Capt. Stacy Fishing Center — Local services in Atlantic Beach

I'd like to start off this review with a disclaimer: This experience was my first time "deep sea" fishing.

After reading the reviews, both good and bad, my father and I decided to book a half day bottom fishing trip with Capt. Stacy. I was initially hesitant after reading reviews about the "rude staff". Regardless, I decided to keep an open mind and experience things for myself. Once we arrived at the dock area, we checked in and payed for our tickets. (you can pay for tickets with a card, but almost everything else is CASH ONLY). Around 7AM we loaded up and started to depart. After hearing the initial briefing, it was clear that the crew took their jobs seriously and that they had done this more times than one could easily count. While the crew's demeanor was not comparable to Disney World staff or Chick-fil-A employees, I don't think that anyone really expected these well seasoned ship hands to be overly flower-y or frivolous with their directions. The wind was pretty rough and the sea was a bit choppy the day we went, but that didn't seem to phase the crew a bit! In hindsight, I wouldn't have sat up towards the front of the boat had I know we would be drenched from head to toe with sea water ever 5 seconds from waves crashing over the bow. I would highly recommend bringing clothes you don't mind getting wet and some form of dry bag for your valuables. The half day trip, took us about 15 miles out to sea. It was roughly 2 hours out, 2 hours of fishing, and 2 hours back. Once we got to the fishing spot, we dropped our lines in and started pulling fish out of the water. We mainly caught Black Sea Bass and Ring Tailed Porgys. The crew worked tirelessly to untangle lines, fix rigs, and pull hooks out of troublesome fish. I was very impressed with how efficiently the crew was able to handle our full boat of 60 or 70 people all at once! After we finished fishing, I did get a little sea sick... I normally don't get motion sick; however, the ocean had other plans for me that day. I would highly recommend taking dramamine if you're unsure of how you'll do that far out at sea. Once back, the crew helped us off the ship, and we had our fish cleaned for a nominal fee. Overall, I'd say we had a good experience! After reading other reviews, I think that some people may have had unrealistic expectations before venturing out on the Capt. Stacy. If you're expecting an easy boat ride with white table cloths and french waiters, you've come to the wrong place. This trip is not a casual ocean tour, and it is not something you should necessarily venture into lightly. However, if you're looking for a no frills deep sea fishing experience with knowledgeable crew members and tight lines, you won't be disappointed with Capt. Stacy! Thank you to the crew and captain for making it...

Where to start...oh my. Went on a evening Shark trip with captain Stacy. Worst time of my vacation. Watched as the "mates" scrambled to get the boat ready 5 minutes before departure, even while we boarded they were setting things up and not prepared. No welcomes or thanks for coming, just a "okay. Board." Was all we got. Stood around for 15 minutes before we heard a loud horn and the boat started moving without a word from the captain or mates as to safety concerns or what their names were. The only person to really acknowledge anyone was the cook, Wendy. She was amazing. I even had to asked Wendy for the mates name because they didn't introduce themselves. My husband tried asking Trey a few questions and he was immediately dismissed and even given a thumbs up to a question before walking away. Rude. Rude. Rude. The captain did not say a word the whole 45 minute trip out to our spot, a welcome...introduction or a little explanation of what we were going to enjoy while out there would have been nice. The mates, Trey and Derrick stayed at the back of the boat the whole ride out there. When the boat stopped another horn blew. No idea what that meant because no one explained anything to anyone. Trey walked around the boat a few times, smoking a cigarette the whole time, not once helping anyone with their poles. Derrick was a little more helpful with those asking for help. We started fishing and even though it took a few attempts, people started catching small sharks. Trey just stayed at the back WITH HIS OWN POLE, too concerned with catching his own shark. Derrick would run to help but Trey kept to his pole at the back of the boat. After a few hours the bites got low and people were just standing around and complaining that nothing was happening. More tangles happened then actual bites. When we asked if we would be going to another spot, all we got for an answer was a "nope" and the mate kept going. Around 9:15 we heard another whistle blow and the boat started moving. EVERYONE had lines STILL in the water and rushed to get them up before they tangled AGAIN with someone else's line. Still...no warning from the captain before the boat started moving. Mates didn't say a word and instead disappeared again. Ended up catching no sharks ourselves...but sat and watched Trey reel in 4 by using a different fishing method than the rest of us with fresh bait. Waste of 4 hours and 55 bucks. If you want to go shark fishing...pitch in with some friends and get a private charter...but DO NOT GO WITH CAPTAIN STACY. You will be highly disappointed. Their customer service is...

Pros: The captain, although he didn't speak to me much, was very kind and courteous to the rest of the folks fishing. The mates were helpful and pretty good about being on top of unhooking fish, untangling lines, etc.

Cons: For me, this trip was (barely) worth the $200 I paid for my cousin and me to go deep sea fishing. We spent the entire night beforehand setting up our own (suitable) rods and gear, preparing ourselves to be able to just get up and go the next morning to catch the boat. We know how to fish. However, if you're an angler looking to catch big fish and lots of them, this is not the charter for you. I spent more time untangling my line from people's lines who didn't really know how to fish than I spent actually fishing. Not to mention, we were essentially combat fishing, shoulder to shoulder with everybody around us. So when an inexperienced fisherman lets his line go slack for a period of time, or jerks his rod multiple times trying to set the hook even though he's got a circle hook tied on, it's inevitable you're gonna get tangled up. Although the mates were helpful, a few of them were very condescending. Right as I stepped on board, one of the mates made some dirty remarks about the braided line I had hooked up to my rods. I'm sorry I wanted to use good line that doesn't stretch so I can pull big fish away from structure before they dive into it? Furthermore, my cousin and I entered the jackpot on board (biggest fish takes the money), which was fine and exciting. We simply wrote our names on a list after we were told we needed to put in $5 each. No problem. We were told nothing else until one of the old, hardass mates came by and told us we were automatically disqualified because we were using live bait. Okay...that would've been nice to know before we "donated" you $10.

I could go on for awhile about the things I didn't like about this charter. But basically, go on this charter if you want to catch a bunch of little, dinky fish rather than any big ones. And don't expect much from the mates. They'll help you, but probably with some smartass remarks here and there. If you do decide to go on this charter for big fish, you better show up AT LEAST an hour early for a DECENT spot. We arrived 45 minutes early and got stuck on the side. so get there at 4:30 I guess, boat leaves at 6:00....