This was my grandson’s first charter and it could not have been better. Captain Lou could not have been more attentive to all of us and especially to Carson. We are looking forward to fishing with Captain Lou next summer.

We caught our limit of big fish… Steelhead, Salmon and Lake Trout.
Captain Lou worked hard to find us the perfect fish. Much appreciated!

My gandson & son-in-law decided to take me fishing on Father’s Day.  However, the day looked as though it might be a cold/rainy/windy or all of the above day.  So at the last minute I called Captain Lou to see if he would take us out at the last minute.  Amazingly, he was free in the afternoon and so we sealed the deal.  Trip on!  As it turned out the weather was warm, the sky slightly over cast and the wind was blowing about 2-3 knots; just about perfect!  We met Captain Lou at the dock and loaded our gear and shoved off to try our luck. oh, I forgot to mention that all of us are rank beginners when it comes to fishing.  On the way out to the selected spot, Lou got us all up to speed on the the safety gear and the boat in general.  After this short familiarization, Lou set to work getting the trawling gear set and he took particular care to keep my 11-year old grandson involved by letting him choose the lures and telling him why he was doing all of the things needed to get ready to fish.  Even before the boat was fully setup we got our firs strike which managed to get off the hook as we were not quite ready to start fishing.  In the next hour and a half we landed four beautiful King salmon (see photos).  My grandson fought his fish all the way to the transom by himself and Lou netted the fish and got it on board.  After fishing Lou cleaned the fish and had my grandson help.  On the way in Lou let the little guy drive the boat (a big added bonus for an 11-year old boy).  To say we had a good time is a big understatement.

Follow Up - A couple of days later, I called my daughter to say hello and my grandson answered.  He immediately told me that he had the rest of the Summer’s fishing all figured out.  He had invited four of his friends and their father’s out for a day of fishing and all he had left to do was call Captain Lou and get things setup.  I was forced to bring him down to earth a little by telling him that the maximum number that can be on the boat is six in including the captain.  Always the problem solver, I was told that this was OK, we’d just go on more trips!  Oh, to be young again.

From 1987 until 2007 I fished Lake Ontario for salmonids out of Oak Orchard in my own (small) boat.  After losing my fishing partner I sold my boat and concentrated on fly fishing.  After a few years I got the itch to go after the big silver guys again.  My “problem” was that there were only two of us and the vast majority of charters seemed to be geared towards larger groups.  Seemed like overkill.  After some research, It looked like Get the Net Charters and Capt Lou Borrelli might be a good fit.  In hindsight, I don’t think I could have made a better decision.  With his 21’ Aquasport, Capt Lou is uniquely positioned to accommodate smaller groups at a comparatively modest cost.

Working with Lou, we identified a two day window in late July in order to establish a little flexibility.  Lou’s willingness (he actually suggested it) to do this was appreciated.  As it turned out, there was very unsettled weather preceding my trip and the lake flipped dramatically resulting in 43 degree water inshore.  I was glad that I brought a sweatshirt with me.  Lou explained that we would run offshore until we found some decent temperatures.  I want to interject here that my desire to do this trip extended far beyond the likelihood of pulling in some big kings.  I really wanted to relive some of the experiences that I’d had with my late brother years before. I wanted to drive a boat, smell the lake and the fumes and the fish, set and pull lines, pick lures, drink some beer, tell stories and solve most of the world’s problems.  Oh, yes, and catch some fish.  Capt Lou listened to me and allowed me to participate in the technical aspects of the trip to the extent that he could, which I greatly appreciated.  It was a fantastic experience, but only 1st Mate Chuck was able to solve the world’s problems.  Meanwhile, Lou taught me a lot about using leadcore and cut bait rigs, two methods I’d never tried.

We caught a lot of fish.  All kings, which, I believe, had to do with the weird weather.  The water was cold at the surface, resulting in the fish going absolutely nuts at the back of the boat and necessitating some skillful boat handling and netting drills.  Again, Lou let me pitch in and help, which to me was as thrilling as catching a fish.  Chuck was terrific. 

Bald Eagle Marina has a lot of nice new facilities.

To wrap up, definitely contact Get the Net Charters for your fishing adventure, especially if you have a small group. 

Jim C
Sewickley PA

I bought a full day fishing trip with Captain Lou for my nephew and 3 buddies as a graduation gift.  Captain Lou responded to all of my inquiries leading up to the trip in a timely manner.
All of the boys had a GREAT time!  They caught about 20 salmon, keeping only the allotted amount. The largest fish was 24 pounds.  Captain Lou cleaned and cut the fish they were keeping.
Captain Lou provided an outstanding experience for the boys!  He even took one of the kids back to shore when he began feeling ill.
I would HIGHLY recommend Lou for your fishing trip!