Main Attraction Charters has some of the best customers! Operating in the Florida Keys over the past 3 decades we have built a strong repeat client business, but we also get to meet many new clients and families every year. The first initial contact is typically either via email, contact form or a phone call. We try our best to return your emails and phone calls within a 24 hour period, most times it is quicker than that.

Communication Before Your Charter

We like to ask questions to make sure Main Attraction is booking you the best charter for your specific needs. For example, if you have a party of 5 to 6 people, you should be placed on one of our larger vessels for the extra space and a deckhand to help your group. Another critical question is, what would you like to catch? Mahi and Blackfin Tuna are usually plentiful and most desirable to catch in the summertime.

Sailfish and Yellowtail Snapper are often our focus in the wintertime. If you have unrealistic expectations like catching Sailfish, Mahi, Swordfish, and Marlin in a 4-hour trip, this is when we will resolve that to avoid disappointment. We will tell you what is most likely to be biting seasonally, but ultimately, we always suggest you let the Captain decide what you should target on the day of your trip based on the fishing conditions.

When we book your trip, we want to allow the Captain to get to the fish and have plenty of fishing time to maximize your trip. When it comes to offshore fishing in the summertime, we recommend a three-quarter day minimum unless the fish have moved in closer (i.e., if the Gulf Stream has pushed in).

We strongly recommend that you let the Captain decide what fish to target. You should undoubtedly communicate your goals and fishing wish list but remember, you are still fishing. Our Captains must consider many factors when determining what species of fish to target. If you tell your Captain you only want to catch one type of fish, you are effectively tying his hands!

Communication During Your Charter

When you arrive at the dock you will meet your Captain (and deckhand if you are on one of the 3 larger vessels) and off you go in search of fish. If at any point during your trip you would like to try something different, want to ask questions about what to look for or why we do something a certain way, NOW is the time to ask. The Captain will love to explain why we use certain fishing techniques in the Florida Keys and what he is currently doing. A good example would be sight fishing. When customers call, they often say how they want to “troll” for offshore species. We do use the trolling method when appropriate, however we sight fish a lot for birds, debris, and large patches of grass that would hold bait fish for the Mahi to feed on. This increases your odds of success dramatically. So if you are on one of these offshore charters and you feel like you are running around a lot, the Captain is probably looking for signs of fish before he puts baits in the water.

Negative Feedback

One of the challenges we have servicing as many charters as we do, is every now and then we get a client that seems like they’ve had a good time, they tip the Captain, pay for the trip, thank him, leave, and then a day or two later we receive negative feedback. It’s usually on a day that the fishing was a bit slow for everyone but the client is convinced it was something the Captain did or didn’t do. As we have written in previous articles sometimes the bite is slow for a multitude of factors that are simply out of the Captains control and most of our clients know that. The negative feedback might be something like the Captain drove too slow so he didn’t find as much fish as he could have, or he drove too fast so he probably missed the fish and drove right by them. We have also heard the “Captain drove around looking for fish too much and he didn’t troll enough”. We had a complaint once that our fishing line was breaking, when it was simply that the customer wasn’t winding quickly enough and the Yellowtail were swimming into the rocks and breaking them off!

How To Avoid Misunderstandings

Negative feedback is usually a direct result of a lack of communication between client and Captain during the trip. If you do not communicate throughout your trip, our Captain and Crew, may not explain a particular situation nor correct it to enhance your experience. Our Captains and Crews fish everyday with people of varying degrees of experience so make it clear to them your level of experience, your expectations, and the level of explanation you want throughout the trip. Some clients are experienced and do not want everything explained to them and will find it condescending if we do. Some clients know if the bite isn’t hot it’s just one of those days and they trust the Captain is doing everything in his power to find hungry fish. If you want to learn more, ask our Captains what they are doing and why they are doing it throughout the trip, they love to talk about fishing! If you aren’t having fun for any reason, express that to the Captain so he can fix it! We take pride in customer service and want everyone to have an epic adventure with Main Attraction.

If you follow our Facebook page you are probably see us posting great catches almost daily but every day is not a banner day. Some days fishing is better than others, and on the slower days, our captains and crew work EXTRA hard to produce when the conditions are tough. We cannot control the weather or fishing conditions. If it was as easy, and fish just jumped into the boat, everyone would have a charter business. It does take skill and knowledge to find fish and read the conditions. If you are dissatisfied with your trip for any reason and were not comfortable expressing this directly to your Captain, as soon as you get back on land please call management at 305-289-0071 immediately so we have a chance to rectify the situation right then and there. With great communication we can ensure a great customer service experience for everyone and many fun fishing trips. We look forward to taking you out for your next Florida Keys Fishing Adventure!