First time fishing! Overall it was cool. Once you sign up for the tour they send you a ton of info via email when you book and just before your vist. Go over it all carefully, before you go. Its located right next to Katies Seafood in Galveston, if your familiar. Its more like a check in shack, no bathrooms. We did the 4 hr tour, this was enough time, we went to 3 seperate fishing locations. Boat ride to get out there is pretty slow, so prepare for that. What's nice about this is they provide the boat, rods, bait etc. And you just show up with your fishing license. You can bring your own soft shell cooler with snacks/food. It's a nice family outing. If you are a novice fisherwoman this is for you. There was 2 guys going around giving basic casting info, and They help you get your fish out the water, and store it until you get to shore, then you get the fish directly handed to you. They do seek out tips at the end of the ride. The con is that because you are so close to the next person sitting to you fishing your hook gets caught and easily tangled up with your neighbor. It's good for there business to maximize seats but not great from fisherwoman perspective. Too much interference/competition the people sitting next to you. and there's fisherman on the dock around the boat after the tour that will break down your fish right near the deck for $5.00. Caught 2 catfish, but due to size was not able to keep. Pros and cons for sure. read more

The fishing reports have stated that this season hasn't been great, but we wanted to wet a hook. After multiple stops the boat had caught our red snapper limit. Mostly 18 to 26 inches with a few exceptional fish. Then we began fishing for vermilion snapper having no catch limit. I specifically asked for guidance to catch them from our deck hand. With this info, my son and I caught an additional 16 fish. On the ride back I spoke with many other passengers and they were not given this advice and they had little success with the Vermilion. Lack of communication is a weakness with many businesses, including this one. Such an easy way to significantly improve client experience. Had the boat been communicating with the fisherman during the 4 hour ride out to the fishing area, explaining equipment use and techniques would have significantly reduced line entanglement (which always happens) caused from novice fisherman. The boat was full, so when demand is high, a business does not have to work hard for it's clients. They have lots of room for improvement, but at the end of the day, we caught fish. The prices (for the trip and on the boat) were reasonable and we had fun. My son and I were happy. read more

My first time and what a time I had. The staff was amazing and very helpful and understanding. can't wait until I'm able to schedule the next trip. Thanks to everyone for taking the time oit to make my first trip very special. read more

I wish I could give three and a half stars because this wasn't a bad experience by any means. We caught some small fish that we had to throw back. The kids had fun catching little fish. For a first time deep sea fishing excursion it was good enough. Hard to not be disappointed that we couldn't find any good fish. The crew was very kind and helpful. If you just want to have a nice family outing, this is worth a try. The boat was full. Maybe 30 passengers. If you get sea sick bring whatever helps you! read more

What a great time, ignore the cry babies that didn't catch fish. It isn't like the captain summons fish for all to catch. We had a great time, this was our second time on the 4 hour and we will be back for a 12 hour when my kid gets older. Great price, easy to work with, lots of fun. read more

Williams Party Boats - Boating Near Me - Galveston, Texas

The trip took four hours to get to our first spot. We started fishing and had a great time. At the second spot, one of the people on board was drunk, causing mischief for the deck hands, but they stayed professional. They don't allow you to bring alcohol on board, but they sell alcohol. At the second stop, I caught a fish and was told it would be great for an Amberjack. At the third stop, I caught an Amberjack. It was measured, and I was told it was a keeper. Three different deck hands measured the fish, and each time said it was a keeper. When we got back to Galveston, I was excited to take the fish home. This was the biggest fish I had ever caught. When I went to get my fish, it was gone. They told me sorry, it was too small, but I never saw them throw it back. They kept my fish after telling me it was a keeper. Very upsetting, and it spoiled the trip. To make matters worse, there were three Amberjacks caught on the trip, and all three were taken away after being told they were keepers. If you are hoping to catch an Amberjack, you will be catching it for them, not you. read more

