If you keep in mind a few fundamentals, you'll have good time, to be sure! Here are the basics for those who've never gone out before, (like myself): 1. Take and use non-spray sunscreen. (The spray kind makes the boat deck slippery.) Apply liberally throughout the day. 2. Bring your own bottled water, snacks, and other non-glass drinks. None are available from the crew on board. 3. Wear a sun hat, and bring layers such as a windbreaker and a tank top - you'll probably need them all at some point. 4. Bring fishing gloves and a washcloth or towels as well as hand sanitizer for holding hooks, fish, bait, etc. 5. Bring a utility knife if you have one. 6. Wear good boat shoes so you don't slip and slide on deck. 7. Take motion-sickness medicine at least an hour before you go aboard, and avoid, if possible, drinking too much the night before, as well as eating too much for breakfast, because you might see it again. (2 people on our boat did!) Arrive on time to the boat, as they sometimes leave early, and if you forgot your water, Starbucks should be open in the big hotel to buy some nearby. Good luck! And above all, have fun! I certainly did. read more

A mediocre fishing experience with a hefty price. There are better deep sea fishing charters out there. The fishing spots with this charter are played out and will not give you the experience you are looking for. 6 hours at sea and only 3 very tiny fish to show for it. The fishing spots seemed to be very overfished and most of what you will catch are undersized and must be tossed back. The staff is somewhat helpful at first until they are tired of you. Then you can expect to be yelled at and treated like an annoying thing on their boat that they can't wait to get rid of. Our experience with Swoop II was not worth the money. read more

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Had a great trip on Swoop II. Very professional staff who worked quick to keep everyone on fish the entire trip! Staff was helpful and friendly couldn't have asked for a better trip for my son's first time. read more

Swoop II Adventures - Black fun Tuna - Boat Charters Near Me - Destin, Florida

We were put on fish every trip out. Captain and mates are outstanding. I can't wait to get back on this boat

The captain and crew of Swoop ll was very helpful with my family on our trip.Randy and crew was very patience with my novice fishergirls has they got tangled up lines. They also showed pointers as to fish. Definitely will come back on our next vacation. read more

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I have been fishing with this crew now over three times and this one had to be the worst one. We arrived about 45 min early and left late (around 7:20am) on the boat. There was two bigger parties on the boat, party of 11 and 9. Be prepared to ride about 1hr 30min on the boat to the first fishing spot. The first spot was spent maybe 20 min at because dolphins were eating all of the bait. We left and rode about 30 more minutes to a different spot and the dolphins still followed. Fished for maybe 20min again and no one caught anything. Then we left a spot AGAIN and rode for about 40 min to get to another spot and fished for about 40min and we were catching fish finally but ran out of time. We were just extremely disappointed in the lack of fishing that we got to do. Also, quick note, if you do not have a big party, you will not get treated the same. Bigger parties get different bait and better chum. Also left to fend for yourself if you get tied up. What really made us mad was the fact that we asked for more fish heads and Mark said no we don't have anymore. Okay, fine, then maybe 20minutes before the last horn rang for us to go home, Jeff came by and brought more fish heads. You're just not treated the same if you are not a party because bigger parties leave bigger tips. You can drink alcohol on the boat, but don't expect to smoke just anywhere, you have to go up top on the boat. However the crew will smoke anywhere, but no one else can which is odd. You will be told several times to leave tips, which I completely get, but I expect service to receive a tip and we received no service on our trip. Also, for COVID-19, please don't expect social distancing inside or outside the boat. No hand sanitizer or wipes available. Remember to bring snacks and Dramamine to calm the motion sickness and wear comfortable clothes and shoes. You do not get any rags or paper towels to wipe your hands, which makes the reel extremely hard to hold when it's slippery. We caught about 5 fish together and nothing large for the entire boat. Not bad, but was just more disappointed in the fact that we barely had maybe an hour total of fishing for a 6 hour trip. read more

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We had a great time on the shorter 5 hour deep sea fishing trip. We reeled in 7 but only got to keep 3 due to sizes. The crew were really helpful running all over the boat to help you out. They will also clean your catch for you. Bring cash to top these guys work really hard. We had a wonderful experience and would definitely go again with them. read more

