1/2 Day and Twilight Fishing Trips

Just hit a bad day, I guess. I usually have good luck with Dana Wharf Sportfishing, but this day was bad - only a couple of sculpin caught for the whole boat, and my group caught one small rockfish between the four of us. Frustrating morning all around.

Beginning with front desk to "sign in" and get my tickets...find out info and purchase fishing licenses/rods and tackle.........."gentleman was unfriendly and rude........answers to queries were curt and not well explained ! Boat crew was preoccupied and not at all helpful....we were repeatedly asked for our "number"...and we were NEVER told our "number"!! Having fished many times..I KNOW they are not always "biting" so NO complaint about that............but bait was not easily accessed.......and there was no contact with crew except for the fellow running the 'galley.' I would not go on this excursion again..

We had a GREAT time!!! I've been out fishing in Balboa Hated it, everything about it!! The person on the phone, the boat, the crew and I couldn't understand a word that they were saying on the speaker on the boat. The crew was so rude out of Balboa I swore I'd never go back and I did'nt!! Through a friend I started fishing in Marina Del Rey, which I absolutly LOVED!!! However this trip because I was taking other people from work it was too far to go, so someone suggested Dana Point!! From the first person I talked to on the phone to the end of the day was very enjoyable!!! The person at the ticket counter was very friendly and helpful. The crew on board was very helpful and friendly, they came around all the time and helped. I Love being on the boat anyway, so not catching any fish was disapointing, but the Captain and Crew are not at fault. I think the most important things about fishing is to make it fun and enjoyable as possible, and the Captain and Crew did just that!!! They all apologized over and over for not catching any fish, which said a lot, that they really cared!! The Captain talked on the speaker about a lot of things and I could understand him and the Crew (along with the Captain) actually talked to us!! I would go again for sure!! This summer if I can get them together we would like to charter one of your boats for our firm!!! Looks like I have found a new home, I go fishing quite often (usually by myself) and I will definitely be back to visit you again and I wouldn't even bat an eye about going alone!!! Thank You So Much for making our trip so enjoyable. The two other people that I went with had never gone deep sea fishing and on the boat they were both talking about next time. When I arrived at work on Monday they thanked me for inviting them along and they could hardly wait till the next time!!! Good On YOU!!! Please give a special thanks to the Captain and Crew and please tell the kid that got his wisdom teeth removed that I hope he's feeling better!!! Thank you again so very, very much!!! Marcy Faller

We could not find any fish in that big blue ocean. The fish were not biting for us. We tried several spot according to the captian's fish finder but to no avail.

I went on the fishing boat thinking I was going to catch a lot of fish and big ones but I ended up wasting my time and money. I didn't catch anything. I don't recommend fishing with Dana Wharf.

This was a 10th birthday present for my grandson. The crew was courteous and helpful, and made the trip very enjoyable. Will recommend Dana Wharf Sportfishing to all my friends.

Fishing was poor. But I don't think the captain could do anything about it. The boat and gear were clean and organized, the crew was pleasant and helpful. The trip price was very good (1/2 price Tuesdays) and the extras reasonably priced.

There are two ways to rate this fishing trip. 1) the quality of the service provided and 2) the results. 1) This was a half-day trip. What I liked about it was that the boat did not spend a lot of time traveling. A short trip out to where the fish were suspected to be, some repositioning to stay on top of the fish and then a short trip back to the dock. The one deckhand worked hard and did his job well. Purchased food was well prepared, fish-cleaning and filleting was quick, fish were removed from the hook and put in your bag for you. Plus, rigging 'help' was offered if it appeared that you needed it or asked for it. Overall rating of service provided: (considering the ratio of customers to deckhands) Better than Average. 2) I have results rated separately because good or bad results can influence one's opinion of the service provided. If you haven't been on a trip like this before, realize that the captain can go to spots that typically hold fish, recommend techniques, and provide bait - but it is still up to the fish to bite and you to catch them. Sometimes they bite and sometimes they don't. I think this spot was known to be a good spot for sculpin. Fortunately, we were catching just enough fish to keep us on the spot. (SCULPIN--aka 'rattlesnake' for the 6 hours of intense pain it can inflict if one of its spines jab you. Sculpin fillets are very popular for eating as they have a light, tasty meat that's not too 'fishy'.) My personal luck wasn't very good: three keeper (10" minimum) sculpin in the bag, double that released for under size limit, and a few small tom cod and queenfish released. Overall rating of results: Below Average considering the size of the jackpot fish, the quantities of fish in the bags, and my personal results. (I've had better 1/2 day results.) If you are considering a half-day fishing trip, understand that local 1/2 day fishing doesn't typically provide big fish or large numbers of fish. Your chances for either of those is better when you go on a longer trip. That being said, this dock provided well for this 1/2 day trip. Parking for this dock is inconvenient. There is a special area available, but it is a few hundred yards away. The inconvenient part is that the dock needs to provide you with a special card to place on your dash so that you don't get towed for exceeding the four hour maximum. That means leaving your gear in your vehicle while you get your ticket and parking card or you leave it at the dock while you hike back to your vehicle to put the parking card on the dash. I have an open bed pickup truck so in my case, either option leaves my gear unattended and susceptable to theft. I chose leaving it outside the dock's shop and it was fine. If there were more than one in your party, this problem could be easily avoided. The convenience of viewing the calendar, reading reviews and purchasing the ticket online was very nice. I recommend to all docks to do the same.

My 10 year old son is now hooked (pun intended)on fishing and can't wait to go again!

did not catch any fish