It's been years since my last review but after being there yesterday to rent a Father's Day pontoon, it's our tradition, and seeing there improvements under way I thought it was time. Hudson Marina, Canal Road in Orange Beach, AL, is a family-owned establishment that has evolved over the years is a premier destination for various water-based activities and rentals. The marina initially started as a charter boat fishing hub, with a focus on providing wet slips for fishermen. It has since expanded its offerings to include a 300-foot pier and a range of recreational opportunities for visitors. Their history is rooted in its family ownership, which provides a tight-knit community atmosphere and a focus on customer satisfaction. After facing the challenges of Hurricane Ivan, the marina rebuilt and grew stronger and continues to grow. Today, Hudson Marina offers numerous services and amenities, including: * Jet ski and waverunner rentals * Party boat fishing charters on the America II * Pontoon boat rentals * Kayak rentals * Paddle boat rentals * A pirate ship cruise aboard the American Star, which was converted from a dolphin cruise boat * Island tours * Blue Angels & fireworks tours * Jet boat rides (The Screaming Eagle) * Sailing charters There's a variety of activities and rentals available that caters to diverse preferences, ensuring a great day on the water anytime. Check out their gift shop for some cool merch, restrooms available, and you can book online but to take advantage of the Veterans discount you'll have to book in person or ask for an accomodation on the phone. Bottom line: Hudson Marina is a testament to the dedication and passion of its family owners, who are very friendly and commited to providing excellent experiences for all. Highly recommended. Hours 7am-8pm every day Website: https://www.hudsonmarina.net/ Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/hudsonmarina/ read more

Hudson Marina - Had a great day on the water for Father's Day part 2! - Fishing Near Me - Orange Beach, Alabama

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I should have known to not go when I had to add a tip to comple payment!!! What are you tipping for...... if you catch no fish ...... at all. Because they are not baiting your hooks eithe. 69$ a person= 329$ including tip and no fish. We didn't even catch bait fish. You bait your own hook, you can sit outside to fishIng spout but not on way back because they clean up. Staff told us we were probably baiting hook wrong but never advised or checked. 80 people.... 5-6 snapper Caught. After 4 hour trip was completed they offer to fillet your fish for tips. So what was first tip for on website? We got beat!! 0 fish read more

Booked two weekday trips in the last month only to be canceled due to weather. Both days consisted of light breezes and seas under 2 feet. Every beach camera, Gulf buoy, radar overlay, and Navionics real time info showed both of these days perfect for fishing. The only difference is today is overcast where my last trip was sunny all day long. As a lifetime coastal boater and someone who kept their sailboat at perdido pass for many years, I'd give this captain a suggestion to watch the weather. read more

4 hour boat fishing charter. Please more that 2ish hours of the 4 hours is the travel time to and from where you will fish. There is also a gas surcharge and gratuity mandatory. ~$94 is actual cost. Boat was loaded to capacity and everyone was standing shoulder to shoulder around the exterior of the boat. 75+ people and I'd venture to say in 4 hours the total catch was 15-20 fish. Spent more time trying to untangle lines than actually fish. Important to note that the "air conditioned" cabin really is a center area that seats 15-20 people with one mini split desperately trying to keep up with 3 open doors. It's anything but an air conditioned cabin. Best part of the trip was the really friendly and helpful deckhands. read more

Hudson Marina - Overcrowded fishing boat - Fishing Near Me - Orange Beach, Alabama

Don't have enough good things to say!! From the second we checked in to the moment we got docked, everything was amazing! We come to Orange Beach every year and this will definitely be something we do from here on out! read more

We booked jet skis at Hudson. The staff was very friendly and helpful the entire visit. They were knowledgeable and gave us pointers on where to go. Prices were reasonable and worth it for the fun we had on the skis. The only reason I'm giving 4 stars is the distance you have to go from the marina to the area where you can open it up full throttle. We paid for an hour and it took about 10 minutes just to get out of the no wake zone. So we lost 20 minutes of time going out and coming back in. The staff probably wouldn't have been bothered if we were a few minutes behind so that's a plus. read more

Hudson Marina - Fishing Near Me - Orange Beach, Alabama

Awesome staff professional and attentive Knowledgeable Captian and hand I'm not much on group fishing boats but this one has changed my mind read more

