# Should I be Satisfied



## snarfer35 (Nov 1, 2007)

I wanted someone's outside opinion on a trip I recently took, to see if I'm justified or just being a pain.

A trip of a life-time, Venice, LA with Reel Peace Charters. I thought this was going to be great. The Captain takes us out and everything started off great. We boated 2 30-40lb Yellowfin within 2 hours. Tuna were jumping all over. I thought this is what I was expecting. Then the capt. got a line wrapped in the prop. So for the next 2+ hrs we spent with the capt. bobbing in the ocean trying to remove the line from the prop. Afterwards we went back to fishing. We caught 1 more fish shortly after we put lines in again. Then nothing the rest of the day. There were Tuna jumping around us all day. The capt. never tried to change tactics. He only had 4 rods in the boat so I guess he couldn't. We were back at the dock at 5pm...about 1 hour ahead of everyone else. Then he charged us for 100 gallons of fuel when we had only traveled a max of 100miles all day. At cruise I noticed that his boat gets about 2mpg.

These were just the main things there were a bunch of other little things.


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## Snap Draggin (Nov 11, 2007)

I have heard other negative things about Reel Peace Charters as well. If you go back I would suggest that you consider Reel Screamers in Grand Isle. If you live in Texas the drive is not as far and Captain Daryl Carpenter will try his very best to put you on fish. He also fills the boat back up at the dock so you can actually see and pay for how much gas you have burned.


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## snarfer35 (Nov 1, 2007)

thanks for the heads up. Glad to hear I'm not just being a pain.


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## Mike Jennings (Oct 11, 2005)

hmmmm i can tell you from experience that things dont always go our way ,any Capt. that will tell you that he never struggles is either full of BS , or just plain delusional.
and there is always two sides to every story.

have you talked to Reel Peace about this yet ?
if not i can forward you his number, im sure he would be happy to answer your questions.

as a side note, if i were going to put this on the Internet , i would have been big enough to post my real name and contact info,, just in case the concerned party 
wanted to speak to me.

nice first post though


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## capt.matt (Aug 20, 2005)

*Hero or Zero that how it goes*

Thats fishing, getting a rope in the wheel is part of the offshore experience. Yes it is expensive and it is your hard won money. But I did charters offshore for 8 years and there are thing going on that your captain knew that he was not going to tell you. Your not going to be on the cover of salt water magizen every time you go out. If you want to judge your capt. look at his record over the last few years.


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## hothand (Aug 8, 2007)

If you had issues with the trip why didn't you address the Capt. while you were face to face?


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## RAYSOR (Apr 26, 2007)

I Agree, Guides That Take People And Hunting And Fishing Have One Of The Hardest Job Ever, They Work Long Hard Hours And Help Each Client With The Best Of Their Ability, I Am Not A Guide But Have The Most Respect For Them, They Have To Deal With The Public In All Type Of Bad Conditions, With A Very Hard Work Ethic, Just My Two Cents Worth.


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## snarfer35 (Nov 1, 2007)

I understand about the line getting wrapped if not dealt with it can be very expensive. When the prop was being remove I was the one on my belly on the transom making sure all the parts made it into the boat. My problem was we lost fishing time and the full day was still cut short.


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## Bill Fisher (Apr 12, 2006)

from the home page of reel peace charter's web-site,......

"We have built our reputation by doing whatever it takes to put you on fish and make sure you have a safe, fun filled day on the water. We are so sure you'll love fishing with us that we are the only charter service in Venice to offer a *CUSTOMER SATISFACTION GUARANTEE!"*

just outta curiosity, what was their response when you informed them you weren't satisfied?

http://www.reelpeace.com/


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## snarfer35 (Nov 1, 2007)

I haven't contacted them yet. I wanted to see if I was being unreasonable before I did. I will post what I'm told by them.


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## Swells (Nov 27, 2007)

Umm, usually there's a little thing called a "tip" when you go on a charter and if you're not happy, say so and low-ball the tip (usually 15%). The crew man usually gets paid low as heck so you might see if that's the case - if he had one.

Getting a rope out of the wheel is extremely dangerous and sometimes can end the trip with a tow job (or a Mayday call because of injury) so it sounds like it wasn't all that bad, all things taken. 

Surprised the capt didn't try jigging, popping, drifting, trolling, skipping, jerk slamming, whatever. Off track here but I made up that last one. I mis-cast and threw a big lure only 15 feet out into the water with a huge splash. On the jerk back in to re-cast yup ... major hookup. I'm a jerk slammer alright! Bigger splash the better ... LOL, it's all good. /sammie


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## Captfry (May 21, 2004)

I have fished with Reel Peace several times with different Capts. and have always been satisfied. One trip we caught 11YT and only one on another. But there dedication in efforts were the same. If I was in my boat there would have been a delay until the prop/shaft was cleared as well. Let them know about your concerns.


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## capt.matt (Aug 20, 2005)

I am so glad I do not charter any more. I almost forgot about the " I want more factor" I don't know this Capt in queston. Most of the guys doing this, work there butts off and make very little money. No matter the price of the trip , These charter men are not sitting back and getting rich. Oh yea for you good guys. Remember tip the crew good they do need it.


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## hilton (Jan 28, 2008)

*Peace Marvel*

Howdy,
Reel Peace Charters has built a reputation over several years as being one of the premiere fishing operations out of Venice. This is a very small universe that we fishermen live in, and if you don't make the grade, or try to cheat people, you won't be in business for very long.

I would recommend contacting Reel Peace directly and resolving the problem that way.

All the best,
Tom Hilton


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## Mike Jennings (Oct 11, 2005)

Captfry said:


> I have fished with Reel Peace several times with different Capts. and have always been satisfied. One trip we caught 11YT and only one on another. But there dedication in efforts were the same. If I was in my boat there would have been a delay until the prop/shaft was cleared as well. Let them know about your concerns.


there would have been a delay on my boat as well Captfry.

Snarfer35, ill ask one more question.

what type of line was it , and how did it get there ?

ok so that was two questions .

i still cant honestly give you an opinion with your lack of detail.

if the line in the prop was my fault and it cost my customers fishing time ,,,yes i would be conscious of that and make things right,, been there done that. i have pulled my share of bone head moves with lines in the water.

but i can honestly say that on the majority of occasions it is fishing line and was due to a customer who ignored instructions and advice. if you do something that i have asked you not to, and i end up swimming in 65* water to fix it, i may not be real concerned about extending the day.