Swoop II Adventures - All of the catch from the boat. - Boat Charters Near Me - Destin, Florida

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We had a great time! The captain was awesome! Let my son ride up there with him on the way back in... Captain also put us on fish so what more could you ask for! Mack was down with us and he was awesome as well! Great people on this boat!! Will definitely come back! read more

Swoop II Adventures - Boat Charters Near Me - Destin, Florida

We have used Swoop for many years as our "go to" fishing boat and never had any issues. Booking is simple. Communication is excellent. EXCEPT this trip was terrible! Crew member was smoking the entire trip out which caused the majority of our party of 10 to become nauseous and a few to get sick. This has never happened before so we are thinking it had to be the smoking that was the difference. Maybe should wait until customers are taken care of before lighting up. read more

Great crew, great fishing. The whole crew on the boat was super attentive and kept everything going smoothly. Kept us on the fish for the better part of an 8 hour trip. Will use them again! read more

These guys are awesome. We went out about 20 miles to a limestone shelf 200ft deep. 1.5 hour ride. Captain put us right on the fish. Caught a laundry basket full (4 of us). Went to 2nd location and it was slower. Mates and captain very helpful. Pro tip- give a mate tip early and he will give you the big rod for big game. Note this is a fishing boat not a yacht. Old school fishing. Great deal for $$. Photos below show how many fillets you go home with. read more

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We were a little disappointed in our trip yesterday. We've done many charters out of Orange Beach over the years. Hurricane Sally changed our plans this year, so we came over to Destin. Compared to other trips we've been on,,, our deck hand yesterday was more worried about his own fishing and helping a buddy who brought his own fishing rig trying to catch for a contest. Definately not friendly or helpful. Felt like we were bothering him when we would need help. We had some newbies on our side that kept getting everyone tangled. We had to help undo them more often than not . Reels weren't the greatest- tended to bird nest a bunch despite careful use. Our teenage son was so frustrated he stopped fishing after the 1st stop. Catch was ok, just not a relaxing fun time. read more

Went fishing on The Swoop and had a blast. All of the guys on the boat were helpful and really cool. Tried to catch a shark but ended up catching a grouper! The crew was a lot of help and the Captain made sure we were in spots to catch a lot of fish! Can't wait to go back and get that shark that I didn't catch!!! read more

Swoop II Adventures - Catch of the day! - Boat Charters Near Me - Destin, Florida

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I have fished many party boats over the years and this boat has it all. The crews on the boats were very good and cleaned the fish at dockside. I did re-cut the fillets to make them completely bone-less or you can pay them more and they will double fillet for you. I fished with these boats as the other boat I use was in dry dock and I was happy to try them out. I will be returning in April for Cobia fishing and more Snappers as I think the 120 lbs of fillets I brought home will be gone soon. The crew were very good with many first timers on their boats and even with old timers to make for an enjoyable trip(s). I fished 5 times on my last trip down. See you in April 2012!!! Jerkyman read more

We all only caught a fish or two. We had a difficult day find them. Fisherman on board seem knowledgeable and friendly. Wish we picked better locations to fish. Seemed very hit or miss and this was a big swing and miss. Had fun though. read more

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We had an awesome trip. The boat slayed the fish that day. We had about 38 people on the boat including crew and caught about 350 keepers. Threw back that many more. The captain and crew were amazing. read more

Swoop II Adventures - Boat Charters Near Me - Destin, Florida

I have been deep sea fishing on party boats in FL, Mexico, Costa Rica etc and these guys were hands down the best crew I have dealt with. The crew was on top of everything, from unhooking, untangling lines and making sure the bites kept coming. The hustle these guys have are impressive to say the least.The 1 hour ride to fishing grounds was pleasant, seas weren't too rough. These guys know where the fish are, we had non stop action. Didn't sit down at all except while we moved to the next fishing spot. If we were at a spot and the bites slowed down the capt would move ASAP. Our party of 2 caught about 16 fish, Mingo snappers mostly, and a huge red snapper "largest of the day" No food or drinks sold onboard so eat before you board or pack food. Honestly the action was so non stop the only time we had to eat was when traveling out to fishing grounds or on the way back. These guys make a genuine effort to ensure everyone has the best fishing experience possible, even for first time fisherman. Only less than stellar part of the trip was the scramble to take pics of our catch. Things move fast once we start heading back so you have to actively let the crew know you want pictures of your catch. You do have an opportunity to take professional photos with the entire boats catch at the dock before the fish cleaning show begins, "which is genius marketing". I would recommend these guys hands down and plan on booking them on my next trip to Destin! read more

