This is the formal note I sent to to Dolphin Docks in relation to my experience going deep sea fishing on their vessel. Please know, I have more experience fishing with the Dolphin Docks crew than most people as I grew up literally fishing with them every weekend. I was ready for my daughter to experience deep sea fishing for the first time. Needless to say, we were both disappointed. I did my due diligence by contacting them privately via their website (twice) and called them (twice). No response. So I have proceeded in utilizing the resource we call social media and getting the word out.

I understand this is only MY experience and many of you have had positive experiences with this company. Hell, I had 34 years of positive experiences. But the smoke and mirrors tactics, deceitfulness to me as a customer, and intoxicated deckhands was a bit much with me. If I was told they were only fishing for Snapper, I would have gladly scheduled another weekend to fish with Dolphin Docks. Why, because Dolphin Docks is the ONLY deep sea fishing provider I have fished with since I was 9 years old.

To Whom it �MAY� Concern,

On July 23, 2016 I took my 13 year old daughter on what was going to be a trip of a lifetime to her. You see, I grew up fishing with the Dolphin Docks since I was 9 years old. 34 years to be exact. Since my daughter started fishing when she was 5, all I would brag about was the pure joy of deep sea fishing and the pure excitement of feeling a big fish pulling her line. Unfortunately Dolphin Docks ruined that experience for my daughter and for myself. She and I both saved our money after her 13th birthday to go on her first deep sea fishing trip. It all began several weeks prior when I called in to Dolphin Docks and asked when snapper fishing was over. I didn�t want me daughter fishing for snapper as the fight is not as exciting as catching kings,shark, bonita, etc. When I was told the date, we booked our trip for the following weekend. I asked the gentleman whom answered the phone what the Captain may be fishing for. I was told shark, kings and maybe the occasional ling or bonita. I thought, PERFECT. When we arrived after our long drive from McKinney Texas for our 12 hour night fishing trip, we were greeted, paid for the trip and awaited outside. First, the boat arrived 30 minutes late. After we boarded the boat, I was informed we would be taking a 3+ hour boat ride to catch vermilion snapper in 300 feet of water with a huge lead weight. NOT AT ALL what I was expecting. Had I known this, I would have booked an 8 hour trip with better odds going after something larger. During the 3 hours of riding on a boat, the deckhands were sitting in a booth, drinking alcohol, yes, drinking alcohol with a buddy of theirs that apparently was a former deckhand (no name, just remember he had very curly hair and bragging about how he is the deckhand on private tourney boats). Once we arrived at the rocks, the deckhands were preparing the anchor and bragging about how buzzed they were from drinking. My 13 year old daughter was the one that overheard this. Once we got the all clear to fish, the current was strong and caused the constant tangling of lines. After about 3-4 hours the Captain proceeded in telling us to reel them up and we would go somewhere else. Unfortunately it was to more rocks. When we arrived we encountered a pod of about 20 porpoises. Fish were almost all gone or hugging the bottom. Rather than moving, the captain chose to remain here until it was time to go home. Lucky for him, we arrived at the dock early, not late like we had departed.

This trip I really didn't feel like I was the customer and the business had really no intentions of making the customer happy. I plan on passing the joy and love of deep sea fishing to my daughter. Unfortunately it will not be with Dolphin Docks.

I attempted to contact Dolphin Docks privately through their �contact us� tab on their website in late July after my trip in hopes of a response. I received nothing. I even called the office and explained I left a message under the contact us tab, no response. So I am taking my dissatisfaction as a customer to social media.

Sincerely, a LONG time former customer,
Jonathan Johnson

I did a winter 24 blackfin tuna trip with Dolphin Docks last year, and it was a pretty good experience - almost everyone caught a lot of blackfin, and many people wound up with bonus amberjack from earlier stops.

However, when I did an 8 hr trip for kings etc. a few months later, my experience was almost exactly the same as yours. The captain would go to an unproductive spot (where people were catching nothing, or catching out of season throwback red snapper) and wouldn't budge. Towards the end, the crew were very aggressive about asking for tips even though they had hardly done anything during the trip.

I'm guessing it's hit or miss depending on crew or captain, perhaps they put all of their good people on the long trips.

Sorry to hear bud. Every time I have ever gone out with them no one on the boat ever caught a single fish. I gave up on deep sea fishing because of it. I always thought it was to hard to catch out there. But after doing a lot of research it should be a better experience. Good Luck with your future adventures with your daughter.

Blue Fin Charters out of Freeport 110% and closer to you

Wouldn't disagree, but my daughter and i can't afford a private charter. Only head boats.

They do have open trips, I go on most of them

i never had luck with Dolphin Docks

Try new buccaner or captain John in Galveston they are both good

I agree 100%. My first deep sea trip was with the dolphin docks years ago and it got me absolutely hooked on deep sea fishing. I went back out with them two years ago on a 12 hour overnight trip and it was a joke. The captain was about as young as me (25 at the time) and him and the deck hands were more worried about fishing for themselves and horse playing each other than catering to the guests. In total, out of the 4 people I was with, we managed 3 VERY small snapper. I have never been so disappointed in a fishing trip in my whole life. Saving up the extra money to go on a private charter is totally worth it. *edit* I forgot to mention that we left late and got back almost an hour early.

Capt Matt Smith on the New Buccaneer will put you on fish if possible and a good guy so are Andy & Ed the owners

Capt John's food policy is a real turn off for a lot of people, when they refused to let a diabetic friend of mine on the boat with his special food and meds in a small ice chest that was it for me, we went next door to GPB and were treated like kings, we were lucky they had room for us.

Since all that I only go to Freeport on the Bluefin best fishing I have ever had on the Gulf in Texas every time, every trip!

The Bluefin all the way, the crew is one of the best on the coast. If in Port A Deep Sea Headquarters is the where I go. Never been on the Buccaneer I have on the others, did not like it.

Trip 9-9 just announced on the Blue Fin --- there are still a few spots left as of 2PM they will fill very fast. 2-3 of us going here.

is this the blue fin,former boat of Capt.Elliott??

Yes Sir Mr Cundiff was the original owner, I made many a trip on it way back then and still do so, we will back the 9th