Private Boat Fishing TROLLING & SPINNING From Phuket

boarded the boat and...

boarded the boat and drove out about an hour out. trolled for tuna and we caught some. Guides did not speak any english but were nice. the boat was oldler, the lunch was very good. no live bait was used either, the equitment was also very old

via Viator

Horrible experience. Do not recommend

I dont usually complain about these tourist attractions as I know it is sometimes difficult to interact with people from different cultures that speak a different language, but this day was absolutely horrible from start to finish. My partner and I couldn't wait to get back to our hotel. We tried to book pick up through in-app messages and didn't even get a reply for over 3 days until we had already booked a driver. As soon as we got there I messaged in app to say we had arrived, with no response. We were acknowledged by a man at about 0840 to ask our name and he sent us with another man who said absolutely nothing to us, only gave hand gestures to "follow" Once we got to the boat the captain and the single deck hand didn't even bother to say hello or introduce themselves. We left at 9am then spent from 9.30 to 11.45 "trolling". Neither of the crew members told us what was happening, we were left sitting there while the captain set the fishing rods up and went back to driving the boat. I tried to make conversation by asking what we were fishing for, etc. Was met with sniggers and they obviously didn't speak any English at all because they didn't even try to communicate back. It took nearly 3 hours to get to our "fishing spot" and when asking what the deal was, we were met with blank stares and no response. Just the captain and crew member talking amongst themselves. We didn't catch a single thing while "trolling". We then fished with spin reels for an hour and a half. Baiting our own rods while the crew fished for themselves, and caught fish while all we caught were tiny little fish and one reasonably sized leather jacket. Lunch at 1pm was not even a fish that was caught that day, with rice, chicken and fruit. Nothing to complain about with the food but we were keen to get back into fishing. The captain had been using the rods he had set up for us while we were eating lunch and caught more fish that went into his esky. We didn't get to do any live bait fishing (not sure why as we had caught a few smaller fish but the captain used those for his own live bait fishing) It was absolutely horrendously hot by this stage and the captain was sitting in his fanned cabin while we drove around to countless more fishing spots, and we were sweltering in the rear cabin which had no air flow. The other option was to sit on the deck in the sun while catching absolutely nothing. The only one who caught anything from this point on was the captain. At 2.00 the crew member came out from the cabin and told us we are returning to the pier at 2.30. I said OK because we were so hot and unimpressed by this point. Almost a 3 hour trip back to the pier while we were so disgustingly hot I was tempted to just jump off the boat for some relief. Felt like we were going to pass out. "Trolling" on the way back after the captain had set the trolling rods up again, we caught 4 fish - "talang talang". The only input from my partner and I was when he yelled in Thai and did hand motions for us to come out and "catch the fish" I reeled the fish in myself but as soon as they were within 6 feet of the boat they were dragged up and slammed straight into the captains esky without us even being able to look at the fish we caught. Again absolutely zero response but blank stares when I was trying to ask about the species of fish, or if we were allowed to look in the esky. As we got back to Chalong pier after the 3 hour trip back, we were hand signalled to get off the boat climbing over eskies, so we did. We could see other boats packing up some of the fish caught for the customers take back with them, giving them leftover food etc. Not a word was said by our crew and we left without a single fish from our trip (not even one of the ones we caught ourselves). We waved and said thank you (with zero response) as we had to figure out our own way back as there were no tuktuks there to take us back down the long jetty. Eventually one arrived and we were told to get on by another man at the jetty. All in all a super disappointing day and for the almost 700 AUD I paid for the trip this is my most disappointing experience I have ever had in Phuket. We couldn't wait to get back to the hotel to cool off and get washed up. An absolutely wasted day in beautiful phuket and wish we had spent our money locally and bought our own fishing gear to fish off the beach, instead of with this poor excuse for a tour company. I believe they are using this ticket price to fund their own fishing trips and will now sell these fish for extra income. I will not use this company again.

Response from the operator: Dear Valued Customer, We sincerely apologize for the disappointing experience you had on this fishing trip. It is extremely disheartening to hear that the trip did not meet your expectations, especially given the cost and the time you invested. We regret the lack of communication from our team before and during the tour. It is unacceptable that you were not properly welcomed, informed about the itinerary, or given any explanation about the fishing process. A professional and engaging crew is essential for a positive experience, and we are truly sorry that this was not the case. The issues you mentioned regarding the crew keeping the fish, lack of customer interaction, and uncomfortable conditions onboard are deeply concerning. Your experience should have been enjoyable, informative, and rewarding, and we will immediately address these matters with our team and partners to ensure such situations do not happen again. We truly appreciate your detailed feedback as it helps us identify areas that need urgent improvement. If there is anything we can do to assist further, please feel free to reach out. We sincerely regret that we did not provide you with the experience you deserved. Best regards, Oh-Hoo Travel

via Tripadvisor

Perfect for families wanting a fish in Phuket

Awesome day out on the water and top notch service. Even managed to catch some fish for lunch!!! Great way to spedn a day in Phuket :-)

Response from the operator: Thank you very much for your fantastic review. We are delighted to hear that you had an awesome day out on the water and enjoyed our top service. We truly appreciate your kind words and are glad we could be part of a great day in Phuket. We hope to welcome you again in the future. Best Regards, Oh-Hoo Team

via Tripadvisor

ok but viator used singapore dollars

too expensive. bettet buy on spot instead of viator. price was in singapore dollars not thai currency. be careful

Response from the operator: Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that you felt the experience was too expensive and that the pricing caused confusion. We understand your concern regarding the currency being shown in Singapore dollars rather than Thai baht, and we apologize if this was not clear at the time of booking. Pricing and currency display are determined by the booking platform, but we appreciate you highlighting this so future customers can be more aware. Thank you for sharing your experience. Your comments are valuable and help other travelers make informed decisions. Best Regards, Oh-Hoo Team

via Viator

Great trip, great fishing and great experience.

I was really expecting too much but I was extremely happy with the trip. We started off trolling for a few hours and were lucky enough to get 1 mahi mahi, 1 king mackerel, 1 queen fish and 3 other fish in the tuna family. Once we made the island stop we were able to take a swim in very water while the crew made us lunch. Wasn't expecting much but I was wrong again. Fish soup, rice, fried tuna, sashimi and a nice selection of cut watermelon and pineapple. Lunch was delicious. After an hour stop there we trolled to the bottom fishing area. Again surprised, we caught multiple grouper, snapper, trigger fish and other smaller fish. 5 stars from me!!

Response from the operator: Thank you so much for your incredible review. We’re absolutely delighted to hear that the trip exceeded your expectations. Thank you for recomendation. We truly appreciate your support and hope to welcome you back for another unforgettable fishing adventure in the future. Best Regards, Oh-Hoo Team

via Tripadvisor