Swoop II Adventures - largest Red Snapper of the day - Boat Charters Near Me - Destin, Florida

I've been staying at the Emerald Grande since 2009. We come AT LEAST once every summer, and always have made it a priority to go on the Swoop for 1 day during our 4-5 day vacation trips. This past time (August 2017), we booked for a party of 9 people (we always have a minimum of 6). When I called to make the reservation, I made sure to ask if we can be placed together --we had some first timers. She said "Yes of course. We always make sure the groups stay together." When we arrived 45 minutes before the 7 am departure (we always take the 7 - 2 pm trip), I also asked one of the attendants if they can be sure to place us together (we had a couple of first timers). He said "Sure, definitely." First problem --- When we boarded, there were several spots already taken (how they were reserved, I'm not sure, especially since no one was allowed to board). Let's just say, we all didn't get to fish next to each other, which totally takes away from the experience. There were people who didn't want to move, and I understand that, especially if they were there FIRST. But I mean, that's 9 spots we booked; the least they can do is tie off the 9 spots together then (it didn't matter where). Second problem ---- Moreover, there were a couple times where a fisher would hook a big fish on their line. Every one else was forced to pull up their rods and just wait around for them to reel it in. It happened at least 2 times on this trip, each about 30 minutes or longer where we sat around and did nothing but wait. I get it, the boat has to move around to help that fisherman. However, the catch was already very scarce that day, and on top of that, our time to fish was penalized due to these larger/better catches. So at the cost of 9 spots for our group alone ($$$) with the fact that we had to sit around on the boat while waiting for others + ending up with only about a dozen (or less) fish, AT LEAST give us a LITTLE extra time to fish! I'll probably try the Swoop one more time next summer, but if the service keeps declining, we may have to look elsewhere. It's just disappointing, since every time we take a minimum group of 6 people and since I always recommend so many people to try out the Swoop. I hyped it up too much this time for my first-timer friends, and we were all pretty disappointed. read more

Went deep sea fishing for the first time with Swoop on Swoop II. Took the 6 hour trip and had some mixed success. I caught several fish, some of which were keepers and some I had to throw back because they were too small. Believe my sea story or not, but a dolphin pod followed us to numerous stops and ate a lot of fish off people's lines. I probably caught 8-10 more fish that I had no kidding hard bites on, had a fish pulling, was reeling up fast, then no bait...no fish...happy dolphins swimming around laughing at me. Fun day, nice people, wish I came back with more fish. Not real sure you can do anything about jerk dolphins following you all day and eating your catch. A few other pointers/ things I noticed: 1. They want you to show up about 30-45 minutes prior to your trip time. 2. Bring an ice chest with plenty of water, drinks, snacks, etc. It gets hot. Ice chest has to get stored inside the boat in transit though...not on the deck. 3. Bring sunscreen if you are prone to burning. Dramamine if prone to sea sickness. Towel/ old rag to wash off fish bait. 4. For the 6 hour trip, transit time was approximately 2.5 hours of the total time. That does not include time between fishing stops. 5. Crew was helpful, nice, and knowledgeable and worked hard to keep the boat clean afterwards. They work for tips so bring cash. At the ends of the day, they will fillet and bag your fish for you. 6. The Swoop boats hold approximately, 45 fishers. I believe that is what they said. Hopefully, you have less people which equals more elbow room. 7. Prices change by season and by hour/package, but the 6 hr trip in Aug was $79. read more