Took the 6-hour semi-private charter on the C.A.T. with Captain Corbett and Brandon. Yes, you can go fishing for $59 and be out on the water for 4 hours. BUT... here are the reasons you might want to invest in $155 package. 1. The 6-hour semi-private charter is a smaller boat (maximum of 22 passengers, though our charter only had 9 on it). A more personal experience. 2. The bigger (less expensive) party boats draw people who don't fish. Since bottom fishing requires letting your bait go to the bottom, it means inexperienced fishers are apt to let the reel get away from them. Could result in a bird nest of line on their reel (too bad, so sad), or their line will tangle with several other rigs (now the mate is spending time untangling and everything of on pause...) and if two or more people do it at the same time? Ugh. 3. The more lines in the water at once, the less chance the fish will take your bait. 4. Six hour trip takes you farther from shore... less fishing pressure from all the 4-hour party boats. 5. Smaller groups mean fishing is faster. Quicker to drop line, quicker to catch fish and quicker to reel up and move on if the bite is off. So... my review of this trip? Outstanding experience! Captain Corbett knew the waters and our boat (the C.A.T.) was clean and well maintained. The cabin allowed us shelter from the breeze while we motored around 18 miles off shore (about 90 minutes). The remaining time was spent fishing and working our way back. I caught 8 vermillion snapper (red snapper is out of season), a porgy and a ruby red lips. Also caught 4 triggerfish, but none were large enough to keep. Hooked a few more, but they got away. Brandon, the First Mate took great care of all of us. Guy has a good sense of humor. I didn't catch the most fish, or the biggest fish, but it had a great time and met some good people. Back at the dock, my fish were cleaned and bagged in quick fashion. I've been on party boats and private charters. If you can't afford your own boat, this is a close as you can get. Full Disclosure: $155 doesn't include taxes, fees and automatic gratuity... bringing the total to abrupt $192. You can get insurance for 10% of the ticket price (I didn't get it) The marina offers dolphin cruises, a pirate ship tour and has the obligatory souvenir shop. There are also a bar and grill overlooking the bay (The Avenue). Good burgers and tuna dip). Live entertainment on the weekends. All in all, a great investment in a vacation experience. read more

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FUN! EXCITING! AWESOME! This place was the absolute best. My family and I really enjoyed the dolphin tour. The service was awesome, the captains were very aware of making sure everyone was safe. The actual tour was so fun and very informative. You could tell the captain enjoyed his job. He was so engaging with everyone and showed us a real good time. We saw some amazing homes and the dolphins really put on a show. A must try Captain Jason & Co Captain Jason lol were the best read more

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Loved this Off Shore fishing excursion. Special thanks to Captain Mark and Deckhand Mike. We paid $75 for the 4 hour cruise. Went out 15 or so miles and fished in 90 feet deep waters. Actually stayed out for 5 hours! Bonus! Caught some tasty fish! The crew did everything and every trick they knew to be sure we caught fish. There were around 20 people fishing on the boat The Wish Bone. I want to try the 6 hour trip next. These guys are class act! read more

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We went as a group of 4 on the 4 hour fishing experience! We absolutely had a wonderful time and luckily at least one of had done this before, because if you have absolutely zero experience fishing this experience would be a little more difficult as they only had two deck hands for the entire group and some of the girls had never even baited a hook before. Although, don't get this mixed up, Colton and Kaden were FABULOUS. They were quick, knowledgeable, and very kind. I do agree with other reviews that if you want a more personalized experience you'll want to do the more expensive 6+ private or semi private experience (which we will definitely be doing next time we're in town!) Overall, this was a 5 star experience for us and we would recommend it! But do note, if you might, even a little bit get motion sickness, bring the medication!!!!!! Oh, and don't forget your sunscreen! read more

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My family of 3 went on the 6 hour group shared deep sea fishing charter. It was fantastic. We will definitely return. The staff was incredibly friendly. Highly recommend this to my friends and family read more

Hudson Marina - Fish after 6 hours shared charter - Fishing Near Me - Orange Beach, Alabama

We had a great time on our 23' pontoon rental from Hudson Marina! Fairly convenient and pretty easy to get to. The crew was helpful and friendly. The boat was clean and in great shape. I would vote 5 stars, except that the boat was very underpowered, with a 90 hp outboard. I understand the liability, but it's SLOW. Max speed is around 15 mph. Oh well- just don't be in a hurry. I'd definitely rent from these guys again. read more

