About Your Trip

Hunting Type

Skill Levels

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Weather

You won’t lose your deposit if the trip is canceled due to weather.

One of the few places you can hunt Sandhill Cranes and known by game chefs as the “ribeye of the sky”. In flocks of 2 to 100, this bird measures 3-4 ft tall, with over a 5 ft wingspan. Zach will set you up in perfect concealment in layout blinds, over full body decoys in vegetative fields. You will need a migratory bird endorsement on your license. When hunting sandhill cranes, you must obtain a...

About Your Trip

Amenities

Hunting Type

Crane

Skill Levels

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Lodging

Lodging is included for an additional fee.

Gear

All gear necessary for your trip is included.

Gun Availability

Gun rentals are available.

Game Cleaning

This guide will clean your game for an additional fee.

Beer

Feel free to enjoy responsibly, but please no glass.

Weather

You won’t lose your deposit if the trip is canceled due to weather.

Kid Friendly

This trip can cater to small children.

Disability Friendly

This trip can accommodate those with disabilities.

Flexible Cancelation

This trip can be canceled up to 8 days before the trip.

Lunch

Lunch / light snacks are included.

Land Type

This trip is on private land.

Dogs Allowed

Let your pup in on the fun!

Physicality

This trip requires an easy level of physical activity.

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Pricing Matrix

	5 hours
1 Person	$300.00
2 People	$600.00
3 People	$900.00
4 People	$1,200.00
5 People	$1,500.00

Pay $300 as a deposit today, with the balance due on the day of the trip.

You're in good hands

Book your trip with confidence — We only work with the best local guides that know the area like the back of their hand.

Reserve Your Trip

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92% (13)

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You're in good hands

Book your trip with confidence — We only work with the best local guides that know the area like the back of their hand.

About Your Guide

Certified Damn Good Guides offer 10/10 trips. Guides earn this badge through quality reviews, quick and responsive communication, and low cancellation rates.

Zach D.

Certified Damn Good Guide

Certified Damn Good Guides offer 10/10 trips. Guides earn this badge through quality reviews, quick and responsive communication, and low cancellation rates.

Independent Guide

Veteran

Talkative

Intense

Instructional

Beginner Oriented

Comfortable

Quality

About Your Guide

Zach D.

Certified Damn Good Guide

Independent Guide

Captain Zach is a Veteran of the Marine Corps and a licensed Coast Guard with a (20 ton) master. With over 25 years of experienced guiding, Captain Zach’s fishing and hunting trips have taken him across Northern Minnesota, all the Great Lakes, Canada, California, North & South Dakota, Nebraska, Texas, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Alaska’s inside passage.

Captain Zach came to South Texas as a professional Quail guide on the prestigious King Ranch, working with bird dogs. Captain Zach is committed to delivering top-notch hunting skills and experiences in South Texas.

In 2017 Captain Zach founded his own guide service on Baffin Bay Riviera, Texas. Guiding fishing and hunting trips, along with Commercial fishing.

As a Marine Corps Veteran, Captain Zach instills the values of dedication, precision, and excellence into his business. You can trust that your adventure will be led with the utmost professionalism and commitment to providing a high-quality experience.

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Rapid Fire Guide Q & A

What’s the biggest fish you’ve caught?

250 pd halibut

If you were cooking for all your friends what would you cook?

Fish or steak

Rapid Fire Guide Q & A

What’s the biggest fish you’ve caught?

250 pd halibut

If you were cooking for all your friends what would you cook?

Fish or steak

What’s your favorite band?

Toby Keith

What’s your favorite movie?

Lone survivor

What’s your drink of choice?

Colors light

What was your last halloween costume?

None

What do you want for Christmas this year?

Hunting gear

How did you get started guiding?

My dad

What makes you different from other guides?

Ambition

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Start Location & Lodging Options

The lodging below offered by Zach is not included in the cost of your trip. Please let us know in the "notes" section during checkout if you'd like to stay, or see the map below for other hotels and VRBOs in the area.