Can't say I enjoyed this charter as much as the others. Took the 8 hour trip and we didn't find much fish after the 3rd time we moved. The benches were really small and you had to leave your cooler in the galley. Not too big of an issue but still inconvenient. No cup holders either or anything of the sort like I've seen in other Destin charters so you were either fishing or drinking beer but not both. Arrived a bit early and found out all the good spots were already taken but boarding wasn't allowed yet so not sure who took those spots. Crew was mostly good, I don't think I can complain much about them. They did a horrible job at the fish filet station though. There were bones in every single filet. They do it for free so I guess you get what you pay for. They said we were only at half capacity but the side benches were full of people. I can't imagine what full capacity looks like. The thing that upset me the most happened towards the end. As we started heading back one of the crew mates grabbed a baseball bat and starting hitting live fish out of the boat. They were smaller ones, about 4 to 5 inches but they were still alive. If you're not gonna eat them then throw them back in the water and give them a chance to survive. I'm no tree hugger by any means but that's simply unnecessary. read more

Went on an 8 hour trip today 2/19/17. The first 3 stops were great but then after that, the captain kept moving and he struck out more times than Alex Rodriguez during playoffs. Don't worry about arriving early, you'll end up in the middle either way. The front and back of the boat is reserved for family and friends even before they start boarding. My wife hooked a large fish, at least 25 inches, I saw her rod bend heavily and I helped her hold it while she reeled. We were fighting with it for a bit but then we got it close to the top and it got snagged on someone's line. Crew mate came to untangle(the fish already out of the water) and then another crew member who was there with his son came to help. When they untangled it, the crew mate gave the fish to the other mate and he took off to take pictures with his son. Mate tells me that he didn't see who hooked it, even though there was only one hook there since we tangled along the neighbors line. Then he tells me it's not a keeper because it's out of season. But they took it to the back and kept it anyways. When I complained they said I could take pictures with it but wouldn't say why they're keeping it if it isn't a keeper. The mate that took the fish approached me and lied to my face, told me he thought his son caught it. He repeated that it isn't a keeper and that they will probably cut it up for bait(which never happened). I'm not a professional fisherman and I don't know all the rules. I thought that when a fish is out of season, you throw it back. I don't think it means you have to throw it back unless you wanna cut it up for bait. They just kept telling me that he hooked it but it isn't a keeper anyways even though they kept it. Never again with these people. I've gone on other fishing charters in Destin and this never happened. There are at least 10 other fishing charters around the area so plenty of fish in the sea. read more

First time deep sea fishing and had a great time. Waters were a little choppy, which I loved, but made fishing some times challenging. Would go again. Recommend highly. read more

My sister has gone on this trip five times. She has lived here for five years and I try to visit for a few weeks every summer, and she suggested coming here. Honestly one of the worst experiences of my life. Not because it was so bad, but because I had to pay for it. Before we reserved our spots, the unpleasant "receptionist" warned us they had cancelled trips all week, and our trip might be cancelled. This should of been a hint to us, but wasn't. Trip started at 7 am and we were supposed to be there at 630. We woke up at 500 and kept calling to confirm. No answer until after 6. I think courtesy call day before would be appropriate. Couldn't imagine waking up at 5am on a Saturday, getting ready to go fish, and then have it cancelled. Trip out wasn't bad, kind of fun really. Sat in the very front, and was completely soaked by the time we stopped. Difficult to keep the salt water out of my mouth, which at first I thought was the reason for my queasiness, but I laughed to myself and was ready for a good time. My girl friend headed to the back at nearly the start of the trip because she felt sick, I went to check on her when we stopped and all hell started. I got sick and half way through nearly the whole boat was sick. A crew member said out of 39 fishing lines ( 39 paying customers ) only 13 were in the water. There wasn't enough room for us all to lay down and try to deal with it. I've never experienced high tide or motion sickness, but now I know. My issue though, is I feel taken advantage of. I think taking money from all of us was unethical. If we were warned about what might happen before the trip, and still continued at our own risk, or offered a refund, I wouldn't have any issue. If I was the only one sick, or even just a few of us, I'd be upset, but mostly with myself. When over half the boat is sick and my entire party didn't even fish one time. When they are keeping $90 from 26 people who all paid to fish but instead spent the entire trip puking or feeling nauseated, there is a serious issue. As I said earlier, my sister, a locale, has been on the trip many times. Mostly positive, and we came on her advice. This was the first time she has ever gotten sea sick. Point being, this wasn't just normal sea sickness. We talk to the owner in a week for a refund, we'll see. If high tide, I would advise to avoid extended boating. I'd also recommend staying away from swoop. I despise unethical business. I'm pretty positive they knew of the situation, and decided not to cancel because they had a full reservation of unsuspecting customers. Captain didn't even acknowledge the issue, and had the audacity to tell us we should tip the crew. Why, because he's too greedy to pay his "employees?" Preying on tourists isn't enough? They hardly did anything, considering only a third of the deck even fished. Classic tourist trap, they didn't want to lose money, and took advantage of us. They give a terrible experience, doesn't matter because they got their money, tourists leave, and they don't give a f because next week they have an entire new population to to prey upon. DON'T SUPPORT read more

