Captain Luke Fishing

We rode on the Miss Chesapeake Beach and it was absolutely packed. Reading the previous «filtered» review, I too was skeptical about driving an hour out only to be rebuffed with Groupon in hand. Luckily though we arrived literally at the nick of time. Just a few footsteps behind me was another gentleman looking to use his groupon… but the boat was full.
When they say to arrive early… ARRIVE EARLY!!! Let me repeat. ARRIVE EARLY!!!
It’s much better to waste time at the dock waiting to board, than to drive back and forth from DC.
The other reason you want to arrive early is so that you can pick where you want to be (i.e.- bow, starboard/​port side, or stern). If you are lucky you’ll get the side with the shade, otherwise come with lots of sunscreen or a nice big hat.
We went bottom-​fishing for croakers. Mostly caught Spot Croakers, and on rare occasion hooked a small Atlantic Croaker which we had to throw back. Great fishing action even for my mother in law and nephew; however, I highly recommend going with someone that knows how to unhook their own fish, otherwise you’ll spend all your time unhooking their fish rather than your own. It took close to an hour just to arrive at the fishing location, but the return seemed a little quicker. We bagged several dozen croakers and had a wonderful dinner of stewed and fried croakers. Cleaned and froze the rest and gave them to friends. It was certainly worth every cent for the groupons we paid. If you plan on paying full price, I’d recommend going during an off peak days when the rates are lower.
TIP:
1) Bring spare rags!!! You’ll need to wipe your hands down after catching fish or baiting your hooks.
2) Use the red artificial bait strips. They work incredibly well, and because they made with a thin woven mesh, it almost never comes off. I used a little bit of both bloodworm and strips on the same hook.
3) Buy a plastic bag to keep your fish in
4) Don’t forget to bring the ice. You’ll need it to keep the fish and the BEER cold!!!

I also took advantage of the Groupon. Had a great time fishing with my dad. Wish we would have caught more fish but still came home with a cooler filled with a decent amount of Spots and one Croaker. It wasn’t the newest shiniest boat on the docks but was fine for a nice day out on the water. The boat crew was friendly, especially the captain’s dog. Here are some thoughts I had to hopefully help any future first timers:
At the docks:
— Be early. We got there just after 5am and people were already in line.
— Go to the gift shop, check in and pick up your tickets. You’re not getting on the boat without your ticket. YOUR GROUPON RECEIPT IS NOT YOUR TICKET.
— Buy some blood worms. I used the Fish Bites that were included with the Groupon and they worked okay but I feel like the people around us using live bait had better luck.
On the boat:
— You’re allowed to bring your cooler with you.
— Keep your line in front of you. Don’t be the guy who keeps tangling everyone else’s line.
— Don’t forget to tip the first mate. That kid did all the work as far as I can tell. The captain just shows up to drive the boat.
— Join the fish pool. I did and won $ 90 and a free ticket.
— Don’t feed the dog.
The regular price of $ 65 per person ($ 50 for seniors on Monday) isn’t bad. The Groupon price of $ 65 for two people including bait and rod rentals is a steal!

I purchased a fishing trip with Miss Chesapeake Bay on Groupon. Prior to going, I read advise to show up early. I arrived just before 6 am even though this was a Monday. This turned out very fortunate, since the boat filled up at 6.40, and all people that arrived later was sent away. For some reason that I do not understand, it’s not possible to reserve a spot on the boat, at least not when using the Groupon.
So, after a LOOONG wait on the dock and some totally unnecessary chaos when they decided to move the line, people were let on board. Captain Luke had a briefing to the passengers where he actually threatened the guests that they would be sent off the boat if the did not behave. «I don’t have to take that, I own the boat».
As far as the fishing trip goes, it was an OK experience. The boat looked old and worn and the rental gear was quite old but we got to the fish and cought enough for a very good dinner.
With the Groupon, I feel I got some value for money, but if I had paid full price I would be very disappointed. I will defenitely not come back to this boat.

HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE! Poor example of a «Captain», Luke is rude and pompous. Photos of Miss Chesapeake must be old or re-​touched, in person the boat is very weathered. DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME WITH LUKE. Spend a little more and enjoy a good day of fishing with a reputable captain.