Tell me if im wrong

[DUCKJ]

Im down in Key West and hired a guide to take my dad and I out for sharks. When we booked the trip we were only going for 4 hrs and the guide talked us into a 6 hr trip for $100 more. We get there in the morning and he talls us he needs gas so off the the gas pump we go. This takes a half hour. After gas he tell us we need to go catch bait. Half hour later we head out to fish. After an hour ride we finaly get to wet a line. 1 shark line and a couple bottem bouncers. The shark rod goes off and the guide grabs it and looses it before I could get to the back of the boat. We catch some fish and then 2 hours after we start he tells us its time to head back because it a long ride back. After 45 min he stops at a reef and starts casting saying there may be some fish on the spot. (didnt ask us to fish) 20 minutes later he reels up and said lets head in. When we get to the dock we are 1/2 hour early. Now in my eyes we should have fished more then 2 hours on a 6 hour trip. Im feeling I got ripped off. Or do they do things that diffrent then we do up north?

Duck

[buddha]

Seems to me you got the shaft at least a little. I have never been on a trip like that so I'm interested to hear from those who have.

[mnhunter79]

You got ripped off!! sorry to say. i was there last year on honeymoon. we prob fished 5 hrs out of a 6 hr trip. and our guide never fished! we caught sea trout, lemon and bull shark and at sun set by a bridge i hooked into and boated a 95 lb. tarpon. what a fight!!!!! oh, and caught a bunch of other fish too

[Wayne Ek]

Bad trip. Boat should have been ready to go, gas and bait already purchased. I've probably used 10 differant guides over the years, many of them a number of times. In all that time I've only had 2 bad guides.

[scott b]

Post his name/location so we know who not to go to.

[Finns]

X2 Please!

[flyboy10]

Thats not typical in Key West. Most guides are top notch down there

[Dellfin]

Are you seriously wondering if you've been shtoopted? Holy mackeral!!! I'd say you were taken...big time!

I'd go back and tell that "guide" that he owes you another trip, like TODAY! I could, maybe, understand if you were in Mexico and the guide claimed a language barrier or something, but that sounds absolutely ridiculous.

[waterbound]

You definitely got a raw deal here. I've been on a few charters (party boats, really like the big charters on Mille Lacs) and they did catch the bait after we were underway. I don't mind because it ensures you have fresh bait, but the gassing up and everything is unacceptable. Sorry to hear it was a bad experience.

[youngie22]

Definetly not typical in Key West, its usually pretty cutthroat in the area. lot of guides to hire in the area. I could recomend a couple class acts down there. Did you go out of Stock Island or right from Key West?

[DUCKJ]

We went out of Key West and the guide was based out of the first groop as you pull into town on the west side. If anyone can give me a name and # of a good guide down here that would be awsome. Ill be down here for a coupleore weeks and wouldnt mind getting out again.

Thanks

Duck

[RK]

Hiya -

Having to stop to catch bait isn't all that unusual if you're using live pilchards or something...but the rest of it... Sad deal man.

[traveler]

I can't relate directly, having never fished there. But I have logged a lot of time on charters, and here are a couple points;

First, I'd like a 20 spot back for each time my guide had to fuel up in the AM...I'd have a free charter by now! Shouldn't happen, but does to frequently.

Second, as RK said, if you were useing live bait, than stopping to catch it is very common. Sucks that it bites into fishing time, but thats the way it is.

Third, time of year can be HUGE in how long a run you have to the good fishing. In Cabo, we're seting lines after 20 minutes in Oct., but in Janruary it might be 1 1/2 hours.

Last, I've come in 1/2 hour early many times...seems to be in the area of normal (but depending on the rest of the day, it certainly affects how I tip)

All in all, while I wouldn't say you got ripped off, I'd still call it a bad day. You shouldn't have ALL of those issues on one charter, and the guide should have gotten you more involved in the fishing. Making the day a good experience for the customer, despite problems, is a big part of the job for any guide. Do some research and find a better guide for next time. And asking specific questions up front (how long a run, do we get to hold rods/set hooks, etc...) is always a good idea.

[youngie22]

what type of fish would you like to target? How long you gonna be down there? If you would you should leave an email address on here, I'll try to get you some info!

[Comit 2]

I must have missed something. What was more important then being in the back of the boat when the shark took your lure?

[Meat-Run]

Duck,

Your guide was not "playing fair" and if you didn't really get more time to fish he should have given you a refund or rebooked your trip for another time. I've hired a guide before in Florida and we've started early and fished later then the time booked. Yes fishing can be tough at times but that's fishing but when he ends the trip early and takes your time to gas up that's not right he should have been gased up and ready long before you met him at the dock. I'd ask for a refund or find out who his sponsors or memberships that's he's associated with and have a little talk if he doesn't make it right with you.

