mattmishler Posted March 10, 2012 Posted March 10, 2012 I am turning 18 in the fall this year, as some of you know I grew up fishing lake Michigan and I first mate on a boat in Manistee. I have my hours done for my time. You think it would be worth the money to get it or not? I Plan in going to college?
grumman184 Posted March 10, 2012 Posted March 10, 2012 Well I know less about salmon fishing than you. I new to this site. I was born in key west and grew up all through Florida. I know how to fish but just learning salmon fishing. Go to school! My dream is a key west charter captain. But how are you going to buy that boat without a degree? U think 5 bucks is alot for a spoon. Look at a marlin teaser sit up once. Education before fun. ........ look at most captains.... they didn't get that big boat being a mate
grumman184 Posted March 10, 2012 Posted March 10, 2012 But hey what's it take for u to ride along on my boat. I could use some hands on training.
fishsniffer Posted March 10, 2012 Posted March 10, 2012 In my opinion you should get an education, a good job and then the charter gig. It's a cutthroat business with a pretty good amount of expense. You'll never lose a good education and will be able to work in to chartering on weeknights and weekends while making garanteed money during the week
Mushy's Dad Posted March 10, 2012 Posted March 10, 2012 Brian and Don are 110% correct. Choose your college and career wisely, find a field you will enjoy, good pay, good hours, and has a great employablity. Money can't buy happeness but it sure can buy a lot of toys to get you there!!!
Salmon Assassin Posted March 10, 2012 Posted March 10, 2012 Your age may turn some potential clients off, chartering is a lot more than just catching, you really need to understand the business side. I never went off to college after high school and I turned out just fine, although I have gone back to school. Find out what it is you want to do and start working for it. More importantly done let a women derail your plans.....
Side JOB Posted March 10, 2012 Posted March 10, 2012 Education is most important now a days. But i dont see why you shouldnt be able to work towards both!!
OldCool Posted March 10, 2012 Posted March 10, 2012 If chartering is something you feel strongly about, you can still get an education with an eye on the prize. Start off at a community college learning about how to effectively run a business because being a charter captain is as much (if not more) about running a business as it is about fishing. Then talk with some of the captains you work for, explain your plan and ask them if you can also learn about the business from them. Benefit/Drawbacks (you decide which is which) in no particular order: You will be learning something that is relevant to what you want to do. Community college provides a very good education without having to spend a lot of money. Community colleges provides flexible schedules and are close to home so you can work and look at how to apply what you are learning with the real life education from a charter captain. You will be very busy with little time for extracurricular activities.Things will get hard but every man here will agree that "it is in the threshing that the wheat is separated from the chaff."
mattmishler Posted March 10, 2012 Author Posted March 10, 2012 I'm not looking at it to be a full time thing right now, i have some leads on running other peoples boat. I still have 5 summers off untill i should be done with college, iv talked with numerous charters capts about the money side of it trust me, i have done my homework
Priority1 Posted March 10, 2012 Posted March 10, 2012 Get you Captains License and pursue your education. Captains need a break also and with your growing, glowing reputation you could fill in for some of them now and then and first mate when captains gigs were not available. The way I see it the Captains License is just a part of your overall education. You are a young man. Put as much between your ears as you can.
Killin' It Posted March 10, 2012 Posted March 10, 2012 Get that degree.... Don't be 30 working full time with a wife, 2 dogs and trying to have a baby, while trying to finish your degree!! wait... that sounds alot like me... Maybe I have to trade in a couple of those things to fish more:)
Twill23 Posted March 10, 2012 Posted March 10, 2012 Maybe I have to trade in a couple of those things to fish moreHAHA! I like the sounds of that.
Pioneer Posted March 10, 2012 Posted March 10, 2012 Get more experiance. Like was said before, goto school and get a good job. I don't know 1 charter guy in my home port that doesn't have a "normal" job because being a charter captain doesn't make you rich. If you start running trips and for any numbers of reasons you don't fill the cooler you are going to hear knocks on you about your age. Clients, like all of us, are driven by the perception of a good time. I wish you the best and hope you turn your love into a great business.
