The Insights on Choosing a Fishing Charter Service on Lake Erie!
Booking a quality Lake Erie fishing charter or a fishing charter in any town for that matter, that you do not live in or ever frequent can be daunting. Especially in Lake Erie's Western Basin. Here in Oak Harbor, OH there are roughly 100 fishing guides independent and groups that try to fish a full time schedule. Add that to the 55 or so part timers that come here just to take advantage of tourist and fishing season and you have 200 ++ guides vying for your business. A good charter service should run over 100 trips a year per boat and have lodging per boat. For instance, without lodging the commitment for total excellence can be lost. We truely have our lodging with in walking distance of boats, marina and restaurants for convienence.
It's critical to book your fishing charter in advance. If you call a guy in the season and he is open, especially a weekend, be prepared for a service that does not fish very much, your dream trip could turn into be a nightmare. Plan ahead and never wait until the last minute to book a Lake Erie charter, if you have to try to see if your Captain could do an afternoon trip to work you in.
In many areas of shopping I have found that you get what you pay for. This holds VERY true in guided fishing charters. There are two reasons a fishing charter offers the lowest rates in Lake Erie and beyond. The charter has no business and is willing to run for less just to get a trip off the dock. Buyer be ware.. At todays fuel prices, these fishing charters cannot afford to run at those rates and take his anglers to the productive fishing grounds where the other higher priced charters are going. Angler suffers from a poor trip and the whole experience is wasted and people go home with a bad taste of Lake Erie Fishing. Because Lake Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes, it stirs up quickly in stormy weather and so choose a reputable charter boat by looking at his boat, ask him questions about its age and check reviews of the charter service. No Fish-No Pay, Oldest trick in the book. Even if it were legit..Why would you go with a charter that offers a "fishing trip" trip on that basis.
NOTE: If a fishing guide is publishing rates that are competitive but a little less than the rest... That is just being competitive. Expierenced Captains are critical on Lake Erie, due to it's vast open waters and shallow reefs for catching walleyes, smallmouth bass and perch on a daily basis, day or night. This talent only occurs for those who have years of regular charter trips. Week-End Warriors will never reach this level. Your network of competitive captains here grows with respect and so does your no-where-the-fish-are information. Choose a charter that is willing to go the extra-mile and also be able to cast and drift or troll for those calm dog days. HERE IS A TIP: If a charter service is unwilling to budge on his price, that means he is staying busy and values his charters well enough to let you go find a cheaper one. Probably a good bet to pay a little extra and be very particular on how you tip according to his performance and weather or not they live up to the price. Most likely you will be very satisfied. Knowing who's hot and who's not insuring quality control and customer satisfaction. A huge advantage when angler's call. Advantages - Hear the captain sell himself and get to know him on the phone from HIS perspective about his services. Great way to go on recent word of mouth. Disadvantages - you are only hearing HIS perspective on himself. Some guides are not super organized, bookings are done on a bar napkin and some cannot take a deposit on credit card. Most do not send a confirmation that stands as a contract from you to them for you day. Fishing Charters Bashing Other Fishing Charters - This is so unproductive. It happens all the time. Our best marketing is when our competitors talk to prospecting clients about us. We get the trip 90% of the time. Don't book with a company that talks crap about their competitors. It just means they even think they are less of a value. I hope this clears up some of the confusion in Booking a Lake Erie Charter, call us at 419-349-1129 If you have any questions. Erie Drifter Sportfishing Captain Tom Straus www.eriedrifter.com
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