Oh early mornings! Have to be an early morning person. Fortunately, I am, and it’s my most favorite time of the day. Particularly, that grey light time, where the day is just getting started, but the sun isn’t just up yet. It’s so quiet and peaceful. It gives me time to mentally prep for the day, and take everything in. The birds are just starting to chirp and the air is a bit cool, compared to the 85-degree day we just had previously.

Alarm goes off typically around 4:00 AM, depending on what time my trips are. Usually, I like to depart the dock around 5:30-6:00 AM. I’ll make a cup of coffee and mix up some breakfast. I’m a big breakfast guy, so will make a plate of bacon to start, then bring some hard boiled eggs for later on in the morning.

After getting all the rods and gear in the truck, I’ll head over to Dry Dock Marine where the boat is stored on a trailer. The folks over there are awesome and can help you with boat storage, trailer repairs, and maintenance. Once I grab the boat, I head down to the boat ramp in Barnstable Harbor. I’ll load all the gear in the boat, launch it, and park the truck.

Once I go over the engine and ensure everything is good, I’ll fire the boat up and head over to the loading dock back in the harbor. Typically, I like to leave 25-30 minutes prior to when guests arrive to get everything settled. If I have some rods to redo, I’ll do that then. If not, I’ll walk over to the other charter captains and have some coffee and discuss game plans.

After the guests arrive, we go over all the safety aspects of the trip, what to expect, and what the game plan is for the game. Next, we’ll head out and catch some fish! The most common trip is the four-hour CCBO offers. So, we’ll catch some fish, have a great time, bring a couple keeper Striped Bass home for dinner and back to the dock around 10:00 AM (assuming we left at 6:00 AM).

Pretty regularly, I’ll have two trips a day, and will schedule the next one at 11:00 or 11:30 AM depending on what works best for my guests. In between trips, I’ll re-rig gear, wash down the boat, and maybe grab some lunch if I haven’t brought any.

Once the guests arrive, we’ll leave the dock, after repeating the safety aspects, what to expect, and game plan for the day is. Again, we’ll go out and catch some fish!

If it’s another four-hour trip I have, we’ll be back at the dock around 3:00-3:30 PM. Once everyone is off the boat and takes all their belongings, the day is almost over. If it’s a beautiful afternoon, I’ll head back out and go for a swim and relax for an hour or so.

Finally, I’ll pull the boat out of the water around 4:00-5:00 PM and head back to Dry Dock. I’ll wash the boat down with soap and clean her up and put all the gear back in the truck.

Around, 5:45-6:00 PM, I’ll head back home and fix up something for dinner. It’s an amazing day; something I am so greatful for being able to do daily.

Bedtime by 8:30-9:00 PM; the days are long and the nights are short, but it’s something I wouldn’t trade for anything else. On top of fishing and entertaining guests, I’m fielding calls and emails for potential trips throughout the day. Sometimes, it can get quite chaotic, but that is the life I live; and life I love.

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