Port Isabel, Texas

Trip Details & Amenities

Hunting Type

Crane

Skill Levels

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Lodging

Lodging is included for an additional fee.

Gear

All gear necessary for your trip is included.

Gun Availability

Gun rentals are available.

Game Cleaning

This guide will clean your game for an additional fee.

Beer

Feel free to enjoy responsibly, but please no glass.

Weather

You won't lose your deposit if the trip is canceled due to weather.

Kid Friendly

This trip can cater to small children.

Disability Friendly

This trip can accommodate those with disabilities.

Flexible Cancelation

This trip can be canceled up to 8 days before the trip.

Lunch

Lunch / light snacks are included.

Land Type

This trip is on private land.

Dogs Allowed

Let your pup in on the fun!

Physicality

This trip requires an easy level of physical activity.

Target Species

Color-coded seasonality below is based on .

View Full Species Seasonality Chart »

Get it while it's HOT!
This species is in play.
You might get lucky (as long as things are in-season).
Couldn't tell ya! (no data)

Techniques

Shotgun Hunting
Calling
Hunting from a Blind
Decoy Hunting

Everything Else to Know

Everything is included, but we also recommend bringing sunglasses, sunscreen, weather-appropriate clothing, and anything else you might want on the trip.

You'll need to buy a hunting license before getting out there. Find out more about licenses here.

We use a cashless autopay system. We'll send you a boarding pass, and on the day of the trip, your guide will scan your boarding pass to automatically transfer the remaining balance. The only cash needed is to tip your guide (we recommend 20%).

Cancel for free up to 8 days before the trip and receive credit back to your account. Cancelling within 8 of the trip will forfeit your deposit to the guide. Day-of cancellations and no-shows will be charged the full balance of the trip to their card.

In the event of inclement weather you'll be covered by out 100% Weather Guarantee and will not lose your deposit.

Reviews

4.7

based on 6 reviews

Amy

Verified Review

March 26

We had a great time with Captain Jack! He made sure we caught fish, had fun and saw dolphins too! He provided us an evening fish so we were able to go before our vacation ended! Best guide around!

Amy

Verified Review

March 26

We had a great time with Captain Jack! He made sure we caught fish, had fun and saw dolphins too! He provided us an evening fish so we were able to go before our vacation ended! Best guide around!

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Trip: South Padre Island Fishing 4 Hrs

Joshua

Verified Review

January 12

Another awesome Adventure with Captain Zach. Our repeat trip back was another wild success as always with some great action and superb hospitality! Cannot wait to return next season!

Joshua

Verified Review

January 12

Another awesome Adventure with Captain Zach. Our repeat trip back was another wild success as always with some great action and superb hospitality! Cannot wait to return next season!

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Trip: South Padre Island Duck Hunting

Joshua

Verified Review

December 20

The hunting with Captain Zach was awesome!! Put us on a variety of birds over 3 days. Was lifetime experience!!

Joshua

Verified Review

December 20

The hunting with Captain Zach was awesome!! Put us on a variety of birds over 3 days. Was lifetime experience!!

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Trip: SPI Early Season Teal

Response from Zach:

Thank you very much, sir. I had a blast. I will see you later in January.

Response from Zach:

Thank you very much, sir. I had a blast. I will see you later in January.

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Verified Review

April 29

Verified Review

April 29

Zach is a nice guy and very personable, so I just want to give feedback to help him be a better guide.
1. Don't wear flip flops. Does not promote confidence.
2. Unless the paying party is killing it, the guide should not fish. It is clear that Zach likes to fish, but when a guide fishes, he is not paying attention to his customers. My son broke a reel because he was caught up in some grass, and Zach was not paying attention because he was on his third cast to "show" my daughter how to reel properly. So my son kept cranking and broke the reel. Zach was not a happy camper, and frankly made my son feel like shit.
3. We caught one trout that was a keeper, and the rest were trash fish. He did fish longer than 1/2 day to try and find fish, but we did not have any luck.
4. Don't expect customers to bait hooks or take off fish, which we had to do both. That is what you pay a guide for. Zack cut bait on a cutting board on the front of the boat where we were fishing, and left everything, including the knife on the floor where there was a lot of foot traffic, so it was not the safest thing to do. and he did not pick any of it up when we moved spots so the knife was sliding on the floor all over the place.
Anyway, all of us were ready for the day to end and get back to the beach. Thanks for asking about our trip. I would not use Zach again because of the reasons above.

