AAA Fishing Charters

I fished with Captain Craig on 5÷14÷16 with 2 of my coworkers in hopes of catching some ling cod. We started the trip by stopping to catch some flounder for bait, which we caught 15 – 20 rather quickly. It seemed odd to us that he was spending all of his time complaining about his recent former clients and basically just talking trash (we were wondering what he was going to have to say about us). After that we started riding to the fishing spot and I noticed we were keeping a quite slow pace. We pull up to the first spot and the captain tells us to drop our lines in, I asked the captain if we should be in deeper water, to which he answered «you have no idea how deep it is here, I have a depth sounder». I replied that his equipment must not be working because I could see the bottom and it was only about 5 feet down. After looking over the edge, he quickly ran to move the boat. He then told us that he is in fact having problems with the depth sounder when he has the engine on!!! So, we finally get to start fishing and after about 15 minutes he tells us to reel them in, we are going to try a different spot. This same scenario continued through the next couple stops, we would ride for 30 minutes or more and then put the lines in the water for a few minutes. No exaggeration, we spent more time riding around than we did fishing! As our time was winding down, I asked the captain if I could switch back to flounder fishing to at least catch something and he became noticeably irritated and said «do whatever you want to do, I don’t know what to tell ya». Also, we became quite concerned, every time the bilge pump came on there were large amounts of gas and oil pouring into the water (I’m sure the coast guard or EPA would’ve loved to see it). When we ended our day, the captain made sure to give me a bunch of his flyers to hand out for anyone else that might want to book a trip with him (I threw them out before leaving the marina). I figured I would just let it go and move on with life… until today! Captain Craig decided to call me in response to the review that he thought I had left for him. He stated that I was destroying his business and that unfortunately not everyone can be happy. He stated that his rates are on par with everyone else in the area and that he would like for me to take the review down. I then informed him that it was not me that left the review and that in fact it was left by a woman Marta. He then asked for my feedback on the trip, so I told him and was very honest. I explained to him that I wasn’t going to leave a review but after he called me to dispute a poor review that was left by someone else, I had no choice. It seems to be a trend for the captain to provide a poor experience fishing, poor customer service, a bad attitude and then to ask you to not tell anyone else about it so you don’t damage his business. Captain, I would say it’s time to reevaluate your role and how you should treat your clients! Also, fix the boat, depth sounder, and get a fish finder if you are going to charge as much as do, otherwise it’s a scam and you are a thief.

It’s difficult to put into words the disappointment I had with «fishing trip». If you’re looking to pay for someone to take you on a 6 hour boat ride while being personally insulted and/​or listen to him insult previous customers, Captain Craig is your man.
While joining coworkers for what we hoped to be a fun, enjoyable, and educational fishing trip, turned into a complete fail. Not only was Captain Craig one of the most rude, insulting, unprofessional «businessman», I use that term lightly, he definitely does not appreciate his clientele who is supporting him.
We basically paid $ 600, for three of us, to ride around in his fuel and oil leaking boat. For such an «experienced» fisherman, Captain Craig seemed lost in his ability to take us to appropriate fishing locations and only to blame it on his malfunctioning equipment.
I’m no means an avid fisherman but I am a paying customer who would never recommend this business to anyone. From the rude and belittling attitude toward us, his complaining of previous recent paying customers, and overall experience… Captain Craig, without reevaluation of your business practice, your business is about to sink.

My husband and father in law are some of the nicest most easy going jovial men! Both have had the privilege of being able to have fished all over the world while serving as an Seal in the Navy. Both fish regularly in their state. They booked this trip as an father and son special outing months in advanced and my father in law drove over from Or to stay with us a few days to do it. A couple days before the trip the charter Capt called to move their outing from Sat to mothers day because he had a much larger party who wanted to book the Sat. They checked with me first and I gave them my blessing. While on the boat these long time fishermen were called «unsafe» and had to deal with a Capt whom was «hot and cold» in his manner the whole time, giving them mixed instructions that would contradict in statements, being yelled at because they couldn’t keep their lines down straight as the current carried them away. His manner the whole time made their outing not fun at all and they were both relieved to get off the boat. They shared their experiences with us and we all wondered why the captains manner towards paying customers would be like this. Neither one wanted to write a review but this wife going too! Again these men served honorably my modest father in law is a highly decorated veteran and both are much loved in their community so poo poo on Capt Craig for acting like such a jerk towards them!

