Come June of this year, I will have been on the water for 50 years. Over 40 years on Barnegat Bay alone. My number one priority is that you catch fish. I also want you to have a great day on the water but let's be honest you chartered a fishing boat so that you could go catch fish. Maybe going home with a bag of fillet is not your goal but bending the rod has to be. If you are looking for fish to take home, I support you. We will keep and clean as much fish as the regulations allow. If you would like to catch and release, we encourage that, too. One thing will be apparent: I will be working to put you and your group on the fish, no matter what your agenda.

 

I will also do everything I can to make sure we are safe. I don't go out the inlet when the water is rough. We can either re-schedule or go to Plan B: fish the bay. Not your typical Plan B, I always have some gourmet bait and light tackle on board for just such an occasion. Barnegat Bay holds plenty of gamefish to provide a day of action when the ocean won't allow us.

 

If your kids are under 13, they must wear a lifejacket. If you have your own, bring it along or I always have a variety of sizes at the dock to try on before we leave the marina.

 

If we are headed offshore I always bring a six man survival raft and an EPIRB. The raft is always kept up to date with reccomended servicing and the EPIRB is a satellite search and rescue signal transmitter. Two things we hope to never use but I never leave the dock without them when we are headed offshore.