I would imagine your captain could give you the name of a fish cleaner in the area. You could also ice them til morning and they would fine.

As far as tipping...I wouldn't worry about tipping the captain...he is getting paid. If there is a first mate I would do 20% or so.

 

I would imagine your captain could give you the name of a fish cleaner in the area. You could also ice them til morning and they would fine.

As far as tipping...I wouldn't worry about tipping the captain...he is getting paid. If there is a first mate I would do 20% or so.

So if the captain is running solo you stiff him for the work he did in place of the mate?

 

I agree- This also sounds Like a Perch Charter ? Find a local fish cleaner well worth the extra $$$.

When I take fish off and bait hooks and get tangles out I do expect a tip. I am working for my customers. Very rairly will I just get up on the bow and fish. The customers usually Need Help ?

15% to 20% of the cost of the charter is usually what I receive as tips ?

Hope this helps ?

 

Go to snug harbor for your fishing cleaning

 

So i've booked my first charter trip this weekend, and i'm wondering what the rules are to tipping the Captain or First Mate?
Is there an acceptable amount or a standard?

Is there a good place to have this done in the Conneaut area? What should i expect to pay for having the fish cleaned?
I'm not crazy about the idea of fishing 8 hours, driving 3 hours home and cleaning hopefully 90 fish.

Any advise it appreciated. I'm trying to have my ducks in a row before we get there and are surprised by something we didn't think about before hand.

r

 

im sorry but I think with the cost of a charter a tip is not called for. but if the capt goes above and beyond to catch you fish and you feel a tip is called for then by all means give him a tip. but if the charter is 400.00 to 550.00 then I cant see paying 15% to 20% that's a lot of extra money. I could see maybe a 50.00 tip but not 100.00 or more. after all you have an agreement to pay what he charges for a charter if you catch fish or not you still pay the price agreed to. just my opinion.
sherman

 

Perch Charter with Captain, First Mate...we are taking 3 people total and paying for the 4 minimum.
So i'm thinking 15%-20% for the Captain and First Mate, an extra $125-$150 might be a bit much, but i don't want to insult the guys with $ 20.00 either, if they expect $ 50.00+.

When we chartered a boat in Florida, we tipped the Captain $ 50 for a 5 hour trip, but we had a 8 year old boy with us and the Captain worked with him the whole time. Baiting his hook and helping him cast, so i thought it was worth it just so the three adults could really fish on our own. He also cleaned our fish right there on the boat.

This time it's 3 very experienced fisherman, who will gladly do a lot of their own work once we're put on the fish. So i think it will be a little different.

 

Some guys charter for a living some do it for fun .. If u feel u had a great time and the capt was there to work for his money than throw him a few bucks. I look at it this way when I go out . if I get a few bucks extra great ! If not I just got to go fishing all day and got paid

 

Not sure I agree with a few comments here ? But oh well.

I also clean my customers Walleyes And Bass ! So that is a reason I feel the tip is well deserved !

Good luck On your Perch Charter KPenney

 

Not sure I agree with a few comments here ? But oh well.

I also clean my customers Walleyes And Bass ! So that is a reason I feel the tip is well deserved !

Good luck On your Perch Charter KPenney

if the capt cleans your fish then he deserves a little something extra. so if he busts his behind to put you on fish and does a great job and cleans your fish he should get a tip. we paid 2.50 for each walleye cleaned at Geneva marina. and I don't know what perch cost. but 25 or 30 fish or more gets a little costly. why not give that money to the capt that cleans your fish?
sherman

 

First off no charter captain/1st mate is getting rich in the fishing/charter business! Therefore they deserve a tip. Most 1st mates do it as more of a 2nd job for extra income. it is very hard to make a career out of being a 1st mate on LE. So consider that when you tip.

I have 1st mated for a boat...we work very hard running lines, netting fish, tangles, instruction, education, etc, I typically get a minimum of $60.00... usually more though.

Tip them well and the next time you hire an over paid attorney tell him you tipped the charter service what they deserved so you can only pay the atty what he deserves!

 

A perch charter is a little different than a trolling walleye charter. My first mates will bust their tail for however long is necessary to catch a limit or 8 hours on a trolling charter. If we're sorting a bunch of trash, on days it becomes a lot more like work lol. I set the expectation for my crews to tip my mate 15-20% on a trolling charter. I'd say, though, if you go on a perch trip and there is a mate that heads for the front of the boat and doesn't do anything to help the customers, I wouldn't tip him much, if anything. Now, if the mate is in the back of the boat showing you techniques, counting fish, sorting out tangles, etc, I would tip him well. I, personally, build my pay into the charter rate, so I send any tip money right to the mate. However, if I took a perch trip with no mate and had a crew that needed help with technique or whatever, and at the end of the day, they tipped me, I wouldn't turn it down lol. Hope that helps.

 

I always tip the captain and first mate. The norm I have heard is 15-20%. I base my tip off of my experience. What did the captain do to help me catch fish? What did he teach me? How much fun did we have? Just because you don't catch a lot of fish doesn't mean the captain didn't work to try and do it and I think that deserves a tip as well. Sometimes its only $20 and sometimes its $150 between the captain and first mate. I have a charter captain that I have used 6 times during ice fishing and been out on his boat on 9 trips now. He works his butt off to find fish for us. He has kept us out past the 8 hour mark to try and get fish in the box. We have had poor trips in terms of the fishing just wasn't good. We caught 1 walleye on an 8 hour trip. All he charged me was for the gas that he used and $60 to give the first mate. I was shocked that he did that and have been a customer of his since.