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## hog (May 17, 2006)

snarfer35 said:


> I wanted someone's outside opinion on a trip I recently took, to see if I'm justified or just being a pain.
> 
> .


You asked for opinions, so heres mine.

Are you dissatisfied because of
1. The rope was being removed for 2 hours with no fishing going on?

2. There were only 4 rods on the boat?

3. you didnt catch a boat load of YFT as you were hoping from all the hype venice gets and is reported?

4. The captain couldnt/wouldnt try harder or change tactics to catch the jumping tuna?

5. You came in an hour earlier than you expected since 2 hours were already gone from the rope ordeal?

6. you were charged for 100 gallons of fuel and Im assuming you didnt see the boat being refueled to varify the gallons?

or

7. you felt you should have maybe gotten a partial refund since three hours you werent fishing?

or last

8. It wasnt the trip of the year/lifetime as you had hoped or were sorta lead to believe it was going to be by books, magazines, outdoor programs, TV shows and the net forums?

If I were guessing, it would be #8.

I had a trip a few years ago in the Florida keys I was QUITE UPSET with. Im not going into the story, but deepsea fishing with spinning reels with 6 # line for 10" yellow tail snapper when we were suppose to be deep water AJ/LIng/Grouper fishing as agreed upon and pulling anchor and coming back to the EXACT same spot time after time verified by me going to the wheel house and looking at the GPS number shown myself....needless to say I was hot. But, I ASSURE YOU the captain and his father mate KNEW EXACTLY how I felt when I stepped off the boat. I notice now, that evidently my charter is no longer in business.

I do not know the charter you used other than the net forums, their web site and a TV show or two they were featured on. I would think they are thought of and recoginized as one of the top ones around Venice.

I would have certainly gone to the powers at be and told them my concerns before I had left venice if I were unhappy with the trip or felt I had been screued somehow. But thats just me, Ive never been one to hold things inside weither it be verbally or physically if need be if I feel Ive been done wrong somehow.

We all take the chance of SPIT HAPPENING weither we charter a boat or take our own. Its part of it. Thats why its called fishing and not catchin.

JMO since you asked,
There will be better trips in your future Im sure.

Hog

PS: I took three friends out this last Saturday for half a day, hitting all the close in TRUE STATE WATER spots I have, I tried as hard as I knew how to catch fish and didnt boat a single keeper snapper. Trip cost us 100$ I hated to even ask them for 25$ each, but I did.


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## aggie82josh (Mar 16, 2007)

I was wondering the same thing.



Mike Jennings said:


> there would have been a delay on my boat as well Captfry.
> 
> Snarfer35, ill ask one more question.
> 
> ...


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## Top Kat (Mar 9, 2008)

I to was in the Charter buisness from the GYB and we all have our good and bad day's. We were deticated to catching fish and would run as far and as long as the customers would tolerate to fill the boxes. The boxes we carried back to the dock was the only billboard sign we had to advertise out dedication of catching fish. On the other hand diesel was only 65 cents a gallon at that time. I would hope if anyone had issues with the day's fishing they would bring it to my attention at the dock and we would work it out by possibly another day or pay what you think it was worth. Your consious should determine the efforts of your captian and crew. Captains that charter strictly for the money are most likely in the wrong buisness. Just my thoughts

USCG Master lic. Capt. Jerry Thompson


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## Bill Fisher (Apr 12, 2006)

snarfer35 said:


> I haven't contacted them yet. I wanted to see if I was being unreasonable before I did. I will post what I'm told by them.


none-my-business but imo complaints should be made immedialely

seems to me the charter would assume everything was satisfactory at-the-time if no compaints were made........... you could've simply pointed out that you thot you were paying for X-number of hours fishing time but was shorted.......... perhaps the tab could've been adjusted or an offer of a future discount could have been extended at that time

they claim to guarantee satisfaction but the only way i see that they could do that for all practical purposes is to have the customer walking away satisfied right then-n-there

imo, recieving any satisfactory resolution days-after-the-fact would be totally dependant upon the charter's generousity and not necessarily compensation for a belated complaint

<shrug>

you said it was to be a 'trip of a lifetime' but not 'once-in-a-lifetime'.....that's why i mention the above should you ever charter again

at best, i wouldn't expect anything more than a discount for a future trip, if even that........... having walked away they have the right to consider 'all-sales-final' imo


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## Captfry (May 21, 2004)

If I was in the water removing line from a prop, I would not want anyone fishing either. I can see it now, a guy hooks a large YT it makes a run and then it starts doing the circle thing under the boat, now I'm wraped up in mono with a ****** off YT. No thanks


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## Capt. Mike Ellis (Feb 1, 2005)