Dolphin cruise. 4 pm cruise became 3:30 pm. Not enough places to sit so stood the whole time. It was a pack ship. Disappointed and was in the back. Smelly smokiness from exhaust. We saw other dolphin cruise boats (it was clearly named) and there were comfy seats for everyone and not as crowded either. Maybe I will go there next time. Dolphin sighting was just the fins. They didn't jump out so you could see whole body. I had different thought. I was hoping to see that. My hubby thought we would be able to feed them. Nope. I get it. I would've liked the tour more if I was able to sit down and enjoy the view. 283/2019 read more

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We did the pirate cruise so..... I mean really. This was such an awesome cruise. My 5 yo loved it. Even my not so silly husband cracked up on this cruise. From the minute the pirates call you down to get on the boat until the minute the cruise ends, it's fantastic. Our pirates were Captain Barnacle and Capable Kyle. They were both engaging and fun. There were lots of activities and Pirate Pop on board. They always had a few tricks up their sleeves too. I cannot give this cruise enough praise. By far our most favorite thing we did on Gulf Shores vacay. read more

Only giving two stars because the crew was so kind. The experience its was less than 1 star. we booked the 4 hour cruise for 8 people, there were 35 people on the cruise all together. We caught the smallest fish, basically bait fish. No snapper or grouper was to be seen at all. Their Facebook pictures are very misleading and they are taking advantage of tourists. Steer clear! read more

The business itself was okay. I didn't realize we had to pay extra to fill up the tank upon our return. The water was extremely choppy and full of boats at the time we went which made it difficult to go fast and handle the steering. read more

Hudson Marina was such a disappointment. We had 11 in are group and did the 4hours . First, Hudson over booked the cruise\ So some of the passenger like myself had no rod holder and was shoved to the front of the boat with minimal space to fish and everyone was on top of each other. It was a waste of time and money. 2nd half way fishing the staffs said they are out of baits. Who charter's a fishing boat and run out of baits. I have gone public fishing charter many time down in Orange Beach and by far this was the worst company. I usually don't write review but had to share this. read more

My family and I spent almost $1000 for all 5 of us to go deep sea fishing. After we left the dock we were told the waves would be about 4 ft high. Too late to go back at that point. Everything was fine until the majority of the boat was vomiting over the side pretty much the entirety of the trip. The deck hand did his job well and was kind, but it would have been nice to be informed of how rough the water was and had been days prior. We were told this was the first day they were able to go out, but again we were told that after we had already left land. It was the sickest some of us had ever been and no one informed us how rough of water we could expect. We didn't ask for a refund because we were the ones to request to go back early which is fine but a warning would have been nice. read more

Do not rent the jet ski's at this location. We purchased 1 hour to rent out their jet ski's and we were only able to ride it for 10 min due to how far it takes to get out of the no wake zone (20 min there, 20 min back). The jet ski's also sucked. It was hard to turn the wheel. Do not go here even if you are desperate to rent a jet ski. It's a rip off. read more

If you enjoy standing elbow to elbow with 200 people dropping fishing lines wothin inches of each other into the water and getting them all tangled up, then this is the experience of a lifetime. read more

The 3pm Dolphin tour was great! We started out pretty slow around the bay. They also have a pirate cruise which had a water fight with out boat. Before we came up on the pirate ship one of the deckhand handed out water canons to kids and "fun" adults. He warned everyone that you my get wet if you stay on that side of the boat. We came up on the pirate ship for the fight and it was so much fun. I enjoyed it. The kids had a great time too. We went through the pass and out in the gulf for a bit, no dolphins. But going back through the pass, there were 5 dolphins playing in the surf. At one point the were swimming under the bow of the ship which was cool. Great trip! read more

My family rented a pontoon boat for a full day and although the price was reasonable and service was good- the boat just wasn't in good shape. For starters- the back seat caved in when we sat on it- it was unusable. The oil light was on and they assured us it only needed an oil change. The speakers weren't great. The steering wheel was seriously janky and binding (makes a loud clunk when you turn) and wouldn't smoothly turn at all. There was no map provided (happy Barbour provides a laminated one for you). Overall I just wouldn't rent here again- you can get a boat for the same price that's in much better shape. read more

