Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
When I overheard a couple of my charter clients bellyaching about how so many charter boat captains are "arrogant jerks" because they act as though they own the waters and all the fish, and they never do a thing to help other fishermen unless it's another captain. I was kind of glad that they were speaking primarily about captains on the "other side" of the shore because that's something I really know nothing about. So at first I was happy to stay out of the conversation, but eventually they made a few references about some of our local captains and I decided it was time to "take arms' and defend the homeland!
I explained that because they really don't know us or what it's like to be in this business, a lot of folks probably get the wrong impression when they interact with charter captains on the dock or out on the water. "To know us is to love us"? Well, I don't know about that, but I think if folks knew more about what a captain's daily routine can be like, they might not be so quick to condemn.
Captains aren't all popped out of the same mold, we all have different ways of doing things just as we have different attitudes and temperaments. But one thing we all share is the daily burden of providing our clients with a safe, enjoyable, and productive trip. We might be fishing the same waters and using the same techniques as the private boat fishermen, but we don't have the luxury of relaxing and taking anything for granted. Even though we might enjoy the heck out of our job, there's no such thing as a carefree day on the water for a charter captain because each day we leave the dock, we're under pressure to produce fish for our clients. It doesn't matter if every day for the past two weeks we had big catches, every new day brings a new set of clients who might only have one shot a year to go fishing, and it doesn't make them feel any better that we've been catching big fish everyday, today is THEIR day and a captain is under the gun to produce - it's like tournament fishing everyday!
Besides catching fish, captains must also ensure that their crew stays both entertained and safe, and because captains have so much on their plates, they may be inclined to take things a lot more seriously than the average group of friends who hop in a boat a couple times a week and head out strictly for fun.
I can’t speak for everyone, but as for me, whenever I'm just out fishing with friends or family for fun, I'm able to maintain a much more care-free attitude than when I have clients aboard. But when I'm working - I'm working and I don't want to be chitter-chattering on the radio, have to worry about what other guys are doing on their boats, or deal with someone who decides to pull up and fish right next to me. Basically I just want everyone to let me get my job done.
Back at the dock it's the same thing, after a long day on the water I've only got a short amount of time to get the boat cleaned, fueled, and prepped for tomorrow's trip so that I can hopefully get home in time for dinner (usually around 8pm) and off to bed so I can get up and do it all over again.
That kind of schedule doesn't allow much time for swapping stories with other fishermen or long conversations with folks who stop by to "pick my (feeble) brain" for pointers on where, how, and what they need to know to catch a fish. Most charter captains know that in order to fish every day they must manage their time closely so that they don't burn out from fatigue and not be able to maintain a busy schedule throughout the entire season.
So folks should try and understand that even if, for them, the docks, marinas, and fishing grounds are places for weekend fun and recreation, for most charter captains these places are "job-sites" and as long as they're on the premises they're officially "punched-in" and working. With that in mind it should be easier to see why a captain might not be able to offer much time to everyone who comes along and wants a piece of it.
Of course captains do network a lot with each other often sharing techniques, strategies, and location, and this in itself is the likely reason a lot of anglers contend that charter captains want to keep all the fish for themselves. "They'll tell each other where the fish are - but no one else"!
Captains who fish a lot get to know and often swap fishing info with other captains who they trust and share the waters with day after day. They can do this because there's a sort of unofficial understanding that if someone calls you onto fish that you don't go blabbing about it to everyone else on the radio or at the dock. Captains know that a lot of times if they can keep some news from going public for a few days or sometimes just a few hours that they can have at least a short period where their work on the water will be just a little bit easier. Sooner or later the word will get out (it always does) and everyone and their brother will be there chasing the same fish at the same place which of course can mean the beginning of the end to a hot bite and back to the grindstone for everyone.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that I, or other captains, don't want folks calling us on the radio, asking advice, or stopping by the boat at the end of the day to say a quick hello. Heck, I'll be the first to admit that more than once private boaters have made my day by calling me to say where they've caught fish, and I'll continue to do the same for them when it's appropriate. There's no excuse for any captain ever to be rude to other fishermen, but I just hope that folks will understand that, if they get the impression that a charter captain is being a bit too selfish or evasive, it might just be that he's putting his livelihood before his concerns for being sociable, and I’m pretty sure that no one should fault a fellow for doing that!§
