The customary tip is 20% of the chartered price of the boat or the price of an open boat ticket. The mates work extremely hard to assist you throughout the day and are on board the boat several hours before departure time and several hours after arriving back at the dock. We pride ourselves in having the most professional and knowledgeable crew in the industry. The mates are seasoned fisherman and have fished with Capt. Chris for many years and many of them are even United States Coast Guard Certified captains. If on any trip you are not satisfied with the service the mate is providing contact the Captain on board and call Captain Chris directly at 917.417.7557.

What is the job of the mate?

  • Assist anglers on board and make their trip more enjoyable
  • Provide fishing rods and reels to all customers
  • Collect the fares and the pool money
  • Rig up all the rods for the days fishing (sometimes for a variety of different species)
  • Instruct anglers on the secrets of catching fish after fish
  • Take out tangles and birds nests in the reels
  • Keep the fish fresh by adding frequent water or managing the burlaps/ ice coolers
  • Weighing up the pool fish
  • Expert fish cleaning and bagging of fish on the ride home for Private Charters with customary tip. For Open boat mates will charge for fish cleaning according to catch size.
  • Baiting hooks and distributing the bait
  • Keeping up on a fresh supply of bait for all customers
  • Netting and gaffing of all fish
  • Measuring and taking off fish caught (ALL FISH MUST BE TO NEW YORK STATE REGULATIONS)
  • To assist everyone in disembarking safely
  • Making sure the boat is clean inside and out on each and every trip