What To Bring On Your Fishing Charter

Please bring your entire family  (6 people maximum) and plan on having a  really good time while trying to catch some fish.   We love generous, funny, humorous, sarcastic, joking, kind, compassionate, easy go lucky people.   We love to have kids and family members with special needs and or physical  and learning disabilities join us.

Now that you have booked your fishing charter, it is time to figure out what all you need to bring with you on your trip.    We provide a well maintained boat, your fishing license, fishing tackle, poles and plenty of  bait for each trip.  That means you do not have to go out and buy any of those things.

Your Form Of Payment – Please don’t forget to bring your form of payment for the trip.  The card you have on file is not what we use to pay.  You need to bring the actual card or cash to pay for the trip.  You need to have cash only for the deckhand fee/tip.

Camera – Please bring a camera with you or a smart phone with one.  You will want to capture those pictures of your family and kids catching fish.   Other charters make you surrender your phone to the captain until the end of the trip.  We don’t do that.

Clothing – Please wear protective clothing against sunlight, rain or wind if needed.  For the purpose of photography, we encourage you to wear bring Bright Colored Shirts like Red, Orange, Blue, Green, Yellow. (White is OK, but with bright sunshine, you don’t show up good in your pictures. (Black or gray shirts don’t make good pictures at all – so don’t be expecting those to turn out well.)   It is OK to wear your swim suit if you like.   On our charter boat, you are not going to get wet because we have an enclosed air conditioned sitting area.  Rain shower may be the only way you get soaked.  (It is best to wear shoes that have a closed toe and heel for your protection.

Hats and Shoes – You can wear what ever shoes you want or even go barefoot.  Just don’t show up with your cowboy boots with mud all over them or grass cutting shoes, cause we will hose them off before boarding.   However, for safety reasons, we recommend that you wear shoes with toes or sandals that securely fasten to your feet.  Tennis Shoes, shoes with heels,  Hat (if your bald) and any clothing that protects your skin from the sun.  Flip flops or Shower Shoes are NOT the safest choice and often stick to the wet deck and when you step, the center piece between your toes often pulls through or tears.  Shoes that have a toe and heal strap work best.  Croc’s will bust your butt.  Going Barefoot is OK- Remember to be careful because you can step on fish fins or a misplaced hook.  I always advise people to wear shoes that at least cover the tips of your toes, but they are not required.

Cooler, Food, Beverages, Snacks – A “Clean” Small Personal Cooler 48 quart or less, Food, Drink (your favorite adult beverage “Beers” should be in cans).  Your cooler should be clean and has not been riding around in the back of your farm or work truck with grease or mud all over it.  Only bring one cooler, please.  We have limited space on board and usually one cooler up to 48 quarts is plenty big enough to handle your food and beverages.  Some people grab the cooler out of the back of their work truck that is dirty, oily, greasy or muddy.   Please wash it or bring a clean cooler.

Please do not bring any Hard Liquor – This ain’t no booze cruise.  Drunk people are a liability and pose a risk to themselves and our crew.   Beer and wine coolers are fine.   Just try to bring all cans or plastic bottles only.

Remember to bring WATER or FLUIDS for your family.  It is hot out there during the summer and early fall and you will dehydrate if you don’t drink enough fluids.

Basics – (optional) Hand Towel to wipe your hands if you like. Our deckhand does a good job helping you bait your hook so you don’t get too messy.  If you bait your own hooks, please wipe your hands after you bait your hook.  This way you won’t be smearing oily, fishy bait on our rod handles.  It dries sticky and is very hard to clean off.

Sunscreen (should be applied as directed) Be sure to apply RUB ON sunscreen before going deep sea fishing.  Avoid bringing AEROSOL spray on sun screen because it goes all over the deck and creates a slip hazard when sprayed.  If you spray it on inside our cabin, it will over spray and ruin our carpet.  Please stick with old fashioned rub on lotion and avoid aerosols.

Sunglasses are helpful because it is bright outside.  I will ask you to take your sunglasses off during photo sessions because your pictures will turn out better when we can see your eyes.

Motion sickness medication – (Bonine®, non-drowsy Dramamine® or the Scopolamine® Patches from your doctor).  Some people get the prescribed patch and cut them in half – so they can share one with another member of the group.   Regular Dramamine usually makes people extremely drowsy per our experience.  Ask your doctor, but Benadryl® might be an option.  I know, it makes you sleepy, but so does Dramamine.

Firearms:   You are welcome to bring your handgun if you like.   Just let me know.  For safety reasons, please make sure it does not have one in the chamber or is pre cocked.  This is because we are often boarded by the US Coast Guard and Law enforcement and the first question they ask is:  Are there any weapons on board.    We do not want to create a stressful situation with those who serve and protect.

LEAVE THESE BEHIND

Cheap, grumpy, negative, rude or unappreciative people.  Over the years and from time to time, we have had wonderful trips except for that one special person (we all know one or have one of them in our family or as a friend), who makes everyone Else, miserable.   They are usually the one who complains about everything from the cost of the trip,  travel time, fish size, not being able to keep every fish because they are out of season or too short.  The list continues.    Do yourself and us a favor and don’t invite them.

We have had people who have been invited, and they have not budgeted for the trip.   Often, they are expected to pay the deckhand fee or tip.  Because they have not been prepped or told, they are not prepared for their trip and or the tip.  This has led to some awkward conversations.  It is important that they are prepared and have enough cash to take care of the deckhand properly and adequately.  If someone is not prepared for the trip, we are looking to you (the person who booked the trip), to make it right.

Illegal Drugs or Marijuana – They may be legal in the state you come from, but any illegal substance is not allowed on our vessel.  This is a US Coast Guard Regulation.

The Idea Of Filling The Freezer  –  We want you to take as many fish as you need for a few meals or to take a good mess home.  However, new federal and state bag limits and seasons have made it to where catching a cooler full of fish is hard unless you take a full day trip or longer.   If the fish you are trying to catch tastes good, is big or fights hard, the season is highly regulated.  Seasons do not over lap.  Red snapper is open June 1 to mid to late August.  Amberjack is supposed to open September 1 and Gag Grouper don’t open until September.  Those are our largest fish on our artificial reefs.

Spray On Sunscreen – The spray gets on the deck and makes a slip hazard.  If you must use sunscreen, do so before getting on the boat.  We recommend using lotion based, non-aerosol kind that has been around for a million years.   Be sure to wash your hands before baiting your hook because the sunscreen can keep fish from biting your bait.

Extra Coolers – We have limited space on board, so only one 25-30 quart cooler or smaller is allowed (24″ in length is usually good).  From time to time, we have people show up with 3 or 4 coolers or one giant cooler which are simply too big or we don’t have enough room for.  Since most of the fish after they are cleaned, will fit into a few gallon ziploc bags,  please bring only one cooler to the boat.  Even a limit of 12 red snappers when they are cleaned, will fit into 1 to 3 one gallon zip loc bags.