I had a mixed experience with Fishful Thinking. I was very excited to go on this trip, as my boyfriend was visiting from out of town and we had our hearts set on this trip. We purchased a Groupon, which was cheap, so I guess you get what you pay for.
Of course we picked a day when it rained, not the crew or the company's fault. And out of 20 people in 4 hours, only ~10 fish were caught total, again not the crew or the company's fault. The biggest dissapointment wasn't the terrible weather or the bad fishing conditions, but the staff.
There were several young women, children and inexperienced fishers on the boat, and the staff made sure to treat us like we were an annoyance rather than a customer. Everyone was fishing on the same side of the boat, and if lines got caught or one of the crappy fishing poles got tangled, they would role their eyes and say "WHAT DID YOU DO?" It was uncomfortable to say the lease. I can't even count how many times the captain said "ok hurry up! throw your rod in hurry up!" When I finally did catch a fish, the mate came over, unhooked him and threw him back. I didn't even get a picture! This appeared to be the trend, as customers were saying WAIT WAIT can I get a picture?
Here are some suggestions for Fishful Thinking:
1) Install a bell and when someone catching a fish, ring it! Everyone loves to see who caught what. I know I was always trying to sneak a peak at other's catches.
2) Tell your customer what kind of fish it is. I was very interested in what the two kinds of fish I could and two my boyfriend caught. Did the first mate or captain tell us? Nope. Off the hook within a minute and back into the water.
3) Offer to take a picture. We paid a lot of money to be on the boat. We actually just caught something. Yes I want a picture.
This company is based on customer service. As a server, I know that if I treated my customers like an inconvenience, I would not be getting a tip.
Anyway, charter fishing is amazing. If you get a good crew, you can have fun no matter what! read more