Today's edition of the Dallas Morning News has a small article about Capt Elliott's selling off all its boats and shutting down business within the next two years!!

It seems that the new red snapper limits are already doing damage. I've been going on their partyboats a couple times per year since I moved out here in 1992, and have only had cause to complain once in all that time.

Please - if anyone knows for a fact that this article isn't true, please let me know.

Zac

not that simple to just sell millions of dollars in boats in 2 years. www.2coolfishing.com has a lot on this topic. Capt Elliots has other business, and find it more profitable. The Big E alone is up for 2.2 million.... I think a lot has to do with what happens in June with the snapper limits.

thats bad news to hear! IMO that outfit is one of the best and I never had a bad trip with them. Hope to get another trip on easycomeeasygo before it is over or Capt James sells his boat too. I agree that there has got to be more to it than snapper limits. During of season there are tuna trips up to 48hr and fuel cost have been offset bu surcharge.

This is Captain Elliots statement from the 2coolfishing site. Cant believe it. I thought we had a government " of the people, by the people, and for the people." What "people" is our government for? Fish and illegal aliens I guess.


Statement from Captain Elliott's Party Boats

First, I would like to thank everyone for all of their support and concern for our business. We have always strived to provide the best offshore fishing experience possible for our customers.

It is indeed true that we are in the process of liquidating our fishing business (commercial and recreational). All of our fishing vessels are currently for sale along with their permits. We feel that this process could take 2 years or longer and we will continue to do business as usual until the final boat is sold.

As many of you know, the NMFS is currently readjusting the TAC for red snapper which will reduce bag limits and possibly shorten the season even more. In the future, there will be more seasons set and bag limits reduced on other fish species that we target. We feel that the NMFS is ruining the gulf fishery and will cost many people their livelihood and other business will be forced out as well.

In addition to our fishing business, we have been in the crewboat business for 27 years, operating our vessels all along the gulf coast. After evaluating both businesses, we feel that concentrating our time and effort into the crewboat business is our best option.

What does this mean to our customers? We will reopen Captain Elliott's Party Boat office on February 1 and operate as usual. We will provide the same trips as we have in the recent past and continue to work to make our fishing trips as successful as they have always been. We will avoid selling any boats during the middle of the fishing season, but that may or may not be possible.

We have attended meetings and fought the federal government for years regarding the fishing regulations to no avail.
The federal government seems determined to eliminate fishing in the Gulf and we will be able to take no more.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to email me (Casey Cundieff) at coolc@texascrewboats.com or my sister Lari at captelliott@sbcglobal.net


Thank You

Casey Cundieff
Lari Scott
Elliott Cundieff

Captain Elliott's Party Boats, Inc

thanks GWilliams for the info,

What is wrong with these regulators???

These Elliott guys know what they are doing fishing wise... so they gotta know whats good for business as well. Checked today and EZcomeEZgo is not avail for charter in 2007. Bummer!!!

I guess fish all you can now while you can, and hope your kids will even be allowed to catch and release ten years from now!

I can't help but think this is a really big deal.
The crew boat thing has been a bread and butter deal in the last few rip-you-off years of >$2 fuel. You can't blame Casey for wanting to get out of the charter business. Surely his dad is closing in on retirement and he and the rest of the family have to make life choices. This is a big one and thanks to our wonderful government they have some help making their choices.
I have enjoyed this family business very much over the last 10 years and hate to see them leave but I for one do not think gulf fishing is going to be gone in the next ten years.
I wouldn't be 2 million on it but I think that the red snapper thing will go away on if the reef project comes true.
Speaking of the reef project....I have not heard the Cundiff's point of view on this. I can't think it would help their business in the short go because they are most suited for longer range fishing with deep hull boats therefore they probably don't care for it too much.
History will reveal the true evil of the snapper population if the reef is constructed as planned. It will take 20-30 years but when the recreational fishing "pressure" is gone from 60 fathoms for many years and the populations don't recover then the truth will rear it's ugly head and hopefully those of us in Texas can raise the finger to our wonderfull government with a smile.

Ooops...just my $0.02

It's just almost heartbreaking to see this happen. Many people learn to love the gulf by taking the inexpensive trip out on a party boat and Captain Elliot can go out knowing he had the best.

From the mid 1970's to the mid 1980's I was an Offshore Materials and Logistics Supervisor for ARCO Oil and Gas Co. Part of my responsibility was to contract boats and helicopters for use to service our offshore drilling rigs and production platforms. This is how I met Elliott Cundieff. Elliott would call on me in Houston as a representative of Texas Crew Boats. He not only had crew boats but a number of 165' - 190' supply vessels also. We would talk fishing more than anything else. Elliott told me more than once that his fishing boats kept him afloat when things got slow in the oil industry. Elliott was a good businessman and did not try to overwhelm you with "graft" and "gimmies" like so many others did. For that reason I liked him and tried to keep a couple of his boats running when we had the work between Galveston and Port A.

Although there is some activity out there right now I'm having some difficulty thinking it's really "bread and butter" for him. Maybe, maybe not. I do know his fishing business was good to him and I personally have chartered the Blue Fin a number of times and never was disappointed...

A funny Elliott story :

Each year Elliott would invite about 30 or so of his clients on a trip offshore on the Captain Casey. In a conversation earlier I had mentioned to him that althogh I'd been fishing offshore most of my life I'd never caught an Amberjack. Well, we were out fishing off the stern of the Captain Casey catching red snappers two at a time. Elliott was at the rail next to me when he tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Bobby, will you hold this for me? I need to go "P"! ". In one fell swoop he thrust the rod in my left hand while I was fighting a double of snapper with the other hand. As he walked away the rod he handed me bowed to the water and I looked around to see Elliott standing 10' behind me laughing his arse off. Eventually I boated the 30 pound AJ .... my first. Thanks to him. Just a nice guy.

I hate what is happening.

I hope you are right about the reef project. We all need to get behind that in a big way.


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This is really sad. We have been going out on the Lady Anna for several years now and Capt Elliots has always had good crews and great service. It's sad that this year may be our last.

If you read the statement a little closer you'll see this sentence "In the future, there will be more seasons set and bag limits reduced on other fish species that we target."

From what I've read regarding the NMFS and the Red Snapper regulations there are also talks and expectations of reduced bag limits on other species including a proposed "1 Yellowfin Tuna per boat per trip" limit. One of their strengths is that they can get fishermen out to tuna grounds comfortably and affordably and they are VERY good at it. Right now, the best in Texas. Any good businessman knows to sell high. I too hate to see them go and look forward to as many trips as possible in the meantime (including Cinco) but their stock is high right now and they are staring a HUGE drop in stock if the NMFS proposals are put in place. Again, these changes might not go into affect for a few years but just like trying to sell your house...you have to put it out there for a while before it gets sold.

I think it's a business choice for them and can't blame them at all. It just sucks because it seems like our government is forcing their hand.

Cameron

Scooter, Ive already been raising my finger to our government. Not that they care. As long as I have a job and pay my taxes thats all the care they have about me.

Thanks for the replies & additional thoughts guys. I've drafted & sent a three page letter to the chairman for the "committee on natural resources" for whatever good it may accomplish.

They have a new chairman since the election, one Nick J. Rahall II (Democrat - West Virginia), and it's possible he'll be receptive to actually solving the problems.

If you or anyone you know would like the text - either to copy & send yourself, or to use for your own ideas in writing them, please email or message me and I'll be glad to send it.

Zac