Reviews For Fishing Charters

These Folks took the time out to write us and tell of a great time had on our boats and to share with the rest of our potential clients.

Also if you wouldn't mind can you post a little story here for your web site for others to read...

A buddy of mine and I fished with your guys in May for 2 of our 5 days mainly for tarpon. I have to tell you that I was very concerned a busy place like yours with your captains running two trips a day back to back would be a bad experience. I went with your company because I have two friends that refered me and they both said you were the best around. I booked the other 3 days with another guide to hedge my bet.

After my week down there I have to say. I wish I had booked all my days with your company.

The "real guide" (as he called himself) said he was not like your guys in the fact he was an owner operator not some hired guy off the street. He went further telling me how much more time he spent on the water so he knew all the right places to go, so I bought in and booked him. Honestly thinking, well at least I have one good guide..

Fishing Day 1 "The Real Guide" meeting him at the boat ramp in Key West we had to find some bait at the tackle shop, they did not have what he was looking for, then after spending about 30 minutes catching bait we went out and saw some fish.

He worked pretty hard and showed us a decent time, focusing on tarpon. The fish were not eating for us, we did see some other boats hook up but that day was not our luck. 6 hours went and no tarpon. We did not try anything else. He spent the whole day telling me how much greater he was than any of the Dream Catcher captains and how he has to earn his gear and reputation day in and day out and your guides get everything handed to them on a plate. By the end of the day I was thinking day 2 with your outfit was really going to stink...

Day 2 - As you can imagine my first day with your guides, especially after day one, was a very scarey thing, I did not know what to expect, my buddy and I sort of had an attitude just looking for any reason to not like your outfit. We actually gave your captain a pretty hard time as we met him in the tackle shop by asking him if he had the right bait (he said yes, it's in the boat 3 different kinds) and if he was loaded for tarpon (again he said yes for three different sizes). Tell Capt. Mike we appologize.

Once we saw your boats we realized that this was not a joke outfit. That Yellowfin 24 is the deal, especially for tarpon come to find out you have three of them. I have to mention his gear was brand new or looked new, compared to our day before experience we were impressed now that we could compare.

Capt. Mike set us at ease imediatly with professionalism and confidence. At the dock after a safty briefing he told us the bite on tarpon was a bit slow, we had 2 days together and he suggested we fish tarpon for a bit this morning and go for something else if they are not eating as yesterday he only caught one fish for his clients in the morning and 2 in the afternoon trip. (indicating that was a slow day).

The fishing was a blast that day. We were scheduled to fish a 6 hour and extended it to an 8. My buddy jumped and landed one fish in the morning using a live pinfish. After that things got a little slow and then Capt. Mike said hey lets move on to something else. We then went and caught 3 bonefish each, 5 large barracudas on artificials, a small black tip shark, yellow jacks and to finish off the day we my buddy landed a nice 18 lb permit.

Capt Mike never stopped moving, he wanted us in the fish and we kept telling him to go bend some rods and lets have fun. we did..

Day 3 we were with the "Real Guide".... Wishing we were with your guys at this point. His first words to us were "So Howd ya do"? with a snicker in his voice. With a very good feeling we said Awesome, then told him of our day. Now, we did not want him to take it the wrong way but he did. Boy was he upset. after we found spent about 45 minutes trying to catch bait my buddy says, why dont you already have it? Our guide yesterday did... He was very quiet all day as we fished for tarpon. We had an ok day there as well but still no fish to the boat. we jumped one for 6 hours of trying..

Night before day 3 with you guys.. I called to check in as requested. I spoke to capt. Steven Lamp the owner and manager of Dream Catchers. he suggested after talking with Capt. Mike that our best shot at tarpon would be in the evening or late afternoon. We accepted this and went for it.

Day 3 we fished with Capt. Dave of Dream Catchers. Dave was on another one of Capt. Stevens awesome bay boats and we were off. Again, all the bait was on the boat ready to go. We fished the flats for the first part catching bonefish again and Barracudas, this time on super light line to make it more fun, we had a blast. Capt. Dave also brought a larger shark rod to let us fight a 200 lb bull shark. Then, we went for tarpon. That was a HOOT.. We jumped 5 fish and each of us landed 1 about 75 lbs. we were beat.. what a fun day...

Day 4 back with the "real Guide" he did not have much to say that morning although he did have some bait. It rained us out.. We asked him if we could back up the trip and fish later to catch the tarpon tide, he said the fish wont eat in the afternoon and besides he had somthing he had to do.

We called Gennifer at Dream Catchers to see if there was a shot. She said no problem Capt.Daves full day was cancelled due to the weather and off we went to have another great time tarpon fishing. Landing 3 fish in the 40 - 50 range and one slob almost a 100lbs.

Day 5 Back with the "real guide". Realizing he was very tired from whatever he had to do yesterday we asked him to take us to some fun rod bending.. We went to a spot where he staked out and we caught some snappers.

