Taking the family or a group of any kind out on a deep sea fishing charter trip is undoubtedly one of the most exciting and rewarding activities imaginable. According to the experts at www.gsfishing.com, it’s simply impossible to fully understand just how much joy there is in these kinds of trips until you’ve actually taken one for yourself. Suffice to say, chances are it won’t be your last either as once you’ve been bitten by the fishing bug…figuratively of course…you might just find you’re changed for life.
So, in order to clarify a few of the basics and hopefully help those considering making a booking in the near future, here’s a quick look at a few of the most important and commonly asked questions from the experts:
1 – Are Fishing Charters Family Friendly?
Like most activities of a similar nature, there will always be those fishing trips that are designed purely with adults in mind while others welcome kids of all ages. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out how much joy and excitement any child of any age could get out of a deep sea fishing adventure, but it’s important to establish ahead of time whether the provider you’re looking into really is a champion of family-friendliness or otherwise.
2 – How Long Do Charter Fishing Trips Last
This all comes down to your own personal choice, not to mention the time and money you have available. Generally speaking, first-timers are advised to book on a trip with a duration of about four hours, which is just enough time to get a good taste for what the sport has to offer. By contrast, if you already know what you’re doing and really want to indulge, you could book for a trip of up to 16 hours – perhaps even a full weekend.
3 – Can I Keep What I Catch?
This depends on quite a lot of things, which include the region in which you’re fishing, what you’re fishing for and the policies of the company organising the charter. For obvious reasons, certain species cannot be kept under any circumstances and neither can certain fish of certain sizes or ages. There are some charter companies that only offer catch and return charter packages, while others will literally cook what you catch right there in front of you on the boat. Whichever approach suits your own thoughts and tastes best, you’ll find a service to accommodate.
4 – Should I Book Ahead?
Ideally, always. The reason being that when you book ahead, you not only get the very best price but also the opportunity to research the charter company you’re thinking of doing business with in order to see if they’re a good choice or otherwise. It’s technically possible to just walk down to the dock and jump on-board a boat with vacancies, but generally speaking you’ll overpay and might not be happy with the service offered. After all, why do they have such ready availability in peak season when most are booked up?
5 – Do I Need a License?
This all depends on where you plan to fish, when and what for. All licensing information should be provided by the charter company you’ll be hiring for the job, but if there’s anything that isn’t 100% clear, be sure to ask – you don’t want to risk breaking the law and facing a fine!
6 – What If the Weather Turns?
Generally speaking, a charter captain will not allow the boat to go out if there’s really any chance at all of bad weather coming in, so this is a scenario that’s surprisingly rare. However, if after not long at all out to sea it’s necessary to turn back, chances are the provider will have some kind of policy in place that either offers you a refund (partial or total) or allows you to go out again another day.
7 – Do I Need to Bring My Own Equipment?
It’s extremely rare for a good charter company not to provide literally everything you’ll need to land the fish of your dreams, but it’s always wise to double check and not take things for granted. That being said, you’ll need to bring your own supplies by way of clothes for all weather conditions, sunglasses, hats, towels and so on and so forth.
8 – What If We Don’t Catch Anything?
No fisherman in the world can guarantee the fish will be biting on any one day in any location, but it’s generally unheard of for a quality charter vessel to come back empty-handed.