Any other suggestions for guides out of Port Aransas? I got Captian Ron Pierson from another post. ,,,,,,Any others?

Stay away from the dolphin dock !! waste of time and money just got back and caught 0 yes 0 fish on a dolphin charter boat.after getting home was telling a friend about the trip and about 6 months ago he had the same results from the same boat.Stick with DEEP sea headquarters and try to book the Mui Calentie or the Get er Done boat.Cost are higher but I will NEVER go on a party charter again.31 to 45 ft boats only.

i am going to port a this summer also and i was told to go out with a guide named
gary cooper. my friend didnt have a card or anything and couldnt remember the number and i cant seem to find a number for him down there....any ideas??

Ron Pierson will give you a boat ride, no education and you will catch less than if you go on the Dolphin Express party boat - believe me. Different experiences here...I've been out with Dolphin Docks for years and always get fish...usually more than I care for. Go on 12-hr with Dolphin Express and long range (24-72 hours)on Dolphin...the La Pesca will be disappointing, so don't go on it - only the other two. Do not go on less than 12-hour with any party boat charter(not enough fishing time to make it worthwhile)!! Also, don't even think about going with Offshore Adventures (party boat). If you do you will probably never go fishing again. Tight Lines.

Bobaloo said it all. Dolphin Docks have been great for me over the years as well. I was only disapointed once, and that was on the La Pesca. The Dolphin Express is fast and Captain Tim is serious about his fishing. For the longer trips, Capt. Dean on the Dolphin is hard to beat.

Rob

I agree with the Dolphin Docks and Capt Tim with the 12 hr trip. Out of about 10 trips, I have only had 1 bad trip with DD, but that was due to terrible weather, high winds and rough seas. They almost cancelled the day due to the wave size and then had to alter fishing locations due to storms and lightning. Other than that trip, my wife and I have always had our limit of whatever we were fishing for, shark, snapper, kings and a few others species that always show up. In fact, on just about every trip, we usually end up catching way more than our limits so we just "donate" to the "community" pile (for those who aren't catching fish for whatever reason). Headed back again in September!

If you are looking for private charters I would suggest Temptation (Matt Haworth) or Yellowfin (Tommy Gueldner). I have been on these boats a few times each never disappointed. You can find information at this site http://www.texascharterfleet.com/ plus several other charters. Including the ones listed by "Fishinreelslow". I go offshore at least five times a year mostly out of PA. If you do not to spend that much money you can also check this charter http://www.fishportaransas.com/htdocs/charters.htm. I went on this one early in the year trying to save money. It was not a bad trip at all. We caught a lot of snapper, some big sharks and some line breaks. Boat is a little slow and rough not a bad price for a private charter.

When does the Dolphin run 12 hr trips? Are they crowded? How much do they run for? And do you bring your own stuff? If so, what?

Full of questions, what can i say?

The Temptation and the Yellowfin are excellent choices if you choose to go with a sportfisher. can't go wrong with either one.

I usually don't post about guided trips on the TFF, but I can put you on a 2004 36' Contender Open with triple 225 4 stroke engines, 30 knot cruising speed (not top speed, that is about 45+ knots, and might be even higher than that), out of Port Aransas for $825 total price for 1-4 people. Additional people are $50 per person for up to 6 total. This is for an 8 hour snapper, AJ, shark, dorado, ling, Kingfish, etc, trip. Coast Guard licensed captain, all permits for the boat, and this includes all tackle, bait, ice, and fishing cleaning upon return. This about $100 less than the current rate for boats like this due to fuel prices. Tuna trips and longer trips( over 45 miles out) cost a bit more.
The great thing about the 30 knot cruise is you'll get more fishing time in an 8 hour trip than a 20-25 knot boat. Bakers, Southern and other deepwater spots in just over an hour as opposed to about 2 for the standard sportfisher.
Again consider the Temptation and the Yellowfin, very good captians, but the cost will be a lot less for the Contender.

Jay: Go to dolphindocks.com (phone 1-800-393-3474) and get info. about trips. For private charters I totally agree with both previous posts. I would think that even with high gas prices a 12-hour with DD is still under $100...call and let us know. Also, I would try and go during the week this time of year...weekends are packed and will be less fun. I always take my own tackle, although theirs is very good and I use boat tackle as well. To me, this boat is the best all-round head boat for the money in Port A. We are into the season when high seas will normally not be a real problem until about November or so. If you plan to go keep asking Q's as there are many of us who go out with DD that can give you all the straight "Poop".

I always just use the tackle provided on DD. It might not be as good as your personal tackle, but it has always performed sufficiently for me plus it's less I have to worry about doing. They always have extra rods rigged and available in case you get broke off or they have to cut lines. DD will furnish bait but you are welcome to bring your own too, it's just sort of a hassle with others on the boat, they might believe it's all community bait. You are not allowed to take food or drinks on board and no coolers (although I have seen several people take cereal bars and energy bars in backpacks or fanny packs). They have soft drinks, water, beer, chips sandwichs (cold and microwaveable) and it's not ridiculously priced. The 12 hour Dolphin Express usually has about 25-28 people on board fishing. If you're lucky, a few of them will be sea sick, and possibly a few too hungover and tired to fish much, which should lessen the crowd. The biggest problem I have had on these boats is rude fishermen (and women). It seems like when my wife and I start really hammering the fish, others try to elbow their way into the spot we were standing while we are removing fish or rebaiting. I've learned just to "politely" nudge my way back into my spot and "casually" bump them as the boat rocks. If all else fails, just make sure your bait or fish rubs on them and gets them stinky. They usually move.. ;D As mentioned earlier, get to know the deckhands early on in the trip out if possible. They can be your best friends and be the difference between an average trip and an awesome trip. These guys usually bust their rears and stay very busy. Example: On one trip, I got to know the guys pretty good on the initial 2 hour trip out. They understand that I was not a tourist and casual angler, I was serious and had a lot of experience. Once we stopped and began fishing, I noticed a school of chicken dolphin (small dolphin) swimming around the boat. I told a deckhand and he promptly grabbed his personal medium action spinning rig, baited it and handed it to my wife. As the school passed by again, BAM! FISH ON!! She boated 6 of them before they disappeared. On the same trip, the deckhand rigged up his personal Shimano Triton reel and HEAVY rod for big sharks, atttached about 2 lbs of fish heads to it and tossed it out for big sharks. He stuck the rod in a holder and told me that it was mine if something hit..Unfortunately, all we got on it was some small sharpnose sharks messing around. The same as we were catching on our regular setups. So, long story short, go with a great attitude and enjoy yourself.

Hey Guys,

Thanks for all of the great info. Very valuable and varied opinions!

I am probably gonna have to go with a group and am looking a Deep Sea Adventures because their number are lower (35 max) on their party boats!

Others I checked into were 70 to 100 people per boat!

Geaux Phish!
Monty

One reason we have suggested DD is because max. on the Express is maybe 30, and I have only been once when there were this many and only about 20 actually fished. I know other boats down there take out massive amounts of people....I just couldn't get on a boat with 75 others and think I would get any where near the service you do on the Express....just my humble opinion as none of us are outfitters and we don't get a kickback from DD.