, niece, nephew and my wife on the 4 hour perch charter. we had a 2 hour drive to get to the boat so we where drinking coffee on the way. When we arrived my wife and sister had to go to the restroom so I ask the captain if they could use the restroom on the boat, because there was no other place for them to go. He told me no, no one is aloud on the boat until he is ready. So they had to hold it for about 25 minuets. The captain was rude and didn't care about us after we just gave them 300 dollars. It took 1 hour to get to the spot to fish and 1 hour to get back. So we only got to fish for about 2 hours. Why we were fishing I caught a really small one and it slowed the hook. to small to clean so I threw it to the birds. The captain came up to me and ask why I threw the dead fish back, I said it was to small. He then told me that I was stupid in front of everyone. On our way out to the fishing spot, the mate came around and asked if we wanted to get in on a fishing contest. It was 3 dollars to get in on it. The biggest fish would win the pot. So I got all of us in on the contest. After we stopped the captain came out and started fishing with his friend in the front of the boat. Where there are 2 signs that say reserved. His friend got on the boat for free. We watched him get out of his truck and walk right past the pay both and get on the boat. Well guess who won the fishing contest. I think I saw the captain cache the fish that won the contest and put it in his friends bucket. This captain fishes every day out there and knows what to use. I would think that him and his friend that didn't pay to get on board would not be in on the contest but they where.(guess they needed beer money for later after everyone left) After that, the captain's friend that won the contest came around and ask for a tip for the crew and I declined. I think my 18 dollars I spent to get in on a rigged fishing contest was tip enough. After we got to shore I figured out why the captain was so upset with me for throwing the small one back. he wanted his 50 cents for cleaning the fish. Also when you are out on there boat you have to buy everything from them. You are out in the hot sun and wind, but you cant bring sun screen or water. You have to buy it from them. If you bring sun screen and use it, they wont let you fish anymore. captain hook charter doesn't seam to want any return costumers. They don't care about anyone after they get your money. They charge you for every move you make. (no sun screen or water, if no money) 3 X the markup on everything on the boat. The captain is vary rude No bathroom to use on shore. I would not recommend this charter to anyone. read more

I never got there as I couldn't get a written confirmation that a reservation was made in my name, even though the girl on the phone assured me she'd send it out. This promise to email a confirmation happened no less than 5 times. She texted me once, so I even asked, in one of my many calls, to have it texted to me. On my last call the girl shouted "just show up". I said I'm not driving for 2 hours to be told I'm not on the roster. She replied she'd "sent it through their computer program at least 5 times, it's the programs problem, and she wasn't doing it again" and hung up on me. When I called back she did not answer and the voice mailbox was full. This was a Groupon, used after the promotional value had expired, so it would have been full price for the three of us. After reading other reviews I'm glad I'm not going and taking my sister and her husband on this boat. read more

Some charters are fun and some are successful but ours was both. Imagine that you have two very close friends that took you out fishing, that's what it was like going out with Captain Hook Charter's Kyle and Taylor. Our trip was scheduled in February at the Indianapolis Boat, Sport, and Travel show and our trips took place the afternoon of May 17th and the morning of May 18th. Now while you cannot predict the weather it was perfect, which added even more enjoyment to the trip. The Captain was quick to put us on the fish and the mate kept 13 rods going in a spread behind the boat at different positions in the water column. Despite many years of fishing, I found it hard to keep track of everything, but this is where Taylor excelled. In all honesty, it was an honor fishing with this man. I can't wait to get back to another charter with these guys. read more

We purchased a Living Social voucher to try this charter trip; it was a joke! The voucher said nothing about extra required charges to actually do the trip. Turned out parking was $5 (no sign indicating that in the parking area); bait was $5 each, poles $5 each, $2 a fish to clean it. Make sure you bring another $40 per person! We take charters every year, and all of this is always included! We mentioned that when one of their people CALLED me to set this up, there was no mention of these required charges; they said, well, it's on the website. They didn't mention a website to me on the phone, and all important information is always listed on the voucher. Also, they take 10% to run a credit card, which is excessive. Then an illegal mistake, they're supposed to make sure every customer has a fishing license. When we asked to buy a day license (all charters sell them), they said quietly don't worry about it, the DNR doesn't check. They didn't ask the next customer about a license, I'm guessing they asked no one. I'd hate to be on the boat when the DNR did pull them over! One more thing, we sat around for a 1/2 hour waiting to board, and they clearly had another 1/2 hour before boarding. There goes one hour of our paid trip. Finally, we realized this operation was a waste of time and money, and asked for our cash back, but told them we'll deal with Living Social ourselves. They said no way, and slammed the door on us! Finally, another employee walked up and quietly slid the cash to us; I mentioned they really need to TELL customers when they call to bring money (and should be a license); he went bonkers and yelled at us. We never yelled, or were rude, or did anything but be politely firm. One more, this is the fourth "deal" I've made through Living Social that turned out to be a bust. They give me credit, to use again on another bum deal. Quitting this service!! read more

We have been visiting the St Joseph area with family for over 10 years, beautiful place with good people. Thought we would give the fishing a try. Bought 4 Groupons for family (myself, wife and 2 boys), paid extra for MI fishing licenses ($18), paid extra for 4 poles and 4 buckets of Minos, as well as parking ($45). Things seemed a bit off when we first boarded and nobody asked to see fishing license, and everyone received a bucket of Minos (not sure how they knew who paid??). The boat did not handle the waves well, and my two boys and wife became very sea sick (vomiting), this was the case for at least 7 other passengers (imagine 10 people vomiting), people were passed out in the chairs and seats downstairs, bathrooms were clogged, deck was slippery. My eldest son (10) and I tried to make the best of it and get some fishing in, we caught 8 perch, all were tiny (less than 6"). When my son was bringing in one of the fish, the tip of the pole broke (old Shakespeare rod), I immediately told one of the hands on deck what happened, he told us not to worry about it, and someone named Trish would take care of us. Since my wife and youngest son were not fishing, we used one of their poles. At the end of 3 hours of hell, Trish walked up to the my son and I and said we broke a pole and we owed her $25. I told her I wanted to discuss the manner, and she started yelling that she would have the boat stopped and wouldn't take the boat ashore unless we paid her. I was astonished by the lack of courtesy and professionalism after having gone through such an ordeal, opened her hand and gave her the $25, and promised I would write a review about my families big fishing adventure with Captain Hook. Never again. Good Luck! read more