What can I say, best fishing experience I've ever had! Took my 11 year old and we limited out in 1…read morehour! Very professional and great with kids. Will recommend to everyone. I've chartered a ton of fishing trips, and having a good captain makes all the difference in the world. Can't wait till our next trip!

My Dad and I went out with Captain Mike this past Thursday. The forecast was an ominous one…read moreheading into the morning, but Mike was ready when a window of opportunity opened for us to get out onto the water. We started by fishing for specked trout and were rewarded by staying persistent on a spot that Mike targeted as a "honey hole". Afterwards we worked our way up towards and area parallel to the Arroyo Colorado. Working our way through some vegetation-covered spits that had unseasonally hugh water around them, we were able to start casting for reds. Within about an hour we had three keepers. Next we headed towards Rattlesnake bay. Again due to the unusually high water (rest of the mainland was flooding with torrential rain) we were able to creep in on some sand covered bottoms. We hooked up on our last keeper red and then decided to call it a day. As it turned out we got to Jim's pier, had the fish cleaned and were on the road after parting ways with Mike but just in time before a heavy storm hit the island. Our timing and trip was perfect. Mike was patient, curteous, persitent, and a good teacher. Exactly what we needed after being away from bay fishing for so long and what's needed in a guide. Thanks again, Capt. Mike. Hopefully we go fishing or try hunting in the next few months or so.

We fished with John in 2014 and came back in 2021 to do it again! He is incredibly nice and a great…read moreguide! Both times we fished with him we caught all we wanted!

We did a family vacation to South Padre Island in July 2032 and after calling a number of tours…read morethat were booked that day we were able to get a charter with Captain Red Beards. Captain Brandon was easy to communicate with via text and his pricing was very reasonable for two families (6 guests total). While we had a great time and Captain Brandon was highly informative and made sure our two 5 year olds had a blast, i was VERY disappointed in the boat that we had. On the website the photos show a newer boat with "leather" seats and fancy blue lighting. When we got there there were old lawn chairs/patio furniture for seating. This was definitely not my type of accommodations but we had already promised the kids so I tried to keep an open mind. I'm so glad I did because it really was the highlight of the trip as we got to see a few different dolphins and Brandon was kind enough to provide us with restaurant recommendations (which ended up being awesome) and he let the kids drive the boat. Outside of the old boat with the bootlegged seating, I would recommend Captain Red Beards. (Suggestion: update your website photos so people know what they are getting and they can make a fully informed decision prior to booking).

Fantastic dolphin ride! Saw dolphin, sea turtles, and a stingray. My kids had a blast and even went…read moreswimming in the bay. Captain Red beard was a great host!

Dalton was amazing! We booked a dolphin/sunset/fireworks tour at the last minute and was so happy…read morewe did. He is very knowledgeable about everything SPI and was enjoyable to chat with during our cruise. I am so glad we did the smaller boat tour rather than the large boats, we played our own music and were able to chat and enjoy the scenery.

Captain Dalton made our boating trip a blast! He is a local of spi so he was very knowledgeable…read moreabout everything and we had a fun time shelling! We found incredible shells and saw dolphins on our way out during a beautiful sunset. We will book him again to watch the Space X launch that's in perfect view from the water.

My wife, her five year old son, and myself wanted to do a little bit of fishing so we posted in a…read moreforum for last minute availability. CAPT Andrew reached out to us first and man am I glad he did! He was very clear on where to be and was flexible on our schedule and needs for the trip. We met up with him in the morning and took off out of the bay towards the jetties for some shore fishing and later bay fishing. As soon as we started to cast out we pulling up fish in no time at all. He put us right on the fish every time and was always aware of where to be. Best of all is he is a down to earth person and you really could get along with him and enjoy your fishing/boat experience. He was super family friendly and took great care of our boy who hasn't been fishing much. His boat was modern and comfortable for our party. His fishing gear/tackle was in excellent order and he always made sure we had the right tackle for the fish we were chasing. If you are down in the South Padre Island area and want to have a good fishing experience for a good price then you should book with CAPT Andrew. You won't regret it and your family will always remember the trip. Eric M. South Padre Island, TX 12 July, 2014

