Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
As much as I dislike yacking on the telephone, I’ll admit that I spend an awful lot of time with one plastered against my head, but I’m afraid it’s a necessary evil of my job. To run a charter fishing business, one has to book a lot of trips, and to do that, one has to spend a lot of evening time on the phone, talking “shop” with potential clients.
Occasionally, while booking a charter, the topic of “first mate” will come up, prompting
questions like, “Will there be one on the boat?” and “How much should we tip him?”
Sometimes, especially if the fishermen have a fair amount of fishing experience behind them (or at least think they do), I’ll be told; “We don’t really need a mate’s assistance, so if you want to tell yours to take the day off, that’s ok with us. We’ll be happy to do his jobs.”
Finding a polite and diplomatic way to say “no” to a client’s request can be quite challenging, but it’s a necessary task when they’re asking me to leave my mate behind. I’d like to just say, “No way!” And leave it at that, but in effort to maintain good customer relations I usually give them the long version, which typically goes something like this:
First of all, a mate on a charter boat is not aboard simply to help the party bait hooks and net fish. He (or she) is there to take a lot of the burdens off the shoulders of the captain, thus keeping the excursion running safely and smoothly. Besides the captain, no one on board will know more about the boat and equipment than the mate.
Over time, a captain and mate will fall into a daily routine that starts long before the clients arrive at the boat in the morning and goes on well past after they’ve left in the evening. Each one knows what tasks are their responsibilities, and what will be done by the other. For instance; I know while I’m at home getting bait and chum out of my freezer in the morning, my mate will already be at the boat, opening it up, wiping down seats and windows and giving everything a last minute check-over before “our people” get there.
When I arrive at the dock, my mate takes the bait from me and knows where and how to load it. If we’ll be fishing with live bait, he’ll already have the live-well filled with water and running. We’ll have a quick discussion of weather, where we’ll be going and if I need to slip into the tackle shop to pick up any last minute tackle, bait or ice.
When our clients arrive, both of us will greet them and help them load their equipment. When I go into the cabin and start up the engine he’ll automatically head for the bow and start untying the dock lines. For the next hour or so I’ll be stuck behind the wheel but my mate will be busy talking with customers, preparing baits and setting up tackle. I can be pretty much left alone to concentrate on running the boat because my mate knows the answers to most any questions our quests might have. “How far out are we going? How has the action been? How many lines will we fish? What kind of bait will we be using? How do you flush the head?”
Since my mate knows where every hook, sinker and swivel is on the boat, as well as what rods we’ll use for any type of trip, he won’t have to bother me with any “what” or “where” questions on the way out. He also knows how to read the display on the GPS and will be aware of how much time he has before we arrive at our fishing spot. He definitely knows that before we arrive at the fishing spot all hooks are to be baited and lines must be ready to go overboard. He knows that his captain can be a bit of a tyrant if they’re sitting over fish without any lines in the water!
Because we’ve fished together so many times before, my mate already knows which rods and baits I like to have set long, short, deep or shallow. He knows my hand signals when it’s time to drop a marker buoy on a wreck and I know his when he’s up on the bow retrieving the anchor. When we hook a big fish he knows exactly where to go to get the fighting belt and which other lines should be cleared so that they don’t get tangled. He also knows what gaff to use for each size and type of fish as well as what fish I’ll choose to step-in and gaff myself. When we’re surprised by unexpected opportunities, like dolphin in a chum-line or cobia under a buoy, I know he’ll automatically dive into the cabin and come out with the tackle that will give us the best shot of hooking the fish.
When we’re done fishing and I head back to the cabin to steer us home, my mate will begin his routine of cleaning up the cockpit and putting the tackle away. He’ll also begin his preparation for tomorrow’s fishing trip; leftover bait will be inspected and either discarded or cleaned and iced down. Terminal tackle will be checked over and, if needed – replaced. I’ll be informed or reminded of anything we’ll need to fix or purchase before we head out again.
Before we even hit the dock, my mate will start getting our catch and customers prepped for unloading. When the dock lines are secure, he’ll help everyone off, hand them their coolers and other personal items, then unload all the fish into a cart that he’ll wheel up to the fish cleaning station. He’ll make sure the fish cleaner knows whom the fish belong to, and if there are any special cleaning or packaging requests.
He’ll then return to the boat and start the big clean-up job. Now his work really begins! Every inch of the boat will be soaped and scrubbed, including coolers, fish boxes, live-wells, buckets and cutting boards. He’ll fill the fresh water tank, empty the trash, sharpen hooks, finish putting away tackle, clean up and repack the bait box with fresh ice. When he’s done with all that, he’ll go through and double check that everything is prepped and ready for the next day. Then, maybe if we don’t have oil to change or repairs to make that evening, he can finally go home, get something to eat and catch a few hours of sleep before the 4:30 alarm goes off and his day starts all over again.
Most importantly, a major benefit of having a competent first mate aboard is the safety factor. Should an emergency occur, the first mate could supply invaluable assistance in repairs, communications, first-aid or even steer the boat home if need be. He provides another set of senses that can detect minor problems before they become catastrophes.
Usually, before I even get halfway done explaining all that to someone over the phone they’re already very happy to abandon any thought of putting to sea without a first mate aboard. After all, most folk’s idea of chartering a boat is to go out and have a good time. By the time I get done explaining all of the mate’s responsibilities they quickly realize that offshore fishing involves a lot more than just eating chicken and baiting hooks, it’s a lot of work!
Anglers need to recognize and remember that the benefits of having a first mate involved with their charter extend far beyond the few hours they’ll actually spend offshore fishing. The first mate on a charter fishing boat can be instrumental in ensuring that fun, success and safety are a part of any offshore adventure, and yet they so seldom receive the kind of recognition they deserve. Mates almost always work for tips and must be properly compensated, and appreciated by the fishermen for the hard work that they do.
Captain Mark Sampson is an outdoor writer and captain of the charter boat “Fish Finder”, docked at the Ocean City Fishing Center.
