Say yes, be on time & don’t be needy!
You can envision it; the image is so clear in your mind. It’s a hot, steamy summer evening and your phone buzzes. It’s a text from your buddy. “Hey we’re gonna head offshore tomorrow and Jimmy bailed, we need one more crew. Any interest in doing some tuna fishing? Boat leaves at 3:30 a.m.”
And now that casual Friday night at home just turned into the very best way to spend a Saturday, if you ask me! And it’s an incredible opportunity for the future as well.
Now, maybe you don’t do a ton of offshore fishing for bluewater species; maybe you have been offshore but don’t seem to get invited back after your first trip with a new captain. Whatever your experience, you know that tomorrow’s captain and crew take it pretty seriously. They have that big center console with twin 300 Yamaha outboards and post some pretty awesome pictures of tuna on Instagram.
It’s an exciting thing to get invited out with an experienced crew, and I’d like offer up a few tips and general guidelines I have accumulated over years of being both a captain running guided trips as well as a guest myself on ventures to the deep water.
Be On Time!
Something those pretty Instagram pictures don’t portray is the many hours of preparation and hard work that go into a successful offshore trip. The snapshots of tuna don’t accurately detail all of the post-trip work and cleanup that come well before that poke bowl selfie back home. The trip photos don’t typically portray the meticulously stocked tackle boxes, 200-pound coolers full of ice being lugged in and out of truck beds, hours of rigging rods and reels, and the learned hours of unique systems a captain and crew operate under. However, if you follow just a handful of offshore etiquette guidelines you are not only going to have an exciting experience offshore and get that prized grip and grin pic, but ensure that your captain is going to enjoy having you and invite you back for future trips!
We are not going to waste any time here; far and away the most important guideline in this whole list is to be on time! And when I say be on time, I really mean be early. Show up to the boat or marina or ramp at least 30 minutes before you were told to. I cannot stress enough how being on time can set you up for serious success. And let’s be honest if you’re already going to be waking up at 2 a.m. what’s the difference if you wake up at 1:30 to be the first one to the boat. Being on time allows you to ready all your gear/materials and be ready to help the captain with the big things like coolers full of ice, carts full of tackle and rods, etc.
On the flip side, if you are late to arrive, not only has the rest of the crew done the heavy lifting without your help, but timing is paramount to Northeast offshore fishing. Sometimes a tuna bite window could really only last for the first hour of sun. Seriously, sunrise is the magic hour. If you show up late and put the boat behind schedule, by even 30 minutes, you and the whole crew could miss your shot at greatness.
Don’t Be Needy
The next most important guideline is to not be needy; in other words be prepared and self-sufficient to the best of your ability. Now, you’ll want to take this one with a grain of salt; it’s something that really can only be accomplished after some experience and by investing a bit of thought into your gear and spending some time really trying to learn about the fishery. If the captain said to bring a rod or two and you happen to have your own, make sure they are rigged and ready the night before. There will be no time to thread line through your guides, tie your leaders and rig a lure. When that boat comes down off plane at your destination you want to be ready to fish.
This self-sufficiency goes for all your other gear too. Make sure you have a small bag loaded with the essentials including sunglasses, hat, sunscreen, an extra layer of clothing, whatever tackle you have (leader, hardware, lures, etc.) It really becomes a hindrance if you are constantly needing to ask for something you could have easily brought yourself. This guideline also goes for techniques and methods of fishing offshore. Do your best to pay attention and learn as you fish. Ask questions and offer to be taught how to assist. It can seem very overwhelming to jump into the world of outriggers, large format rod and reels, hooks, swivels, clips, and two-speed reels, but if you pay attention it won’t take you long to understand the systems.
But keep this in mind too; you can also become a hindrance if you bring too much gear. Keep it simple; don’t bring a giant duffle full of extra tackle, clothes or other junk that you almost certainly won’t touch, it will just get in the way.
In addition to whatever gear you bring with you, be sure to have plenty of food and water with you. I suggest bringing nothing but ready to eat food like granola bars, fruit, sandwiches, that kind of stuff which keeps the mess and garbage to a minimum. I recommend bringing along something to share with the whole crew like cookies, chips and dip, pretzels; my favorite actually is a container of supermarket fried chicken. There is something about fried chicken that calls the tuna right to the boat!
If deep fried poultry doesn’t fit your summer bod diet, bring along a bag of fruit or a six-pack of Gatorades. Different captains and crews have varying opinions on alcohol offshore; it’s a good idea to ask permission before you bring any. If you do or if there is booze present, I think a good rule of thumb is to read the room (boat) appropriately and if you choose to partake, just don’t become a drunken liability. By the way, if you have ever been seasick or car sick or experienced any kind of motion sickness, you should definitely bring along some Dramamine or other appropriate meds. You would really hate to be the green-faced guy bent over the gunwale and wishing only to be back on the dock. And it is no easy task to get you home to solid ground and end your suffering, especially if the bite is on.
Fill ‘Er Up!
| OFFSHORE CHECKLIST |
A duffle or waterproof canyon bag with the following essentials will ensure you’re ready for a day on the offshore grounds:
In terms of tackle – leader, hardware, lures, jigs, etc. – have a gear bag ready to go with what you might need, but check with the captain and crew at the dock first as to whether you’ll need it or even if they have the room. Better to be prepared and have to leave it in your truck dockside, as opposed to getting to the dock and learning that the one item needed is still in your tackle tray back home. |
Every captain and crew is different when it comes to fuel costs but I think a tried and true rule is to always expect to, and if not prompted, offer to pay for your fair share of fuel. A good captain should have a pretty solid idea of how much fuel they expect to burn on a trip, so asking to pitch in for costs before a trip is totally reasonable. It is very possible that the original fishing plan goes awry and the captain decides on the fly to run to a different zone, in which case the anticipated fuel cost might go up. Trust me, the divine, mind altering buzz of a tuna ripping line off a reel at light speed is worth every additional penny!
At the end of a successful offshore trip, pulling back up to the dock or boat ramp will feel like a triumphant victory! Which it is. But it is certainly not the end of the day. I encourage all guests to stick around and help with clean-up, filleting fish, organization, boat washing, trash removal, rod rinsing, and all the other tasks it takes to keep a fishing vessel tip top. Do not be the first person to leave upon return. Offer up some sweat and elbow grease and I promise your captain will be happy to have you back.
If you are invited out on someone’s boat for a day of fishing offshore – whether it’s to the nearshore grounds, or the canyons – treat the vessel and crew how you would want to be treated as the host. Be considerate, be eager to help, eager to fish hard all day, don’t get discouraged if the action seems to be slow (because it can change in a heartbeat), and most importantly be on time!
