Little River Fishing Fleet — Attraction in North Myrtle Beach

Too long, didn't read version:

Even with terrible sea sickness, this being my first ever experience into the ocean and deep sea fishing, I cannot wait to do this again. This is due to the ABOVE AND BEYOND efforts of Captain Lee and crew mates Mike and Rahim. Had it been any other crew just "doing their job", I may never had wanted to do this again because of the sea sickness. First Captain and crew, and I guarantee there couldn't be anyone better for my experience.

Long version: From the moment of meeting them, these three young men were friendly, professional, and ready to get after it!

The whole trip was filled with laughs, cracking jokes, and questions answered.

Also, funny, I had managed to pick the one spot that was the ONLY place that the water from the waves would splash. Even BEFORE I had become completely soaked, they had offered us all seats in the Captain's bridge.

Seeing and joking that I had looked as if I just came out from the sea, Captain Lee and Mike, would continue to offer me with ear to ear smiles as they must've thought I was nuts. Haha. I declined because I'm from the Midwest and never get the chance to experience the ocean. And honestly,  I LOVED IT! The water was way warmer than I expected and I love the water.

When we arrived at the fishing area, another lady and I had unfortunately come down with some bad sea sickness. The gentlemen checked on us, didn't make us feel bad or embarrassed about it, and let us rest how we needed too, AND all the while keeping a great hand and assistance with the other customer fishers.

With such an efficiency and speed that I didn't know was possible in a boat with that many people, they moved about boat setting up fishing poles, fixing tangled lines, putting on bait, cutting up bait, taking fish off hooks into our buckets, and assisting with stubborn fish,

Once I finally recovered a bit, Captain Lee and Mike asked if I was ready to get after it, and helped me get started to CATCH THOSE FISH! This was the most and largest fish I've ever caught in my life since I'm only used to lakes.

Rahim all the while was setting up fishing pole after fishing pole after fishing pole to give us customers the opportunity to bring in a big bad tuna! That poor guy also must've untangled a handful of my lines, but not once made it seem like it was a hassle or bothered.

Mike must've also been keeping a helpful eye on me to make sure I didn't tip overboard when I tried to move about. Or maybe he just thought it was hilarious, but either way, he made me crack up with his contagious good-natured humor and laughs.

Captain Lee made a special effort to make sure each and every one of us were enjoying ourselves -- he knew I wasn't feeling well and a rookie, but had nothing, but positive words to say. Between making us laugh, being right there right when we needed help, having a phenomenal positive attitude, and having our life in his hands, I would 200% trust him again to get us there and back safely.

Even WITH the sea sickness, as horrible as it really was, I have to say with utmost certainty that the Captain and crew are what made my experience go from terrible, to this being the highlight of my entire week long vacation. Had it been any other folks who are just "doing their job", I may not have wanted to do this again because that sea sickness was rough!!

Because of the encouragement, good vibes, and how ABOVE AND BEYOND, Captain Lee, and crew mates Mike and Rahim went, I now cannot WAIT for my next deep sea adventure.

One day, soon, I hope to return to South Carolina and fish with these awesome folks. I'm also not the only one who thought so either. I overheard an elder say that in his 30 years, he hadn't experienced any better.

First Captain and crew I've ever had, and I guarantee no one could do a better job for my first experience to the ocean and deep...

This was mine and my son's first time salt water fishing. I called weeks ahead bc I wanted to make sure we got a spot and that my now 6 year old son could fish. The manager, a lady whose name i do not recall, said, "sure we have kids fishing with us all the time." The 8 of us were staying about an hour and a half away and we were told to arrive an hour before. We left on 5.08.2023 from our hotel at 6a.m. so we could be there by 730a.m. we arrived and stood around until 9a.m. Needless to say getting a child and 2 young teens up on their vacation is a chore but to then wait around bc others couldn't be bothered to arrive on time... We set to sea and upon arriving at our first fishing spot we are given fishing instructions. My son and at stood at a railing that he was half a foot shorter than, holding 7 ft poles with 12oz sinkers (i know bc I looked). First mate Larry comes over to my son and I. He is telling us what to do but he's trying to help Anthony, my son. After a few minutes Larry realizes not only isn't Anthony tall enough to fish, but he isn't going to be strong enough. He kindly tells Anthony after realizing he is just too little and the gear is more expensive then our tickets, that Anthony won't be able to fish. As a father it hurt to see him left out. Not to mention he could have stayed at the resort and had fun with everyone else versus just sitting almost 5 hours watching everyone else fish. On a side not, if it wasn't for Larry, noone would have caught anything. He took time to get to know us, teach us, befriend us including Anthony. great dude We came back and the captain (not the guy last named lee, another fella) must have heard Anthony didn't get to fish bc he told us to call to get a t shirt.