I'll start by saying I have been on many deep sea trips for red snapper. I am aware of the great lengths one must go through to get the 2 fish. It saddens me to say that this was the worst trip I have been on. It started off with the boat leaving on time, but had to turn back around shortly after due the the galley hand cutting her hand and having to be taken back for medical reasons. No big deal. Surely the time lost will be tacked on to the back end.....wrong, it wasn't. We get turned back around and back on our way. After the 4+ hour trek we settle in and drop anchor. Nothing but smalls for 10-15 minutes. The captain tells us to reel them in so we could move. This happened 4-5 times. I'm not sure if the deck hands were all new or just plain lazy. The amount of time spent waiting for them to clear the lines was astonishing. When they did come along they were not properly venting the fish and the wake left in the current was quite sad. At one point the entire side of the boat was standing there with fish in hand and not a deck hand in site. The captain came through and cleared the lines (and vented the fish) in just a couple of minutes. It was impressive. Perhaps he should spend a trip instructing the deck hands on how to properly work a deck. I've been on many trips where 2 hands would have danced circles around the 4 on this trip. Probably with their hands tied behind their back. If they are new then maybe substitute them out to have at least one experienced hand out there. It shouldn't get to the point where people are removing the fish from their own hooks when not having the proper venting tools or knowledge to vent them. I can say that I spent about an hour fishing on a 12 hour trip and at the end of it my party and I left with the smallest snapper we have ever left a trip with. read more

Trip date: 06/13/2024 Went on the 12hr Deepsea Snapper Trip. Crew was very helpful. Snapper catches outstanding. The guest on the trip were very friendly and patient. Recommend for anyone that would like an offshore experience at a very affordable price. read more

I went on a 12 hour trip in October 2021 on the Capt John. The deckhand was extremely rude and not pleasant to work with. Talked down on everyone, especially our more inexperienced anglers. August 6 we were supposed to take a 12 hour snapper trip on the TexSun 2. We were all there at 6:30 for boarding at 7:30. We were told at 7:50 that the trip was not confirmed. read more

We went on the 4 hour trip after our 12 hour was cancelled due to weather/wind. The captain can't predict or summon good weather nor can they guarantee fish. Ignore those poor rating reviews. The boat itself was nice for a party boat, there's plenty of places to sit while your headed out to sea. There's even an inside with a snack and drink booth if you want to get out of the sun. There's plenty of fresh bait provided and enough room for everyone on board. Are you next to other people? Yes-it's a party boat trip not a private one -you get what you pay for. But the captain took us to different spots to try and get the best quality fishing. Overall we enjoyed our 'neighbors' , good quality deckhands and being out on the water. read more

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We went Bay Fishing with these guys while down south recently. The Captain and Deck Hands were great even though they didn't have to work that hard that day . There were only a couple of people that caught a few fish so it was more of a site seeing tour. But that's why it's called fishing and not catching but I was holding on to hope for a secret honey hole where we could get some fish but didn't happen and that's the only reason for 3 stars. I would suggest a private guide if you can afford . These bigger boats can be sort of a tourist trap at times but the people are great .. They have southern hospitality and lots of enthusiasm. They made the trip better !! Thanks for working hard out there ! read more

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Awesome and great experience! Deck hands where very helpful. Don't forget to tip them read more

Williams Party Boats - Red snapper - Boating Near Me - Galveston, Texas

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Did the 12hour deep sea fishing trip with my Neice and her son. We all caught our limit of red snapper (some big ones too). All of us had a Great time! read more

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My son and I had a great time on the 12 hr. trip on 7/21/23. The ride out to start fishing was longer than expected, but when we did arrive, we did catch some nice fish. Many people were aboard the boat fishing, most were using the correct sinker weight of the day....however four individuals next to us were using sinkers that were 4 oz. lighter, thus causing several line tangles and waste of fishing time that could have been avoided. My son and I did limit out on Red Snappers and caught a few other nice keepers of varied species. The crew worked very hard to assist people after fish were caught or when lines needed to untangled. Crew members were patient with those who had questions or needed help with the equipment. The crew used good language and demonstrated approved manners and deportment. The folks that are available to filet your fish are quick and do a professional job. William's Charter Boats are a first rate operation. I know when I return to Texas from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan this Sept., that I will go out fishing with them again. Reserving your "fishing spot" is a great idea that is much appreciated by many, thus reducing the "mad dash" to certain areas of the boat when boarding! read more