This post was just brough to my attention. So I will adress what happened on the trip mentioned. The first issue was the line in the wheel. This time it was not the fault of the clients. I put out a mackeral and it swam back under the wheel when I put the boat in gear. I don't remember how long it took to get the line out. But it resulted in me swiming in 3000' of water taking the prop off and in doing so getting a cut that required three stiches to close. I could not get it to stop bleeding for four hours. Plus the tingles I felt was a cut nerve. But that's fishing and I wasn't going to let it stop me from doing my job. After I go the line out I was going to run to another rig 30 miles away. Another charter was fishing the same rig while I was getting the line out and they left because they had no action. But going back to the rig to make more bait I saw a nice pod of yellows busting. So I decided to stick it out. The fish are not that spread out in the spring as they are in the summer. And with the fuel prices being the way they are. I didn't think it was worth the gamble to go looking for fish. Nobody at that time had a problem with my decision. The fish were keying in on 1/2" long bait. and it is hard to get them interested in anything else. But if you stick with them you can put a few in the boat. I was going a stealthy as possible to get the bites with a 100 yards of 50 seaguar fluro on the Torsa 30 and 100 yards of 60 fluro on the Tiagra 16. Which brings me to one inaccuracy I had onboard the following rods,Torsa 30 w/Cape fear 20-30,Tiagra 16 w/Cape fear 30-50,2 Tiagra 50W's w/Cape fear 50-80's,Biscayne 20-30 spinning rod w/Cabo 80,Finor jigging rod with Finnor jigging reel plus a bait catching rod. This more than enough tackle to handle anything that would of been thrown at me on a tuna fishing trip. Of which I mentione was not going to be a slam dunk and other fishing options would produce more fish. The next thing which really gets my craw is the fuel issue you mentioned. There is no way you could of seen my boat getting 2MPG because it doesn't unless I am going 20 knots. I get around 1.2-1.5NMPG depending on the conditions. I turned the engines on at 5:30 AM and shut them off at sometime around 5 or so in the afternoon. The trip was 125NM round trip. With our running time being done at 35-42MPH this comes out to 1.25MPG which is great economy for a 33'X11" boat. You failed to mention the fact of why I didn't fuel up at the end of the day. And that was becasue the marina was out of fuel until the next morning. They only had a few inches in thier tank and I wont put thsat into my boat and face a possible fuel situation offshore. I do have very accurate fuel guages on my boat that are within a half a gallon of being dead nuts accurate. I did the same run th day before and the fuel burn was a hair more 100.2 gallons. The burn on your trip was 99.6 gallons. Once again nothing was mentioned about the fuel issue. I could of went to the other marina and paid more per gallon for the fuel but I didn't want to do that to you guys. As it sits I now have to pay for the fuel at a higher rate since the prices have gone up on fuel. 
I put you into position several times with tuna going nuts on the surface from a distance of 10 yards or so. And for whatever reason it didn't happen how can I be at fault for that. I am always willing to make things right with unhappy customers. And I do have some from time to time. Charter fishing is like having a blind date every day you fish. You can't make everybody happy all the time. All you can do is try. And I tried to give you the trip you wanted and in you eyes I came up short. But you handled this situation the wrong way amd I am very reluctant to offer anything to you.
Capt. Mike Ellis
Reel Peace Charters


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## Freshwaterman (May 21, 2004)

I have an interesting take on this, being the the person at Reel Peace that Books the trips and makes dicesions pertaining to the business. My take is this, If you had contacted me about this, I would have had to think about it as you did not exactly get an experience that was way out of the realm of acceptable. By that i mean that your boat was fully outfitted, in great mechanical order, your captain worked hard for you, and you caught your target spiecies. There was, however, a small hitch, in that you spent some time dealing with a Mechanical issue. Small hitches can and will happen on the Gulf. Every guide has experienced the unexpected, and that is what happened on your trip. The Captain had no choice but to fix the problem. Had he not, it is very likely that the seal on that lower unit would not have held long enough to get you back in to the dock. What bothers me is that you neglected to mention that the Captain spent most of the time involved in fixing the problem in the water in 65 degree water and 2-4 foot seas. You also failed to mention that he cut his finger to the bone in doing so. You also greatly overstated the amount of time required to fix the problem. Other things that you failed to mention or take into account for were the fact that Your Captain had a few more than 4 rods on the boat, that the person that booked your trip stated that he was ONLY interested in catching Yellowfin tuna, and that You have yet to contact me or your Captain to see where we stood on this situation. We are fortunate enough to do exactly what we love to do for a living. We take our profession very seriously and I think that we do it very well. There are a couple of downfalls, however, this situation being one of them. There are days that do not go exactly as expected, we are usually more bummed than you, when it happens. We know that we can not always make the fish do exactly what we want, but we try very hard. We offer our Gaurentee for this reason. We have always honored our Gaurentee when we knew that we struggled and that we just couldn't make it happen that day. We have also honored it at times when the request seemed absolutly ridicoulous that the request was made. The only times that we have choosen to not offer our Gaurentee is when the client set paramiters so small for sucess, against our sugestion, that we couldn't be sucessful. You guys paramaters for sucess were yellowfin or nothing, so stated by the person that booked the trip, Not you by the way, to your captain. Your captain delivered three yellowfin, which, I belive is within those paramateres. You were disapointed, and that shows, but your captain was sucessful within the very narrow parameters that were set for him. There certanly are days when we do not catch as many fish as we hope for but there are days when we catch a bunch more. No one in this business can gaurentee you that you will catch X number of fish. The only other thing that i will say about this is that I was on the dock, cleaning fish ,that evening. Had we talked about this in person, rather than on an internet forum, my mind set may be a bit different but it may not be as I think that given the circumstances, your captain did what he could do. In fact, It is now 1:30 pm and this thread was started at 10:30 and i have yet to hear from you. I am disenclined to offer you a discount as I think that you got what you asked for. If you were not aware that such narrow parameters were set, you should have communicated with the trip leader better. The fact that you never mentioned any of this to your captain, leads me to belive that you may have know about the parameters
Capt. Devlin Roussel
(504) 534-2278


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## capt.matt (Aug 20, 2005)

Yep , Thats what I thought. There was suff going on that he did not under stand and you need not explain. And 2nd guessing you on the fuel that a bunch of cry baby cr-p. This is another highly trained internet fishermen needs some more sea time. Or maybe not?


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## kinja (May 21, 2004)

I would say just being a pain. Chalk it up to one of those trips but next time, go to the outfit first. And Snap Draggin, do you have any experience with Reel Peace? Or just passing on girly gossip? I would think twice about messing with someone's livelyhood without firsthand experience. I couldn't be a charter captain to save my life.


snarfer35 said:


> I wanted someone's outside opinion on a trip I recently took, to see if I'm justified or just being a pain.
> 
> A trip of a life-time, Venice, LA with Reel Peace Charters. I thought this was going to be great. The Captain takes us out and everything started off great. We boated 2 30-40lb Yellowfin within 2 hours. Tuna were jumping all over. I thought this is what I was expecting. Then the capt. got a line wrapped in the prop. So for the next 2+ hrs we spent with the capt. bobbing in the ocean trying to remove the line from the prop. Afterwards we went back to fishing. We caught 1 more fish shortly after we put lines in again. Then nothing the rest of the day. There were Tuna jumping around us all day. The capt. never tried to change tactics. He only had 4 rods in the boat so I guess he couldn't. We were back at the dock at 5pm...about 1 hour ahead of everyone else. Then he charged us for 100 gallons of fuel when we had only traveled a max of 100miles all day. At cruise I noticed that his boat gets about 2mpg.
> 
> These were just the main things there were a bunch of other little things.


