Vero Tackle & Watersports — Attraction in Vero Beach

I can’t say enough good things about Captain Donovan and our charter boat experience. Simply put, the reason it was such a fantastic experience was because of Captain Donovan. He is extremely personable, experienced and knowledgeable. I was a bit apprehensive when my husband booked the trip (I’m not a big boat person as I get sea sick), but decided to go along because he and my one daughter like to fish. I am so glad I went. From the start, I felt comfortable and safe with Captain Donovan. To my surprise, my other daughter (who is not into fishing) partook in the fishing and caught a number of different fish. All in, we caught upwards of 10 different varieties of fish. Some were very big and reeling them in was quite exciting. We all enjoyed ourselves during the fishing experience and it is 100% due to Captain Donovan. He taught us so much about fishing, boats and nature and is incredibly accommodating and helpful. He went above and beyond and even spent an extra hour with us because the girls wanted to see dolphins and sharks so he took us to a place where we did, in fact, see what he had hoped to show us. (The sharks were small and underwater and seemingly docile and not interested in us.) The only negative - as the kids put it - is that the fishing didn’t last all day. As an aside, I have to avoid the sun and Captain Donovan always made sure I had a place in the shade and was doing okay. If you want to have the best day on the water, there’s no one better to charter fish with than Captain Donovan. He’s truly amazing! We are already looking forward to our next trip to Vero to do another fishing charter with...

Good experience. They could be a little better at communication, but it's a very nice option for friends and family (But sadly, we were limited to a maximum of 6 people). The boat is nice, clean, entertaining and fun. Our captain was great. Music would have been nice. Thankful they worked with us (a HUGE storm came up and washed out our second reservation). They credited the 2nd excursion, but we WILL re-book and come back again. I highly recommend it. Our captain shared a little info with us, would love more history or tidbits of the area we boated. They are unable to get close to shore due to the shallow water in the channel, but more stories or history would be greatly appreciated. Adding some seats with backs might be nice. But they were all very nice and it was as good as an unexpected rainy, stormy morning could have been. Bring lightweight jackets they have coolers and allow for you to put drinks &/or snacks in them. GREAT option for when company visits. I suggest booking 2 back-to-back if you like a longer excursion/day...

Purchased a rod and reel (admittedly cheap). Brought it back a few days later because the line kept snapping. The reason was that the ceramic coating on the rod tip guide had basically come off leaving a sharp edge. All three employees in the store agreed, but because it was a Sunday, and the owner (or manager) was not in to authorize an exchange of the rod and the two lures that were lost, I just left it there, as I was leaving Vero and could not come in on a later date. I had no use for it. Nobody had the authority to exchange the $50 purchase of a clearly defective product!!!. Really need better service.

The response from the owner is that it was my fault and so too bad. The rod was broken the first time it was used! And they suspect it was my fault! If my fault then the quality is so bad that it should not be sold by a reputable retailer. Ever heard of the "customer is always right"? Not here. And this goes back to my original review that the attitude at this store is all wrong, which comes...