Booking a Fishing Charter? Consider a Fishing Guide for the Full Bay Experience

Editor’s Note: If you’re not a hardcore angler but like to experience the Bay’s fishing scene, you’re likely familiar with the option to hire a charter boat. It’s a popular summer pastime when the rockfish are biting, and is great for groups or for when you have visitors in town. But which fishing charter to choose? That depends what kind of experience you’re looking for. Longtime Chesapeake Bay Magazine contributor and fisherman Capt. John Page Williams breaks down the difference between a traditional charter and the lesser-known alternative of a fishing guide.

What kind of captain do you want on the water? Anyone who accepts pay for taking people fishing must hold an active captain’s or master’s license from the U.S. Coast Guard. But the real answer lies in how the person in charge of the vessel sees his/her role, solely as a dependable boat operator or also as a guide and teacher, letting their parties in on everything the Chesapeake has to offer. There’s a broad spectrum between those two extremes.

*When the most popular sportfish are limited, like rockfish, guides turn to catch-and-release. Photo: Fish with Weaver/Facebook*

Over the years, including during the rockfish moratorium in the late 1980s, I’ve been around all sorts of skippers; some have run larger boats of 30’-50’ and others operated 18’-26 outboard skiffs. I’ve also worked as a part-time mate and guided out of my own skiff. In my experience, no matter the boat size, the skippers who are always in demand see themselves as guides and teachers, as well as reliable boat operators.

They tend to be both personable and curious, tuned in closely not only to their waters’ fish but also water condition, marshes, birds, and other critters that turn up, from sea turtles to butterflies. They emphasize hands-on techniques like bottom fishing, light tackle jigging, casting to breaking fish, and, increasingly, fly fishing. They love to teach all they can, from basics to fine points, from tackle, lures, and techniques to electronics, boat positioning, and even anchoring precisely on specific “live bottom” features and current eddies. They also tend to know and tell tales about their home waters, including maritime history and current shipping or workboat traffic. They show deep respect for the fish that come to the boat, whether the fish are going home to dinner or carefully released. These guides are always on the lookout for a new fish species and the puzzle of how to catch it.

*On Loosen Up Fishing Charters based in Deale, Capt. Frank Carver works with what’s available by taking guests fishing for invasive blue catfish. Facebook photo*

At a time when stocks of favored fish are limited, as Chesapeake rockfish are today, the guides who stay in business are the ones who hustle to find new opportunities and educate their parties. One past example is the late Capt. Ed Darwin, a Baltimore City schoolteacher who guided out of Annapolis for some 62 years. He ran his 38’, Deltaville-built Becky D (which is still fishing under Ed’s long-time mate, Capt. Jim Stickney). Darwin learned the Bay’s water, currents, and bottom around Annapolis and the pilings of the Bay Bridge in excruciating detail. He survived the 1985-1990 rockfish moratorium by teaching the fine points of white perch, working out special release tools and techniques for the rockfish that bit perch baits, and keeping a sharp ear to his network of fishing friends—including local watermen—to learn of new opportunities.

One of Darwin’s best finds in those days was a patch of good-sized black sea bass that turned up in the ancestral Susquehanna channel under the eastern end of the Bay Bridge. He also learned to take advantage of bluefish, Spanish mackerel, spot, croakers, gray trout, flounder, and channel catfish (which were in the Upper Bay long before blue cats arrived). Darwin’s trips also revolved around tasty foods, jokes and stories, and friendly rivalries. As good mates do, Stickney joined in the fun, making each trip even more of a personal experience for those aboard. With Darwin now gone, other skippers, including Stickney, coming along to entertain guests and train a new generation of attentive mates.

Smaller-boat guided charters offer a unique experience. Capt. Kevin Josenhans (now retired but still blogging), was one of the first in the Chesapeake to guide light tackle groups of one to three anglers aboard an outboard skiff. Beginning in the late 1980s in the final years of the moratorium, Josenhans offered trips in Tangier and Pocomoke Sounds on a part-time basis while he served as a Park Ranger at Maryland’s Janes Island State Park. Initially he ran an 18’ Parker skiff but later moved to a 20’ Jones Brothers. Both skiffs were seaworthy enough for Josenhans to operate safely on those big waters during all but the worst weather. Scaled-down boats are significantly less expensive to buy, operate, and maintain than larger charter boats, especially those Coast Guard-inspected to carry more than six passengers.

*Kevin Josenhan’s 20-foot Jones Brothers guide boat, small enough to trailer to different parts of the Bay for different fishing experiences.*

Deeply tuned into the islands, marshes, and creeks of his home waters from Maryland’s Smith Island to Virginia’s Watts, Josenhans introduced three generations of anglers to light tackle rockfish, speckled and gray trout, redfish, flounder, Spanish mackerel, and croakers (a.k.a. silver drum if caught on flies). Keeping his skiff on a trailer allowed him to expand his seasons, offering winter and springtime trips on the upper Pocomoke and Nanticoke rivers for chain pickerel, crappie, largemouth bass, and white perch. As with Ed Darwin, many of Josenhan’s clients became friends who fished with him repeatedly over the seasons and the years.

A large charterboat offers advantages in weather protection and accommodations, especially for customers who are not physically or constitutionally ready to spend a half- or full day aboard a skiff. Even if the boat is large, a good captain can involve folks in strategy and hunting for fish, using chart, electronics, and other observations, while an active, personable mate can teach a lot of skills to anyone who wants to learn.

*On Capt. Danny Crabbe’s boat KIT II, based on Virginia’s Northern Neck, charter guests target multiple species in one trip. Facebook photo*

Meanwhile, a skiff with a guide keeps clients close to the water while visiting marsh banks, intimate creeks, and islands (maybe including lunch stops for crabcakes) while encouraging maximum participation. Still undecided? Try both styles, but pick captains who love guiding, teaching, and sharing their knowledge of our Chesapeake.

Here are some of our favorite Bay-region captains and guides who will take you the extra mile on the water. There are many more out there, too: trying them all is a good excuse to spend more time fishing.

Maryland Guides