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## jaredchasteen (Jun 15, 2005)

Why is someone with 4 posts allowed to come on here and talk trash about someone who fishes for a living. Where are you from? You caught 3 yft?That's a good day. Somedays you catch 10 somedays you catch none No matter where you fish.


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## Captain W (May 26, 2004)

Wow!!!!!!! I think the lesson learned is not to ask opinions about guides.


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## Pktdeace (Apr 13, 2006)

*Yes you should be satisfied*

Reel Peace Charters helped put me through college. There is not a more honest group of fisherman out there. How dare you sit here and bash a man for putting 3 yellowfin in the boat and then insuring your safety? Foolish. I don't think you know the first thing about boats and or fishing. This really chaps my ***. You were not man enough to talk to them in person then you go online and publicly degrade some of the best in the business. I remember the people like you, not tipping a man that has gone above and beyond. They owe you nothing, I think you owe them an apology. Never under estimate the power of the internet. Hopefully anyone that reads this knows that your complaints are unfounded and you are one of the few people that are impossible to please.
Daniel


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## Bill Fisher (Apr 12, 2006)

going out on a charter is like a box o'ckawkletts........................................

going offshore (PERIOD!) fer-that-matter


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## JigMastah (Jan 14, 2008)

okay here's how I see it. 2 hrs fishing time taken away due to no fault of the clients. So why wasn't a discount or anything offered to them? You had to go in the water, you cut your hand - not your clients fault. 99% chance if anything was offered to YOUR clients they would have decline your offer, satisfied, and be on their way, and maybe fish your charter again. Can you say Courtesy???? Looks like you lost a customer.


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## Pktdeace (Apr 13, 2006)

"Looks like you lost a customer."

I am sure they are heart broken.


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## wacker (Mar 22, 2006)

Sounds to me like you are correct you are just being a pain.
You need to get your own boat and you will soon find out that not everyday will be spent eating cupcakes sitting in the fighting chair. The capt risked his life to get you back fishing asap and even endured injury! I would of hit him with a extra tip for a day like that. So my take is you are a whinner and should stick to bayfishing......You asked..


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## Hydrocat (Jun 30, 2004)

I doubt they are not upset over losing a customer. The customer is not always right but business is business and I hope they contact each other and work something out. Nothing wrong with the guy posting asking if he should be upset- he found out his answer. He probably should have not mentioned the charters name though.


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## Unbound (Jul 12, 2004)

I gotta agree with Wacker, you need to get your own boat. Then you can be the one getting in the water to clear the prop and worry about putting your friends on fish and worrying about if the marina has good gas and...well you get the point.

If it was your first charter, I can understand why you would want others opinion if you had gotten short-changed, but then you shouldn't have used the charter's name on an internet forum.

To answer your question,I don't think you were short-changed on this trip.


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## fishhook (Aug 6, 2006)

Hydrocat said:


> I doubt they are not upset over losing a customer. The customer is not always right but business is business and I hope they contact each other and work something out. Nothing wrong with the guy posting asking if he should be upset- he found out his answer. He probably should have not mentioned the charters name though.


I agree, Hydracat. I am sure this guy wished he handled it differently. He obviously does not get out on charters much, otherwise he would have known the answers to his question. Being his first post will be a learning experience. I, too, use this board to learn from the vast experience of the 2coolers posting and love seeing how they do on their adventures. He probably has been beaten up enough on his search of an answer and will hopefully appologize and have his next post be a positive post showing his great catch of the day.


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## Swells (Nov 27, 2007)

I guess it's all in your expectations. I pay big bucks just go out in the deep and have some fun, razz my friends, play with the fishies, and drink a beer on the way home. I could care less if I got a passel of meat, and in fact would rather get a picture and let all the healthy ones go. Best trip I ever had was in eight-foot waves and drinkin' beer in front of the pukers - got a few snappies and threw back a dink ling but my son and I had a riot. Right off the dock his throttle cables went out so we got a little outboard boat to help park the boat. Poor captain felt like you-know-what. But I tipped him good and asked about going out again and thanks WE MADE IT BUDDY and you know ... son of a gun kinda cracked a big ole smle. Ended up cleaning my runty fishies while drinking some more Tecate and got him talking how there was more money in that para-glide thang where you hit people $70 for a short ride a hunnert feet in the air on a chute. 

It's a tough business alright. Oh, and my young capt'n did eventually get his own parachute boat, a RIB with two small high-speed diesels.


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## rdhdfmn (May 10, 2006)

fishhook said:


> I agree, Hydracat. I am sure this guy wished he handled it differently. He obviously does not get out on charters much, otherwise he would have known the answers to his question. Being his first post will be a learning experience. I, too, use this board to learn from the vast experience of the 2coolers posting and love seeing how they do on their adventures. He probably has been beaten up enough on his search of an answer and will hopefully appologize and have his next post be a positive post showing his great catch of the day.


Very well put. RD


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## SeaVeeTx (Nov 13, 2007)

Having been a guide for 16 years I can say that occassionally things happen no matter who you are. I am sure that Capt. Mike isn't usually the one responsible for getting his line in his prop. This day he did. He did what he had to do to correct the situation. I am sure that had his finger not been cut, he would have considered making up the time by staying out longer especially if you had asked him to do so. If I had been the customer, I might have insisted that he return to port for first aid immediately after cutting his finger and lets do this again some other day and call today a wash. 

One of the most frustrating experiences you can have as a fisherman is to have schooling fish around you that you can't catch. I have had it happen with white bass, black bass, striped bass, hard tails, mackerel small, mackeral king, dorado, BFT, YFT.......you get the idea. Everytime it has been the same cause. Bait a different size than the lures or bait I had to use. Hell, a freshwater white bass may be the easiest fish on the planet to catch but if they are schooling on 1/2" shad, you had better have a 1/2" lure or nothing doing. I recently went out of Venice with Rimmer Covington who is without question one of the best fisherman in Venice. We went to catch YFT's, we caught 0 YFT's, we had a great day catching a few wahoo, snapper and grouper. Despite not catching a YFT, at the end of the day I could not have been more impressed with Rimmer. Fishing guides and charter captains make their living catching fish. No one wants an unsuccessful day more than they do, it isn't good for their business. None of us catch fish everytime we go and neither do guides and charter captains. Having spent thousands of days guiding professionally I can tell you that their are days the fish don't bite and other days they do but you don't catch them despite seeing them or seeing other people catch them. My advice it to hire Capt. Mike again. This time tell him that you want to catch whatever is biting best at the time you arrive. Just because you want to catch YFT's doesn't mean they want to be caught. The best days I had as a guide always came when customers said, "do whatever you want, we trust your decisions 100%." That took the pressure off me from minute 1 and I could just go with my instincts which all good fisherman have. When you can follow those instincts good things happen.......


