Viking Fishing Fleet & Ferry Lines

I was on one of their porgy and black sea-​bass trip on 09/​23/​2015. It was packed with fishermen. One thing for sure this trip is not for family outing. If you renting equipment you must go inside look for the cook. He will setup you up with the rod and reel. Need a rig or sinker? The cook does it too, for a price. But you need to bring the rod to him, inside.
The service was 50 50. It was close to 90 people on board with two mates. The young lady was very helpful but the other acted like he is a night watchman. He would take his routine stroll. I over heard him telling a patron that he will come to help you if only you ask him too. I just couldn’t believe he said that.
Like I said not for a family outing. But if you able to rig and unhook the catch then this is for you. They will bring you to the fish but you on your own to put it into the boat.

The half day fluke fishing trip was a great experience! We caught enough fish for a wonderful dinner.
The boat gets a mix of experienced and novice fisherman but don’t be intimidated. The crew is extremely helpful and friendly… Speak up if you’re inexperienced and they will show you the basics.
Bring a cooler with drinks (no glass) and snacks. Great day, but prepare to get a little messy.

I went on the fluke half day pm fishing on Sunday. Lets see, the boat was nothing special, bathroom was more like a port a potty with no where to sit inside. The deck hands were awful. I was holding my rod (hook swinging around) and asked one of the guys to help me and he pointed to the dish of fish on the floor and said there you go (then had the nerve to tell me to tip him as I was stepping off the boat… how about I give him the same tip as I give a waitress who pointed me toward the bar when I asked for a drink?) Our lines were CONSTANTLY getting tangled with everyone else. I looked up to see what the captain was doing… Texting, like the entire time so we would sit and drift and catch each others lines every 3 min. I drove 3 hrs from nyc (past captree fishing) to pay more for a disgusting boat, horrible deck hands and an incompetent captain.

I went porgy fishing on this boat last weekend. Aside from having to leave out at 2am to get there for a 6am casting with a lack of sleep it was an amazing trip! I’ve been on other fishing boats yes this one is incredibly expensive I had a great time because I caught so many fish!

Always fun, fishing or ferrying over to block, the crew is always helpful and accommodating. Christine in the booth is so friendly and bubbly.

Good fishing vessel. If you looking for a party boat to fish in Montauk. this is the place. Crew was super friendly. A bit pricey but so is everything else out there but i was happy about my trip. Gally was stocked with food. Don’t need to bring much if you have cash in your pocket. Bonus. CLEAN bathrooms! If you have gone fishing on a party boat before you know how important this is! :-)

The following review is for the night charter for striped bass.
The Viking fleet seems to be the mainstay of the Montauk docks. They have at least 5 boats all named with a pre/​postfix of star. i.e. Starcruser, starship etc. Pretty quirky. My boyfriend and I decided to go fishing for striped bass since our trip for blues/​bass last year was extremely unfruitful. (basically an expensive, 5 hour boat ride where nobody caught anything). The reservation process with Viking went seamlessly, as I paid $ 85 over the phone to secure our spots on the boat. I’d imagine the fishing industry/​tourism industry isn’t doing exceedingly well in montauk since they’re charging $ 85 per person. I’ve gone out on similar trips @ captree and paid much less. They also tend to nickel and dime you on the boat. $ 5 to reserve the poles (you get it back if you return it with the hook and sinker), $ 5 for a lost sinker (which is annoying if you catch the bottom) No discounts/​coupons offered on the main fare, etc. Ugh. Pricey night.
Regardless of being irked by the pricing policies, it didn’t take away from our trip. I have nothing but good things to say about the mates and the captain of our boat. Unlike some other charter boats I’ve been on, they actually KNOW what they’re doing! I noticed they don’t baby you and put your eels on the hook, but they’ll help if you need it. They’re also quick to verbally assist you in reeling the fish in, they know gaff it when it comes up and they help you bring it on boat. The mates were really spot on. The captain also maintained plenty of contact with the mates and the other fishermen (and women!) on the boat. He let us know where he was going, what he was doing and was extremely encouraging during times when we lost fish or weren’t catching much.
My boyfriend caught MONSTERS of fish. It was amazing, four in total. Most people on the boat caught something. The captain wasn’t fooling around. We had a good time, it was exciting when someone had a fish because the entire boat worked together to help you. With stripped bass you sometimes have to walk the fish around the boat. Everyone knew to move/​get out of your way etc.
I’ve been fishing since I was 12 or so and have taken charter boats every summer. Never once have I felt the way I did last Friday. After the sun set, my boyfriend and I started feeling like garbage. It was a combination of the rough water (I think we were fishing in the rift) and not being able to reference land. In fact there were at least 6 other people on the boat who were either providing the fish with some chum over the boat, or were just sitting there uncomfortably half the trip (me!). Don’t get me wrong, this was no ones fault on the boat — the captain was just trying to get us some fish. they just happened to be in rough waters! Next time I’ll be sure to eat lighter and bring ginger ale/​Dramamine.
I’ll end this review with tips for night fishing newbies:
— Bring a RAG, or two! You’ll get plenty dirty
— Don’t eat heavy before the trip. You might start feeling like crap after the sunsets.
— Bring ginger ale if you don’t have your sea legs
— Bring plenty of money for lost sinkers, tips, pole rental, snacks (at least $ 35 extra)
— Bring a WARM sweatshirt. It gets chilly at 12am. brrrr!
— This is not a family friendly trip. No one is going to baby you and say good job buddy! while re-​hooking bait on your line. The crew and the men on these boats are serious about catching their fish. (especially @ $ 85 a trip!) They curse, they smoke and they drink beer. You’ve been warned. :)
— Everybody seems to bond a little when cold, wet and stuck on a boat for 6 hours. Be open to conversation, even if the person standing next to you is kinda grungy.
— If you’re fishing for bass, LET THEM EAT THE EELS! Don’t start pulling them up right away, you newbie! This is not fluke fishing!
— Enjoy panko crusting your eels. I made plenty of chicken cutlet jokes. You’ll know what I’m talking about if you go out on the boat.
— You’ll be reminded by the captain many times to tip the mates. Throw them a few bucks, they work for it.
4.5 stars for a great experience/​knowledgeable mates, 2.5 stars for the annoying pricing/​nickle and diming policies — end up being around a 3.5 star experience.

I went on the Whale Watching expedition and was pretty happy with everything, except I did NOT see any whales =(
There is no guarantee you will see anything… I knew that when I bought the tickets, but I was still hopeful of seeing big old willy…
However, I was completely in awe by the beauty of the sea. Skies were clear. only a couple clouds that were shaped like humpback whales? I also saw dozens and dozens of common dolphins AND 2 leather back sea turtles! They are probably my favorite marine life ever! They are so ancient looking! Mr. Turtle was just slowly swimming and eating some jelly fish… Just chillen like a villain.
I will be going next year and I expect to see some whales and… oh yea and hammer head sharks!
TIPS:
— Take some motion sickness meds if you are prone to sea sickness… Luckily I wasn’t, but it was a calm day.
— Bring snacks (water, crackers, sandwiches, etc…) it’s gonna be a long ride
— Light sweater (it gets nippy!)
— Sunglasses & sunscreen
— Camera (fully charged)