Bad charter
 

I made a trip to Venice this past weekend and went out with Mike Ellis with relentless charters. The only thing he was relentless with was excuses. We went out with not one piece of bait, we had intention to catch tuna but he made fifty excuses why we couldn't go. I've never met a captain that didn't ask you how you wanted your fish cleaned this guy left all of our snapper on the half shell, ribs, belly meat, and some fins. It was the worst experience I've had with fishing by far.

so did yall only go snapper fishing when the plan was a tuna trip?

I'm sorry you had a bad experience. All the GoM guides I've used have been excellent. Even if a guide is planning to catch bait, most guides will bring some frozen bait for backup.

It sounds like your guide was having a particularly bad day. Sometimes folks forget how much $$$ their fees are to most customers and they forget that a guided trip is something we can only afford once a year or so. If they let their bad day take away from what should be your best fishing experience of the year, then they have robbed you, and there should be some discussion of your displeasure before settling up.

Some people like it, but I've always sort of suspected that "on the half shell" is sometimes promoted to make fish cleaning easier rather than because it is a superior way to prepare fish. The customer is always right regarding how they prefer their fish to be cleaned, and customers on a guided trip that includes fish cleaning should have a choice, and the fish should be reasonably well trimmed. A guide is a professional, and the fish cleaning job should also be professional, that is, more careful and thorough than the average recreational angler. That said, I prefer to clean my own fish, because I have learned that care, cleanliness, and handling are very important to taste, and my family complains when it is not done right.

Yeah all we caught was snapper we didn't even get to blue water. He spent about three hours cast netting for bait then we went to some close rigs.

thats a bunch of crap

3 hours of cast netting for live bait when tuna are in live bait months sounds like a captain trying his arse off for his client. Not saying you didn't have a bad trip, but I will wait until I have both sides to the story on this one.

no doubt.. It is fishing but you could at least go try to find a grass line and pull some baits, have some pogies to fish for mangroves, try for some grouper, etc. Not just go to the near rigs catch your limit of snapper and take it to the house

X2 if this sports story is true, I'm siding with him.

i saw him at cypress cove thursday night offloadng tuna, snapper, mahi ... not sure what happened from then untill saturday except the weather sucked saturday, i fished venice and had to run in around 10 am because of the weather ..we caught a bunch of snapper, kings,amberjack ect

Sounds to me like lack of communication on the Capt's part. He is in a service industry and communication is key to maintaining happy customers

He didn't fish Thursday his motors were down we fished Friday.

Lol... Sound like he lied n he got ratted out just now.

Most of the time our Tuna bait Is caught with sabikis. Did he try and catch bait or just cast net?

What is a paying client suppose to do while the captain is casting for 3 hours for bait? That's insane.

I'd be running my mawt

He tried the sabiki once and got two hering

Lol

I have been tuna fishing with 2 different captains and was never asked how I wanted my fish cleaned. They were always left on the half shell and that left us with a little work when we got home but it is nice so that we can clearly identify what type of fish each filet is. It didnt bother us.

We have caught more fish on some charters than others but I have never got off a charter trip with the feeling that the captain did not do everything that he could to fill the fish box.

I also never got done with a trip and had any extra energy. The captains know that it is their job to wear the crew out until they dont wanna catch anymore fish.

Maybe I'm confused? Does he run a cat? Possibly looked aluminum ?

Yeah he runs a 33 freeman I think...

Just looked it up... Here's a pic. Attachment 52608

Not the same boat I saw , but that same freeman was tied up to the dock Thursday at cypress cove

Sounds like he had a "F it" moment. Didn't want to run and/or burn the gas (was there a fuel surcharge?) for tuna that weren't really "on" - my buddy went this weekend with Eddie Burger and only put one decent YF and some smaller tuna in the boat.

Also sounds like he didn't want to mess with and/or pay for pogies pre trip. The costs never end for offshore guides and the cash register spins in most of their heads constantly. Not an excuse, just an explanation.

The fish cleaning also speaks to a "F it" attitude of just wanting to get the whole day over with.

That is what I was wondering also.