So Upon checking the little river website I realized the kids were to get a shark tooth- none of the 3 did. It says nothing about "ride-along-fees" (ill explain that shortly) It says nothing about age height or weight requirements to fish.

So I called the office and spoke to the female mgr. I explained everything. She said, " I dont have the authority to make a refund decision about your son but I promise to call you back within 24 hours." didn't happen 48 hours later I called and asked for the same woman. She informed me the owner was at a conference out of state but he'd be back that night or tomorrow and that they didn't forget about us. didn't get a call back I called Friday and asked and spoke with the same woman. She apologized. Wanted to refund us with a trip be we were leaving the following morning. Still no t shirt still no shark teeth still no refund

On our way home Sunday (we live 2 driving days away) I called again. An hour or less later we received an email stating we were being reimbursed for half the money bc of the "ride-along-fee".

Integrity is everything folks. They made little to know attempt to make things right. Still no shark teeth, still not shirt for my son and charged half our ticket price bc the vessel with a 70 person capacity was only booked for 31.

Pretty crummy. I'd fish with someone else. You get what you pay for LESSON LEARNED! don't take little ones fishing unless you want tears and disappointment. And honestly, I'm only giving them 3 stars bc Larry was fantastic despite having to explain to Anthony he wouldn't be...

The trip we scheduled was cancelled due to 7 foot waves. I thanked them profusely, agreeing with the little little river representative, nobody can enjoy themselves on 7 foot seas. So, I trusted them when I booked for the next week. My brother and son joined me for the 11 hour golf stream fishing trip. As a precaution, we took Dramamine. I've never been seasick before, but apparently 6 foot waves must have the same affect as 7 foot waves. We were all sick. It was the worst fishing trip I've ever been on. If you don't want to blame the company for not calling it off, you need to at the very least check the wave heights prior to the trip. If you don't fear sea sickness, keep in mind that the boat can't stay in position in rough seas. The two shorter trips we took earlier gave us more action and a heavier stringer. With calmer seas, I'm sure we would have caught more.

Two people didn't make the trip. I don't know where they would've been fishing if they had made the trip. It was shoulder to shoulder and constant tangles. April and May are the best months to fish the gulf stream. So you can expect it to be more crowded, but it might be wiser to shoot for a mid week trip... after checking on wave heights.

If you do go, after checking on wave heights, try to sit mid boat and fish mid boat to avoid the most motion and it keeps you out of the direct sun. Take a stadium seat cushion, take rain gear, food and drink. They'll ask you to stow everything under the seats in the cabin...everything got wet. The cabin does have seats with cushions, but not enough for everyone. The trip to the gulf stream was about 3 hours.

I noticed on the shorter trips, with the same Captain and mate, we were told to keep the bait on the bottom for best results. With the 11 hour trip, where it was rough water and crowded, they said keep it off the bottom for best results. You don't catch more off the bottom, but you may get fewer tangles with others.

If it's not crowded, consider taking an 8oz. butterfly jig on a leader with a heavy swivel. You can always switch back to bait. I didn't use it on the last trip, because I was too busy trying to keep my breakfast down. Did I mention that you should check Ocean conditions before you leave? Ricky said we had constant 6ft waves, but everyone saw bigger.

They will ask for a 20% tip and charge an arbitrary amount on filleting your fish. I tipped 25% on the shorter trips because I was so impressed that I never had to touch a fish or the bait. It's better to ask them to fillet the fish for an amount you think is just. I wish I had tipped less then 20% on the last trip because the increased number of people meant less individual attention... and they should have called the trip due to "6ft waves." They should at the very least warn people about wave heights...