Striper Slayers was everything I had hoped for when booking a fishing charter for my kids’ first fishing trip on a boat. My son caught one fish four years ago when he was 9 and my daughter had never caught a fish, despite multiple attempts at taking her and her brother shore fishing. I really wanted my kids to grow up enjoying fishing. But without the gratification of a successful catch, my kids had grown to hate going fishing. On August 10th, our fishing guide, Captain Brandon, turned the tides of my kids’ reluctance to find the pleasure in “waiting for the fish to bite”. Brandon is fantastic with kids. As soon as we headed out from the shore, he invited my 13-year-old son up to the helm and taught him about the schools of fish, how the fish finder works to tell if what you’re seeing is fish or something else and how to tell big fish from smaller fish. My son said the thing he enjoyed the most (aside from catching fish) was how Brandon taught him about good fishing techniques. Brandon also taught him how to be patient and wait for a solid hook of the fish before starting to reel it in. My 9-year-old daughter was a harder sell, but that didn’t deter Brandon from working his charisma, “magical fishing confidence boosters” and praise on her. It was very early in the morning when we arrived. It was an hour and a half drive from our hotel in Gatlinburg. We left at 5AM and headed out on the water around 7AM. Thankfully my moody 9-year-old daughter was tired, snuggled up with her dad, and took a little nap on the way out while searching for good fishing spots. When we picked a spot to start fishing, she was rested and in decent spirits. Brandon read her personality book like a pro. When fish started showing up on the fish finder, and we started getting some bites, he “read the room” and played up the influence of “lady luck” with my daughter’s female strength bringing good fortune to our fishing excursion. It was truly fascinating that none of the other charter boats had any luck. Brandon had the magic, and my strong daughter had the feminine power of persuasion over the fish. Brandon said it was the most successful fishing trip he had had in a while, and he claimed my daughter brought the good luck.  Whether that was true or not, he had convinced my daughter and that was all that mattered for me. It is a good thing that my daughter is slow to warm up to strangers, but I was incredibly grateful that by the end of our fishing trip, she was comfortable enough to give Brandon smiles and “eye rolls” with his attempts to befriend her. She even sat at the helm with him on the way back to the dock while he explained the same things with her that he had with my son. My daughter said the things she enjoyed the most were that Brandon found a really good fishing spot for us with lots of really big fish, and she liked his sense of humor and how nice he was.

Brandon, I apologize for taking so long to get your review done (life, kids and procrastination), but I can’t express enough how grateful I am to have had the last-minute timing work out for us to have our fishing trip with you as our guide. Thank you so much for adjusting your schedule to accommodate my heartfelt plea to have you as our fishing guide. I just somehow knew that you would be a perfect fit for our family. I still can’t believe you gave up your off-Sunday to accommodate our only availability to fish with you. It was a pleasure spending the day on the lake with you and meeting your lovely wife afterward. I sincerely hope you will visit our neck of the woods sometime in the future and if not, I will not hesitate to book another day on the water with you if we are in your area again.

Sincerely,

The Holman Family

Our original captain, Brandon, when he encountered some engine problems, referred us to his fishing guide friend, Fred. Our family loved the whole experience. Pre-trip communication was clear and complete. Captain Fred was fun to talk to, knowledgeable about the lake and conditions, and gave of a wonderful family experience and memory that we will cherish always. We caught a limit of fish, and Captain Fred cleaned and bagged the catch before we departed. If we return to the area for a vacation in the future, we will likely make a return trip with Captain Fred.

well we didn’t slay any stripers but not for lack of trying. sounds like a cold spell got us. good time though. maybe next time!

Reserved as a Father’s Day gift for my husband, my step-dad, my son-in law and his dad.  They had an absolute blast and I could not have asked for a better day for these guys.  Thank You.  We will be booking with you again the next time we are in town.  If you want a Great Fishing Trip - You will find it right here

Captain Brandon was amazing!  We had our 2 kids with us and he made sure everyone had a good time.  His boat is amazing and fully equipped to find fish.  Everyone caught some fish!  Would highly recommend Captain Brandon and we would do this again when we return!