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## GimmeDeal (Mar 18, 2005)

It sounds like your expectations were too high. As for Venice Capt's and appropriate tactics are concerned, they know their waters like nobody else. This season I went and at one point we'd got into a jigging mode and i thought it would be a good idea to drop a big live bait down. The (ReelPeace) Capt looked at me, saw I had my mind set on doing this, and told me, you're only gonna catch a shark but go ahead. I was hooked up to the shark within 5 minutes and the bite was over where we were fishing. 
I fish Venice a few times a year and it'd be a dozen times a year if the drive was shorter. If I ever drag my boat there and have any success it'll be because of what I've learned fishing with the guys that do it for a living. 

Fred


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## Snap Draggin (Nov 11, 2007)

Pattillo said:


> And Snap Draggin, do you have any experience with Reel Peace? Or just passing on girly gossip? I would think twice about messing with someone's livelyhood without firsthand experience.


No I have not actually had first hand experience with them, but I have a couple of very good friends that have, and I trust what they say...*period*. That I do not and wil not call girly gossip as you have said.

I have had first hand experience with Reel Screamers. We did not catch any Yellow Fin Tuna at all. In fact we only caught one Yellow Wedge Grouper, one Lesser AJ and a Black Driftfish all day. Go back and read what I wrote about Daryl.


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## Cat O' Lies (May 21, 2004)

If catching loads of fish every trip was so easy there would be no need to hire a guide. Just run out the jetties, load up and come on home in time for lunch!


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## Bill Fisher (Apr 12, 2006)

Cat O' Lies said:


> If catching loads of fish every trip was so easy there would be no need to hire a guide. Just run out the jetties, load up and come on home in time for lunch!


it is,... i don't,... and i do!

and if you'll buy that, PM me if you're interested in the swampland i'm trying to 
pass off as prime waterfront real estate


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## Levelwind (Apr 15, 2005)

Hydrocat said:


> I doubt they are not upset over losing a customer. The customer is not always right but business is business and I hope they contact each other and work something out. Nothing wrong with the guy posting asking if he should be upset- he found out his answer. He probably should have not mentioned the charters name though.


If what I know about Reel Peace is correct, here's what should be worked out.

This guys name and the name of the guy who booked his party should be put in the book next to the big calander with "DO NOT BOOK ON CHARTER".

And I expect this has already happened.


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## jsb91010 (Jan 7, 2008)

:cheers: im kinda with that one dude sayin the captain should have said something to the effect of "hey guys it's MY FAULT i got the line caught and I CUT MY finger, fixing MY error...im going to run us around for an extra hour or so try and boat some more fish for our lost time" consideration...NO?? personally i think all the other gripes stem from this event being the main ordeal


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## kinja (May 21, 2004)

Oh, I didn't misread anything. I just roll differently than some. I feel its bad form to badmouth someone's business with second hand information only. I'm sure Daryl is a great guy and oufitter. I venture to guess he wouldn't either. Regards-Tom



Snap Draggin said:


> No I have not actually had first hand experience with them, but I have a couple of very good friends that have, and I trust what they say...*period*. That I do not and wil not call girly gossip as you have said.
> 
> I have had first hand experience with Reel Screamers. We did not catch any Yellow Fin Tuna at all. In fact we only caught one Yellow Wedge Grouper, one Lesser AJ and a Black Driftfish all day. Go back and read what I wrote about Daryl.


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## word-doctor (Sep 20, 2005)

I've gone on several guided trips in various locations. All did their best to put us on fish; sometimes the weather and/or fish didn't cooperate. My only bad experience was at a lodge on Lake of the Woods: the young guy they sent to get us in town got lost taking us to HQ. There are hundreds of islands there and I think we saw most of them before we even started fishing the next day!


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## jig (Aug 2, 2005)

Rather than blasting the guy, why not offer him some constructive critisism? THis ain't BloodyDecks.com. He is obviously new (4 posts) and has not done this before ("trip of a life time"). I believe he did not say anything to the capt. at the time soley because he did not know if he was out of line, and he came here looking for an honest opionion on the right thing to do, including resetting his expectations. And most of you blasted him rather than educated him.

Snarfer35 - If you are new to offshore fishing, you don't realize how dicey things can be, and how quickly they can happen. Your captain made an extreme effort to take care of a mechanical problem and get you back fishing as soon as possible. Things like this happen, and it is part of the game. So to answer your question, yes, you should be satisfied IMO. HOWEVER, if you are not in the future, it is absolutely acceptable to discuss with the captian why you are not right then and there. (It's too late now). There is usually some middle ground to both sides, likely extreme to each party. The captain is freezing and likely wants to get back in; you may have flown in and spent big bucks especially for this once in a lifetime trip. So you gotta find a common ground, which cannot happen usually after the fact. And finally, while I don't disagree with what you posted, it is generally considered bad form to post something negative on this forum without trying to resolve it first. Why? Because 30,000 people read these forums and the advice provided, and it is not really fair to a captain to have a complaint posted that you have not even given him a chance to resolve. So that's why so many people blasted you. But you probably didn't know that etiquette.

So next time, get a series of questions/expectations up front. And this forum is a good source. Then you can talk to the guides up front about what is expected, so they know what you want in terms of fufilling that once in a lifetime experience.

Good luck to you.


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## En Fuego (Jul 26, 2006)

*Chill out people!!*

Jig -
I would send you a greenie if I knew how - great answer.

Don't flame the guy for asking a question when he is obviously new and does not understand the show.

It was a very legit quaestion, asked in the wrong way, by someone who admitted up front that he was unsure that his thoughts were on target.

Too many people on this site act as if they are omnipotent.

I thought it was for sharing ideas, knowledge and both good and bad experiences and asking questions. I for one have gained a TREMENDOUS push up the learning curve by interacting here - and I have not always been PC with how I have asked and responded to questions - but I have learned, and people were much nicer to me than some have been to this guy.

