What To Expect

What to Expect on Your Charter 

The Evening Before Your Charter:

  • Your captain will contact you to introduce himself and confirm your check-in time. If you miss his call, he will leave you a message. Please check your voicemails or text messages. If you’re someone who does not check messages, you may miss some important information.

 

Check-in:

  • Free parking is available directly in front of the office.
  • Bathrooms are located in the same building (just behind the stairwell) for your convenience. IF YOU ARRIVE EARLY, THE BATHROOM CODE IS “1973.”

 

The Boats: Our boats are well equipped with the latest technology, and we work daily to keep them in good working order.

  • We carry a variety of rods, reels, and tackle so you don’t need to bring anything.
  • Each boat has a bathroom on-board that is primarily to be used as a urinal. We understand that sometimes nature calls but we highly encourage you to take care of your “daily business” onshore. The vessel’s toilets are not designed to handle heavy loads if you catch my drift!
  • Both of our boats include enclosed cabins where you can relax and get out of the weather if that is your choice.

 

What to Bring: 

  • CASH FOR THE BALANCE DUE, LICENSES and TIP. Please plan ahead. We know it’s a pain to get cash, but processing fees are killing us. In order to keep your rates down, we take cash only for the balance due. There is an ATM at the corner store in case you forget.
  • We recommend wearing layers of clothes. Jeans, t-shirt, sweatshirt, and light jacket are suitable most days. We always recommend bringing an extra jacket just in case. Shoes should be soft-soled. Unless the weather calls for rain, you should not plan on getting very wet. There is no need for waders, boots, or special fishing clothes unless that is your preference. If the day goes as planned, you might get a little fish blood on your clothes and shoes so choose accordingly.
  • You will be outdoors, so we encourage you to bring any clothing, footwear, hats, sunglasses, gloves, you think you may need. Our boats have tons of storage room and you will only regret not having what you need to stay warm, comfortable, dry, or to block the sun. IF YOU THINK YOU NEED IT, BRING IT!
  • Coolers are permitted and you can bring all the food and drink you like. Please see our alcohol policy below.

 

What NOT to Bring:

  • Don’t bring a GPS device on board. Knowing the good fishing spots doesn’t come by accident, it comes from hours of hard work. Probably the worst thing you can do is book a charter with the intention of finding out your guide’s secret spots so you can fish them on your own. Spots are sacred in the game of fishing. Trying to steal a guide’s spots is like walking into a football coach’s office and asking for their playbook. Yes, almost everyone has a ‘smart phone’ with a mapping capability and can record GPS coordinates. And dishonest people use them to steal spots. If your captain sees you tracking and marking points to use later, your trip just likely ended prematurely.
  • Smoking pot, dope, Mary Jane, weed, tasty buds, etc… is not permitted on our boats.

 

  • ALCOHOL POLICY: With the exception of trips that depart at first light, alcohol consumption/possession is not allowed.  If guests show up already under the influence of alcohol, they will be turned away, considered a “no-show,” and will forfeit the price of their charter. So don’t pregame, don’t try to sneak your booze aboard, don’t ruin the trip for other people, and don’t invest hundreds of dollars in this memorable outing only to waste it getting drunk and kicked off the boat.

 

Weather and Ocean Conditions:

  • WEATHER CANCELLATIONS – If you’re traveling from out of the area, we advise you to be in more frequent communication with us. Forecasts do change, which forces us to wait to make the call to cancel or proceed with your charter. WE DO NOT CANCEL FOR RAIN. We do cancel for high winds. If the captain determines it is unsafe to proceed, we can try to reschedule your charter or issue a full refund.
  • We fish among the San Juan Islands and in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The conditions are often very calm and enjoyable within the islands but we can see some rougher conditions while transiting or while we are fishing the Strait. WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO TAKE DRAMAMINE THE NIGHT BEFORE IF YOU ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO SEA SICKNESS. (Experience has shown that those who wait until the morning to take Dramamine are often overcome by drowsiness and the medication will be less effective in combating motion sickness.)