Had a great trip, Cody and Hunter were excellent deck hands, super nice and attentive. My only concern was there must have been about thirty people at the back of the boat that apparently were looking at fish in the water cause they kept looking over the railing, but the captain never stopped to see what fish they were looking at. Lol great experience can't wait to book the next trip. read more

I first want to say we caught fish. The only problem I have is when I book a 12 hr fishing trip, I wasn't planning on a 8hr 15 min boat ride round trip with a total of 3 hrs and 45 minutes of fishing. I know the size and kind a of fish we caught, we could have caught the same kind without going so far out. This is my only complaint. Crew was great. read more

4 hour Bay Fishing trip. Great trip. I will definitely be back. Y'all are the best. Love it. Deck hands are great. Great price for a 4 hour trip. Air Condition works great inside which was nice. read more

Williams Party Boats - Boating Near Me - Galveston, Texas

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Good value. Biggest complaint - boat too crowded. Can't catch fish if lines get tied up with the person next to you 1' away. Crew super helpful and nice. read more

The boat is clean, well maintained. The deck hands are kind and helpful. Cody and Jill (the captains) always get us on the fish and jump in to help. You could not ask for a better time! read more

Williams Party Boats - These yellow fin tuna were a blast to fight, we were on the fish all night long - Boating Near Me - Galveston, Texas

I wish I would've read the reviews (on all review sights) before spending $180 for two on this trip. The company seems to be more interested in the money and not the safety of its clients They crammed 83 people on the boat!! Standing shoulder to shoulder and on top of each other! (Totally ignoring the social distancing guidelines). Not enough deckhand to help with lines and assisting the needs of everyone within decent timing of helping take the fish off the hook or uncross the lines, which caused lots of loss time, seemed to give most of their attention to a certain group of fisherman in the back of the boat who were trying to catch a shark (they must've tipped them well) One of the deckhands carried a very sharp knife around in an extremely irresponsible manner on a moving boat, which caused him to poke me in the upper arm, I was lucky my shirt stopped the penetration. Lastly, before getting a count from the captain, one of the deckhands came and tossed my fish overboard stating they met their limit when it wasn't the case. I had to throw all mine back due to their size, and when finally caught a huge fish....that happened. It just wasn't a good experience for my first and last time with this company read more

Fishing trip canceled 36 hours in advance. Not because of weather but because there weren't enough people signed up. I get it, you don't bring in enough $$ you can't pay for gas. But they tried to pass it off with 'we didn't have enough people to meet a coast guard regulation.' What does that even mean? How dumb do they think their passengers are to believe there's a legal minimum number of passengers on a fishing boat? Sure, make your money but don't feed me bullshit read more

deckhands are attentive and friendly. I'd suggest bringing your own food being that there concession stand is microwave only food besides the normal snacks. The guys filleting your fish were great too and worth every penny! read more

I use Williams party boats several times a year from 4 hour bay fishing trips, 12 hour deep sea trips for red snapper fishing and even 36 hour tuna trips. I've had some trips that I didn't do that good but I have had plenty of trips when I did great read more

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They wouldn't stop until we hit the snapper. Good group of people. I will be going out again!

