[Capt. Debbie]

Funny you voice the essence of business versus pleasure.

You have to keep in mind a happy customer is more important than LOTSA fish. You want them back. You try to breed loyalty and word of mouth on reputation. SO you have different priorities as a charter vs your buddies.


The most frustrating I ever had was a repeat group of four on an overnight to Chicken Canyon for YFT. It's dawn. I'm still diligently chunking butters off the transom. Beautiful day. Calm flat. 5 knot wind. The water is gin clear to 30 feet down. I can see multiple nice sized YFT's nailing my newly tossed chunks descending about 20 feet down. I lighten it up on chunks enough to hold them at boat. I want someone to do a "Baccardi toss" and let the baited hook free fall with a handful of butter chunks. Everyone is sleeping. One is one deck sleeping at the helm.

I bump into him hard by "accident" and tell him look at this. he eventually gets up, looks and goes back to sleep. MAN!!!!!!!!!!! That is frustrating. But they are paying for this to do whatever they want (within reason).

Or a family of 4 trying to catch a 10 fish per person limit of the 5-10 lbs bluefish in our slick on a night chumming trip. Despite me telling them they have 50 lbs of filets already. Then eventually switch over to C&R and ask me if I want a few at the dock. Such waste. I added a catch limit after that nightmare of waste unless they had good reason to be able to use more.


It's frustrating, the drunks, and the go/no go decisions. IT AINT FUN ANYMORE!!