First off, very reasonable prices, it was 375$ ish for 2 of us on the Wish Bone ship. We were on the 6 hour semi private tour arrived at 6:00 and we departed about 7:15. Took hour and a half to 2 hours to get to the spots about 25 miles out. Roughly 2 hours of actual fishing which was pretty good. Caught 6 total fish, 2 red snapper, 2 grey snapper, 1 B Liner, 1 trigger fish. Hooked onto 2 sharks which gave a fight of my life pulling very hard. Both sharks broke off. Hooked onto a 23+lb snapper but lost it. Arrived back about 2 and had Steeve fillet all our fish and take home. Was my first fishing charter and had a good experience. read more

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Went out fishing on 6/23/21 Deckhands were good No running water Ran out of tack No toilet paper No fish We will find a different charter next time. Not a good experience. read more

We loved this marina! Very friendly, accommodating, boat ran great and the crew was awesome! We rented a pontoon (got rained out day one, but returned next day) and they were the best at making our vacation so memorable. read more

Deckhand "Daniel" worked really hard - weren't on fish all day- never fished for grouper like I was told we would when booked - one deckhand was fishing while working got a fish and made paying customers feel in - worst fishing boat ever been on read more

We have rented from these people at least 20 times in the last year with zero problems. The coronavirus comes along and we get a boat to go fishing in open water The man notes the propeller is messed up but I okay it. We come back after an absolutely great day and the guys says "we have a problem" I laugh thinking it's a joke. The he says he has to charge us $200 for a marked up propeller!!!!!!!! With zero before and after pictures. Apparently they are ones that want the money absolutely so much they lie on customers. Funny thing is when I picked up the boat the guy had commented on how short they were in money this season. We couldn't even go on beaches as they were closed. We stuck to deep water and fishing. Sounds like they were broke and needed their boat fixed. I HIGHY recommend you NEVER in life use these scam artist. read more

Horrible. The boat captain remained ocver the Red Snapper knowing we could NOT keep them, Even the crew yelled for him to move. That plus using a catch and release hook should have told me this is NOT for catching fish. Waste of time and money. Go to Clearwater FL if you want an real fun time catching and keeping fish. Sever charters there. I prefer Double Eagle. read more

Our party of six did the 6 hour red snapper trip. We caught our limit!! Everyone had a great time, except one guy. He was extremely sea sick because the water was so rough. But the rest of us caught fish and had a blast. The deck hands were extremely helpful and quick to get the fish off your line. One lady with is dosent love to touch fish so the guys even baited her hook. The boat was clean, as clean as can be expected. The captain, Captain Dan, was knowledgeable and friendly. The deck hands cleaned our fish for tips at the end of the trip. Definitely recommend this outfit for any fishing trips you want to take. read more

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The pirate adventure was amazing. We were able to "battle" two other ships with water guns. We saw almost 20 dolphins, which was an added bonus that we didn't expect. The captain and crew were friendly, but remember you should never trust a pirate . We plan to do it again next year. Well worth the money! read more

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We went on the 8hr semi private fishing trip with Captain Travis and Todd today. The two did everything to make the trip wonderful. Captain Travis had great fishing spots to max out our red snappers limit. They even cleaned our catch for us at the end of the trip. A great first time deep sea fishing trip! We will definitely come back! Highly recommend Travis & Todd. read more

Hudson Marina - Fishing Near Me - Orange Beach, Alabama

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We rented the same size pontoon here, as 2 weeks ago on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs AR. In Hot Springs, there was a 150hp engine on it. At Hudson, it was a 90hp. Needless to say, it moved very slow. But that's only part of the story. Service was slow, slow, slow. When out on the boat, we lifted up a seat looking for life jackets, but found garbage floating in water that stunk like sheatttt, if you know what I mean. When we got back, we told the deck hand about it, showed him, he mentioned the staff needed to better inspect the boats. HEY DUDE, you are the staff. DO NOT rent from these morons. read more

We rented jet skis for an hour, but 50 minutes of the hour was spent in a no wake zone. They did not tell us this ahead of time or let us add time once we realized. It was ridiculous expensive to only get 10 minutes out in the open. read more

