Party Boat Etiquette Question

Started by Bill B, February 05, 2016, 05:08:47 AM

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Bill B

Money is always a delicate question.  When fishing on an open boat I know how hard Deckhands, Galley cooks and Skippers work to make a successful trip for all who are on board, I have have three boys who are hard fishermen who easily pull their full limit of fish, thanks to the hard working boat crew, but (there's always a but :)) when you total the fee to get on a boat, Mexican passports when fishing out of San Diego, galley fees, jackpot entry, etc, things tend to get expensive, when you consider a $1 per fish cleaning fee that adds $40+ to a trip or more when the sandabs are thick.  I always add a good tip when settling the galley tab.  I would like to save that cleaning money for the next trip, or tackle, or whatever.  

Q 1- Is it ok to take our catch home for cleaning
Q 2- How do you take your catch off the boat, because it seems that the gunney sack is only a rental
Q 3- If you do take your catch home for cleaning, do you tip extra, because you are not paying for the fish cleaning

Thanks for any input....Bill
It may not be very productive,
but it's sure going to be interesting!

FatTuna

#1
I've never fished on a west coast long range boat so take my advice with a grain of salt. Here on the east coast, having your fish cleaned on a party boat is optional. Yes, the boat makes good money cleaning the fish which is a nice thing to do if you feel like giving back. However, it's not considered rude to bring your catch home. I have my own boat and all of my friends have boats. I still fish on party boats a few times a year though. I go on vacation or after my boat is pulled for the season, I might do a trip here or there. For smaller species, I bring a big cooler and load up all the fish. I always clean my own fish. It's easy and can be relaxing. I tip the mates well. Plenty of people bring their own fish home. Out there things might be different.


DaBigOno

#2
I go by the general rule of 15% of boat fare plus fish cleaning.

With that in mind I add or subtract accordingly depending on services provided.
Ua Mau ke Ea o ka Aina i ka Pono

garyal

#3
I exclusively fish long range out of San Diego. A 15% tip is ALWAYS appreciated by the crew. It helps offset those who do not tip the crew. As for fish cleaning, this is your choice! As I recall, on the shorter trips with gunny sacks, you can bring them home with you. If not, use a garbage bag.

I never tip based on number of fish caught but rather, on how hard the crew works to find the fish and land the fish. If it was called catching, instead of fishing, I would tip based on numbers! I have seen trips with little or no fish where the crew busted their A#@ to get us fish that were not there or would not bite! I still tipped well because they worked so hard even though unsuccessfully.


BMITCH

I too, have never been on a party boat west coast style. Been on a few here in the NE. Generally what I'll give is on a day boat..8hr trip. Fare Usually about $60 plus pool money $5/$10. I give the mates $20. Overnighter a to the canyons tuna fishing..$60. If we are fortunate enough to pull on some numbers of fish(tuna,etc..) I'll take 2 or three fish and give up the rest to the boat. I'm pretty much on the same 1/2 dozen boats throughout the season..so they kinda know me. But I think if your service is "good" 20% of your fare is fair.
  The fish cleaning fee..to me...is worth every penny. Nothing worse than fishing hard for anywhere from 8 to 36 hours than having to clean fish. No leave the heads & tails at the dock. That's just me though.
  I've NEVER not tipped because of lack of fish. I have seen this done way to many times. On the day boats you see people clearly blaming the mates and or capt. For poor fishing. They just don't get it🙃 Just my 2cents

Bob
luck is the residue of design.

Bryan Young

Hi Bill,

i think the tip section is fairly converted. Fish cleaning is a personal choice. most of my friends that I share my fish with like to have the heads on to make fish soup. So I normally don't do a complete fish service. Normally scaled and cleaned because I just don't want to do it. Normally half price too.

Bryan
:D I talk with every part I send out and each reel I repair so that they perform at the top of their game. :D

MarkT

Sure, you can take the fish home and clean them yourself.
Lots of boats charge $1 for a sack. You can take it with you. I usually go out of Dana Point for 1/2 - 3/4 day trips and release all my fish so I don't bother. Long range trips aren't allowed to clean the fish. You have to have them processed at the landings or do it at home.
Fish cleaning money goes in the tip jar so you can tip a little extra if you want to compensate.
When I was your age Pluto was a planet!

Ron Jones

I hear you on the money. I really like cleaning most fish vice filleting, so I'll often take mine with me. I usually buy a gunny on the pier before we leave just in case the boat is short. Never had anyone with hard feelings.
Ron
Ronald Jones
To those who have gone to sea and returned and to those who have gone to sea and will never return
"

SoCalAngler

#8
15-20 % of the cost of the ride depending on the crew plus fish cleaning though I have left less for a bad crew or just tip the crew members directly and leave out the worthless ones but I tell the ones I do tip the reason I'm skipping the others. On top of 15-20 % if the boat has a jackpot and I win I pay my galley tab with the JP money and the rest goes back to the crew. I have been offered several free rides on boats when they can't fill them up by doing the latter. Also they remember you and it is funny how there is many times a fresh hot bait dropped in the hand well when you walk up to it.  ;)

If you want to take fish home and fillet them I would at least have the fish gill and gutted by the crew, its like a buck or two per fish but worth it IMO.

For transportation of whole fish home use the gunny sacks to get them to your car or truck then place them into a ice cheast. Most plastic trash type sacks will get punctured by the fishes fins and could leave you with a stinking mess if you place the fish in your car or trunk.

kmstorm64

I haven't done a long range trip, but I know the cost of living in the bay area is through the roof and then some. So for a trip that ran me a $100 I give the crew $20 that normally covers the cleaning and filet (or semi fillet)

If they clean the fish the way I want (the crew referred to it as a "captains cut" all filet meat all deboned, I tip more). Why do I want it that way, when I get home, I want to rinse bag, mark the bag and in the freezer you go. If I have to debone the fish when I get home, I may as well do it all and save the extra cash, because gutting and skinning didn't save me that much time.
Bad day of fishing still beats a good day at work!

Swami805

I always get my fish cleaned to avoid the hassle when I get home, I don't mind cutting fish but it makes a mess and disposing of the carcass is never good. Tip 15-20%, The JP goes to the crew. If I was taking my fish home I'd up the tip some to compensate. Long range is a little different program.
Do what you can with that you have where you are

Reel 224

I have to say west coast party boats must be like night and day to the head boats here. For one thing the Bennie's that are here mob the head boats and don't care what they do on board, it's utter chaos and rudeness. When in the off season it can get somewhat better, but I have to say I would not fish on head boats here.

As far as tipping goes to you question. I'm with everyone on that 15% and take care of the mates.

Joe
"I don't know the key to success,but the key to failure is trying to please everyone."

Brewcrafter

While not a Party Boat issue, but definitely under the topic of tipping, when going on a private sportfisher it's amazing what an extra $5 or an extra homemade breakfast burrito out of the ice chest will do when you pull up to the bait receiver.  Those guys look at long lines of boats all day pulling scoops of bait, but trust me they remember the boats/guys that throw them a little something extra, and that can translate into a little extra dip of bait or maybe getting a 1/2 scoop of prime sardines that are being set aside for the commercial sportfishers when everybody else in line is getting anchovies.