Why is Booking a Fishing Trip So Damn Hard?

Tech and the Outdoors

You can rent out someone else’s house with Airbnb, call a ride at the click of a button with Uber, and order delivery from your favorite 5-star restaurant in seconds with Grubhub.

So, what’s the deal with fishing? What is it about the second most popular sport in the US that excludes us from cutting-edge tech?

Then again, some might say we’ve got it pretty good- download Fishbrain to log your catches and connect/compete with fishing buddies, subscribe to Mystery Tackle Box to get newly designed fishing tackle delivered to your doorstep, and, of course, tune into Waypoint TV anyplace, anytime to watch best of the best fishing, hunting, and outdoor shows.

But what if you’re looking to hire a fishing guide and charter a boat? Have fun searching Google for hours, looking at outdated charter sites, playing weeks of phone tag, relying on shady, often home-cooked reviews, dealing with cash handoffs at the docks, and all that good stuff.

 After that headache, you’re still so far from catching fish you might wonder if it’s even worth it…

 The Alternatives

Word of Mouth: To avoid that disaster, most turn to word of mouth. 

But word of mouth can be hit or miss--let’s say you’re heading down to Destin, and you call your buddy who used to fish the Florida Panhandle. He hasn’t been down in a while, but he passes you off to his guide in Panama City Beach. 

You’re 50 miles away in Destin, but your buddy’s PCB guide knows an up-and-coming Destin captain. Assuming he’s professional and you guys gel, you’re still hoping to align on fishing technique, boat specs, price, and availability--a long shot in anyone’s book. 

Guide Websites: Charter sites frequently lack current pricing and calendar info, and many lack the means for quick and easy booking. Digging up a phone number might be your best bet and then you’re right back to phone tag. There’s also no way to compare guides to one another unless you’re prepared to take some pretty detailed notes.

 Social Media: Looks can be deceiving, and many of the most experienced guides lack the social media know-how to pretty up some pictures. What’s more, back and forth DM’ing (direct messaging) isn’t fun for anyone, and it’s difficult to nail down a variety of trip specifics that way.

Local Aggregators and Online Directories: Many in this bucket are well behind the times and aren’t transparent about their rankings. When it comes to fishing, the online website experience is lacking and many platforms promote outfits who pay them to rank. 

You want to fish with the best guide for the type of trip you’re after, not whoever’s paying some website more.

 Enter Captain Experiences: Search It, Book It, Live It

Captain Experiences makes booking fishing guides quick and easy. Search over 1,000 trips from San Diego to San Juan based on location, group size, target species, price and more. Read verified reviews and book real-time availability with licensed and insured guides.

There’s also no need to bring wads of cash to the docks. Leading up to your trip, you’ll receive a QR code from us that works just like a mobile boarding pass. Show your captain your QR code and payment will transfer automatically--you’ll be all set to go fishing.

 On the guide side, we like to say that we keep guides out of the office and on the water. 

Our team creates profiles and trip listings for guides for free, and once guides confirm their license and insurance information, they’re all set. Managing calendar availability and bookings can be done right from the boat, leading to more trips with less hassle. 

How Captain Experiences Ranks Guides

Captain Experiences is a fair and transparent meritocracy, top to bottom. While other sites run pay-to-rank algorithms that rank guides based on what they pay their site, at Captain Experiences, we rank our guides based on the reviews they earn and how well they treat customers.

Our unique QR code system assures 100% verified reviews since each group’s guide must scan the QR code in order for the customer to receive a link to review the trip.

Our algorithm also nudges new guides so they always have a chance to rank even if they’re just getting started.

How Does Captain Experiences Vet Guides in the First Place?

While other platforms take any “guide” with a pulse, we refer to our guides as Damn Good Guides and don’t take the name lightly.

First off, we require all of our guides to confirm that they’re licensed and insured for the trips they offer. 

Beyond that, we like to say we vet our guides like we vet our friends. We speak with all of our guides directly, and if there’s a guide that acts unprofessionally, we tell them right off the bat that Captain Experiences might not be the best fit. 

We Know & Love Fishing

 We grew up fishing for Texas reds and Virginia stripers and know how frustrating it is when your charter trip of the year goes sideways. We had finally had it and launched Captain Experiences after one too many terrible times booking fishing charters. 

Our company was started to help make the lives of both adventurers and guides easier. Adventurers want to effortlessly find and book a trip, while guides want to spend time on the water with customers, not dealing with marketing, technology, scheduling and payments. 

Our team of local experts knows all our Damn Good Guides inside and out, and we’re always available to answer questions via email, call, or text.

 If you’re not quite sure which trip fits your needs, we’ll work with you to find what you’re looking for, from bachelor parties to corporate outings to putting your kids on their first fish.

Where can I Fish with Captain Experiences?

Texas is home, so we’ve always got you covered across Galveston, Port Aransas, Corpus Christi, South Padre Island, and everywhere in between.

We’re also rapidly expanding across the Southeast and offer fantastic trips from Biloxi, Gulf Shores, and Dauphin Island. You can find us in Florida from Pensacola, Destin, and Panama City Beach, on the Panhandle to Clearwater, Tampa, and Naples down to Key Largo, Islamorada, and Key West in the Keys, and on up the Atlantic to Miami, West Palm Beach, Daytona, and Jacksonville!

Book a Trip Today!

Check us out at captainexperiences.com today. Our 100% Weather Guarantee means you’ll always receive a full refund in the event of bad weather. While policies vary by trip, you’ll find plenty of trips to reserve with minimal deposits and flexible cancellation policies.

We look forward to helping with your next trip to get you, your friends, and your family out on the water with our Damn Good Guides!

P.S. How Can Guides Sign Up?

We’re always looking for more quality Damn Good Guides--sign up here and we’ll be in touch!