Investing in a charter fishing trip is often the best possible use of limited time, money and human resources. Putting your trust in someone who fishes almost every day can be the fast track to fishing fun, but this transaction isn't without some risk. Most guides or charter captains are hard working folks, but there are a few who are more interested in money than customer satisfaction.
The goal of any charter fishing trip should be to have a fun and safe adventure. I'm a veteran of countless charters. In my business charters are a great way to collect fresh photography and story material. I've been around enough that I feel pretty skilled at picking trips, but recently my wife Mari and I booked the charter from hell.
Mari and I were enjoying an Alaskan cruise and wanted to take in a charter fishing trip as part of a shore excursion package offered by the cruise line. Since we were only going to be in port part of one day, we decided to use the adventure booking service provided through the cruise ship.
That move turned out to be a big mistake because we did not have an opportunity to interview the captain before the trip or check references. When we got to the charter dock everyone started filling out the paperwork for their licenses while the captain navigated to the fishing grounds. When it came time to set trolling lines, the captain asked a guest to hold one of the rods while he held a second rod and lowered the downrigger weight. The guest had never fished with downriggers before and didn't realize he had to open the reel bail so line could play off the reel as the downrigger weight was lowered to the desired depth. The line of course came tight and popped the downrigger release prematurely, forcing the captain to retrieve the downrigger weight and start over again setting the rod.
Meanwhile we were all speechless as the captain ripped on the guest for his mistake. Not only was this behavior rude and unprofessional, it was completely unnecessary. If the captain needed seasoned help to set lines, he should have employed the assistance of a deck hand or taken a few seconds to explain the line setting process to the guests.
This tense start had everyone walking around on egg shells. The atmosphere eased up a bit after boating a couple silvers. Fish and photographs have a way of putting folks in the right mood, but the bliss would be short lived.
Kelp was floating on the surface everywhere and steering through this maze of lure fouling vegetation proved challenging. Every time one of our trolling spoons fouled in the kelp, the captain would cuss and swear as he was forced to reset the line. The captain's attitude soon had the whole boat wishing the trip would end.
As the day wore on, fishing success dropped off to zero and I noticed that the captain wasn't making any attempt to free lines obviously tangled in kelp. Instead he was making cell phone calls to friends and simply letting our limited fishing time slip away.
Besides the captain, I was probably the only one on board who realized that our lines were fouled. When I offered to help clear and reset the lines, the captain looked up from one of his phone calls and instead opted to cut the trip short and return to the dock.
Had the trip not already been paid in full, I would have refused payment and made a scene at the dock. Since the cruise ship already had my money, all I could do was complain to the cruise director upon my return to the ship.
Bad experiences on charters or guide trips happen, but these misfortunes can be reduced by selecting only licensed and insured guides. Most states regulate guides and charter services to some degree, but these laws vary state to state. For example, in my home state of Michigan, no license or insurance is required to guide for fishing on inland waters. However, to guide on Michigan waters of the Great Lakes or Great Lakes Connecting Waters requires a captain's license, plus state and Coast Guard safety inspections and mandatory drug testing.
Since Michigan has no standards for guides working in inland waters, the consumer is faced with a difficult decision of weighing the value of the trip against concerns over safety or the competence of the guide. Scary!
The first rule for booking any guided fishing trip is not to be in a hurry. Take a little time and do some on-line research. These days just about every guide, captain or outfitter has a web page. Go to your favorite search engine and type in the destination and kind of fishing you're interested in.
If you don't have access to the internet ask a friend who's on line to help you with the research. Some state game and fish departments and most chamber of commerce offices maintain a directory service of licensed guides and captains. The Michigan Charter Boat Association is the largest such organization in the Midwest and has members from Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. For more information contact www.micharterboats.com or call 800-MCBA-971.
Once you've selected a couple guides or captains that look promising, it's time to pick up the phone. "Have a few questions in mind before calling," says Jim Karr a veteran captain out of Ludington Michigan. "Ask how long he or she has been chartering. Ask what services are provided as part of the charter. Also, ask the guide or captain what his goal is each time he leaves the dock and have the guide describe his or her favorite client."
Asking a few simple questions will help the consumer get a read on what type of fishing atmosphere you're likely to encounter. If the focus is primarily on achieving a quick limit or if the guide seems too busy to answer your questions, chances are the stage is set for disappointment. Everyone wants to catch a limit when they book a day of guided fishing, but being realistic in your goals is important. The trip shouldn't be judged solely on the amount of fish caught.
It's also important to ask for references before booking. The best reference is one from a person you know and trust. However, you won't have this luxury in many cases.
Instead, check out the references and ask similar questions to those you asked the captain. Compare the answers and then make your decision based on how the answers jive. In a perfect world every charter would produce limit catches and maximum amounts of fun. Since no captain can guarantee a limit on every trip, it's important to select a guide or captain who can make the trip fun and rewarding no matter how the fish are biting.
MARK'S FAVORITE CAPTAINS
Captain Jerry Lee (salmon, steelhead, walleye) 734-516-7417
Captain Jim Karr (salmon, steelhead, trout) 800-845-6095
Captain Ron Levitan (walleye, perch) 248-684-4237
Captain Don Miller (muskie) 734-429-9551
Captain Mark Chmura (steelhead, salmon, trout) 231-864-3747
Captain Doug Deming (walleye, perch) 989-674-2631
Captain Jeff Godi (walleye, ducks, salmon) 888-383-8257
