# C-peake beach headboat



## ashtonmj (Apr 26, 2007)

My fiance just moved down to MD in with me a few weeks ago so I begged that we go out on a headboat on a saturday to get out on the bay and relax. I settled on the Tom Hooker out of the Chesapeake Bay Resort because of the distance, time, cost, etc. instead of going down to Solomons or over to Kent Is. since their morning boats left at 7:15. We got there later then I wanted got tickets and got onto a long line. So needless to say we started the morning off by being #60 and 61 onto the boat. There were barely enough rod holes for each person and it was beyond elbow to elbow. Alot of BIG (bigger than they allow) coolers and multiple coolers per person. Stiff wind blowing 75% of the day. Motored over to the mouth of the Choptank and fishing was spotty. We eventually tried to settle in with the flotilla of other headboats that were absolutely murdering fish. After 3 attempts to get get in position the captain could not set the anchor and smaller PWC were sliding behind us and almost hitting us on the drift back. It's really disheartining when a packed boat that isn't doing well watches 4 other boats pulling up fish at the rate people on other boats were. The last spot was probably the best of the day and we had a solid hour+ there. It wasn't too bad of a day the wind died down it was a perfect temperature. My fiance outfished me and we ended up with about 25 good sized spot. One of the mates could have cared less about helping and there were only two for the whole boat. The captain well was less than delightful. Just too many people on the boat. The fish cleaning station at the bait shop was a whole different story. One kid (maybe 12) with a line of headboaters to clean and one other, older, cleaner that was just there heckling him. The line kept getting longer and longer so finally I just started cleaning my own fish, which I didn't intend to do because my filet knife was dull. So he continues to heckle this kid who is busting his ass, has no apron, while he stands there with an apron on not doing a thing and waits until a charter pulls up. He cleaned their stripers and blues of course, but he wasn't going to waste his time on my two dozen spot. So I hacked up and lost six of them. On top of his crappy attitude the boat that came in had a rock that was obvicously under 18" and someone even voiced it and he said "eh its good enough". I put my call into DNR police but I didn't know the name of the boat and I had been there an hour and a half longer than I wanted. I won't be heading back out on that boat needless to say or using that marina.


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## Armyguy (Oct 10, 2005)

obviously, you didn't do a search on hooker headboat.. nothing but bad response.. 

if you want stipers or blues, you should drive 1.5 hours to delaware or ocean city.. it's worth a lot more than sitting around the chesapeake bay for 5 hours to catch spots. 

I took headboats out of delaware (paid $55 both times) and caught very big blues and rocks. 

Judy V (not many people like this one but i came home with limit bluefish with sizes ranging from 25" - 30" inches. 

Anglers (they said they had headboat for $55, but when i got there, they chartered the boat to some group, so they put me with a small charter boat for $65. I wound up catching about 8 stripers/rocks (that was fun), kept two 29" -32" stripers, and realeased three, and gave the other three to other guys that didn't catch their limit.


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## ashtonmj (Apr 26, 2007)

That was one of the first things I said when I got back was "I should have searched it on P&S"

I was looking to bottom fish relatively close by so I didn't have to wake her up at 5 am and suffer for that. My fiance has fished about 3 times now so that is exactly what I wanted was to get us on fish and alot and nothing that would yank a rod out of her arms.


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## Armyguy (Oct 10, 2005)

i took my fiancee' and she slept half of the time on the boat, so i go by myself when she's not around.


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## gwaud (Apr 14, 2003)

*sorry for the experience.*

I have never heard anything positive about the hookers. I stopped fishing the vacinity of them b/c they always followed me. they seem to use binos instead of a fish finder. it was so bad i used to tell the people on my boat to pull their fish up slowly so the hookers would not see. sure as the day is long, by time we got the fish in the boat here comes the hooker. i stopped fishing the mouth of choptank just for that reason.


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## finfinder (Sep 17, 2004)

ashtonmj, I think you've learned a valuable lesson. Fishin' ain't just about catching fish ! 

It's about the whole experience of getting away, the enjoyment of nature, meeting new people and then hopefully catching some fish.

A bad captain, a bad mate or rude fellow fishermen can ruin the experience so you must choose the boat you patronize wisely .

The Hooker gets so much business that they take their customers for granted. I've heard it said about them a hundred times. I can drive to the Hooker in 45 minutes from my front door, but I choose to drive twice as far and have a better trip than put up with their nonsense. It will take a lack of customers to make them realize what they are doing wrong. 

If you want a better experience, ask here before you go. 

It will be hard to get your fiance to go again unless you can promise a better experience. Catching more fish on your trip wouldn't have mattered. You still won't go back. A bad trip costs the same as a good one.

Some of my best fishing trips involved teaching kids how to fish (they weren't mine) and watching them catch either their first fish or a bigger fish than their Dad.


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## finfinder (Sep 17, 2004)

I remember my last trip on the Morning Star, a woman who had never been fishing caught a 12 lb Tog and the largest Seabass of the day. She won the fish pool and was so happy I'll bet she's still smiling today. All the other customers were laughing because she was having such a hard time reeling up the Tog,... until they say it. Lotsa fun


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## Huntsman (Mar 6, 2003)

The Hooker should change their name to the *Pimp and Madam*.. cuz they whip your wallet and don't put you on fish... business is in the same category as Stranglers.. won't fish em and won't buy from em... Went there last year just because a friend wanted to get out on the water due to a close on a previous trip... All the idiots (both boats) did was drift in front of North Beach for the entire time for freak'n perch... Didn't even attempt to go to the Tank and the week before I had just picked up a dozen or so horse croakers in the PAX... What a bunch of loosers... Never again I vow to that!!!!!!


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## ilovetherock (Jul 6, 2007)

wow, glad i read this. i was preparing for a headboat outta chesapeake beach. since the hookers suck, someone recommend someone good. Im in so. md, and dont want to drive more than an hour. thanks.


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## Genghis (Nov 2, 2004)

ilovetherock said:


> wow, glad i read this. i was preparing for a headboat outta chesapeake beach. since the hookers suck, someone recommend someone good. Im in so. md, and dont want to drive more than an hour. thanks.


Well, since the Olympus has a shady history and the Hooker is, well, the Hooker... maybe try Solomons?


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## ilovetherock (Jul 6, 2007)

i agree... thats on the same road (257) as my prime fishing spot (Morgantown). do you know what boats go out of there? or a website that list them? Thanks.


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## BlakSpyda (Dec 27, 2005)

I haven'y posted on here before, but I have been a member and have been lurking for some time. 

Yeah, I agree with the negative commentsabout the Hooker Headboats. I had some time to kill yesterday and went out with the Tom Hooker. This is my third time out with them and only because I am 15 minutes away. I should have learned my lesson before. The captain (if that's what you want to call him) leaves a lot to bedesired. It really takes away from the experience by having such an overbearing butthole barking at you when you are paying him for a day trip. He makes up rules as he goes. "Only one rod per person. So you folks take 'em back to your vehicle." "Your cooler is too big!" Petty stuf, but stuff that should be noted before folks line up to get on the boat.

There were lots of spot and few blues, flounder, and croaker caught though. Of course at the last location.


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