FAQ

Good charter captains understand that this is your trip! They should not spend all their time fishing and ignoring you. They should take time to explain fishing methods, bait, location of fish and the different species to you. Good captains will have a lot of patience and be willing to help and spend time with beginners as well as seasoned pros. Most of all, good professional captains will have a great attitude toward you and your party. They should not pretend they are better than everyone else and boss you around. In general, captains should want you to have a good time and catch fish. Sometimes, though, fish just will not bite no matter what is offered as bait. You have a good fishing trip when you feel comfortable and safe, enjoy the company of the captain/1st mate, learn a trick or two and catch a few fish. They can make or break your fishing trip. Charter captains and their 1st mates are great people and excellent teachers, as long as you hire the right ones!

Mainly we catch 5 different species of fish: Chinook (King) Salmon, Coho Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout and Lake Trout. Some days you may get all 5 species and other days, 1 or 2 kinds. It just depends on the time of the year, where we fish and the lake temperature.Almost always though, you will catch some variation of King Salmon, Coho Salmon and Rainbow Trout as these are the most heavily populated fish in our area.

We supply: 

• The captain and 1st mate (please remember that the 1st mate works for tips – typically 15-20% of the charter, if you feel he has worked hard for you!)
• The boat
• All fishing equipment and baits
• The promise that we will do our best to be professional, courteous, catch some fish, give you a few laughs and overall show you a great time that you will remember for years to come and hopefully come out with us again and again! If you have any questions on anything, please feel free to call or e-mail us and we will do our best to help you.

• A camera/smartphone to remember your trip.
• Warm clothes, even when it’s warm onshore, it can be much cooler (and usually is) on the lake.
• Rain gear, if the weather is threatening.
• Beverages, sandwiches, snacks, etc. (Please bring beverages in metal cans or plastic bottles, no glass please!
• Motion sickness medication, if you feel it may be needed. Please remember this needs to be taken prior to leaving as it won’t help once you are already sick! FYI, I have noticed some of my customers lately have been getting their doctors to issue them a prescription for a patch that goes behind their ear (it’s for nausea) that seems to be highly effective!
• Large cooler with ice to bring your fish home. Cooler should be left with your vehicle as we carry a very large cooler with ice on the boat to place your fish in until we get back to the dock. We do have space for smaller coolers (carry-on type) for your beverages and snacks. 

We want all of our customers to have a great time, but we do have a few rules to allow everyone onboard to have a safe and enjoyable trip!

• Soft soled shoes only please. Sneakers, tennis shoes, soft soled sandals, etc. are good types of footwear. This is for your safety as hard soled shoes can be very slippery on a wet and moving deck. Also, dark hard soled shoes can leave very hard to clean marks on a white non-skid deck.
• Please drink in moderation. This is for your safety and the safety of those around you!
• No illegal drugs of any type will be tolerated and will also result in the termination of the charter and loss of payment. (Note: recreational use of marijuana is not legal in the State of Wisconsin at this time.)

• Residents: you will need to have a Great Lakes Salmon/Trout stamp with your annual license or purchase a two-day Great Lakes License.
• Non-Residents: you will need to purchase a two-day Great Lakes License for everyone 16 years of age and older. License cost is $14.
• Purchase Options:
• online at Wisconsin DNR website: gowild.wi.gov
• physical locations – Mills Fleet Farm, WalMart and Louies Sporting Goods
• Note – you will need to have a hard copy of fishing license in your posession as this is what is required for fishing the outlying waters of Wisconsin  (Lake Michigan). 

We can bring up to 6 passengers (this does not include the captain and 1st mat) per U.S. Coast Guard regulations. However, please keep in mind that fewer people onboard means more opportunity for each person to catch fish.

Absolutely! We enjoy teaching/coaching them how to bring in fish and many times find we have just created a fisherman or fisherwoman for life. Please note however, that in my experience, very small children can get overwhelmed/frightened being out on the open waters on a moving/rolling boat.

• On AM charters (our most popular), we usually like to leave approximately 1/2 hour before sunrise. On PM charters, we like to time it so that we are fishing when the sun sets. In both cases, we try to be on the water during the best fishing times.
• Charter times are dock to dock and charter will also end if we manage catch a limit of fish which is currently (5) (all species count toward the 5) per person! We call that a great day!
• Please arrive at the dock approximately 15 minutes before the agreed upon departure time.

• Smoking: Yes you can, but only outside in the back of the boat. Please, no smoking in the cabin or on the flybridge.
• Alcohol: Yes you can. Enjoy yourself, but please don’t overdue it.

The boat is located at Manitowoc Marina, 425 Maritime Drive (please see the google map on the “Contacts” page). We are berthed at Dock E-11 (the northern most dock at the marina). Exit Maritime Drive at the fish cleaning station and drive to the dock. We will meet your party at the dock gate. Note: I always have my phone on me if you have any questions on where to go/park.

A great place to start is the City of Manitowoc website (visitors page) located @: www.manitowoc.org/9/Visitors . Also, the Google Map that is located in my  “Contact Us” Page, lists many lodging and restaurant options. You can also call or e-mail me if you would like my suggestions for lodging, restaurants and things to see and do in the area.