Had a good time on a 4 hour trip didn't catch anything and neither did anyone else but maybe it's just not the season for it but they did there best to try Maybe try the 8-10 hour trip or stay away from September idk read more

The best time fishing I've ever had. I went on the 10hr and 12hr trips this week. Highly recommend the extra two hours as the fish were bigger because we went out further. Crew worked their butts off getting fish off the hooks, untangling and cleaning the boat. They were also polite and patient. Good assortment of snacks and beer at a decent price. Everyone caught their limit on both trips! Thanks so much Williams Party Boats! read more

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Me and my family went on a 4 hour fishing trip. It was an amazing experience. The crew was really nice and polite,helpful and made the trip very entertaining. We had a great experience overall. We definitely will be going back! read more

Williams Party Boats - Sand trout - Boating Near Me - Galveston, Texas

Fishing was good. Mates let us down. 2 good mates the rest would rather fish for themselves and video it.

I took my family of 5 on a 4 hour trip. My husband, 16 yr old son, 15 yr old son, 9 yr old son, and my self. We seriously had the best time. We did catch of catfish that we couldn't keep and a couple sharks. My kids had an absolute blast. Richard, Justin, and the captain (sorry didn't catch her name) was very tentative with helping out. They are also joking around and having fun which made the experience even more fun. The Gatorades and snacks sold inside the cabin are not expensive. We have decided to do the 12 hour next because we enjoyed it so much but without the 9 year old since he was done after about 2 hours. read more

We had a great time. A family group of 5 adults went and caught some beautiful fish. The reason I did not give 5 is due to when the captain took us to different places to fish, they would not anchor so we drifted which caused many lines to tangle.... I think half the time I was fishing was having a deck hand untangle our lines. We were half way down the sides and the tangles were with people closer to the front of the boat?? Anyway we still had fun but could have been better is they would have anchored. read more

Williams Party Boats is the best. If you want to take a deep sea trip but don't have the money for a private charter, they are the only way to go (especially out of Galveston). The William's family are wonderful people, their captains, deckhands and office staff or friendly and good at what they do. I have always caught lots of fish with them. read more

We took the 36 hour tuna trip. Crew was nice, catch was great. We had about 40 people on board and ended up catching over 400 tuna and 700 vermillion snapper. The crew and captain did a great job of keeping the boat clean. Almost too many people on board, so lines kept getting crossed and tangled. I would have paid $50 more per person to have 8 less people going. Things I wish I had known... 1) Don't plan to sleep much. The bunks are very narrow and hard. My feet were hanging over the edge most of the time. When I did manage to fall asleep, I would wake up in pain because circulation had been cut off to other parts. Also, get there extra early and secure a bottom bunk. The top bunks were not pleasant to get into when the boat was rocking. 2) Don't bother buying anything other than diamond jigs (preferably the 8 oz). None of the others I bought got any results. 3) Buy the fighting belt if you're going tuna fishing. It will allow the end of the rod to rest against your pelvic area so that you don't end up with the massive bruising I had. 4) Spot 36 is not a good one to stand at. Any ice being held in the chests on the upper deck will melt and dribble right down onto your neck. Might be good in the summer, not so great in November. 5) The food the crew provides was relatively inexpensive, even if it was stuff that is bought in bulk at Sam's. Don't pack too much food and just buy it. It's amazing how much better a hot dog or cheeseburger tastes out of the microwave when you're fishing. read more

Enjoyed my June 19th trip all the way until the end. I went on this 12hr trip with my brother, best friend, brother's pastor, and my 13yr old nephew. My nephew caught the biggest red snapper out of us all. He was excited because this was his 1st deep sea trip. However, when we returned to the dock and claimed our fish, my nephew mysteriously had the smallest red snapper of is all. This was on the TEXSUN II. I observed Geno, the guy who served the food and drinks, depart from the boat with two very large red snapper. Mind you, he didn't fish. So I approached him and he flat out lied in my face stating that he caught those fish. At this time I'm realizing that Geno is just not a Liar, he is a thief. See we paid $100 each for this trip and for my nephew to have his fish stolen from him is not right. I WILL NEVER GO ON THE TEXSUN II again. I have been on about 5 of these trips and nothing like this has ever happened. Also Geno wasn't on none of my previous trips. For anyone planning to go deep sea fishing, FOLLOW YOUR FISH FRKM YOUR LINE TO THE STRING. read more

