Patent Pending Charters
What a great run. This has been a wonderful learning experience and I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. But it is time for it to end.
I told Captain John Whitman of the “Patent Pending” that this was going to be my last year as mate. John and I have become fast friends and I didn’t want to wait until the end of the season to let him know. I figured it might be easier to find a mate during fishing season than after in January, February, and March.
I will mate on the “Patent Pending” for the rest of the season. If Captain John gets somebody sooner, I’ll help train them now.
“Patent Pending” is moored in Deale, Maryland. She is a three year old 46 ft Markley. She is beautiful. I have had the pleasure of working on her since she was new.
The qualities of a successful mate are dependability, personality, and a working knowledge of fishing the Bay. In the Spring, we troll 22 lines with planer boards; summer finds us live-lining spot and trolling 6 to 7 lines for blues. Late fall is back to trolling 22 lines for big rock.
The mate is expected to be at the boat an hour before departure (spring) to get all the rods out and ready. In the summer, you can get away with only 30 minutes before departure. After the charter, it’s time to wash down the “Patent Pending” and re-rig rods that need new leaders or lures. It’s also important to rinse down all the tackle and put it away for the next trip. This after charter time can easily add another 90 minutes to the day.
This post trip cleanup sounds like a lot of work, but if you enjoy being on the water (at the slip) listening to music, washing the boat, and talking with other people walking down the pier, then it’s enjoyable.
A successful mate must like people as you are an extension of Captain John’s business. A grumpy mate can drive customers away. Captain John wants to grow his business. This is primarily why I am getting out. Together, we have expanded his charters from the time I arrived. It is getting to the point now, where I don’t have enough time for my own boat. As most of you know, I bought a 27 Judge Chesapeake last September. I love it, but because of charters, I don’t get on it as much as I would like. It’s difficult to be making payments on something you can’t use!!
I have learned a lot about the waters south of Deale, and I have perfected my fishing abilities to the point that I now consider myself a decent fisherman. These were two goals I had set for myself when I took the job 3 years ago. While I am sure I will miss being a mate, I hope to fill that void with my own boat. It was not an easy decision to end this run with Captain John, and a warning to whoever takes the job, I will still be “fun fishing” with John on many occasions. You will have to put up with me being on “your” boat and offering suggestions.
Anyone interested in the position should call Captain John at 410-703-3246 to interview. If you would like more information before you do that, you can contact me through a PM. Be advised, my PM box gets filled up quickly and sometimes I get the message “you have too many messages in your PM box, you must delete some messages before any new messages can be added”. You might put a post in this thread, like “contact me” with a phone number or email address.
This is a great opportunity for the right individual. I welcome the chance to help you be successful. I will share my “spread” for both Spring, Summer, and Fall. I will explain the process behind how we developed the spread. You can take this information and “tweak” it to your style. When I first took this job, I was nervous about how much influence I had on setting lines “my way”. The best piece of information I received was from another Captain. Steve Goins, “Stormy Petral”, told me, “See that door? (the one leading into the cabin) From that door forward is his (Captain John’s), and from that door back, is yours. As long as you are catching fish, he will be OK with however you want to run the back of the boat.”
Thanks for reading this long post.
5th (Marty)
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