Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
With Labor Day now behind us, I think it’s safe to say that this is going to prove to be at least the third summer in a row that most of our local charter fleet has spent more time tied up to the dock than out fishing and earning a paycheck. While many captains will be quick to blame the state of the economy and changes within the fishery on their lack of bookings, there’s others who have managed to stay busy enough, that even during these difficult times they can already call this season “a success.” These captains might not run the biggest boats, have the fanciest websites, spend a bundle of money on advertising, or even catch anymore fish than the other guys, but they’re doing “something” right that’s keeping their phones ringing and their businesses in the black during a time when so many other captains are struggling to stay afloat.
Unless you’re running a boat that belongs to some “fat-cat” who is willing to pay you a salary even if you don’t leave the dock, charter fishing is a tough business to make any money at. Before I started running my own charters I worked at a marina and booked trips for about 14 boats. The time spent behind the counter was a great opportunity to see and learn first-hand what worked and what didn’t for the different captains, and the experience helped me prepare my own business plan when I decided to move from the dock office to the helm of my own boat. Since then, every one of my 24-seasons has been a financial success. I only mention that to give credence to the following recommendations I’m going to make to other captains who might be looking for a way to improve their own charter bookings. These are some guidelines that have worked for me:
Don’t rely on the marina you operate out of to handle your charter bookings or get you customers: You want potential clients to speak to you directly because you are your boat’s best salesman - not someone in the dock office who probably doesn’t know as much about fishing as you do and certainly doesn’t know as much about your boat and your trips. If you want to get lots of charters you’ll need to do your own advertising and self promotion. These days, every captain needs their own website and someone to follow-up promptly on email requests.
Captains and mates should always look and behave professionally: No matter if they’re working on the boat or walking across the marina parking lot. A captain or mate could, at any time, run into a potential customer. Whether their assessment is accurate or not, potential customers know nothing more about the captains and mates than what they “see” and they will surely be a lot more inclined to spend their hard-earned vacation money they set aside to take their family out fishing on a boat that’s run by a clean, well dressed, polite and respectful captain and mate than a scraggly looking, bare-foot-bare-chested, beer in one hand, cigarette in the other crewmember they encounter hanging out behind a boat at the marina.
When the fishing day is over GO HOME: When I’m done on the boat each day I head directly home and typically spend about an hour answering emails and returning calls from people who left messages on my answering machine about charters. I book a lot of trips before (and during) dinner and can’t imagine how many trips I’d lose if I included a “Happy Hour” stop between the boat and home every night. The fishing season is short, the bars are open all year, captains should decide if it’s more important to “socialize” or “book trips.” On a similar note; all customers deserve 100% performance from both captain and mate, so there’s no place on a charter boat for a crewmember with a hangover.
Always maintain a happy environment on the boat: People go fishing to have an enjoyable day on the water, it’s not “all” about catching fish. Even on days when the fish are biting like crazy, the “fun” part of the trip can easily be ruined for the clients by poorly chosen actions or words from the crew. No matter how tough the day is going, the crew must stay up-beat and positive, and should never argue with each other or use profanity in front of their clients. If the chemistry between the captain and mate is sour, or one of them insults, intimidates, or is in anyway disrespectful to a client, it can put a dark cloud over the entire trip and certainly ruin the chance that the group will ever book the boat again. Captains and mates have to think “long-term” and treat every client in such a way that they will want to come back again. There are a lot of other boats that customers can select the next time they want to go fishing!
Have the right boat for the job. Let’s face it, if you spend a million dollars on a boat you’re going to have to run a lot of charters and charge a lot for them if you expect to turn a profit at the end of the year. Rather than being flashy and loaded with every accessory and high-tech gadget possible, charter boats that actually turn a profit tend to be more on the sturdy, practical and economical side. More stuff just means more maintenance, more expense and less money in the bank. Someone who has overcapitalized will never make money running charters and should consider downsizing to a vessel that’s more practical for the job at hand.
Educate your customers: Anyone can take people out and help them catch fish. But crews should also act as “guides” and make the extra effort to explain to their clients not only how to catch a fish but also a thing or two about the interesting local marine life (turtles, whales, sunfish, birds), facts about the weather and how it affects sea conditions, navigation, and details about the boat and its systems. These are the things that customers enjoy hearing and appreciate learning about and what will help bring them back to the boat each year.
Know your expenses and fish on a budget: Captains need to keep abreast of the cost of fuel, bait, ice and other expenses for any given trip. If charter prices were set based on daily runs out to the Hot Dog and the bite turns on way out at the Wilmington Canyon, a decision will have to be made whether to raise prices, stick to the budget and only go so far as the Hot Dog, or run the extra distance and take the loss of income. Catching fish at any expense is seldom a good option for charter captains who are struggling to turn a profit. And if you’re not making a profit what’s the point of being in the business in the first place?
It’s a lot easier for a captain to blame the economy, the fishing, or the dock office for not getting many charters rather than consider that it could be his own actions that’s stifling the business. I’ve been around the docks long enough to know that a lot (if not most) other captains will look at these suggestions and blow them off as useless or not appropriate for their own charter operations. But the fact is, there are indeed a few boats in town who have managed to stay busy this summer. Keeping a full schedule is doable but only for those willing to run their business like a “business.” Any charter captain who has just spent five or more days of each week tied to the dock rather than out fishing, but still insist that they there’s no need for them to change the way they conduct their operations should give an honest answer to a simple question; How’s that business plan working for you?
Captain Mark Sampson is an outdoor writer and captain of the charter boat “Fish Finder”, docked at the Ocean City Fishing Center.
