———————-
Hello Tom and Tony,

I just returned from a wonderful week aboard the Tony Reyes boat. We caught plenty of fish, met very nice folks, and the crew of the Tony Reyes and the chefs were awesome!

I do have some suggestions that could dramatically improve the trip for some people, both now and in the future.

The current website is very helpful, but it is not up-to-date, and a few simple changes/updates could help a LOT. There were several people who got pretty upset at minor things that could easily be fixed. Here are some suggestions:

1. Simply state that the boat leaves the dock sometime Sunday, maybe 10:00am, maybe 2:00pm, but regardless, we will fish on Monday morning. The tide is not the factor. Everyone will start relaxed.

2. the MOST IMPORTANT item is to state clearly that THERE IS NO GEAR FOR SALE ON THE BOAT. Many of us, myself included, were under-stocked with Mirro Lures. These were the essential trolling lures, and several folks either did not have them, or many, like me, had 2 each, as recommended, and were out of luck by Monday night or Tuesday morning.

3. Supply a “Cash Only, 100% markup” store on the boat. I would have gladly paid $20 for a lure if I was out, or bought extra weights had they been lost. I spoke with Ramon and he didn’t like the hassle of chasing someone down for money, and that is super easy to fix with a “cash only, up-front payment” system. Anglers would be happy, the Longfin would sell more, and someone such as Tony or Ramon could earn an extra few hundred dollars each week. No hassle, and essential for some anglers.

4. Seriously promote the necessity of each person having fresh line, strong line before coming on the trip. Sure, 80-90% know this, but a few guys were pretty clueless, thus frustrated.

5. If it was my boat and operation I would mention, and enforce these two CONSERVATION “guidelines”.

a. encourage people to let the little ones go, at least after they have some fish for the cooler. Let’s encourage “moderation” and “SPORT-fishing”, not commercial fishing.

b. enforce a reasonable amount of coolers per person. Some guys had three giant coolers each, while others read and followed the 86-quart limit. Maybe state that two coolers averaging 86-quarts is fine. And then stick to this. Some people simply take too many fish.

Our planet does not need this over-fishing, and we can lead by example as “Sport fishermen”.

I would think that we can all get enough fish in one to two large coolers. Feeding the whole neighborhood or giving away masses of fish should be secondary.

Thanks for a wonderful set-up, the trip was fine, and with a few small changes it can be perfect!