All charters that I have been on, excluding deep south, require that the customer pay the fuel bill.

All we caught was snapper we didn't need to tell them apart he cleaned them half ***.

Yeah that's the boat

We paid for what we used. He filled up when we got back and that was our gas bill.

How was the ride on that Freeman?

they are some sweet riding boats..and fast for a cat

Like a caddy

So very true!

I call BS..........Mike is one of the best there is. Your first post and it's to bash a well respected guide.

Not a good form my man. You may indeed have a gripe..........but doing it this way is just bad form.

Tuna fishing is not for the weak of heart and ofter cathcing bait is indeed the hardest part. Several reports on other forums confirms bait has been hard to come by.

As for cleaning the fish, most want it on the half shell, I know it's a little work when you get home, but you can clean it how you want AND identify the fish.

Not really trying to bust your balls, but I have known Mike for some time and watch his post and pics to prove said catch. I have been on the water with him in another boat and he has helped to put us on fish.

Some time stuff just goes wrong ..........

It's a nice riding boat

Well man I never he was a bad fisherman I'm just saying it was a bad time because he was kinda of a jerk. He could have bought some poggy and we only had one kind of fish snapper I can tell the difference between snapper and snapper.

We also talked to two other guides when we got into Venice and they were catching on hard tail less than 60 miles out. I just wanted to catch something other than snapper mahi,wahoo, grouper something.

i went to venice last week, stopped at 3-4 different spots for bait, nothing.. then fished hard for 5-6 hours trying to bring tuna up and mark somethin on fish finders at Mars, Ursa, Medusa, etc... and nothing.. so we had to suck up our pride and catch some hammer snaps on the way in after a long day.. i was disappointed with no other fish but it wasnt from lack of effort.. it just didnt happen..

kinda like hunting when you do everything right but the conditions arent right and you dont kill a 'limit'... s*** happens

and might i add, no other boats brought in tuna to venice marina that day...

I hear you buddy. I have NEVER had pogie on a tuna trip........sounds like he was pissed he could not hook you guys on some tuna.

three hours casting a net is busting you *** for bait.
60 miles out, let's me know he was giving it hell too.....

I say call him up, talk through it and give him a second chance (if he gives you one)

Don't hide your disappointment behind a key board. He has be around quite a while and I know he would appreciate a heads up call

I don't think he went out 60 miles... That's what the other captains did if you re read his post

got it

What time did you get back to the marina?

I have been with captains that brought pogey on different occasions for tuna. Guess it depends on what time of year and what the been biting on. But if my captain don't have live bait on board he damn well better have pogey or something of some sort for chunking if there is no live bait to be found.

Come to think of it...........I HAVE had pogie on the boat.....during the winter on the lump.
We chumed with them.....the used cut fresh bonito for bait......we caught the bonito on the pogie.......

Had to disclose........still Eddie is a good one

Same thing I was thinking........

They only reputation a guide has is word of mouth from his customers. You have a bad day and take it out on your customers that goes a long way. He might be a damn good guide, but if he put together a bad trip for these guys then he needs to accept the consequences.

Can't disagree..........but dead men can't speak and the OP shot him dead with his first ever post on Salty Cajun

I don't post on here much, and I've also never fished with Mike, but I know what a first post drive by shooting looks like, and this is it.

I have NEVER fished with any guide that would throw a cast net for 3 hours for me. That's working hard for the trip.

I agree, throwing a castnet for that long definitely shows he put some effort in. I would like to hear the Capt's side of the story. But maybe after the first hour or two the capt should have asked if they wanted to do something else. Also, if he knew bait was hard to come by he should have made a backup plan to try to catch other types of fish other than a boat limit of snapper. Like I said earlier there was a communication breakdown somewhere

Not saying this is what happened at all.......BUT........
What if a group (not the OP) but ........a group of guys step on your Freeman with thier white framed sun glasses and salt life t-shirts with three ice-chest of beer and start pounding beer at 6AM and by nine the couldn't stand straight enough to boat a 50lb YFT if they got paid for it.

Would you be pissed? Would you stop trying?

Again, we are hearing one side only.............