About Your Trip

Water Type

Inshore, Deep Sea, Nearshore, Jetty

Skill Levels

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Weather

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

About Your Trip

NO FUEL CHARGE and fish cleaning included. The halfday afternoon trip departs at 1:00 pm and is your best bet for some big fish action on a limited budget and schedule. This trip covers 40 sq miles of nearshore waters & produces large Red Drum (Bull Red) (licenses should have a Red Drum tag), Sharks, Gaftop Catfish, Gulf Trout, & sometimes Red Snapper. Red snapper chances are best from late October thru early March. Once the best fishing grounds are located, the captain will attract fish and begin a feeding frenzy with a chum line from an anchored or drift position. This trip frequently lands large red drum (18 to 30 lbs) and large shark. You best chance for shark are mid April thru late October.

Amenities

Water Type

Inshore, Deep Sea, Nearshore, Jetty

Skill Levels

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Tackle

All rods, reels, and tackle are included.

Fish Cleaning

This guide will clean your catch for you.

Beer

Feel free to enjoy responsibly, but please no glass.

Music

You can play your own bluetooth music.

Boat Restroom

This boat has a restroom.

Live Bait

Live bait is included for this trip.

Weather

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

Kid Friendly

This trip can cater to kids.

Disability Friendly

This trip is not suited for those with disabilities.

Flexible Cancelation

The deposit for this trip is non-refundable.

Lunch

Please provide your own food / snacks.

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Book your trip with confidence — We only work with the best local guides that know where to put you on fish.

Reserve Your Trip

Total

67% (3)

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You're in good hands

Book your trip with confidence — We only work with the best local guides that know where to put you on fish.

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.

Derwyn B.

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.

Outfitter

Talkative

Instructional

Beginner Oriented

Comfortable

Quality

About Your Guide

Derwyn B.

Certified Damn Good Guide

Outfitter

Derwyn has fished all his life. He began deep sea fishing in the early 90s and was immediately hooked on the excitement of the deep blue seas and huge fish. His career as a captain began in the mid 90s and in 2005 Capt Derwyn bought a commercial reef fish license and added commercial fishing to his resume. Capt Derwyn has owned and operated a number of boats like a 30 Rampage Sportsfisher, 28 Ft True World, 26 Ft Everglades, 33 ft World Cat, 23 Ft Hydrasport Bay Bolt, and of course, his current boat; the Glacier Bay Ocean Runner. He knows countless great fishing spots on the Gulf of Mexico including many unpublished hot spots. However, Derwyn’s passion for the outdoors extends far beyond deep sea fishing. You may bump into him on Sam Rayburn Lake fishing for bass or white perch (crappie) or trot lining catfish. Other times, you may find his truck in a parking lot on an Arkansas River because fly fishing is now his #1 favorite fishing activity. He can also be found on one of the local public hunting areas chasing ducks and geese and he has been a waterfowler since the early 60s. He even owned and operated a waterfowl outfitting business in Saskatchewan CAN from 2008 thru 2017. Additionally, his stellar work ethic and enthusiasm for the outdoors led him to establish an online retail store in 1998 which he operated for 22 years until he sold it in June 2020. Now that he has successfully divested himself of the outfitting and retailing businesses, he devotes 100% of his business attention to his fishing charter and commercial fishing.

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Rapid Fire Guide Q & A

What’s the biggest fish you’ve caught?

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

Rapid Fire Guide Q & A

What makes you different from other guides?

Experience, skill and determination to provide an enjoyable trip and the best chance at a fabulous catch and trophy memories.

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Start Location & Lodging Options

Freeport, Texas

About Your Boat

Boat photo for Halfday AM 31’ Contender: Deep Sea

Boat Type: Center Console
Boat Manufacturer: Contender
Year Built: 2003
Boat Length: 31'

About Your Boat

Boat Type: Center Console
Boat Manufacturer: Contender
Year Built: 2003
Boat Length: 31'
Engine Manufacturer: Yamaha 4 Stroke very quite
Total Horsepower: 450
Number of Engines: 1
Additional Amenities: GPS Navigation, Sonar/Fishfinder, private rest room, bean bag ride, live well, Huge fish storage, level fishing deck,

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Trip Details & Amenities

Water Type

Inshore, Deep Sea, Nearshore, Jetty

Skill Levels

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Tackle

All rods, reels, and tackle are included.

Fish Cleaning

This guide will clean your catch for you.

Beer

Feel free to enjoy responsibly, but please no glass.

Music

You can play your own bluetooth music.

Boat Restroom

This boat has a restroom.

Live Bait

Live bait is included for this trip.

Weather

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

Kid Friendly

This trip can cater to kids.

Disability Friendly

This trip is not suited for those with disabilities.

Flexible Cancelation

The deposit for this trip is non-refundable.

Lunch

Please provide your own food / snacks.

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

Bottom Fishing
Cut Bait Fishing
Drift Fishing

Everything Else to Know

Please bring your food and drinks in an iced cooler, up to 100 qt. We got the rest.