All in all we had a great time fishing.. We are not bashing the one guide just making light of what we heard from him.. I have the feeling after talking to many folks who have fished there in Key West that the "real guide" was the average and Dream Catchers is the exception.

Capt. Steven, I did not have a chance to fish with you as I booked late and your schedule is was in advance. But I dont feel as though I missed a thing. I was out there with your guys and all of you keep in touch on the radio constantly trying to improve the catch ratio. This is my first time tarpon fishing but not my first charter. You and your guys have certainly set the bar not only in Key West but other places as well.

Don't know if you remember me. My name is Bruce Schneider and I had a Marquesas trip scheduled with you in early October. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and we could not go. We did go a out few days later on a flats trip with Captain David. He was a wonderful guide and did his best to put us on fish. Although I only caught one bonefish, it was really fun. That first bonefish is exciting. We saw quite a few permit but due to my over excitement, did not hook up with any. Captain David is a fine young man and represented your company very well. I look forward to another charter with you in the future and really want to see the Marquesas. I would have sent this sooner, but unfortunately I lost my wife to cancer just a few weeks after our trip. She fought it for six years and most would never know she had it. It finally took her. But we had a great trip to Key West together just a few weeks before she died, and I am grateful for that. Enclosed is a picture of my fish, it was great fun.

I just wanted to email you about our recent fishing trip we took with you guys. My name is Morgan Smith and I am with the group that came in from Birmingham from Serra Toyota. We took 12 men and 4 of your boats out for a two day trip that was a solid hit with every one. To a man, quotes like “most fun I’ve ever had”, “can you believe this is so much fun” were coming from every one.

I especially want to make some comments about Dave the captain on the boat I fished from. Matt Lawley, John McDonald and myself were absolutely blown away by this guy. He was so easy going, and knew the answers to all our crazy questions and was happy to give them. We told him that we wanted to try for Tarpon, but mainly wanted to bend some rods. And that is just what we did, from sharks to the other fish we caught it was the most fun we’ve had in a long time.

And as it turned out we were the only boat who got a Tarpon and a big one at that. John caught this beauty estimated at about 45 lbs and over 51 inches long. I haven’t usually went to web sites to place comments like this but I just had to post my feelings about our trip. You guys are all professionals and we were treated perfectly. We had a large group of guys and I would recommend you to anyone who is planning a trip to Key West. So thanks again, and tell Dave and the other captains about this email because we all fell the same way about your charter company.

Absolutely exciting. We will be back and bringing more "victims" with us so prepare the boats. We have fished all over the Keys with many different Captains and Capt. Dave was the best. He knew where the fish were and got us on them quickly. My son says that this was the best trip we have had and really liked fishing with Dave. We all had instant repoire and had a great day on the water from the moment we left the dock. Thank you so much... We showed others the pics around town, passed out your business cards and told them they couldn't go wrong ! I am especially grateful to Dave for giving my son a great day and the opportunity to catch the lemon shark. Many captains are all brag and no fish. The rest of out family can't wait fro our next trip and be able to fish with you again. Thanks again!

Dear Capt. Steven,
It’s been a few weeks since my wife and I went out with Capt. Luke for a full day of flats fishing and I am just now able to write. Let me start by saying Capt. Luke did an outstanding job. From the moment we left the dock till we arrived back was nothing short of fantastic. Capt. Luke could not have been more knowledgeable and professional about flats fishing in Key West. A job well done Capt. Luke. From the tarpon to the red fish to the bones to the permit what a day of fishing. The highlight of my day was watching my wife land a 45 lbs tarpon. As you say in Key West we hooked three landed one. She had the best time. In fact we had so much fun we tried to book another trip that same week but couldn’t. We could have booked another trip with another guide service but decided not to. Why mess with perfection. You and your staff did an outstanding job. Form my first e-mail when I was planning our trip to the time we came back from fishing. I have attached a picture of my wife with Capt. Luke and her tarpon. Please fell free to use the picture if you want on your web page.
Thanks again,

The pictures are not as good as we hoped. The image is still sharper in our minds. (We were seeing the shark that we swam with for days, every time we closed our eyes.)
Thanks for a great trip.

Just a note to say, thanks for the fishing a couple of weeks ago. Your two young guides seem to be as knowledgeable as any in the area.
You asked how I got your name and it took me awhile but I remembered during the trip back to Houston who gave me your name. It was Cap’t Paul Glanville out of Islamorada. I thought his name was Jim, but I was wrong again. I fished with him there and in Key West. He is more a flats specialist with fly. I didn’t fish with him this time because he moved to New York. I don’t think I will be fishing there any time soon.

Thank you for the great time Derek and I had flats fishing with you and Luke. In an unfamiliar area and fishing style, we learned about tarpon fishing. Thanks. While I didn't hook up a tarpon, I was very excited to watch Derek bring in that nearly 100 pounder. I will also remember the photo shoot and I hope to see you w/that Tarpon on a Mercury advertisement soon.

