Sometimes a plan goes too well!

Had a last-minute, 3/4 day booking yesterday from a fisherman who, "just wants to catch some mackerel." With 8 hours to work with, I wasn't too concerned about getting into some fish. Unfortunately, with the wind and seas forecast, I wasn't sure we'd be able to get offshore for the bigger king mackerel. I'd been catching a number of undersized kings close to shore, but hadn't seen many bigger ones yet. But what we do have in abundance right now is Spanish mackerel. For those guys, we wouldn't have to be more than a half-mile off of the beaches. I told the client that if he was OK with this, we'd play it by ear when we get out of the inlet, and let the conditions determine how the day would go. I wanted to get out as early as possible before the day heated up, as the best bite is going to be in the coolest part of the day. He was OK with this plan, and as promised, he showed up a good bit before the scheduled 06:00 departure time. The breeze was already stiffening as I loaded the boat, and when we cleared the inlet, the swells were not too bad, but the wind was crossing them and creating a chop. I knew it would be a miserable ride to the offshore water, and because of the wind direction, it would also be a miserable ride home. Fortunately, the nearshore waters were relatively protected in this wind, and not as rough. I put out the Clark spoons and planers and turned back toward the shallower... and calmer... water. It took a few minutes to get to the fish, but then the action got pretty steady with a good class of Spanish mackerel, mixed with blues and the ubiquitous lizard fish. About an hour in, I asked the client to peek into the cooler and get a count, as I had lost track. We had seven fish on ice and had lost at least as many before they got to the boat. We talked about limits and how many fish he wanted to keep (and clean). The limit per person is 15 Spanish, so technically the two of us could take 30 fish. I warned him that 30 is a lot of fish, and asked if he could really use that many. He responded reasonably, and said he thought one limit would be enough. I let him know that if he caught a few extras, I didn’t mind taking home enough for dinner, but I didn’t need a whole pile of fish either. The fish kept coming, and he was getting better at landing them, so after a while I did another count. The catch had tripled, as we now had 21 fish in the box! I checked the clock in the cabin. It was only 09:49! He still had over four hours left on this 3/4 day charter. I asked what he'd like to do... keep fishing and catch a few more, or switch it up and try some slow trolling for kings? He considered the options. It was already blazing hot (into the 90s with high humidity). The wind was still freshening and white caps dotted the water offshore. After a moment, he explained that he didn't know what he would do with more fish, especially not something bigger. This was all he could handle, but he also said he was pretty satisfied, as this trip was already everything he'd wanted it to be. As a captain, this is the kind of thing you like to hear, but at the same time, I felt like he should at least get another couple of hours out of the trip. I offered to take him in at Wrightsville Beach and do a little sightseeing cruise, but he said he was pretty much done with the heat and he still had a long drive home. So we were back at the dock by 10:30, the boat was clean and stowed before 11, the client was on the way home, and less than an hour later, I was back in my easy chair and napping in the air conditioning. Pro Tip Time There’s a good reminder here if you are considering booking a trip. It’s always good to talk to the captain ahead of time and let us work with you to make sure you are booking the best trip for your money. So, for example, if you just want to stay nearshore and target Spanish mackerel (delicious and fun to catch), I usually recommend a half-day trip. Six hours is more than enough time. We don’t have to travel very far and we’re literally fishing almost the entire time. The point is, if you book a trip and choose to end it early for any reason, you’re usually going to be charged the full price. If it helps, think of it like this. You are buying a day off of the captain’s calendar. If you don’t use the whole day, we can’t put it back on the shelf and sell it to someone else. It’s always easier to negotiate for a longer day than to ask for a refund for “unused time.”