Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
A while back I had a speaking engagement at an area fishing club and on a last minute whim, before we got into our discussion on “fishing,” I asked the group if they had any questions or comments about chartering a fishing boat or hiring fishing guide. Knowing that many of the folks in the room did a lot of charter fishing I figured this might lead to an interesting discussion. And since I’m a captain and guide myself, I knew this would be an opportunity for the group to get the answers to questions they’ve wondered about but maybe felt awkward asking the captains or guides they usually fish with.
As it turned out the topic was a hit, lots of good questions, discussions, and afterwards a number of the club members approached me to say that they were glad to hear openly from someone in the industry. It was enlightening for me too. Usually I’m talking to my own clients who (understandably) temper their thoughts and opinions to keep from asking awkward questions or maybe from hurting my feelings. It was interesting to hear uncensored comments from fishermen about both the good and bad trips they’ve been on.
When, and how much to tip the mate or guide was the biggest topic of discussion. When it was put to me, I responded that 15-20% of the trip price is an average tip on most boats. But those percentages don't necessarily apply to all boats in all places so I highly recommend that, when booking the trip anglers ask the captain how much they should tip the mate and then just figure that number in when calculating their total charter price for the day.
Tips should never be lower than what's recommended unless the anglers feel that service was lacking, and if that's the case the clients should tell the captain why they weren't happy so he can either defend the actions of his mate or take corrective measures for future charters.
On a charter boat, the mate is always expected to be tipped, but the captain is only sometimes tipped and certainly isn’t going to feel insulted if he (or she) isn’t. On guided trips, where there is only a captain and no mate, the captain should usually be tipped.
Someone asked how to tip if there aren’t any (or very few) fish caught. I reminded the group that no matter how good a fisherman someone might be, or how hard they try, there will always be days when the fish simply won’t bite. Crew members usually work their hardest on these days because they’re constantly trying new baits or lures, moving from one place to another, contacting other boats for reports from other locations, reviewing charts and logs, and enduring an extra measure of stress as they try to pull off a decent catch before the day is over. By all means, even if not a single fish is caught, as long as an honest effort was made to find and catch fish – standard tips should still be paid.
Someone else asked about where and how to choose a captain or guide. No matter where in the world someone plans to fish, finding a list of captains and guides for a particular area is as simple as doing an Internet search. These days it’s hard to find a charter service that doesn’t have a their own website or who isn’t at least listed on someone else’s. Of course anglers must remember that while websites are wonderful sources of information, they are also advertising tools for businesses and almost always going to be choc-full of pictures of smiling fishermen holding up big fish and commentary slanted to make you think that “on our boat the sea is always calm and the fish are always biting!”
I’ve seen websites where the photos used were of fish caught from other boats, and text that makes even inexperienced captains sound as if they’re the ones who invented fishing! Websites are great tools for finding out who and what boats are available in certain areas, but anglers should not make a decision based exclusively on what they see and read on their computer monitor. Once someone finds a captain, boat, or guide that peaks their interest, it’s then time to start the “research” process.
I would suggest that anglers start by first calling the captain or guide. The initial conversation will alert the caller as to what the booking schedule looks like and if there’s even a day available that might work. Talking to the one who is going to be running the show will also alert fishermen as to whether or not he (or she) is the type of person that they, and maybe their friends or family, actually want to spend a day on the water with. Face it, captains and guides are just “people,” and within any group of people there’s going to be a representative sample of jerks just as well as there will be a bunch of really good and pleasant people.
Because boats can be run by both idiots and Einsteins, it’s up to the “buyer to beware” and book with the type of person they want to spend their hard-earned money and well-deserved leisure time with. One of the best ways to choose a captain or guide is after a close friend or acquaintance that has been out with them before tells you of the great time they had. There are a lot of successful charter captains and guides who live by the referrals they get from their past and present customers. Talking to the captain, and to folks who have fished with him before, as well as those who work in local tackle shops and marinas should help give the angler a pretty good understanding of what kind of fishing operation he runs and what his personality is like.
It’s also good to talk to the captain or guide ahead of time so that the two of you can agree on what the goals of the trip are going to be. If you have your heart set on catching a marlin and don’t want to waste time messing with dolphin or tuna, let him know days ahead of time so that he can start working-up a game plan to accomplish your goal. Likewise, if the target species is sharks but you would also like to drop some lines down to a wreck to catch a couple sea bass for dinner, have that discussion with him when you’re booking the trip, not part-way through your fishing day and then end up blaming him for not having the right sea bass bait aboard or not being within striking distance of a fishable wreck.
Also, when booking a trip be sure and give your captain or guide an idea of what your fishing party will be like. Are they all somewhat experienced - or not at all? Will there be women or children in the group? Fill him in as best as possible and then listen to him if he makes suggestions or tells you that the crew you’re bringing may not be appropriate for the type of fishing you’re requesting. For instance, a family with mom, dad and three kids are going to have a problem on offshore trips when the primary catch is 100-pound tuna, however, near shore trolling for king mackerel and bluefish might be just perfect.
With fuel prices hitting all-time highs, charter prices have risen to levels where for most folks it’s probably more important than ever to milk every bit of enjoyment possible from charter or guided fishing trips. A little research and a few phone calls can be the difference between fishing-fun and fishing-flop! §