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

This trip is managed by an outfitter. Derwyn will be your point of contact and you will go out with one of their guides.

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%).

The deposit for this trip is non-refundable except for weather-related cancellations. 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

4.3

based on 3 reviews

Tracy

Verified Review

May 18

Best Fishing trip Every ! Great crew and the Kids had a blast ! Lots of fish !! Finally a Captain that knows how to get the fish !!

Tracy

Verified Review

May 18

Best Fishing trip Every ! Great crew and the Kids had a blast ! Lots of fish !! Finally a Captain that knows how to get the fish !!

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Trip: 8 Hr Deep Sea

Kevin

Verified Review

March 28

We had a GREAT time. Started on time, stayed out past end time! CPT Jeb is personable, knowledgeable, and professional. Although we didn’t limit out, CPT Jeb kept the hooks baited and wet giving us the best opportunity at fighting the big bull reds!

Kevin

Verified Review

March 28

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Casey

Verified Review

May 18

Casey

Verified Review

May 18

Captain Marshall was great, pretty cool guy, and seemed to be trying his best, but the trip was pretty long and uneventful. 2.5 hours out in fairly rough seas to catch 1 very small shark in 2 hours of trolling, then 1.5 hours back to catch our limit of 1 over 28" red drum per fisherman (6 total), only 15 minutes from where we started. It would have been a much better trip if it was known that there were no fish 29 miles out and we spent the day fishing 15 minutes from where we launched, and probably a heck of a lot cheaper. For $2000, I expected a trip with a few memories to share, but none of us left with anything worth bragging about. I know that fishing can be hit or miss, but when you pay that much money you expect that the guide knows where the fish are and wouldn't waste 5 hours of the trip to catch 1 fish in an area that he's unsure of.

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Trip: Deep Sea Trip - 33 Ft Contender

Response from Derwyn:

Thanks for taking time to submit your review. I appreciate your review, the kind words you had for your Captain and what is an honest opinion based upon your experience of a weak catch on the selected trip. However, from our perspective, a 3 star review is less than a fair rating of effort and success on your trip. I hope I can help you understand why we think the 29kt mile ride was not a "waste" of time, there were actually fish in the area and until you try, you never know what you will catch. First, when fishing, there is no guarantee of a successful catch. I began our fishing service in the mid 90s and had my first "ZERO" trip about 12 years later. I have had several "Zero" trip since the first. I was a much better fisher when I had my "Zeros" than I was my first 12 years of fishing with no "ZEROs" My point, fishing has its up and downs. Considering our history of successful catches in the area and season you fished, the Capt had a very good reason to expect a reasonable catch at 29 kt miles and as a matter of fact our 31 ft boat was fishing right along side your boat and managed a meager catch of the primary target, 3 kings. So there were targeted species in the area but perhaps only a few or perhaps the bite was not on. Kings seem to feed in 3 to 4 hour periods and then stop for 6 hrs or so. In late May and at the same spot, we have landed over 24 king mackerel with fish 20 to 30 lbs on an 8 hr trip. You had an opportunity for such a catch. Also, on the 29 kt mile ride out and back we are always looking for weedlines, anchored ships, floating debris and later in the season anchored shrimp boats all of which present fishing opportunity for cobia, mahi and other fishes. It seems that none those opportunities presented themselves on your day. It is early in the season, but as we continue to fish June through early October, we will catch our red snapper (as season permits), Capt Marshall is one of the best BIG red snapper fishers in the area, and when a snapper limit is on board, we look for those other opportunities that I mentioned earlier. If, as on your trip, the odds of success on the other opportunities appears weak; the Capt will almost always suggest the better odds of returning to nearshore for bullreds and blacktip shark. This strategy has a very high success rate and, as a Plan B, provides some very exciting fishing. We have returning customers that request the nearshore finish before we leave the dock on 8 and 10 hr trips. Summing up, the best Captains have zero days, not often, but it happens. And, your group had a nice catch of hard fighting large, red drum and the opportunity for other deep sea fishing where our expectations of a good catch had merit but just did not develop. However, the trip confirmed that the targeted species were in the area and the Capt's plan was well founded. We ran the trip you booked and I am confident that we provided superior effort and all the opportunities possible on the trip. Had we any reason to suspect the targeted species would not have been available, we would have told you upfront. Thanks for choosing us and taking time to consider our evaluation of your trip. Capt Derwyn

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Response from Captain Experiences:

Hey Casey, I'm sorry that the trip did not yield the results you had hoped. I know it's frustrating to spend so much time traveling in rough seas for little to no result, so I'm glad Captain Marshall was able to get you on some fish closer to shore. Please give us a call so that we can get another trip on the books and keep our fingers crossed for more favorable conditions!

Response from Captain Experiences:

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First Time Booking with Us?

Captain Experiences is home to 1,900+ quality, vetted fishing and hunting 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, bait, 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.