Captain
Samuel Downing

Member since June 2019 Lakeside Marblehead, United States
Background
Capt. Samuels grew up in western Pennsylvania and was introduced to hunting and fishing as soon as he could hold a rod and a gun. He remembers fishing with his dad on the Allegheny River where he would night fish for Sucker and Catfish as a little boy. They moved on to wading the streams fishing for Trout, learning the finesse techniques of fly fishing, and the patience involved with the sport. As the captain grew older, they ventured to the Great Lakes in New York and Pennsylvania to fish for Salmon and Steelhead creating great memories. Capt. Samuel went into the Air Force and ended up stationed in North Dakota where he was exposed to Walleye fishing on Devils Lake. He fell in love with the challenges of catching Walleye. Several years later, he ended up living in Michigan surrounded by tremendous Walleye fishing opportunities. He purchased a Lund boat, gained knowledge and experience, and decided to upgrade to his North River and get a charter license to share what he's learned.
Techniques
Capt. Samuel trolls, jigs, drifts, and casts for Walleye. His crew has the boat equipped to do it all with all the gear needed. Some customers like the rod in hand, others like to just reel them in and let the boat do the work, so the crew lets the customers decide. The captain's preference changes with the season and the weather. He jigs and trolls in the spring, drifts, trolls, and casts in early to late summer, and trolls in the fall into winter.

Hey, I'm Captain Samuel Downing

Lakeside Marblehead, United States
Background
Capt. Samuels grew up in western Pennsylvania and was introduced to hunting and fishing as soon as he could hold a rod and a gun. He remembers fishing with his dad on the Allegheny River where he would night fish for Sucker and Catfish as a little boy. They moved on to wading the streams fishing for Trout, learning the finesse techniques of fly fishing, and the patience involved with the sport. As the captain grew older, they ventured to the Great Lakes in New York and Pennsylvania to fish for Salmon and Steelhead creating great memories. Capt. Samuel went into the Air Force and ended up stationed in North Dakota where he was exposed to Walleye fishing on Devils Lake. He fell in love with the challenges of catching Walleye. Several years later, he ended up living in Michigan surrounded by tremendous Walleye fishing opportunities. He purchased a Lund boat, gained knowledge and experience, and decided to upgrade to his North River and get a charter license to share what he's learned.
Techniques
Capt. Samuel trolls, jigs, drifts, and casts for Walleye. His crew has the boat equipped to do it all with all the gear needed. Some customers like the rod in hand, others like to just reel them in and let the boat do the work, so the crew lets the customers decide. The captain's preference changes with the season and the weather. He jigs and trolls in the spring, drifts, trolls, and casts in early to late summer, and trolls in the fall into winter.
Anglers Choice
Verified

My Charter Listings

Excellent
4.9 / 5
(110 reviews)
Angler's choice
Lakeside Marblehead
 Instant Confirmation
Trips from US $375
Excellent
5.0 / 5
(3 reviews)
Angler's choice
Lorain
 Instant Confirmation
Trips from US $400
Excellent
5.0 / 5
(3 reviews)
Angler's choice
Olcott
 2 bookings in the past week.
 Instant Confirmation
Trips from US $450
Excellent
5.0 / 5
(1 review)
Angler's choice
Huron
 Instant Confirmation
Trips from US $375

Customer reviews

Rating summary
Excellent
4.9 / 5
out of 5 stars from 117 reviews
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
4.9 / 5
Experience
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Photos & videos by reviewers (146)
Fishing with Samuel
Great trip
Great trip
+143
Angler rating
108
6
0
0
0
Anglers claimed
Good experience
97%
Friendly captain
100%
Recommend this charter
97%
Appropriate for children
94%
Satisfied with the boat
100%
Caught fish
100%
Sort by:
Featured  
Showing:
5 of 117 reviews
Robert R.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

What a blast!

VERIFIED   NEW  6 Hr Trip – Walleye (AM) 2-6 ppl on June 1, 2025
Captain Samuel delivered a fantastic experience for myself and my two sons on our first walleye charter (it won’t be the...
Robert R. recommends Pork Chop Express Charters
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Jeromy S.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Great trip

VERIFIED   NEW  6 Hour Trip – Walleye (AM) on June 8, 2025
This was a great experience!!! Captain and crew were awesome. Highly recommend if you want to catch some fish. Booking with...
Jeromy S. recommends Pork Chop Express Charters II
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2 persons find this review helpful
You and 2 people found this review helpful
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Andrew A.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Great Trip

VERIFIED   6 Hr Trip – Walleye (PM) 2-6 ppl on July 8, 2024
We caught Our limit in about 3 hrs.  For those booking an afternoon trip, make sure you read the details.  It starts an...
Andrew A. recommends Pork Chop Express Charters
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Dave S.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Great experience

VERIFIED   4 hour trip - (AM) 2-4 people on July 23, 2024
Sam and Caleb were exceptionally professional and knowledgeable about the lake and where the fish would be. They put us right...
Dave S. recommends Pork Chop Express Charters
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Markus W.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Great day! Caught all limits!

VERIFIED   6 Hr Trip – Walleye (AM) 2-6 ppl on May 16, 2025
The crew for Pork Chop Express were great! We had a big crew and hired both boats and we could not have asked for a better...
Markus W. recommends Pork Chop Express Charters
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1 person finds this review helpful
You and 1 other person found this review helpful
  Samuel Downing Captain replied