Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
I once got a call from a client who had a charter fishing trip scheduled with me in a few days and he was checking-in to make sure everything was good-to-go and find out how the action had been. We were about to hang-up when he said to me, “Oh, by the way, myself and the others in our group are all pretty experienced fishermen, some of us even have our own boats, so if you want to give your mate the day off, we’ll be ok without him.”
I’ve been running charters for over 30-years, and during that period I’ve heard this comment/request many times. But I have to admit that every time I hear it, I’m surprised and even a little disappointed that just because they “know about fishing”, someone would assume that there’s no need for me to bring along a first mate. Someone might have fishing experience, but a request like that indicates that they don’t know much about the charter fishing business.
Folks who have fished aboard a charter boat or a headboat have no doubt seen the mate (or mates), among other things; cutting and rigging baits, setting out lines, netting and gaffing fish, dealing with tangles, chum buckets, bags of ice, measuring fish, cleaning the boat, as well as assisting and sometimes entertaining the fishermen. Of course, these are just a few of the things that anglers see the mate doing while they’re on the boat, and for the most part, much of it could indeed be done by clients who have even just a little bit of fishing experience. But what most customers on charter and headboats don’t see are the many tasks preformed by crew members before the fishermen arrive at the boat in the morning, and long after they left the dock at the end of the day – not to mention the time spent getting the boat ready in the winter and spring for the upcoming season.
Because it’s not exactly a “high-paying” job, captains and mates typically choose to work on charter and headboats first and foremost because they really love to fish. All the “getting ready” work they do in the off-season, as well as the long hours of maintenance and repair done between trips, is so that the boat, equipment and bait will be in top-notch, trouble-free shape when everything is put to the test out on the fishing grounds. For most crewmembers, the actual fishing trips are the easy part of the job that makes all the smelly, grimy and sometimes backbreaking aspects of this business worthwhile.
Since most crew members don’t make a dime for all their troubles until they actually get out and fish, it should be easy to see how telling a mate in the middle of the season, “Hey, the gang tomorrow knows how to fish, so we don’t need you. Go ahead and take the day off”, might not be very well received by a mate who is looking for a payday!
Besides all the work they do before and after every trip, mates are also a great asset to have aboard if there is any kind of problem, because they are going to know a lot more about the boat and its equipment than any of the clients will. In an emergency, the captain doesn’t need the extra hassle of being the only one aboard who knows how to operate pumps, inspect for damage, locate equipment, drive the boat, talk on the radio, make repairs and possibly administer first-aid.
Some “experienced” fishermen are of the notion that if a mate is working the deck he (or she) won’t let them bait or set their own hooks, net or gaff the catch or any of the other routine stuff fishermen do when they’re fishing on their own. Granted, if the customer does nothing but sit back and let the mate do all the work until it’s time to crank-in a fish, it could very well go that way. But I’ve yet to meet a mate who wouldn’t relinquish some of these duties to a client who let them know they want more involvement in the operation. All someone has to do is SPEAK UP and let the captain and mate know what will make their fishing trip more enjoyable, and I guarantee they’ll do their best to oblige!
Of course, mates work for tips. At the absolute bare-minimum a tip should be 10% of the trip price, but handing out a 10% tip is like telling a mate “I know I’ve got to pay you something, so here - take this.” Paying a mate 15% lets him know that you think he did a great job and you appreciate his efforts. A 20% tip tells him that you know he went above and beyond his duties to see that you had the best fishing trip possible, and you couldn’t be happier. Of course, other captains might have different opinions on what constitutes a proper tip, so when booking the trip, it’s always a good idea to ask the captain about what they consider to be a fair tip.
Notice that I didn’t mention anything about the catch and how it relates to the tip – because it shouldn’t. Experienced fishermen know that sometimes, no matter how hard they try, or how “good” they are, sometimes the fish just won’t bite. Typically, when fishing is tough, the crew is going to work even harder than when the action is hot because they’ll constantly be trying new baits, lures and techniques, running around to different locations and maybe even staying out late in hopes of somehow drumming up a catch, not to mention the added stress they’ll be enduring all day. Unless it’s 100% obvious that the slow action can be blamed directly on what the mate did or didn’t do, it should not be reflected in his tip. If the mate was slacking so much that it affected the catch, most of the blame should fall on the captain for letting it happen. In the same respect, if the catch was good but the mate was a jerk, I see nothing wrong with that being reflected in his tip - I guess what’s fair is fair.
Fishermen should also know that in a case where a charter boat fishes without a mate, the tip should go to the captain. I know from experience that in such situations the captain is going to be working twice as hard as ever while doing both his and the mates work before, during, and after the trip.
Like fishing reels, diesel engines and fresh bait, mates on charter and headboats are integral parts of fishing operations who assist in promoting a successful catch, help to ensure a safe and enjoyable time and are a real asset to for everyone aboard - even those who figure they’ve got a lot of fishing “experience.” So whenever someone suggests that I won’t need a mate on their trip, I simply ask them, “So does that mean you’ll come in the night before and prepare the boat, baits and rigs, and then stay after our trip to scrub-down the boat, bleach the coolers, oil the reels, clean the head, help change the oil, grind some chum and do anything else that might need doing to be ready for the next day?” And if anyone would actually say “Yes” to that - I still wouldn’t leave my mate behind, but so far no one ever has.
Capt. Mark Sampson is an outdoor writer and captain of the charter boat, “Fish Finder”, docked at the Ocean City Fishing Center..