 

Are We Guaranteed to Catch Fish? NO. We are hunting sea creatures in the wild, we are not fishing in a stocked pond. We are good at what we do, but we cannot control the wildlife. We CAN guarantee that we will try our best to help you land fish. We have heard tales of fishing charter outfits that offer “no fish no pay” charters or discounts toward future trips, but that is not us.

Many of our customers who have fished in Alaska, Canada, Florida, the Great Lakes, or elsewhere are surprised to find that fishing in the San Juans is not like fishing in other places. Some folks express concern when they see that their captain is not fishing “like they did in Alaska.” Rest assured that your captain/guide is an expert at fishing in these local waters and knows what it takes to increase your odds of landing a fish in our marine area. Here is a little of what to expect…

Salmon Fishing –

  • Salmon fishing in our region is done by trolling using downriggers and rod holders. What this means is you will not be holding a rod while waiting for a bite.
  • The captain/guide will set the gear. Your job is to watch the fishing rod and grab it when you see a bite. The captain will explain what a bite looks like and exactly what to do when getting hold of the fishing rod. This is often a surprise to our customers, and for this reason we sometimes get the feedback that “all we did is sit and watch the captain fish.”
  • Your involvement depends on you, and paying attention to that fishing rod at all times is your part. If you are distracted and miss the bite, rest assured your captain will see it and thrust a rod into your waiting hands!
  • In terms of who gets to reel in fish, we simply rotate and try to ensure everyone gets a chance.
  • We fish for a variety of salmon but depending on the size of the fish and the month, we may have to release the fish. State regulations require we release all wild chinook and those under 22 inches in length.
  • Limits depend on the State-set rules for the particular fish and the month you are fishing. In general, the limit is one or two salmon per person, one of which can be a chinook (king) salmon. The size limit for king salmon is 22 inches min. There is no size limit for pink or coho salmon.

 

Halibut Fishing –

  • We typically anchor in 150-180 feet of water in the Straight of Juan De Fuca, bait the hooks, and drop the lines. Halibut fishing is truly a waiting game. Sometimes we are lucky and anchor right on top of fish, but typically it takes a bit of time. As the fish pick up the scent of our bait, they travel to our location and hopefully bite our bait and get hooked!
  • Each customer gets their own rod, which is placed in a rod holder while waiting for a bite.
  • Upon hooking up, the client handles the rod and the captain harpoons or nets the fish as it approaches the boat.
  • The limit is one halibut per day per person with no size limit. The average size halibut is 20-30 lbs, however, we do get a couple in the 50-70 lb range each year. Our largest is 89 lbs caught some years back.

 

Lingcod fishing –

  • Each client fishes with their own rod and is actively jigging (providing the motion to simulate a swimming baitfish) at a depth of 20 -120 feet. We use 2- 8 oz. jigs with a soft plastic or lead jig.
  • This is the most involved and active fishing we offer. It requires hard work and concentration to be successful. For this reason, this may not be the best option for the very young, elderly, or those with balance problems.
  • The limit is one lingcod per day with a size slot limit of 26-36 inches. Very often we catch a variety of bottom fish on these trips, some of which can be kept, and others which have to be released.
  • Your captain/guide is well versed in the rules and regulations and will help you identify which fish can be boated and kept. These trips are typically very rewarding as many fish are caught, even if they can’t all be kept.

 

Back at the dock –

  • At the end of the day, we will clean, fillet, and bag your catch at no additional charge. If you would like your fish vacuum packed and/or frozen we can do that as well. Just let your captain know before he begins cleaning the fish and he can calculate the fee.
  • As you walk back to your vehicle, feel free to stop by the office and grab a cup of coffee, purchase a t-shirt, hoodie, or hat, or use the restroom facilities before you hop in your car.

 

Tipping your captain –

  • Tips are always appreciated. An average tip is $20-$30 from each client.

 

Lastly, we work extremely hard at ensuring your experience with us is enjoyable, memorable, and rewarding from the moment you call to book to when you leave the marina following your trip. Please provide us with feedback, good or otherwise, as that is how we continue to better serve our clients.

Copyright © 2016 R&R Charters