Im very thankful that I have been blessed with the opportunity to work for some incredible owners and their families over the years. They have all been quite different but each of them have given me many experiences, friendships and skills for which I will always be grateful. From running charters out of my hometown, traveling to many incredible fishing locations, participating in a few new boat builds and presently chasing blue marlin with an owner that loves it as much as I do, I couldnt have asked for more.
It a tough decision for some boat owners to make when they get to the point where they need a full-time crew. They usually start out on smaller boats fishing with their friends and may be reluctant when moving up to a larger boat thinking of losing the personal aspect of it all by having a crew of strangers running their operation. From what Ive witnessed over the years, it quite the opposite. Many owners and crew end up building lifelong friendships and partnerships by sharing a similar passion for boating and fishing that brings them together with shared experiences as well.
All programs are different depending on the owner needs and program expectations. Salaries will vary also depending on how rigorous or time consuming a job may be. Ive seen many posts lately on how much the going rate is for a captain position without regard to the size of boat, requirements of the owner or experience of the captain. Every situation is different in this industry, and there are enough owners and captains out there to find a perfect match for any program. Some owners may only take their friends, family and customers out for a few cruises or fishing trips per season while others may require extensive travel to distant locations, fishing hundreds of days a year.
Regardless of how moderate or intense the operation is, hard work, persistence and determination creates success no matter what. Most owners have practiced these values to get to where they are and should rightfully expect that of their sportfishing crews. Truly competitive fishing teams need good leadership. While the captain takes on most of the daily planning and responsibility, when it all said and done the owner is the person who puts the team together and provides the tools and access necessary to accomplish the goals and success of the team.
Many thanks to all the sportfish owners out there for keeping this industry growing and a special thanks to my boss Chris Heule and his family for being so passionate about this sport that allows myself and my crew to continue to do what we love.