I guess it's all this bad weather and lack of fishing that has everyone a little punchy.


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## wacker (Mar 22, 2006)

En Fuego said:


> Jig -
> I would send you a greenie if I knew how - great answer.
> 
> Don't flame the guy for asking a question when he is obviously new and does not understand the show.
> ...


I ain"t omniptent and I have two kids to prove it.:biggrin:

Nice Jig! GTY!


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## pintail74 (Jul 26, 2007)

If you've been in business long, you should know the customer is always right, otherwise he is not you're customer - he is someone else's customer.


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## Pktdeace (Apr 13, 2006)

deep deep thoughts...:rotfl: I bet that guy would have a hard time getting another charter in Venice if he published his information.


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## Terrynj (Jun 27, 2006)

En Fuego said:


> Jig -
> I would send you a greenie if I knew how - great answer.
> 
> Don't flame the guy for asking a question when he is obviously new and does not understand the show.
> ...


I have to agree with that too...he was just asking...where he screwed up was posting the guides name on the internet with a negative response when he hadn't talked to the guide himself. 
I got flamed when I first started posting here because I repsonded to a post like that before all the facts came out..when they did, I apologized...but too late...I found out what red hickeys are! ouch...


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## ron (Aug 3, 2005)

*Lucky You*

You think you had bad luck,I went with a 2Cooler in Jan to the flower gardens to try to get some wahoos.All we caught was Baracudas,nothing else but did I complain?H**l no,when we got back to the dock I helped him clean the boat and handed him 300.00 to help cover fuel,thats why they call it fishing not catching.Would I be willing to go back out with him,anytime he wants to go all he has to do is call.Take it like a man or get off this site.Atleast you took home fish to eat.


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## Swells (Nov 27, 2007)

That's the spirit!

And as a rite of initiation, if you haven't been flamed by 2COOL you just haven't earned your dolphin pins yet. I've got the scorch marks to prove it!

So welcome aboard and enjoy the show ... I've learned a lot and met some great people who might teach me a few tricks ... fer some gas money specially


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## Dutch Treat (May 21, 2004)

Sure got quiet, didn't it???

Bob


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## Always-Gone-Fishing (Feb 20, 2006)

*OUCH - If I could I would take it back???*

I kind of feel for this fellow...... I went to Venice the first of March and only managed to catch two AJs despite investing mucho time in trolling a major rip out of South Pass and fishing the floaters along with making a trip to the "absent" Lump. So, I was very very PO'ed at the captain and I promised never to fish with him again but then my good friend, Tony, reminded me that I was the captain. That is one he!! of a promise to keep! Any rate the only time I have seen so much red as this is when my YFT got nailed next to the boat by a cudda. Forgiveness is a virtue

Let's go fishing,
AGF
AKA David


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## Mike Jennings (Oct 11, 2005)

oh im chilled ole hot one









i don't fault him for asking the question, but i do for giving tainted , or misleading info,

a grown up would have posted his name to this thread after he had contacted the owner of the business

i have dealt with this type of situation a few times myself and they are easily handled when the customer contacts the owner or captain directly.

Just my .02 / HO or what ever you want to call it


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## capt.matt (Aug 20, 2005)

*No more!*

Any more back talking the Captain and there is going punishment. I think 50 lashes with a 7' ugly stick will do.


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## Mike Jennings (Oct 11, 2005)

capt.matt said:


> Any more back talking the Captain and there is going punishment. I think 50 lashes with a 7' ugly stick will do.


LMAO, that's what i keep telling my deck hand , but it don't stop him.

i just tell him that he is lucky that he's not sailing with Black Beard


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## pintail74 (Jul 26, 2007)

Grown-Up business owners should quit wining about getting bad reviews. You give bad service - you get bad PR. I've been fishing on my own boat for many years offshore, and have never had one of my own lines get caught in the props.

If I'm paying alot of money for a "pro", and have to spend 2 hrs because the skipper managed to get the line caught in the prop, I'd be a little upset myself. 

That being said, maybe it wasn't the captain's fault, if that's the case - stuff happens.

In any event, that's part of being in business. You Captain's should quit wining and moaning about your customers, you are in control of their satisfaction.


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## Freshwaterman (May 21, 2004)

I know that I am intamatly tied to this but I have to point out that his origional statement was entended to enflame. I will point out that he started out by pointing out that the Captain only had 4 rods on the boat, which was clearly not true. He stated that it took 2+hours to remove line from the wheel when the time line for the day clearly states that it took less than an hour. This was confirmed by the other captain on the rig as well as the captain on the boat. He further stated that the captain charged him for fuel that was not used. He stated that the flowscan read 2mph, an unobtainable number by any standard for a boat that size and with 600 hp of outboard behind her. He stated that they were the first boat to return, They were not, Kevin Beach was already cleaning his boat when they got in at 5:00 pm. He neglected to mention that Capt. Mike had to pay a dock hand to clean there fish because he could no longer bend his finger. He neglected to mention that he was a joiner on a trip booked by asomeone that he did not know and that he had never comunicated with the captain. He neglected to mention that the captain was told by the group leader that they only wanted Yellowfin, and last but not least, He neglected to mention the major river rise the night before, that made staying very late a very bad idea due to all of the floating debris. Couple this with his lack of communicating with the Captain or company about any disapointment and I ask, What was he hoping to gain? My feeling is that if he had been straight up and contacted one of us, his whole experience may have been different. Instead, he attempted to defame a talanted captain. I ask, this simple question, If you are dishonest in your discription of any of the events, how can I belive you about any of your statements? He could have steeled this situation with one call but instead he decided to air his grievance in public, and to that I state that you can't Lie about us and still get your happy resolve. 

By the way, I did recieve an e-mail from him this evening, just after dinner time. He stated that he was a seasoned angler with lots of charter experience and that his father was a guide. I attempted to call the only number on the e-mail which was his work number. I left a message. I bring this up only because I wonder if he knew what he was doing when he posted that inflammmatory post? Wouldn't Dad be able to advise him? Maybe Dad didnt give him the answer that he was looking for and he was looking for someone to back him up. Maybe that is whay he changed the facts. Maybe he has read all of these follow up post and has not responded when they stopped going his way.