My family has fished on this boat many times. The captain and crew are friendly and courteous. We have ALWAYS caught a ton of fish. The price includes cleaning your fish at the end of the day which is a nice perk. Most boats charge by the pound for this service. Find the Swoop online and print a coupon. Bring your lunch. Pack plenty of water to go with your soda/beer. Seriously, it's hot so bring water in your cooler. Kid friendly. The mates ensure a great time by all. Best in Destin. I say this having fished on numerous party boats for the last 30+ years here. read more

This was our second trip on the Swoop and a great trip, especially considering it was December 28th. My 2 boys, 14 and 12, and I caught close to 30 fish and are taking home some nice snapper fillets. My oldest even caught a really nice amberjack but they aren't in season, and one guy brought up a shark and released it. The crew was great again but you need to know what to expect. If you think you are going out and not going to get tangled on another line don't waste your time. Spend a bunch of money and take a small boat out so you can do your own thing. You need to realize it's an hour plus out there and reeling in 120-180' next to others may not be the right thing for folks who don't know how to fish. We will use Swoop again next year and hopefully many years after that. read more

Perfect for our group! Some had never fished before. They help you and we even came home with several fish that they clean for you. Many that we caught had to be put back because they were out of season. Crew was great! Nick, James and Shawn were there to help with everything! The Caption went to several spots to find a good place for us. Biggest piece of advice TAKE Dramamine the night before and again that morning. Eat a small bland breakfast! You do go pretty far out. Also take sunscreen, hat,wipes for your dirty hands, water and snacks you'll need all of them! If you are looking for one on one help and special attention go with someone else but if you have a group want to have fun these guys are for you! So glad I did this! read more

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Our group of four people had an amazing time out on the water! We originally signed up for the 6 hour trip, but due to not enough people signed up, we were able to get the 8 hour trip for the same price!! I do have to say that the 6 hour trip would have been enough. Our boat caught 300 fish. We mainly caught Mingo and Trigger Fish but we also caught one nice sized Cobia! Also, we were lucky enough to see tons of dolphins and around 5 massive bull sharks! We took our catch to Aj's down the street and they actually fried up our fish that night for dinner! Wouldn't be the same experience if we had not eating our catch minutes after we got off the boat. The crew was great, the boat was great, and the overall experience was fantastic!! read more

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Not a great experience. Too many customers for the deckhands to tend to. If you're not an experienced fisherman and need a little help, it prob won't be good. My son caught 1 fish and I caught1, neither were keepers. Look at the other reviews discussing throwing some back so other customers can get more for the limit. Felt like that was going on in this trip. I would look for smaller boat with less customers for a better experience. read more

Our first time out! Wish I knew it was a LONG ride to the destination, and that's when we should have wore the poncho! We got soaked! Once at the destination we dropped lines. Everyone caught fish, and had a good time Everyone from the lady that took our reservation to the Captain and mates were pleasant, helpful, and funny! Once back, they cleaned the fish for us. We had a cookout later. A guy on the boat even caught a 67# fish, my fish wasn't that big, not even 6#! Have fun!! read more

This was a really enjoyable experience. The crew was great - friendly, helpful and and knowledgeable. True fishing pros. The captain was very professional. He put us right on the fish. Special thank you to Kevin who helped my son reel in a big grouper. I would recommend. read more

Swoop II Adventures - My son with his big grouper. - Boat Charters Near Me - Destin, Florida

Great time on an 8 hour trip for red snapper. We caught a lot of fish and really enjoyed it. The mates were very helpful. read more

