Capt. Ron,

I agree with your post. There were certain boats however where mates were allowed to fish and it got completely out of hand. I had two experiences on one party boat which were the last two trips I ever had on that boat years ago. Boat is no longer around and for those familiar with the industry you'll know who I'm talking about.

First incident was a flounder trip. I was fishing off the stern and had a good bite going in front of the Ammo pier when it wasn't off limits. A bite which was the first bite of any significance all day since up until that time it had been extremely slow. A commercial clammer came by who shucked his catch at sea and when he passed us he dropped all the clam shells right behind the boat, in the area I was fishing. He knew the mates on board which is why he did what he did. About 5 minutes later, the mate adjusts the anchor line enough so that the area the shells were dropped moved to mid ship / bow area, which is where all the mates were fishing. As soon as they made the adjustment, the bite in back died and the mates started hammering flounder on the side. And they adjusted the anchor in a way gesturing among themselves where they didn't want anyone knowing they made the adjustment. To add insult to injury, they sold their catch when we got back to the dock. This was quite a few years ago when selling your catch was allowed and a common practice. Couldn't believe what happened and even more shocked the captain was obviously aware.

Second incident was a fluke trip on the same boat. Had my two young kids and my father on board. Every mate on an absolutely railed boat was fishing. If you had a fluke to the surface, you had to wait a few minutes before anyone showed up. It got so bad fares started netting other fares fluke. It was completely ridiculous. And every mate was high as a kite, smoking pot on the upper deck the entire trip. The captain himself, whose daughter was paralyzed in a freak and tragic accident on the party boat docks in Belmar a few years prior, was always strung out in the end. Sad to see what happened to this party boat since it used to be a class operation.

My point is the mates fishing on this boat put their personal agendas before the paying fares and the captain condoned that behavior. It turned into a zoo type atmosphere and I never sailed with them again. As a matter of fact, their business went to hell in a hand basket. This is where unfortunately a few bad apples spoil it for everyone. I've also witnessed many times the exact opposite when it was slow, a mate picking up a rod and if he caught fish he'd offer it to customers who weren't catching. A really great thing to see. The captain ultimately sets the tone on his boat and personally I don't think there's anything wrong with a mate wetting a line when it's slow but sometimes it's a tough practice to allow without paying fares feeling slighted.