Sampson

OK anglers, a lot of you know that sooner or later you're going to do it, so why procrastinate any longer? Pick up the phone, call your favorite charter captain, and reserve a date for that annual fishing trip you know you're going to take. Trust me, if you get that monkey off your back now you'll feel better that you're that much closer to being set and ready for the upcoming fishing season. Make life easier on yourself, do it now -- why wait?

I know what some of you are thinking, "this guy is in the charter boat business, of course he's going to be pushing us into booking a fishing trip." I suppose there's a little bit of truth in that assumption. After all, if everyone who reads this article gave me a call this week and arranged a fishing trip with me it would certainly help to make the upcoming season a success.

But believe it or not that's really not what I'm trying to accomplish. Hey, there's a lot of top-notch charter captains that operate out of Ocean City. Do your homework, get information online, visit sporting shows, talk to friends or any other references you can dig up and find a boat and captain that fits your needs. You certainly don't have to call me, just call someone.

Even though it may seem way too early to be thinking about setting up a summertime fishing trip, booking early has some distinct advantages that will certainly be appreciated on the final days that lead up to a charter trip.

Obviously by booking early you'll have a better shot of getting a particular boat on a particular day that you want to fish. This is especially important if you're limited to fishing on weekends. As a matter of fact, in some instances January is too late to book because some captains will already have a lot of their weekend days taken by anglers who booked with them last year.

Charter clients will usually find that Saturdays get snapped up first, then Sundays, Fridays and Mondays. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are usually the last to be taken. So it's almost always easier to find an available date during the middle of the week. As a matter of fact, I always recommend that anglers who have the option should book during mid-week to avoid having to compete with so many other baited hooks out on the fishing grounds. It's a big ocean, but it can still get crowded out there, particularly on weekends.

Because they will have a definite date to work with, booking early will also allow fishermen to start the process of getting all their other ducks-in-a-row for that particular day. Motel reservations can sometimes be difficult to make the closer it gets to summer. Particularly if anglers are looking to find a motel that won't require booking a three-day weekend. Having the extra time to find the right room can save fishermen a lot of money and certainly a good night's sleep the night before or after the trip.

Of course a lot of anglers will have to arrange for time off work. While everyone's jobs and responsibilities are different, I can't imagine how knowing months ahead of time when they will need to take off wouldn't be anything but an advantage when coordinating time away from the workplace.

Friends or family usually make up the average group of four to six anglers who go out on charter boats. Whoever books the trip is usually burdened with the task of finding enough people to go along and share the duties and expenses of the charter. Here again is something that if left to the last minute could create unneeded headaches, hassles and expenses for all involved if enough fishermen cannot be found or if one or more of the group bails out at the last minute. Give yourself time to choose your fishing partners wisely.

Chartering is always less expensive than owning and maintaining a boat of your own -- but it's still not cheap. Private charters can run from $200-$2,000 a day. Naturally some folks will find it a lot easier to put money aside over time to pay for their trip rather than try and cough it up all at once. Knowing in January exactly what they will have to pay for a charter in July or August should be of great assist to make sure the lack of funds does not stand in the way of an enjoyable day on the water.

It's hard to think much about heading out to sea when it's 20-degrees outside. But sooner-than-later the new fishing season will be upon us, and those who have planned for it will certainly be in the best position to take full advantage of all the fun ahead.

Originally published Friday, January 21, 2005