1-Star Review -- We Did Not Receive the Trip We Booked and Paid For…read more
We booked with Redfish Lodge Port O'Connor specifically to fish for tarpon with the owner, Captain Keith Denette. We were very clear from the beginning that tarpon fishing was what we wanted to do. We paid $800, and our invoice specifically states: "Fishing for Tarpon on September 6, 2026 with Capt. Keith."
The night before our trip, Keith contacted us and told us that something had come up and he would not be able to take us, and that we would instead be going with Captain Stephen Boriskie. Although we were disappointed by the last-minute change, we trusted that Redfish Lodge Port O'Connor would provide an experienced captain capable of giving us the specialized tarpon trip we had booked.
Unfortunately, that was not our experience.
Within the first 30 minutes on the water, it became apparent to us that Captain Stephen had very little, if any, experience fishing for tarpon. We also learned that it was only his second day operating this particular boat, and he appeared to have very limited familiarity with it. This was certainly not the experience we expected when we paid $800 to fish for tarpon with the owner.
What made the situation even more disappointing was what we discovered afterward.
Keith had told us that "something came up" and that was why he could not take us. However, we subsequently saw posts on social media showing that Keith was fishing with a bachelor party on the same day he was originally scheduled to take us.
That was extremely upsetting. Based on what we were told, we believed an unexpected situation had prevented Keith from honoring our booking. Seeing that he was apparently taking another group fishing that day left us questioning why our confirmed $800 trip with him was reassigned to a much less experienced captain.
We want to be very clear: our complaint is not that we didn't catch a tarpon. Anyone who fishes understands that no captain can guarantee that fish will bite. Our complaint is that we specifically booked and paid for a tarpon fishing trip with Captain Keith, and that is not the service we received.
After the trip, we contacted Keith and explained how disappointed we were. He offered us a $300 refund on the $800 we paid. While we appreciate that he offered a partial refund, we do not believe $300 fairly addresses the situation.
We paid $800 for a very specific trip, with a specific captain, which is documented on our invoice. Instead, our captain was changed the night before, we were told Keith had something come up, and we were placed with someone whom we did not believe had the experience necessary to provide the specialized tarpon fishing experience we purchased. We then discovered that Keith appeared to be fishing with another group that same day.
Had we been told the truth upfront, that Keith would not be taking us and that we would instead be going with a captain with limited tarpon experience who was on only his second day with that boat, we absolutely would not have agreed to the trip or paid $800 for it.
For us, this is about much more than not catching a fish. It is about honesty, communication, and receiving the service that was advertised, booked, and paid for.
Unfortunately, based on our experience and the way this situation was handled afterward, we cannot recommend Redfish Lodge Port O'Connor. We cannot recommend spending $800 for this experience based on what we received.