mattmishler Posted March 10, 2012 Author Posted March 10, 2012 Its probably just going to be a pipe dream, I will probably end up just first mating for the rest of my schooling, try to get a job, buy a boat, fish 10 times a year until i retire lol
N II Deep Posted March 10, 2012 Posted March 10, 2012 Get that degree.... Don't be 30 working full time with a wife, 2 dogs and trying to have a baby, while trying to finish your degree!! wait... that sounds alot like me... Maybe I have to trade in a couple of those things to fish more:)Dave - it's alot of work doing it that way, but if you are using your employer to cover the cost it works out better than student loans.I did my 2 yr with cash, working full time building log homes during the summers, when I finished I took a pay cut from the log home biz and started working in the quality and engineering field. I started my family then did Ferris downtown GR at night. The company covered cost. Just my time and travel expense. It worked out for me.Matt - go after both. you will be able to make enough coin during the summer running boats and still hit the books full time in the off season.
sherman51 Posted March 10, 2012 Posted March 10, 2012 sounds like you have already made up your mind. but just want our opinions. i think you are a person that can go out and get what you want. i mean you already have the hours to get your license.i see no reason not to have the license. the fishing season wont effect your school time. but whatever you do, go on to school. i started working at the ripe old age of 14, but had done farm work and odd jobs before that. but my step dad went nuts and tried to kill my mom. she had 7 kids including me. so i went to work to help my mom. and just kept working and helping her until i got married. and even then i helped her what i could. but my point is dont quit school.with the econamy being what it is and the price of gas going up each year the charter business is in trouble. so you really need something to fall back on. but there is no reason that you shouldnt get your license if thats what you want to do. it will just help you get work in the summer while you are going to school in the winter. and when you finish school if you want to go full time charter you will already have your foot in the door. and will have got to know some of the guys thats chartered out with you. this is just an opinion and nothing more. because you are in the position to have both. not many people can say they are living there dream and getting schooled at the same time,LOL.sherman
tracker targa Posted March 10, 2012 Posted March 10, 2012 i say do what you want as long as you have enough money.... get the charter fish everyday and live the dream bro:thumb:
killerbe20 Posted March 10, 2012 Posted March 10, 2012 I don't think I have seen many people state the most obvious answer to me.....do both!Like you I grew up first mating full time summers since I was 12 years old. Getting my captains license as soon as possible was never a question in my mind. I was easily able to get my captains license, attend and successfully graduate college with a city planning degree and then go back to school again to be firefighter/paramedic. Obtaining you license and going to college are completely unrelated in my mind. there is no reason you shouldn't be able to achieve any other goals in life just because you decided to get your license. Once you have your license, you have it for life as long as you keep up with your renewals. not to mention captains classes were a breeze for me because I was already in the college/school studying mentality. long story short.....go to school and get a good education but get your license too!
Daybreak Posted March 10, 2012 Posted March 10, 2012 Being a Charter Captain is a great way to end up with a Million Dollars!! ....as long as you start with 2 Million! Education is ALWAYS most important...but you only live once, and chasing a dream is what lifes all about!
SUPERTRAMP Posted March 10, 2012 Posted March 10, 2012 In the future u can always become a charter operator, I would say yes get your Masters papers, go to school in the winter and work the Summers as a Captain.
SUPERTRAMP Posted March 10, 2012 Posted March 10, 2012 Being a Charter Captain is a great way to end up with a Million Dollars!! ....as long as you start with 2 Million!Education is ALWAYS most important...but you only live once, and chasing a dream is what lifes all about! Now thats a fact and the real truth. U gotta love it to do it full time.
fishy1 Posted March 10, 2012 Posted March 10, 2012 I'll throw in my two cents most of the charter captains I know which has been many in my 30+ years of fishing in Ludington don't fun fish for salmon as once you do something that was fun as a job it ceases to be fun. So if you are just looking for a job as a captain I would say go for it if want to do something you will enjoy for a long time don't charter, as prior post have stated with the economy the way it I also believe that people have less disposable income and to most fishing is not the highest priority.
danthebuilder Posted March 11, 2012 Posted March 11, 2012 Who says you have to choose one? Do both but put the importance in the degree over the chartering during the school season. If you got to wait a couple seasons before you can captain. That's fine. Keep your eye on the prize.
Hotdog71 Posted March 11, 2012 Posted March 11, 2012 Matt you can do both. As Supertramp said, school in the winter and fish the summer. Depending on the money you can make as a firstmate or part time captain you can pay for the school too. You'll have a little overlap but good planning can get you through it just fine.Good luck with whatever you choose.
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