Reel Madness Charters is the most experienced offshore boat in South Padre Island and the top of our field here, a 38 foot sportfisher run by Captain Todd Lohry, who has fished these waters since 1986 and run his own boat since 2001. It sits first on the strength of the two factors that decide most offshore days, the captain and the boat: reviewers describe a skipper who drops them right on the fish, a mate who works hard, and gear that is kept in working order, season after season, on a port where not every boat can say the same. The one honest gap is that the operation posts no rates on its own site, so you confirm the price when you book.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 8.1 Reel Madness is a strong choice and the first ranked boat in South Padre Island. The case for it is the depth of the record behind the captain. Lohry started offshore out of South Padre in 1986, worked up from deckhand to captain by 1990, ran an offshore boat for Jim’s Pier for 17 years, and has run the Reel Madness under his own flag since 2001, and the reviews read like a long list of families who have fished with him for 10 and 20 years without a bad day. The most telling theme is the comparison reviewers draw themselves: where they have tried other South Padre boats and hit delayed starts or broken equipment, the Reel Madness is ready, with bait aboard and the electronics working. It is held just below the top band by a thin spot on price transparency and a booking setup that leans on the phone rather than a posted rate card. Book it for a serious day offshore. If you want the cheapest way out, the Osprey II head boat sells a shared seat for a fraction of the price, and Chachi Charters is the other deep record private boat in the port.
The boat
The Reel Madness is a 38 foot Delta sportfisher powered by twin Caterpillar 3208 diesels, with an air conditioned cabin and a full set of electronics: VHF radio, GPS, radar, fish finders, and an EPIRB for the long runs offshore. It carries up to 6 anglers, the Coast Guard limit on a six pack boat, and it is rigged for the range of fishing South Padre offers, from bottom and wreck fishing with Penn and Shimano tackle to trolling the bluewater. The boat sleeps 6, which is what makes the overnight trips realistic rather than a stretch. It is a mid size offshore hull rather than a 50 foot battlewagon, so a long run in a building sea is still a long run, but it is well found and, by the recurring testimony of its reviews, kept that way.
The fishing and what you target
Reel Madness fishes the full South Padre offshore spread, matched to the season. Red snapper is the headline bottom fish, and as a federally permitted for-hire boat it works the bigger fish in federal water on the federal calendar, June 1 to October 26 in 2026, with king mackerel, ling, and amberjack on the wrecks and reefs closer in. The longer all day, big game, and overnight trips are where the boat earns its place: in the warmer months they run offshore for blackfin and yellowfin tuna, wahoo, and mahi mahi, and out toward the continental shelf for blue marlin and sailfish, with swordfish on the dedicated trips by request. The captain fishes the trip the season favors rather than promising the same box of fish year round, which is what you want from the boat at the top of the port.
Trips and prices
Reel Madness sells the whole boat for up to 6 anglers, private only. The rates posted on its Captain Experiences listing are about $1,200 for a half day, $1,600 for an 8 hour trip, $2,000 for an all day trip, and $2,800 for a marlin or big game day, with overnight trips and dedicated swordfish runs by arrangement. The honest caveat sits here: the operator’s own site lists the trips but does not post a price, and the rate is not always the same across listings, so confirm the current number, the trip length, and what is included when you call. Rods, reels, and tackle are provided, and a Texas fishing license is required for anyone 17 or older. Our cost guide sets these whole boat numbers against a shared seat, and the party boat versus private charter guide weighs booking the whole boat against the head boat next door.
The crew
The recurring note in the reviews is consistency. Captain Lohry is described as professional, clean, and unusually good at reading the water, with a mate (Fernando is named most often) who keeps lines fishing and helps newer anglers. The loyalty is the tell: families report fishing with him every year for a decade or more, and the reviews lean on words like reliable and ready rather than on a single big catch. The honest qualifier is the same one that applies to any single boat, single captain operation: when the weather is poor the catch comes down, and at least one reviewer noted a rough water day that held the box down, while still praising how the captain handled it. With one boat and one captain, the person you book is the person who runs your trip, which is a strength here rather than a question.
Booking and what to know
Book by phone or through the operator’s Captain Experiences listing. Reel Madness leaves from South Padre Island, so confirm the exact dock when you book, and arrive 30 to 45 minutes early to load and get going, since the offshore grounds are a run from the jetties. Bring food, drinks, sunscreen, a hat, and motion sickness medication if the offshore chop is a question for you, plus a cooler for your fillets. No fishing license is sold at the dock, so buy a Texas saltwater license ahead if you are 17 or older. For a cheaper, shared way offshore, the same water is fished by the Osprey II head boat out of Port Isabel.
How we scored it
Reel Madness scores 8.1, the top of the South Padre Island field. Captain and crew and track record are its strongest factors, carried by a captain fishing here since 1986 and a review trail that stretches back decades, and the boat and its electronics back them up. It is held below the top band by price transparency, since the rates live on a third party listing rather than the operator’s own page, and by a booking setup that runs on the phone. See how we scored this boat for the full rubric and weighting, and compare it against the rest of our South Padre Island rankings.