Newbie etiquette questions

[broken_rod]

Next week will be my first charter trip on Lake O. I have a couple of questions about etiquette. All feedback welcomed.

1) What would you suggest for an acceptable tip amount or percent?

2) Is there a significant benefit to the charter captain if you boat a fish that is a derby winner? I guess what I'm trying to figure out is whether a captain really prefers his clients to be derby contestants, or if it's solely personal choice to LOC or not to LOC.

Thanks in advance.

[orangediablo]

Haven't been on a charter in years so can't really comment on #1. But for #2, I'm guessing it differs captain to captain, but if you are spending a bunch of dough on a charter for a day or two, what's another $30 for an LOC ticket? (or $15 for a single day). Imagine what it would feel like to catch a $20,000 fish, but didn't spend the $30 to get it........ It happened in this summer derby........

[Missdemeanor]

I would get in the derby....hands down.....Last summer I had a group of people out ..I strongly encouraged them to get in the summer derby.....At the end of the day the 19 Lb steel head in the cooler was cut into fillets because no one bothered to get in....Happens all the time.....Right HookedUp Bruce?

Tipping is usually a customary thing on charters....My thoughts are you should tip according to how hard the captain Worked....If a guy is really breaking his a$$ in the back of the boat all day, then a good tip is appropriate....A good tip can be from 100 to 150 bucks. Good luck on your trip......

[ray koziatek]

if ya wanna fish near Sandy Creek (about 20 mi west of rochester) Jerry on Runnin Rebel will show ya a good time...His Team always does real good in derbys and he has fished the lake sence he was a wee lad..I almost feel guilty to refering you to anyone as I know many Great Captians on the lake...If ya wanna pm me with what yer looking to expect IE: BIG boat,Fast Boat,Number of guest ,where on lake ect,ect..Ill try to get ya in the ballpark......Most Good Charters are real busy ,And Im shure a few have PM'd you by now..With the exception of a few you almost cant go wrong the way the bite has been this year..

Ray.K

[Legacy]

I would get in the derby....hands down.....Last summer I had a group of people out ..I strongly encouraged them to get in the summer derby.....At the end of the day the 19 Lb steel head in the cooler was cut into fillets because no one bothered to get in....Happens all the time.....Right HookedUp Bruce?

Tipping is usually a customary thing on charters....My thoughts are you should tip according to how hard the captain Worked....If a guy is really breaking his a$$ in the back of the boat all day, then a good tip is appropriate....A good tip can be from 100 to 150 bucks. Good luck on your trip......

and dont forget the first mate!

[broken_rod]

Thank you for the great feedback. I'll throw in for the derby given the entrance fee vs. possible reward. And good point, Legacy, about tipping the mate if there is one.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[W.W.IV.]

All tips went to my mate, he was way under paid. .

[lakebound88]

I would get in the derby....hands down.....Last summer I had a group of people out ..I strongly encouraged them to get in the summer derby.....At the end of the day the 19 Lb steel head in the cooler was cut into fillets because no one bothered to get in....Happens all the time.....Right HookedUp Bruce?

Tipping is usually a customary thing on charters....My thoughts are you should tip according to how hard the captain Worked....If a guy is really breaking his a$$ in the back of the boat all day, then a good tip is appropriate....A good tip can be from 100 to 150 bucks. Good luck on your trip......

and dont forget the first mate!

[ Post made via Android ]

[TOP SECRET]

When we used to take charters (10+ yrs ago), if the mate worked his butt off we gave 20% (wether we caught fish or not). If the mate worked his butt off but was rude/nasty he got 10%. If he just did his job or was so nasty it made the trip no fun, he got no tip. Never tipped the captain (never went on a charter where he was also the first mate, if we had we would have tipped him).

As far as LOC, you're the customer you do what you want. If the captain says he won't get in the loc, you dont want that captain. Ask him to verify his LOC number as well. We had a captain lie to us once in Mexico and when my uncle boated what would have been the first place salmon that year, the captain said "i never thought we'd actually catch one that big".

A few port recos I can give are Yankee Troller and SalmoSalar at the Oak, Dandy Eyes out of Pultneyville, Fishin Magician out of Sodus, Cold Steel out of Oswego. Lots of other great charter captains on this board...

Nick

[ Post made via Android ]

[bout time]

Been on many charters and have run MANY trips of my own, One thing to keep in mind is some of the BEST CAPTAINS still have days where the fish do not cooperste. it does not mean that they are not the BEST CAPTAINS. you can tell when a guy is working his ass off and putting in effort regardless of how many fish are in the box. too many people judge someone by how many fish they catch versus the experience and time on the water. we all love to catch fish but there is more to it. i always say if the captain/mate are curteous, knowledgable, and are working their butts off to try to get into fish then they deserve a good tip. It is like having the greatest Waiter in the world and the Cook screwed up the food - its not the waiters fault.

on the other side you can always tell when they are taking you on a "water taxi".

just my 2 cents........

[Mortigan]

My first charter was in spring; we caught 40+ fish, all six species of trout and salmon and a random smallmouth. Our second was for summer kings; the take was more normal. Both had been arranged as teaching charters so we could figure out one end of our boat from the other. Each was entertaining and informative - and were equally valuable.

Thanks, Legacy.

[BSmaster]

1.)A captain that cares about your fishing trip should get a little extra. 20% seems good to me. I do not punish the wait staff for what the chef did so I am not going to punish the captain for what the weather is doing or what the fish aren't doing. An excellent way to determine how good of a captain/host etc. your charter is by knowing how much repeat business he has. If you don't do well and you get back to port and the other boats did well and you like the Captain... You still should give him something but you may not want to book him again.

2.)I do not fish tournaments (not why I fish) yet I do not see the problem of spending a little more for the chance of winning. It also sounds like the captain has something to gain from putting the boat on the fish. Anyone in the boat can grab the rod after it pops. So if a non LOC pulls in the winner the Capt. stands to lose out on publicity. His web page may look more inviting if he has the previous years derby fish on his home page.

Good luck, fishing is pretty good right now.

[reelintense]

The advice on tips is right on....

As for the LOC, the best way to catch a large fish, is to not be entered. Like many of us have said, we have seen it again and again. This summer LOC it happened and honestly, it happened during the FALL 2011 LOC....aboard a charter out of Olcott I believe....guy lands a 40lb king last weekend of the tournament and didnt pay the $15. That's $20,000 lost because of trying to save a few bucks. These charter captains (most) know there stuff and put you onto fish. Along the way, they are going to have big fish....just a matter of whether client was in or out!

my two cents

[Mortigan]

Along the same line - is there a "standard" for what to do if you're on a charter and land a LOC winner (in any category)? I'm familiar with salt water tournaments that split payouts according to shares but how does it (or should it) work here?