Galveston's 61st Street Fishing Pier — Attraction in Galveston

I went to the island with my daughter and her partner and kids, and we had been thinking about taking them fishing in a few weeks so we wanted to check out the pier. As soon as we walked in, we saw all of the signage about it costing $2 per person to get on the pier. I don't think that is unreasonable, if you plan to fish. I also don't think it's unreasonable if you just want to go to the obs deck. I am giving 1 star today because of the way we were treated. "DO YOU NEED SOMETHING?" was yelled at us from the counter area as we milled in the entrance trying to figure out what was inside. We said no thanks, and walked to one side door that lead to the fishing area and I was talking to my daughter about paying for one person to go on just to see what it was like, the rest of us would just wait. While we were talking, we were interrupted and told that it costs $2 minimum purchase per person to go on the pier. I said Thank you and explained that we had just come out to see if it looked like we wanted to come back with our gear in a couple of weeks and let the kids fish, and again in a very rude voice we were told about the $2 minimum purchase. I was trying to explain that we were not staying, we were just checking it out but instead of offering information about what is on the pier or any kind of sales pitch for what they offer, she told me again that it is $2 minimum per person. I pulled out a credit card and asked if she could just charge me $12 and she said "Yes, I can but it's cash only. We have an ATM." and pointed. She has got to be joking! They only take cash, charge money for everything you can do there, and on top of that, I was going to pay them a fee to fund their "convenient" ATM? No thanks. I will just go back to the jettys where the people...

After all the horrible reviews , i think my experience was ok after all. I was not happy about the price to go out on the pier. But i told me daughter that we were going and i wasnt about to break that promise. So we went on the pier . The whole time time we were there there were people breaking the rules of the pier and the staff was out there a dozen times and said nothing. Even after i said something to them. I just dont like the idea of getting tangled up with the guy on the other end of the t head simply because he is throwing his line all the way across the other people on the pier. Either way , why do you have rules if you dont even try to enforce them????? We caught a bull red after about six hours and that is after all what we came for. So i guess we will give them another chance. But if need be , there is always the 91st street pier. / on the staffs be half, they were rude at first. But when we got a bull red , they got real friendly . Probobally because they saw the oppertunity to get a picture and post it online. That makes their buisness look good , but tourists look at reviews. So in conclusion customer service makes for good buisness. Also i hope you guys use this for a free refrence as to how your buisness is doing. It would serve you well to read this and make some changes. You would make more money. Good luck!!! And i hope this weekend goes better. This will be the last time i try...

First off this is not “just” a fishing pier. Theirs is the single best place in Galveston to play hooky on a Friday. The proprietors are awesome. Friendly people with an obvious love for the sea. Yeah, it’s a fishing pier and a bait shop but buy a couple local beers and some koozies and gain access to the upstairs level. They have a full bar with great service. The best selection of music for us over-40 folks. The cleanest bathrooms on the entire island. This is all on a large crows nest style balcony that overlooks the pier and the beach. Grab some cold adult beverages and sit next to the outer wrap-Around bar and watch the fisherman pull up their catches while seagulls and pelicans fly around and dive for their meals. You can even sea all the fishing boats, ships, and sailboats right off the coast. I’m told they have some great live music on the weekends but for us, this is our little hidden away hooky...