On a different note, Derek and I cancelled our wreck charter due to your recommendation, and instead, fished off a few bridges and rock jetties. At sunset, and my last cast of the night, I hook up a tarpon right from the rocks. It only took me 20 minutes to bring it in, using the techniques you showed us (pic attached).

I am still interested in going shark fishing, and hope to hook up with you guys soon. Derek and I look forward to fishing with you in the future, and will bring some pencil poppers as a gift (ha ha)....

-jerry
LTJG Jerry L. Smith Jr., USCG Lic.
Executive Officer
USCGC NUNIVAK (WPB-1306)
Key West, FL

Once again, thanks for a great day this past Saturday. Mike and I both had fun fishing, seeing the waters off key west, and discussing the world's problems with you. :)

We'll be sure to let folks who are looking for a guide in Key West know that we had a good time with you.

Mike will look into possibilities for fishing seminars with Sports Authority for you.

Hey, if any of the photos or video you took from the day are available to us, *please* let us know. We like to have as much as possible to remember our fishing trips.

PS: Thanks again to Gennifer for helping us to set up the trip including recommendations for accommodations and restaurants.

Hello Lamp's. Just a note to let you know that our group had a great time with Captain Allan! Our outing on the Inspiration was the highlight of our trip to Key West. Thanks!

Was out on the boat with Alan last Sunday, and had an absolutely fabulous time. We were the group that got the 100 lb + Tarpon. Anyway, Alan had asked me to email some photos to you for the website, so here you go! Once I'm finished going through the rest of the pictures I'll also send you guys a CD, just in case you wanted to use any others. Again had a fabulous time, and Alan was fantastic!!! We will definitely look you guys up next time we are down in Key West.

Captain Steven and Gennifer!........just returned from my Key West getaway and let me tell you what a blast I had with Captain Luke Kelly! Luke's professionalism shined throughout the day as we jumped 3 nice silver kings, shared a few laughs and most importantly, I met several new friends in all of you. It is very rare these days to meet kind, personable professionals such as yourselves and you made me feel as if we all had shared a boat for years. (which we will!) Gennifer was fantastic from beginning to end and what a professional outfit you two run! First class all the way! A fleet of exceptional boats, the personnel, the rigging room, the Dream Catcher branded apparel, office area and "war" room all reflect your TRUE dedication to all of our passions! Gennifer, I appreciate your sense of humor about my comment about New Jersey, but it was rather funny that Steven was high-fiving me! Oh well, all in good fun right? Steve your stories were priceless and your passion shines right through every word. I am hoping to get down on July 1st and was wondering if Steven or Luke are open in the morning?

On a personal note, my experience on June 3rd was just a part of a dream day for me in paradise. I awoke to salt filled air and spent the next 6 hours battling the mighty tarpon, proposed to my high school sweetheart and it was my birthday! Thank you for making my day one I will absolutely NEVER forget! Keep a tight line, bow when the jump and see you all soon.

Just wanted to thank you for helping us arrange our trip. We had a great time with Capt. Connan and on the Fish Finder. I was also wondering what happens to our deposit for the trip that didn't work out. Thanks, Rebecca Schoon and Justin Spring

Capt. Steve and Gennifer

Just wanted to send a thank you for everything. We had two days of fishing on 3/31/ and 4/1 and had a great time. Luke and Nat were excellent. They really did work hard to find the fish. Even though they said there had been slow fishing the days prior, on day one we landed 3 out of 5 Tarpon. One nice one that took over 1 hr to land. Plus a mixed assortment of everything which kept even the short attention spanned fishermen occupied. Day two we weren't as lucky 0 for 1 but that's fishing. I attached some pictures of our trip, who knows could be back for some Tarpon again, this time a little later in the season for more action.

Capt. Lamp,

This is Brandon M. I just wanted to thank you guys for a great fishing trip. Capt. Nat was a good time and we all enjoyed it. Thanks for the little present pn the camera as well, made the beginning of our trip home that much more enjoyable. I definitely know who to call when if I make it back to the Keys. Thanks again.

Semper Fi,Brandon

Capt Brice & Gennifer -

See you two in about a week! Looking forward to it. We have enough guys fishing to fill up all 4 boats and we would like to make it competitive between the boats as to who catches what, etc.

Brice - you have the groomsman and myself on your boat so its a must win for us. We can't let anyone else achieve bragging rights over us. :-)

We'll get to the marina a little early so we can get everyone all paid up.

Thanks Jason

Gennifer - I just wanted to let you know that Aaron and I had a wonderful snorkeling excursion on Saturday. Alan was a great captain, which made our whole trip more than worthwhile.

Thank you, and thank Alan for us (again) for such an incredible experience.

Linda

Hi Steve: I would like to send our sincere thanks for the exciting fun we had boating a tarpon and nearly a second which was made possible by your expertise. This became clearly evident especially during the positioning of the boat leading up to the second tarpon.

If it is at all possible I would like to have a copy of the film that you took while we were catching the tarpons.

Of course, I will reimburse you for any cost.

Thanks again,

Jim