As for the previous statement about the clients happiness being fully in our controll, I have to say that that simply not accurate. I have seen clients that could not be made happy. Hell, I have been one. That is the exact reason that there are so many beers on the market. Not everyone likes the same thing. If you don't order a beer that you like, whose fault is it? If you don't comunicate what you want, whose fault is it?


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## capt.matt (Aug 20, 2005)

Well said YFTUNA . In 8 years I had 3 cases that rose to this level. There is plenty of good guys to take fishing. No need to comfort a few a-holes.


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## Always-Gone-Fishing (Feb 20, 2006)

Cumbya my bro, Cumbya my bro, Cumbya my bro!
Oh bye-the-way, how is the fishing over in the hot sauce state???? Our floater crews didn't get any yellers recently but one (not floater but secret spy) got a major Sword and grouper. How are Mars, Ursa, and all the other other floaters doing??

AGF


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## Freshwaterman (May 21, 2004)

There are some good fish out there. Capt. Darryl Couvillion had a 90 and a 115 the same day that this guy fished. They are actually starting to show in good numbers but they are pretty pickey, keying on 1/2 inch baby greenies. You have to really put in your time to fool them. The Blacks are pretty thick as are the Grouper. The wahoo seem to have taken a hiatus for us but they should be back soon.


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## Always-Gone-Fishing (Feb 20, 2006)

Thanks - I am looking forward to Venice very soon. Man, the YFT are just like us. In the winter we will take a larger full figure bait but as summer (spring break if you are still young) aproaches only the small bikini clad baits will do. Who would have thunk it???!

Tight Lines Capt,
AGF



YFTUNA said:


> There are some good fish out there. Capt. Darryl Couvillion had a 90 and a 115 the same day that this guy fished. They are actually starting to show in good numbers but they are pretty pickey, keying on 1/2 inch baby greenies. You have to really put in your time to fool them. The Blacks are pretty thick as are the Grouper. The wahoo seem to have taken a hiatus for us but they should be back soon.


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## americanfisher (Mar 14, 2008)

I have taken many charters from many areas in the U.S. Gnerally 4-5 per year until I got my own boat.....now 1-2.....3-4 of the charters every year are close to if not exactly what was hoped for....sometimes things happen...I have been out and had to be towed back in....its not difficult to talk to the capt....i have never had one not work with me in a situation like this.....if they had, i would not have used them anymore, its that simple...some days good others not.JMO


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## Levelwind (Apr 15, 2005)

YFTUNA said:


> The Captain had no choice but to fix the problem. Had he not, it is very likely that the seal on that lower unit would not have held long enough to get you back in to the dock. What bothers me is that you neglected to mention that the Captain spent most of the time involved in fixing the problem in the water *in 65 degree water and 2-4 foot seas.* (504) 534-2278


I'll probably not be running for Realpeace anytime soon. I would have had a totally different solution to this problem which did not risk a hypothermic Captain.

"Make yourselves REAL comfortable, boys, it's gonna take a while running in on one motor". I would say the captain went over and above, I actually would not have wanted him to do this. If he couldn't clear it badda boom badda bing, prop back on lets go, no hour in 65deg water for me. Guess he still remembered what ocean he was in and which way land was. Old guys rule. Til something like this happens. Then young guys rule. hahaha


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## Marlintini (Apr 7, 2005)

what would tred barta do?


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## STxFisherman (Jan 15, 2006)

Getting fishing line out of your props is important. It seems like monofilament is inert against those props, but if you run the props enough with mono tangled up in your hub...it can cut through the hub and your lower unit oil drains out.

Hats off to the captain for going through all of the trouble of untangling the line. Not all chartered trips are great....you have to take many trips, (chartered or not), and pay the price over time to get into those great trips.


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## jaredchasteen (Jun 15, 2005)

Please close this thread no more good will come out of it.


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## Swells (Nov 27, 2007)

Not to sound weird but do they make a line cutter for outboard props? 

I know up north the lobstermen all use small line cutters because they're running over old float line used for the traps. In 50-degree waters you do NOT jump overboard to clear the wheel (only one prop on a losterboat). You'd die. I heard it takes off a few knots and adds a little fuel consumption, but it sure beats the alternative. Just asking ... it would a heck of an invention for outboards if they don't have 'em. -sammie


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## Sea Crappie (Aug 17, 2005)

DISCLAIMER: I was a guide once upon a time too..................

The frustrating thing about this situation is that it could have all been resolved by the client asking some questions. Apparently Reel Peace offers a satisfaction guarantee: well, to all potential clients out there (and correct me if I'm wrong gentlemen), that is an OPEN INVITATION to become informed before, during and after your trip. Fishing guides are many things, but mind readers they are not. Ya gotta speak up if you're unsatisfied. 

Now days after the fact, it's your word against the words of some folks who have a little more credibility (in this particular forum at least). It's ok to be unsatisfied by some portion of a trip, but by not engaging the folks who offered you a timely forum (that darned guarantee again) to do so, you've abidcated those rights. 

I guided fly fishing on the White River, and had some interesting clients in my time. Guys who claimed they could cast like Lefty in his prime and wanted a slam on dries would show up unable to cast out of their shadow. That's cool, we adapted. Had a fellow bring his girlfriend, who threw fits all day the first day because I wouldn't let her fish with bait in the "Fly Only" section of the river (never mind it was a fly fishing only trip). It goes on and on and on. But guess what: Every one of those people talked to me about what wasn't working and we managed to find some common ground to make the trip a success. Maybe not their trip of a lifetime, but a great few days on the water none the less.

Oddly, the ONLY really bad review I ever got made its way to me 3 weeks after the trip through my boss. The client was one of the most experienced fishermen I've ever guided and I put him and his wife on a ton of nice trout. It seems many things I did on the trip (mostly me just being me) did not sit well with him. He didn't say a cross word, and steamed in his own juices all week long ruining the trip for himself (completely unbeknownst to me). Little did he know, by just asking, I would've walked over hot coals to make his weekend as plesant as possible. 

Everything in life is a two way street, even those services you pay for. Ya get out of it what you put into it. 

Sea Crappie out


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## snarfer35 (Nov 1, 2007)

I wanted to let everyone know that I spoke with Devlin over at Reel Peace, very nice guy. I confirmed a couple things. 