Not trying to bash the guy but NO WAY would I have gone through with this charter if I knew what I know now. He was sarcastic, rude to my elderly Step-​Mother, and generally not even a joy to be around. No fish and even skimped on the time. He CRASHED THE BOAT TWICE, trying to get in the marina. My step mom almost fell off the boat while he was running around trying to stop crashing his boat into the pilings. Then had the audacity to ask, where’s my tip? My dad tipped him since he didn’t want to haggle and fight with the guy. Seriously the biggest let down. He put my parents life in the way of harm over his boat and lack of driving skills. WORST TRIP EVER.

Hi
If you like being the punt of his conversation to his friends while sitting there waiting for a fish then, this is your guy. I did finally catch a fish that was nice size but the whole experience could have been much much better. I mean we pay well we should be treated good. I felt like since the next day was opening for the Kings that he was doing more fishing for himself-​not us.
Try to use the porta potty much it spats you :(.

I called up captain Craig two days prior and he was game to take my family and I out on his fishing boat which I loved immediately. The boat was really cool, very steady and didn’t shake too much.
As for the fishing, This Braddah knew the spot and within the first hour we caught seven huge salmon. Captain Craig was great with my kids and my wife and I as we were both novice fisherman.
This was probably the highlight of our trip. He even gutted the fish for us and packed it up.
Oh and the salmon was amazing!!! My wife cooked it up in our rv. I didn’t know salmon could taste this good.
Til next time captain Craig!!! Thank you for making our trip a memorable one.
Aloha

We caught 8 fish. The boat was old, but serviceable We paid $ 400.00 for 6 hours of fishing.
The captain knows his business and was constantly changing lures and depth.
HOWEVER, He made fun of us with insults for the entire trip. He constantly commented on our lack of fishing knowledge and then laughed at his own «jokes»
We paid him $ 400 to listen to his remarks for 6 hours. i sure there are more personable captains that appreciate their customers.
We definitely would not recommend AAA charters

I booked this trip with Captain Craig for my fiancé when we were in Seattle on business and boy was I glad we did! While his boat, the Gratitude, was not based in Seattle it was a quick and easy trip on the freeway (about ½ hour). But the rule of thumb, go where the fish are, not what is convenient for you. He normally books up to six anglers, but we were the only two and he accommodated us (not normal for other captains). He asked what type of fishing action we were looking for and then put us on fish. Local knowledge, instruction, and good fishing gear is critical and he had it all. The boat accommodations are what you would expect from a longtime salty dog fishing captain. I loved the very cozy vintage vibe. Captain Craig was deeply concerned about meeting our fishing expectation and he delivered. Btw he rates were quite reasonable. Needless to say, we’ll book another trip when we are back in Seattle.

Visited the Seattle area on business and had one free day to do something fun. We called several captains who already had weekend trips booked and one of the companies we called suggested that we try Captain Craig. We’re glad we did!
We decided to fish for Ling Cod as it was too early in the season to fish for Salmon. The Seattle weather was not very cooperative, however Captain Craig did everything we might have hoped for to make the best of the situation and come home with fish.
We began by fishing for flounder to be used as bait. The poles were already rigged and in great shape. The Captain told us the goal was to catch 12 six to ten inch fish, and that’s exactly what we did.
While in route to the fishing grounds the captain pointed out two blue whales that were playing off the port side of the vessel. While he was careful not to disturb the whales, he did stop the boat and drifted for a while as we took advantage of the photo opps presented by this unplanned surprise. While the whales were in sight, the captain sounded more like a professional tour boat guide than like a fishing charter captain, so we felt like this was a big bonus.
On to the Ling Cod grounds and then came the wind and the rain. Wearing our foul weather gear we did our best to outlast the storm, as we were determined to catch at least one Ling Cod before we would retreat to dry quarters!
At last, a fish was on, and soon it would be filleted and traveling to the east coast. With gel packs. Dispute the weather we had a wonderful time, fishing and laughing and surviving seattle weather.
To avoid disappointment, you should not expect a well polished professional commercial fish company. Fishing with Captain Craig is more like having a friend from another life who takes you out fishing. The Captain has all the knowledge and experience needed. He knows the right spots and understands the how to take advantage of the tides. The best way to describe the vessel, Gratitude, and it’s amenities is to say its a classic and it’s what you might expect from a guy with a boat in a fishing village.
If you’re expecting a sixty foot Viking and a captain with a couple of mates and to take photos of accommodations to impress your friend, then this is not the place to go. But if you’re looking for a guy with a nice side boat ((about 38 feet) who knows what to o and where to o to catch fish, who charges a reasonable rate, then look no further. You’ll have gratitude that you fished with Captain Criag on the Gratitude.
The bottom line, the price was right, we caught a nice fish, had a great time, and look forward to returning when the salmon season opens.