I don't post many reviews however I want to spare others from wasting a day off their vacation and…read morehard earned money on hiring this guide! This is a bit long, because there was so much disappointment in a half a day trip. I only get to take guided fishing trips once (maybe twice if I'm lucky) a year. Even though I'm not an superexperienced angler, it's one of my favorite things to do. This was the absolute worst guided fishing trip I've ever experienced! We took our two teenage boys celebrating graduation. Andrew was completely unprepared: -none of the lines were hooked up so we had to wait for his to hook up rigs when we were out in the gulf - he didn't bring any live bait, only "soft dead bait he had in his freezer for 3-4 months"; - he ran out of tackle 20 minutes into fishing (needed weights after 3 lines broke off had to leave that spot) ; - the only reason we ran out to the gulf was because he didn't bring ANY live bait with him; (when I asked him why he didn't bring live bait he said he only does that when he has little kids on the boat) - we ran out of cut bait within a short amount of time so he put soft artificial on our lines . I don't fish often enough to have experience with artificial bait. - 5 of us were all trying to cast off one side of a small boat; there were 5 of us because instead of helping any of us he was fishing!!! Literally we could not all cast at one time, so when he was fishing one of us were sitting out. - None of us caught a fish on artificial EXCEPT he caught 1 trout and he smirked and said "that's cause I'm a professional" !?! No lie!! - When he wasn't fishing he was doing work for his electronic business (emailing clients, buying and selling products). - When he was cleaning the two keepers that we caught, he dropped one of the filets in the water! When he took our money and listened to us tell him that we were so disappointed in our trip he never once apologized. Worst guide EVER! Save your time and money and most importantly hire another guide so that you make good memories!

This place is a little misnamed, it's not so much a windsurf place as a kiteboarding, windsurfing,…read moreand every other type of (non-motorized) watersport place - they've even added stand-up paddle boards this year. I first came here several years ago to continue the kiteboarding lessons I has started in Aruba. They had the really nice (and at the time revolutionary) Cabrinha bow kites, so I was able to progress a lot faster than in Aruba (no fault of Vela's, the kites were not in production yet the summer I was there). Phillip, the owner, is a great instructor, and just an all around cool guy. All the other instructors I've had there have also been great - knowledgable and proficient yet patient and laid back with beginners. I've been back a couple of times a year since that first time, for advanced lessons or bringing beginners for lessons, and have always been happy (when the wind cooperates, of course). The location is perfect, with shallow, flat water, and you can't beat the boat support and radio helmets. And they have outdoor showers, so on your last day you can check out of your condo, come kite here, then get cleaned up before you head home. Whether you want kiteboarding or windsurfing lessons or just want to rent gear, I highly recommend this place!

I have been coming here to windsurf for years. You can either bring your own windsurf or kite…read more gear or rent it. The bay (Laguna Madre), is a perfect place to either learn how to windsurf, or improve your skills. You can stand up for several hundred yards out so if you want to rest, you just stand up. Phillip Money, the owner, is a great instructor! This is also a great place to kiteboard. Phillip is a great instructor and he gives beginner and intermediate lessons, again in the bay where you can stand up quite a ways off shore which makes it less tiring and more secure feeling as a beginner. He has a two-way radio set up where he can go along with you in his boat and instruct you as you are actually sailing or kiting. He also rents kayaks and paddleboards. There are two outdoor, enclosed changing rooms/showers and inside there is a bathroom. Highly recommende!!

Captain Blaze took my friend and I out Thanksgiving morning to fish for speckled trout and red…read morefish. I cannot stress this enough--he knows where the fish are and he knows how to catch them. I'm sure he will tell you that every day is different, because that is what he told us at the beginning of the day, so I will say this--if the fish are out there and they're hungry, this guy will get you to them and teach you how to get them on your hook. He is an incredibly nice and funny guy and even if we had not caught a single fish, we would have had a great time just riding in the boat and talking to him. Fortunately, that was not the case for us as we reeled in nine speckled trout and five red fish all between 7 at and 1 pm. Those fourteen that we kept did not include the ten or so fish we caught that weren't big enough to keep. It was a great day! Every spot he took us to, we had a bite on the first cast! After a great half-day of fishing, Blaze took us back to the pier, cleaned our haul and sent us on our way with a bunch of fish to eat. I highly recommend him as your boat captain. Or, as I found out during our trip, he does duck hunts as well, so if you wanted to give that a shot, ask him. Happy fishing!

Fishing with Capt Elliot was the most fun and simple experience! He makes a fisherman(woman) out of…read moreevery one for the day. Capt Elliot is knowledgeable on all aspects of fishing from the location, bait, and even the rods! Fantastic experience with enough fish to enjoy even after our vacation.