A huge disappointment! Took the 6 hour deep sea fishing trip and it was a basically a very expensive ride around the waters. There was around 20-25 people fishing and a few caught 5-6 snappers. The rest of the fish was trigger and small snapper. It took the expected hour to get to the spot and we stayed there for maybe 15-20 minutes then moved over and over again with no real turnout about 7-9 different times. To me a this is not worth the money because not everyone caught a fish. The "mates" helped with getting us bait and a bucket for our fish (we didn't catch) but were not too helpful as to how far down to go. My party had 3 people in it so roughly $300 to ride around the water and NOT catch anything. Next time I will pay the extra money to go fish and actually fish and catch. Do not waste your money read more

I've done many deep sea fishing charters in Myrtle Beach, but I have to say that this one was much more enjoyable! My uncle and I went for a 6 hour trip on Monday, June 19 2017. We're so lucky that we booked for that day, because Tropical Storm Cindy moved in the very next day. The water was a little choppy, but not too bad overall. We almost missed it though because when we booked on the phone, we were told that we had to be there by 7:30, but we got a call as we were leaving the condo, asking where we were. Turns out, the boat was leaving at 7. Mistakes happen, but it's a good thing that we were running ahead of schedule! We made it just on time. Now, I've read the other reviews and I see their complaints. I understand their them and I see where their coming from, but my experience was very different. Maybe it's because I'm familiar with these charters and know a few things to do to prepare, in order to have a blast on the boat. So I thought I'd share some of my wisdom with anyone reading this! 1. Bring water AND Gatorade. The Gatorade will help keep your electrolytes up so you don't get heat stroke and the water is absolutely crucial. 2. Even if you're not prone to sea/motion sickness, take a Dramamine before you head out. Trust me. 3. Bring a granola bar, or something similar. Something you can eat easily with one hand. And finally... remember that this is not a private tour!! Your boat will be packed with people. That's part of the fun. I made some cool friends on this trip. But this also means that your line is going to get tangled with someone else's. At least once. Be patient and call the crew for help when you need it. And when you see that the boat is shifting and your line is drifting underneath, pull it up. It's a good chance to check your bait and drop it in a better position. Speaking of the crew, I found them really great on this trip. I think there were 3 or 4 of them, so there was always someone around. They were great at coming over to help you reel in if you had something big on the line, and they can tell you what kind of fish you brought in! I caught a bunch of Red Snapper and it was delicious :) read more

Pontoon rental was perfect. Picked up Boat at 2pm and returned at 6. Boat was nice super clean and everything worked great. I haven't tried any other rentals but I see no need to. I'll definitely be back. read more

Pros: great crew, nice boat, caught some decent fish. Captain and crew really cared about how many fish we were catching. Some people caught some big ones! Cons: boat is packed with people (with this being a public charter, I assumed, so that is not necessarily bad. It's why it's less expensive. The alternative is to spend the money and get a private charter). Spent a lot of time untangling lines with other people who were fishing. Not all of this can be avoided, but most of what happened can. It was mostly due to people not paying attention or caring about their surroundings. If your line starts going down the side of the boat, you should reel it in and recast. I only caught one big snapper. My group of 4 caught probably 15 fish including all of the throw backs. Cabin wasn't very cold. It was cooler outside with the breeze. Not entirely their fault though because so many people went in and out of the cabin letting air out and I only spent time in the cabin for a little while on the way back. What I would do differently: if you want to fish more than 1 1/2-2 hours, book the 6 hour instead of the 4. I would fish off of the back of the boat because it seems like it would have less trouble crossing with other people's lines than on the sides. All in all, I would fish again at this location. Experience will depend on how courteous and self aware your fishing companions are. read more

It was an amazing trip but not totally spectacular. We saw a few dolphins and a few sights. Kind of disappointed we never left the 'no wake'zone. Thought we might get out along the shore a bit more than we did. Great crew. read more

We went "party boat" fishing on the Explorer. We caught 6 small fish between 11 of us. I was at the back of the boat and it seemed like nobody was catching anything. It's also a free for all to get a spot and a rod and our party got all split up. Most days on the water are great but this wasn't. I don't normally leave bad reviews but we did not have a good experience for $900. Also, if someone can't end up going they won't refund you, even if the boat wasn't full. They didn't tell me that on the phone. read more