Williams Party Boats - My fish from June 19th on TEXSUN II. - Boating Near Me - Galveston, Texas

It was an ok trip. Staff wasn't friendly but they were quick and efficient. They spent most of their time untangling lines cause it was so overbooked we were fishing on top of eachother. I wouldn't book again unless it was half as many. Still had fun. read more

I've gone on two trips with Williams Party Boats about twenty years apart. Both were great experiences. When you go with them, you will catch fish and you will catch your limit of red snapper. On my trip this week the head deckhand told me that he's never been on a trip where everyone on the boat didn't catch their limit. After looking over the reviews, I'd say that most of the things people say are correct, but the rating comes down to expectations. I think if you go into a party boat trip, having the right expectations will go a long way so I'll list a few things that I think will help. 1) On the 12-hour trip, you will spend more time riding a boat that fishing. This is a fact of the Texas Gulf Coast. The water is shallow and you have to go a long way out to get to deep water. You'll probably ride four hours out, fish for four hours, and ride four hours back. During the fishing time you'll also ride to several different places. If you're not too keen on a long boat ride you might opt for an inshore fishing trip for different species. 2) It is crowded and you will get tangled. The deckhands are very good at their jobs and they will take care of you but YOU HAVE TO BE PATIENT! This is a fact of life for any party boat. You are going on a 12-hour deep sea fishing trip for under $100 for goodness sake! The other option is to charter a private boat that charges $1500 - $2500 per trip. It will be a more comfortable experience, but in the end you still come back with your two snapper limit and maybe some cobia and kingfish - just like on the $90 party boat. 3) Seasickness happens. There is nothing anyone can do about it. The crew gives good advice and instructions on what to do if you start to feel sick. Also, take some Dramamine before and during the trip or get a patch from your doctor. Williams does a great job and getting you on the fish and helping make sure you have the best trip possible. They definitely know what they are doing. I think its important to remember that this is a real-deal fishing trip and not a Gilligan's Island style three-hour tour. Everyone on my group had a great time and I will definitely go out with them again. Edit: When booking the trip I noticed that they are not updating their daily fishing reports online, but I discovered that they post a video of their catch every evening on Facebook - sometimes with a short description of the day's fishing. Check out their Facebook page if you want to see what's going on. read more

4 hour trip and 3 people caught one fish each. yes it's cheap but not sure it was worth it. later same day went fishing from shore and got a lot of fish that way. I never book a trip with them again read more

It was one of the worst fishing trips I have taken. They went out with waves at least 4 feet. More than half of the attendees got sick. Although I didn't get sick, the concession staff said it was the most ill people she had seen There were 82 spots sold and lines were continuously tangled. Then, to top it all of the men's toilet didn't work. Not a pleasant experience. read more

We went out on Saturday 08/03 for the 10 hour trip. Red Snapper season was closed so although we caught a number of red snapper, we had to release them. Whole boat was slaughtering the spade fish at every stop. It was a hoot and a half as you could let your bait drop a few feet under water, and watch the spade fish take your bait. A number of people caught bonnethead sharks, and also two enormous Southern Stingrays were caught. The boat was completely sold out and it was very crowded. Got tangled up several times but this is going to happen when you have 70 odd people fishing shoulder to shoulder bow to stern, port and starboard. The deck hands are very helpful and attentive to your needs. They unhooked your fish, and were able to untangle the lines very quickly. Its a great experience for $75. read more

Captain John's is a great option for many levels of fishermen/fisherwomen. If you're a newby, they have a trip for you. If you're ready to dive in to the deep waters, they have a 36 hour tuna trip just for you. But, if you decide to go on a tuna trip, DO SOME HOMEWORK. Do not under any circumstance think you will do well using their equipment because you won't. I've always had good trips with them and will continue to fish on their boat. read more

Worse fishing trip ever. Super old fishing poles and worse fishing spots. Restrooms nasty the all boat smell like bus station restroom. Never again. read more