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My review here is specifically directed at the boat and its crew since the experience itself for my family was awful due to the weather and unexpected severe sea sickness. The "mates" on the boat were all super helpful and attentive and even offered me some homemade Cajun dessert made for them by one of the mates' moms. We chose the 5 hour trip and it was a good length for novices like us. Severe waves caused severe seasickness for my daughter and so she spent the entire time hanging over the edge. If you are the least bit prone to motion sickness do something for that before you go. Don't sit at the front of the boat; you're likely to get sprayed and we did and got soaked since the waves were so high. Take a cooler of drinks and a bag of snacks for your group - you'll want that. Arrive early for the afternoon excursion because the parking situation is pretty dire. I'm not sure how this compares to other excursions but try it at least once to say you've done it and this group is pretty good at finding fish and making your trip as pleasant as possible. read more

The entire crew, but specifically Nick and Ed, made the trip fun and actually worthwhile waking up at 5:30am. Nick was super attentive. He managed the entire front of the boat flawlessly and made it feel like he never left our side. We are total novices, and with his help and advice, we were able to catch some fish and have a blast doing so! He's awesome at baiting hooks if you're grossed out by squid guts and he happily untangled our lines whenever they got crossed. Ed was super friendly, and he made the 1.5 hour ride back to shore awesome by telling us fishing stories and answering all our silly questions about deep sea fishing. He suggested a nearby restaurant that offers "Hook & Cook" service, so we had them cook up the fish we just caught. It was Jackacuda's (also highly recommended). We even ran into him at the restaurant after our trip! We chose Swoop II because the fishing charter we originally booked for my bachelorette party was cancelled due to a lack of reservations. Swoop II was about $25 more since all that was available was the 6 hour trip, instead of just a 4 hour trip. It was WELL worth the price for the experience you'll have with them. read more

Went last year and I am looking forward to booking another trip in August when we return!

Great team, so much fun! We caught so much fish. I will recommend Swoop to everyone. These guys are the best in Destin.

What a great day fishing! Nick Shaun and Wd were great! Very knowledgeable, helpful and tons of fun. Our captain took us to all the right spots...and moved us to better ground when we weren't on the fish. We caught so much fish we donated over half of it, it was fun to watch the crew clean the fish over an ice cold margarita from Margaritaville. I definitely recommend this fishing boat, we had such a fun relaxing day we booked another trip with them before we leave town! read more

Amatures! After an hour and 15 minutes, they turn back. Worst part about it, they knew there was a problem 10 minutes into the trip. They didn't even let us drop lines. We had to idle back with one motor which took another two hours. Refunded our money, but robbed me of a Saturday. read more

This was my first experience on a party boat and we had a great time. We went out on an 8 hour trip and visited probably 4 or 5 different spots and reeled in a ton of fish. The troll rods brought in a few barrakudas, wahoos and amberjack which was fun to see for first timers, especially. The staff was on top of things, helping folks bait hooks and remove fish from hooks. From what I understand, our catch was very, very good for a party boat. I'll gladly recommend the Swoop boats to visitors who want a party boat experience. read more

Absolutely 5 Stars. Folks if you haven't tried this, you haven't lived. I usually come during Red Snapper summer months but this year we came during Spring Break. I was worried we wouldn't catch as much. I was wrong. The captain knows what he's doing and we were on Mingos and Amber Jack all day. I brought home 13 keepers and could not be happier. Ed and the other mates are at your side before you even call them in most cases. Six hour trip is perfect. Trust me you get tired pulling fish up 180 feet with a 1lb weight on there. My wife and kids don't go because they are worried about the sea. I usually go alone and it's not boring at all. You always meet interesting people. Retirees to my left and mom with two young kids to my right. For people considering a trip in March. The weather was pefect. A good 20 degrees cooler than the Red Snapper trips. Had a blast and memories that will last a life time. Go Fish!! read more

Took the afternoon trip in Swoop II 7/17/17. Had the whole family along. The mates really make the difference on a trip like this. We had Shawn, Matt and another fellow who's name I did not catch. All three of the guys worked hard and kept us fishing as much as possible. The Captain kept us on the fish and we all ended up catching plenty. It was a great time and I really appreciate the help of the crew throughout the day. Please do not forget that on a trip like this that the mates work for tips only. On our trip, they earned them for sure. Very well done, I would recommend this charter service to anyone. read more