So the tipping is up to you and what you feel comfortable tipping. There are times I will take the 20% with me and if I feel that it was not up to par with what I feel like a good charter is and warrants a good tip I can always just give them part of it. Good luck to you and hopefully you will fill your cooler full of jumbos!

 

1st mates are the same as a server at a restaurant making less then minimum wage PLUS tips... And most of the time there working much harder then a waiter/waitress for you. Remember they are there least a hour before your fishing trip getting boat ready and a hour after cleaning up. 20% is about average if they working hard for you.

 

This is a interesting discussion with varied opinions.
I just wonder how many folk [who go on a charter trip] get tips at the end of their days hard work?
Also why would anyone who cares pay someone as little as minimum wage?

 

I think a tip is a must they are working for you! The common thing is first mate gets x amount plus tips !! That is like some one who goes on my boat and does not split gas that is not good either just think take a guy out he says you were going anyway so you would have had to buy gas!!! take care of those who take care of you

 

I hate the whole idea of tipping and wish it was illegal. Who do you tip and who don't your tip? I always felt if you own your own business you should charge enough so that you don't need to depend on tips to survive.
I hate the idea of "tip Jars" in takeout restaurants especially when the owner of the restaurant shares in the tips. Sorry to hijack.

 

That is just the way I look at it. If you clean the fish for people that is what I would consider an additional service that is uncommon and would require a tip.

 

On my dad's boat I have never gotten paid in cash. We either fun fish on his dime or he will take me to dinner with beers. If I get a tip great but I haven't done a trip in a long time. 2 Mondays from now will be my first trip in years. I would get tips when I was younger or dad would flip me some cash or gas money. The way I looked at it I was fishing erie for free.

Plus if I don't get paid I don't have to wash the boat lol.

 

If you want the captain and/or 1st mate to remember you don't tip them!!!
I can assure you they will remember you

 

Walleye we go a Minimum 20 $ per guy if no1st mate . If there is a first mate and he is running all day$ 150 and up to him directly for a six man trip. one trip we gave a captain that I now realize was not that good 200 $ tip after 600 $ for the charter we got 1 walleye .Never would I recommend him .but it was our first trip ever on erie for five of the six of us 22 years ago. Perch charter 20 $ per guy if he is cleaning them and clean up afterwards at least 20 $ or more only my opinion

 

Instead of a cash tip I'm sure the captain would like you to book another trip next season or sooner.

 

you guys sound like your made of money... 20 bucks each is enough.

 

I'm gonna chime in here...lol

We do all we can on a daily basis. My price and fees are worked into the cost of my trips. My mates get 100% of tips.

I always say you treat it like you would a restaurant. You enjoy your time you catch fish, and you want that captain to take you fishing again with the same attitude you should tip...

Like my old man always says an extra $20 on top of what a mate may expect and they remember you and they will continue to do all they can every trip you run with em. Ain't that the truth...costs you a few extra bucks to look like a big deal...or least seem thankful for the service you've just received...

No reputable captain who has his boat and gear in order is gonna take you a second time after you stiff his mate. He'll just find another group to fill that date and be conveniently booked when you call the next year...trust me...I know....

Little dose of reality.

 

I'm gonna chime in here...lol

We do all we can on a daily basis. My price and fees are worked into the cost of my trips. My mates get 100% of tips.

I always say you treat it like you would a restaurant. You enjoy your time you catch fish, and you want that captain to take you fishing again with the same attitude you should tip...

Like my old man always says an extra $20 on top of what a mate may expect and they remember you and they will continue to do all they can every trip you run with em. Ain't that the truth...costs you a few extra bucks to look like a big deal...or least seem thankful for the service you've just received...

No reputable captain who has his boat and gear in order is gonna take you a second time after you stiff his mate. He'll just find another group to fill that date and be conveniently booked when you call the next year...trust me...I know....

Little dose of reality.

so now it's at the point that if they don't get their "extra" money they won't take you fishing or make it a bad trip for you...don't think most people would want to charter a trip with a boat that has that attitude.

 

I mate for a group of guys on Catawba. All drifters. If they tip the capt, he splits with me. If they tip me, it's mine. I've gotten everything from a 0 to 100 all on a 8 hour trip. Net fish, deal with tangles, and you wouldn't believe how many "men" won't take their own fish off. Most crews realize that the capt and mate do work hard for their clients and usually tip well. Even if fishing is difficult. I never expect a tip, but do work hard for one.

 

I can tell you I give 100 percent of the tips to my mate. Most mates just work for tips. And if people think the charter captain is making a massive living they are insane. Figure in tackle,bait, boat, fuel, insurance, dock, storage, repairs, etc and a 20% tip to a first mate sure seems a lot cheaper than doing it yourself. I turn down any clients that stiffed my mate out of a tip.

 

No one said anything about making it a bad trip. I couldn't see anyone doing that but for sure not taking them the next time. Isn't that the right of a business owner to not take someone a 2nd time just as it's the right of a customer to choose to go with a different captain if they so choose?