1. the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I in no way was trying to smear or slander Reel Peace. I was only trying to find out if I had a real complaint or if I was just being a pain.

2. The charter was not booked through Reel Peace, so they had no involvement. I responded to a posting through their website so I had no reason to think otherwise.

3. If you are going on a trip make sure that you are the one doing the booking. Devlin informed me that the person that booked the trip asked for Tuna only. This information was never given to me by anyone in my party. This is why the trip went the way it did.

If you are wrong don't be afraid to admit it. In this case I give my most sincerest apologies to Reel Peace and their captains. The next time I will make sure I'm doing the booking and directing the trip.


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## jig (Aug 2, 2005)

Well there you go. Snarfer35 doesn't appear to be such an a-hole after all.


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## Bret (May 21, 2004)

snarfer35 said:


> I wanted to let everyone know that I spoke with Devlin over at Reel Peace, very nice guy. I confirmed a couple things.
> 
> 1. the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I in no way was trying to smear or slander Reel Peace. I was only trying to find out if I had a real complaint or if I was just being a pain.
> 
> ...


Hey Snarfer, it takes a man to admit when he's wrong.. Good on Ya!! I have been fishing with Reel Peace for a couple of years now.. and they are all class folks..


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## texacajun (May 2, 2005)

Snarfer35-

I'm not a bluewater guy but I found this thread interesting. I'm glad you did the right thing by calling and rectifying this situation yourself. I think you did the right thing by posing the question to the 2Cool thinktank. Had you not posted the charter company and capt and left it generic until the dust had settled you might not have been put through the meat grinder.

Most importantly I like the fact that you were man enough to come back and give a positive report on what was done after *much* scrutiny. I hope you chalk it up as a "learning experience".

Welcome to 2Cool bro. Keep posting up. I'm sending you a boatload of green for having some backbone to make things right.

Mike


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## KYLE (Jun 6, 2007)

after reading all eight pages of this i honestly believe reel peace owes me a free trip pm me with the time and date and i can be there within about 5 hours notice, thanks guys i'll be waiting to hear from you.


kyle


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## BigBird737 (May 15, 2007)

KYLE said:


> after reading all eight pages of this i honestly believe reel peace owes me a free trip pm me with the time and date and i can be there within about 5 hours notice, thanks guys i'll be waiting to hear from you.
> 
> kyle


Im with him ...........LOL


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## Bill Fisher (Apr 12, 2006)

KYLE said:


> after reading all eight pages of this i honestly believe reel peace owes me a free trip pm me with the time and date and i can be there within about 5 hours notice, thanks guys i'll be waiting to hear from you.
> 
> kyle


you're REALLY gonna be surprized when you find out this whole thread was orchestrated by 'Reel Peace' and the 'ID' of 'snarfer35' was only created to start this thread just to see if 'Reel Peace' did-in-fact have support from members of this board and get in a little cheap publicity along-the-way!

It's been leading up to ONE BIG APRIL FOOL JOKE!!!!!!!

they gotcha!!!!!.... 

LOL!!!!!......... JK!............... (woulda made for a good story tho!)


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## drfishalot (Sep 9, 2004)

good reading, there prob were some a....holes on this thread, but prob not snarf. I learned something.....those LA boys stick together.


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## Mike Jennings (Oct 11, 2005)

snarfer35 said:


> I wanted to let everyone know that I spoke with Devlin over at Reel Peace, very nice guy. I confirmed a couple things.
> 
> 1. the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I in no way was trying to smear or slander Reel Peace. I was only trying to find out if I had a real complaint or if I was just being a pain.
> 
> ...


now that was well put,,

snarfer35
i don't even know the captain or the company you were talking .i know of them.
and i promise you that it was not the question that i took exception to, 
it was the fact that you obviously left out alot of information, and was willing to drop there names wile do so anonymously and it quickly became apparent that you had not talked to them prior to the Internet post.

it would have made no difference to me if it had been your local boat dealership or what ever business you want to choose.

it took a big man to come back on here and make the last post though.

well done , and have a great day

Mike


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## KYLE (Jun 6, 2007)

Bill Fisher said:


> you're REALLY gonna be surprized when you find out this whole thread was orchestrated by 'Reel Peace' and the 'ID' of 'snarfer35' was only created to start this thread just to see if 'Reel Peace' did-in-fact have support from members of this board and get in a little cheap publicity along-the-way!
> 
> It's been leading up to ONE BIG APRIL FOOL JOKE!!!!!!!
> 
> they gotcha!!!!!....


SEEMS LIKE SOMEONES ALWAYS OUT TO GET ME.


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## trashcanslam (Mar 7, 2006)

only 4 rods out? I went out with Capt Mike about 2 months ago and we only needed to put 2 rods out to catch all the yellowfin and wahoo our 6 person crew wanted to catch. Also, there are not many guides that operate that pristine of a craft, not saying anything bad but you just gotta love a brand new boat with all the bells and whistles!!!

From your apology I can tell you now realize what a world class operation you went out on! Good luck guys!


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## lwl96a (Jun 18, 2007)

Tuna fishing is definitely different. I got my first real taste with Eddie last summer. On this trip, we deployed two rods with bait and took turns in the catch rotation and then two could cast from the bow. We came home 14 hours later with 12 YFT to 100 pounds and 3 mahi. At our first stop, there were big tuna jumping all around, but we only landed 2 mid size and did have a break off with a hoss...nearly spooled me before we locked down the drag...took me 5 minutes just to reel the line back in. I don't know that I really wanted to see that fish...lol. It can be greatly rewarding and greatly frustrating.


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## Swells (Nov 27, 2007)

Seems like the feller mentioned he just wanted some action, but somehow the charter boy got the impression it was tuna-only. This struck me as rather odd, since most charter capt's want to please the customer even if it's mangro snapper on some bottom or fast troll for some weehoo if the tuna bite is off. With that kind of money I'd never target a species unless you're in a tournament that specifies marlin and sail, big uglies, giant reds, swords, or whatever.

To prevent any misunderstanding you should always talk to the charter capt *before* leaving the dock and have a clear idea of the game plan.

Oh course, mullet crewmen like me just offer to throw down on the gas and go wherever the capt'n sez unless you can razz the old man into doing somethang different ... different story for a different situation.


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