Meat-Run

[PerchJerker]

Stopping to catch bait is okay by me ------ but cutting into your fishing time to gas up the boat in the morning, and getting back to the dock early ----- are really bad. And are you saying he fished by himself for 20 minutes on the way in without giving you and your dad lines to fish with?? I don't get that at all.

[jigginjim]

I have my stuff ready for the clients before we go. If I pick them up at a hotel and they still need lic. we stop to get them up to speed. I'm gassed up and ready.

As for catching the that could have been maybe fun, ( BUT ) he should have been up front about that part. NEVER stop, or interfere with the clients bring a fish. Always be talking to the client. Tell them what you have planned in advance, at helps them to know what is going on.

I would have asked WHY are we doing this and that.

[DUCKJ]

well, what we felt seems to be not just us. We got the shaft and learned a lesson. Now I know what to ask the next guide and what answers I want to hear.

Thanks for the replys. Sorry about not giving my email ([email protected]). Any help on a good guide would be great if you could help me out. Staying in Sugarloaf Key so we are only 20 miles north of Key West and aprox 30 miles south of Islamarada.

Thanks again

Duck

[KMR85]

It would be nice if you could post this guide's name or company name so no one else has this experience.

[backlash 1]

Duck

Look up Steve Rodgers. Spearone charters.

[Tim_Anderson]

Duck,

I was down there about 7 years ago - hired a guide and went out for a 6 hour trip out of Key West. I wish I could remember the name of the guy, because we had a great time. There is a Chamber of Commerce in Key West, and we booked the trip through there. The guy had a business office right at one of the harbors, and then he had a number of guides working for him. It might be worth your while to check with the Chamber.

My daughter didn't want to fish, but wanted to try snorkeling on one of the reefs, so we did that for about 90 minutes. Then we fished shark with frozen fish parts that sent a "slick" down current. The shark did not arrive, but while we were waiting, we were casting with artificials and catching jack cravelle, which was fun.

The last couple of hours, we switched to balloon fishing with pin fish if I remember rightly. The guide had caught them before we arrived. They are basically a sunfish sized baitfish that hang around the docks and harbors. Anyway, we hooked up two tarpon, and my son and I each caught one. The tarpon were biting, and we wound up staying a little late. The guide let us do our thing. He didn't fish. He didn't set hooks or hand off poles. He did cast out some of the set lines. Our six hours was spent either running from spot to spot, or fishing.

I guided a gentleman from Florida last year who is a boat dealer, and is associated with many guides down there. He was surprised at how intensely hard we try when we fish muskies up here, and assured me that there are few guides down there that work as hard. Having said that, I'm sure there are guys with good and bad work ethic down there, just like there is up here. Generally, I do believe that we think differently than the average guy does down there.

What I can tell you is that we were down there in Mid March, about the same time as you. We fished the channels just a few miles off shore, and the Tarpon moved in and got busy around dark. We were told that it was not prime season for them, so we were sure thrilled to get a couple.

Hope you get some good fishing while you are there, and by the way, I think you got the shaft too.

[mainbutter]

Catching live bait has always been part of the trip when I've taken guided fishing out of Sanibel, FL. I actually really like that part, I know that the bait I'm getting is live, fresh, and local.

Everything else the OP said, yeah.. that sucks.

[DUCKJ]

Dad and I got out on another guide trip off shore trolling for whatever would eat. Had another guy with us so we had to take turns taking fish. We ended up catching some Bonita, Black Fin Tuna and some Albacore. With only 15 min left in our trip we had a couple sails come up and chase our baits but wouldnt eat (just happend to be dad and my turns to). Stupid fish!!!! Still fishing from the fishing bridges and I got my first shark last night. Was either a sand or a mako, couldnt tell. Wasnt real big but a toothy critter none the less. Will be trying to get another one thats for sure.

Looks like I have to head home on the 25th (wife thinks ive been gone long enough). Acualy, kinda want to go home in a way. Ice looks like it will be gone soon and wouldnt mind getting some crappies.

3days left to get another shark and my first tarpon. Tarpon isnt looking so good. Water is still a bit cool for here, 72 deg.

Duck

[mainbutter]

I may be off base here but I'm pretty sure it's not exactly tarpon season. You might get lucky with redfish or snook though, both are at the top of my list of favorite gamefish!

Good luck with another shark. Big ones are hard to find this time of year, but they're always around. I love black tips, which should be around close to shore, 'cuz they jump just like little toothy tarpon.