Sk8man

You know a way around this issue would be to do as some restaurants do with say Mother's Day Brunch....add an 18 percent gratuity to the base price upfront that way you go into it knowing exactly what the expectation is with no anxiety concerning "tipping". Many charters will frown on this practice because if they do it first and others don't then they may feel it inhibits business. It would however alleviate the problem itself as well as possible "hard feelings" and misunderstandings and level the playing field if done as a standard practice.

Rustyrat does have the right attitude....and he is the kind of guy I'd be tipping generously. It is not always "all about the money".

Yes they have been getting them for a bit right exactly where I believe you were.... I was near there the other evening fishing from shore but we couldn't quite reach them from there....I saw some guys returning from that spot and they had some real nice sized crappies in their live well. At least you didn't burn up much gas

The age old practice of "tipping" in our society has always been an option and up to the customer not the service provider. I should think that many charter guys who are in the business for the right reasons would agree with that. Jobsite has made some very good points and has backed his opinion with very effective examples. The charter captains that I know and others I have known both on fresh water and salt water alike are in the business because they love what they are doing (i.e. fishing) and most are very good about sharing information and their knowledge and maintaining good customer relations so that they get return business and that word of mouth begets more business when customers are happy and satisfied....and that doesn't always mean just catching a whole bunch of fish. Good charter captains also treat their help fairly (where they have mates). With that said, the northern climate (e.g. upstate NY) is not the most productive charter location (vs. Florida, California, etc.) considering the weather patterns (frequent high wind velocity, rough water etc.) and charters have to make their money during a very tight seasonal interval characterized by "blow -offs", "no shows" cancellations, and various other situational factors that affect their ability to make money. Many of the guys i have known have basically chartered to pay for their boats and equipment and perhaps make a little extra if they have a good year. There is also a lot of unseen things involved in the business which in other jobs might generate "overtime" pay. Something often forgotten by customers and charter "wannabees" alike is the time spent prepping the boat between and after customers leave, rigging/re-rigging of fishing equipment, mopping up puke, and all sorts of other things not encountered in most ordinary jobs. When you figure up the time spent in total a full charter day may end up being an 18 hour day (counting travel etc.). When you add up the time, expense for fuel, equipment costs, none of these guys is making "NFL salaries"....it often amounts to tax "write -offs" for many depending on the year. I return to the issue at hand...."tipping" - if a captain is highly dependent on "tipping" to make his money there is either something wrong with his rates or changes are needed in his business plan. For some folks going on charters just coming up with the basic money to do it (shared with others) is difficult and they may not have the money to throw around on exorbitant tips. From a business standpoint it doesn't seem to make good sense to make people "nervous" about the expectancy of large "tips"...it can be a business "killer" heading off potential customers and keeping others from repeating the experience of telling their friends how great the experience was...only that it was way too "expensive" (regardless of the actual cost). People never like to feel that they are being "pressured" to come up with money but they are much more amenable to "rewarding" service providers when they feel they should. Just my take on it....

Nice going Dave! Interesting report too. I can't wait to get after the salmon up that way later on but preoccupied with the Fingers right now and the Seneca Derby in particular. Keep after them and best of luck to you. Let me know when you fish down this way and maybe we can give it a try out here like last time with the rigs Les

Sweet....a lot of folks thought that it was all done but those water temps have been slow to rise this year and the crappies are still very active in places....when you find them it is like discovering a gold mine great eating too.

The cloudiness or yellowing on plastic windows is often related to ultraviolet light exposure over time and from what I have seen once it is at that stage it is "permanent" (I'm assuming that condition is what you are referring to)

It really helps to buy power handles for them....makes quite a difference.

:yes: on the Penn 309's Zack. The older red colored ones are my choice. Those reels are pretty "bullet proof" and relatively inexpensive and you can find parts for them fairly easilyif need be. There are other reel options too but those are my favorites...I have 6 or7 and they have lasted for many many years without anything being done to them. Just don't ever oil the drag system on them.(seen others do it and have to replace the drags)

Thanks for the vote of confidence guys....the pressure is on...I can't screw up now....

All I can say is south end evening.

I'll send you a PM

I would check the service manual at a marina for sure.....I ran my Merc Optimax for 12 years and after the impeller failed found out that it is supposed to be replaced every two years in an Optimax. It was noted in the service manual but not in my owners manual. (and yes I did know I was skating on thin ice beforehand ) Basically they take a "set" (e.g. bend out of shape slightly rather than actually being destroyed per se. and no longer fit tightly to pull the water the way they are supposed to. I was surprised that the water still spurted out the ejection port....I figured that it would stop altogether but I was told that not so...but the upper cylinders may not receive the necessary flow for cooling raising the engine temp abnormally and if extreme can "smoke them". Luckily my warning alarm went on and engine only went to 190 degrees and I shut it down so no damage done. Lesson learned...I won't risk it again. I know it is an outboard but still the same principle.