Fishing Charters Are Back – Will Captains Recover?

Fishing charters are big in West Michigan and all throughout the state. They have now reopened, but will the charters survive months worth of losses?

I love to fish and have been thinking about taking a walleye charter on the Muskegon River. This would be a great way to learn the river while fishing with people who know what they are doing.

There are steelhead, walleye, salmon and even perch charter trips, among others, available all around the state of Michigan but all charters were shut down back in March and didn't get reopened until May 7.

Some charters bounced right back in action while others still continue to struggle.

Part of the problem is many fishermen just don't want to fish in a group on top of being unsure about the safety of being on someone else's boat and their crew.

According to WOOD, Powderhorn Sportfishing Charter in Holland captain Tim Becker said, "Customer safety and the safety of our crew is the number one priority. We have masks, we have gloves, we have hand sanitizer and disinfectant spray, we do everything humanly possible that we know of to make sure that there are no issues on the boat."

Becker said, "we've been running one or two trips a day seven days a week. The fishing has been some of the best we've seen all year, or well really in the last few years. We have been exceptionally busy, but it was tough to start, a lot of people didn't want to go. That lasted only about a week, really tough being able to book until people realize that we do everything we can to keep out customers safe."

Becker explains some of the safety changes, coupled with warm weather, may have led to one of the busiest months his charter has had in recent memory.

Most charters that are operating are doing all they can to keep their boats safe for customers but some charters are doing better than others.

Many charters make not make it through the two months of losses and may not have acquired the necessary PPE equipment in order to have enough for crew and guests or even be able to afford the expense.

If you are looking for a way to forget about what is going on in the real world for a day, a charter fishing trip may be the ticket. Just call a head and find out the safety precautions that each captain is taking before making a final decision.

Apparently the fish are biting better than ever, but safety is the most important part of any trip you take.

Hopefully if enough people get confident about a charter fishing trip, more captains will be able to maintain their business so people can enjoy a great day on the waters of Michigan for years to come.