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Trip: South Padre Island Fishing 4 Hrs

Response from Zach:

Honestly, I don’t know what to say about that on every other platform I’ve ever had. I have five star reviews. When you have four or five people in the boat, I can’t be everywhere at once. Good luck with your future fishing trips.

Response from Zach:

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Response from Captain Experiences:

Hey Ty this is Attison with Captain Experiences. First and foremost I'm sorry to hear the trip didn't live up to expectations for your family. Our goal is to always provide the trip of a lifetime, and its clear that didn't happen here. That being said, I did want to address some of your comments as I think there is some level of misunderstanding here. Zach went out of his way to spend extra time on the boat with your kids to try and catch fish for you, and you did catch fish! Zach sent us a number of pictures of your kids holding up fish. For obvious reasons we can't guarantee that you will fill the cooler on every trip, but having your kids catch and get pictures with multiple fish is a win in our book. When your son hooked up to some grass, Zach was helping teach your daughter how to fish. This is the role of a guide and this is what they are there for! Every guide does their best to keep everyone on the boat happy, but the bigger the group, the more they need to spread that love around. We've reached out privately to hear more and see how we can find you another experience that leaves you and your kids feeling like you had a great time on the water.

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William

Verified Review

December 23

Had a great time fishing with Captain Zach. He worked hard in trying to find the fish. Had a very nice boat to fish with and an overall extremely nice Captain. Would recommend fishing with Captain Zach anytime.

William

Verified Review

December 23

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Trip: South Padre Island Fishing 4 Hrs

Dallas

Verified Review

November 4

Me and my family went out with captain Zach and had an awesome day. Weather wasn’t in our favour but made the best of it and landed some fish! Captain Zach was very helpful, runs good fishing gear and has a beautiful boat. Will be booking our next trip with him when we’re back in south Padre for a family vacation!

Dallas

Verified Review

November 4

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Trip: South Padre Island Fishing 4 Hrs

Response from Zach:

Thank you, Dallas. I appreciate it. How’s my little buddy?

Response from Zach:

Thank you, Dallas. I appreciate it. How’s my little buddy?

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First Time Booking with Us?

Captain Experiences is home to thousands of quality, vetted fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports guides across the US and beyond. Our mission is to Unlock the Outdoors by making it quick and easy to book the trip of a lifetime every time with our Damn Good Guides.

We vet our guides and only partner with the best of the best. Our guides do their very best to keep you safe, show you a great time, and send you home with a memorable experience shared with family and friends.

Once you've paid your deposit at checkout, we'll send you a QR Code boarding pass. Just show your guide your boarding pass on the day of the trip, they'll scan it, the remaining balance will transfer automatically, and you'll be all set to get out there. Just make sure you bring a cash tip for the guide!

In the event of inclement weather, our guides will check the conditions and make the final call on whether its safe to go on the trip. If they decide the trip needs to be postponed, we'll work closely with you to reschedule or provide a credit for the full deposit, which can be applied to any of our trips in the US and beyond.

Each trip's price is determined by the guide and reflects all associated costs. A significant factor in pricing is often the type of boat and the corresponding fuel expenses. Additional costs may include leases, marina or slip fees, and the expenses involved in providing and maintaining the necessary gear for your trip.

After booking your trip, we'll connect you directly with your guide to discuss additional details. In the meantime, our team is here to answer any questions via email, text, or phone.