Capt. Rod Testimonials

Long Island, New York

Holy Cow.......Im Late....
it was a saturday in july...2015.....my daughters birthday....i was meeting the boat for the 4 pm fluke trip but the traffic on southern state did nt care about stephanies birthday.i called her to say i was in bad traffic.....she said " its ok dad , the captain knows your close....keep comming " i made it only 15 mins. late,he held the boat till i got there.........who but george would do that????
Joelynn83


Proven Over Time
I am 57 been going on this Boat since I'm 5. I remember the original Capt. Rod himself. And when Current Capts. Danny And George were Mates..... It was top quality then and still is. It is the only boat i will take my family on. They are so kid friendly, and the Boat is SPOTLESS. This is a must trip every Spring for sure and every September i spend my Birthday weekend on the boat Try to get there at least 5 times a season.

The Best Is Still The Best After All These Years!
TonyKandBoardwalk


Fantastic crew.... polite, professional and fun. Thanks for the great experience.
I rarely book fishing trips on a "party boat" with strangers for fear of crowded and obnoxious situations. I needed to accommodate my teenage daughter and a few of her friends and was originally reluctant to commit to a cattle boat. Much to my surprise (and delight) the girls had an AWESOME day. Weather was OK... fishing was "as expected." but the entire group of girls had a great time. Thanks to the crew... and the Captain.

I would not hesitate to return.
Robert C.


When you want the best!
I am a senior citizen 70+years old. I have been fishing open party boats for over 50 years. I fished the east coast of the United States from Cape Cod Massachusetts to Florida. I live in New York on Long Island where there are many open party boats from which I can choose to go fishing on.

Here is my reason I pick the Capt. Rod as the best for me. I love to Fluke fish and that's what the Capt. Rod does all season long except for a few weeks at the beginning when he goes for Flounder. George Bartenback is the owner and Captain of this boat with 40+ years experience fishing the calm waters of the Great South Bay. His first mate Danny also a Captain and has been with George for 30+ years and BOTH know their stuff. The other mates on the boat are college students earning $$ while school is out. They all have a love for fishing and are very well trained AND well mannered.

These mates bait your hook for you, take the fish off the hook for you, while on other boats MOST OF THE TIME you are on your own. This is what I mean by being well trained. They want you to have as easy and enjoyable day as can be had and maybe even catch a fish!

The Capt. Rod caters to family fishing, they love it when Mom & Dad or Grandpa brings their children out to go fishing. Some other boats frown on bringing children on board their boats? The mates teach the children how to hold the rod and fish. There is even a little box the kids can stand on if they are to short for the railing. The rod gets tied on with a rope so it won't fall in the water. The children jump with joy when they pull up a fish. I get a kick every time when I see that happen!

The Capt. Rod has plenty of senior citizens that fish on a regular basis with him mostly during the week when it's not as crowded as the weekends. In the cabin are some stools by a table and some old timers pull them out and sit on them while fishing. I even did it once or twice myself. Some other old timers bring their own stools to sit on and fish. I have to laugh, we complain to each other about our ailments and who had what surgery done while we fish. Sometimes I call it George's MEDICARE EXPRESS! I think that's funny!

I see more and more women are coming out fishing, young and old alike on the Capt. Rod, they come with their friends and they come alone. I think that's great when everybody loves to fish. The Capt. Rod is very strict and in the cabin there is a sign posted stating no foul language or excess use of alcohol will be tolerated another sign says no radios, use your head phones. His clientele respects those wishes as far as I can see.

The rate charged I think is VERY fair considering you go out for 7 hours. There is an adult fare, a discount senior and child fare with another discount coupon on his website to use. Some boats in the area don't give a discount for senior citizens? I guess they don't like older people? For those boats I have a finger for them! The fare includes ALL bait and tackle, rod and reel use. Some boats in the area charge extra for the rod and don't give the correct bait and the wrong weight sinkers and when the tide and current changes your line is not at the bottom where it needs to be. There is a finger for those boats too!

Capt. Rod is not a new boat it has been around the bay a few times but it is reliable and very clean with no fish odor smell as some other boats have. If you know what I mean? The boat is 65 feet long, it has morning coffee in the cabin a television, tables and benches to sit and eat. It also has a sun deck if you want a break from fishing. In colder weather the cabin is heated. There are separate rest rooms for men and women They have some snacks, soda and bottled water you can purchase at a reasonable cost or bring your own food and drink.

Capt. Rod sails 7 days a week weather permitting during Flounder and Fluke season 8am - 3pm and during summer the summer months has a 4pm-8pm trip also.

When I fish for Fluke, the Capt. Rod is my boat. I like the Captain, I like the mates and service they offer, I like the clientele that patronize the Capt. Rod, I like a clean boat and the area is just beautiful where we fish. Just so you know I don't always catch fish on the Capt. Rod, there will be days when people on both sides of me are catching fish and I am there sucking my thumb catching nothing? I guess that's why they call it fishing and not catching?

I also pass a lot of boats that are much closer to where I live to get to the Capt.Rod at Captree State Park. I am writing this review for people that never fished the Capt Rod. I say try it once and I think you will see there really is a difference and no, George is not my Uncle! Good luck and happy fishing to all!
Smokeyjoe1