Captains were few and far between in 1979, when Tibbels Marina in Marblehead, Ohio got into the fishing charter business on Lake Erie. A few years earlier, in 1975, the state had 46 captains on Lake Erie. A few years later, when the Tibbels family launched its first boat, there were about 156. With walleye and yellow perch populations fluctuating over the decades, so did charter numbers — with a high of 1,229, in 1989. Now, there are 936 captains in Ohio, with most operating out of the Western Basin.
John Tibbels has been a captain four decades. He currently operates two six-person, 30-foot Sportcraft boats and four larger aluminum boats that ten or more people can fish from comfortably — often called walk-on boats. The walk-ons were all constructed by his father and feature bench seating and built-in ice chests for fish. On a recent walk-on trip a party of five who made reservations were no-shows, leaving Tibbels to run a big boat with just four paying customers. Though he barely broke even on the trip, he still went out.
“I usually get here about 4:30 a.m. to get things started and boats leave the dock about 6 a.m.,” he explained. “Each boat has to have ice and we have to wash our worms. We have to get all the dirt off them because we don’t want worm mud all over the boats.”
Captain John Tibbels preps his two Sportcrafts for 6 a.m. trips. (Photo courtesy of James Proffitt)
Before trips, every boat is cleaned and organized — including stowing gear — ensuring appropriate tackle and rods are aboard, and that rods are rigged properly for the fishing conditions.
“On Sportcrafts everything is provided like rods, bait, ice, and tackle,” said Tibbels. “On the big boats they get bait and ice and they supply their own rod or if they don’t have one, they can rent rods from us. I usually tell people to bring one rod and maybe a back-up in case their rod breaks during the trip.”
First Mate CJ Garza cleans worms at 5 a.m. preparing for a charter at Tibbels Marina. (Photo courtesy of James Proffitt)
Tibbels said sometimes customers arrive with their own coolers, tackle boxes, nets, and other gear. He requires most of it be left on shore.
And what about mixing up a dozen strangers in close quarters on a walk-on boat?
“It’s very rare that people don’t get along because everyone is here with the common goal to catch fish,” he said. “And most of the time you watch, and you’ll get a person from Pittsburgh and a guy from Cleveland, or wherever they’re from, and they get to talking. And really it’s about catching fish, and there’s a camaraderie on the boats, and everyone’s really just here to have a good time on Lake Erie. And that’s what we do.”
Customers have their photo taken with their catches after trips with Tibbels. (Photo courtesy of James Proffitt)
Dave Whitt’s been a captain for about four decades, his Coe Vanna Charters currently operates two 30-foot Island Hoppers out of Wild Wings Marina — halfway between Port Clinton and Toledo. Like Tibbels and other captains, he rises early also to prep boats and gear before customers arrive.
“People have no idea about the boat maintenance, the upkeep on rods and reels — it never stops,” he said. “We’re getting toward the end of June, and we’ve been running hard since April. Captains right now are running on empty right now. A lot of times we run double trips.”
Whitt said it’s an early 6 a.m. trip, then back to the dock to prep for an afternoon trip, and by 10 p.m. the captain’s day ends. Trips generally include about six hours of fishing plus travel time to where the fish are biting.
“We basically have about three months to make our money — April, May, June and sometimes April is iffy,” said Whitt. “And July here, with the algae bloom, who knows? July used to be one of our prime walleye months, but now it has a question mark hanging over it.”
Captain Dan Lemon of Reel Therapy Charters aims for shore ahead of an approaching storm on the Western Basin. (Photo courtesy of James Proffitt)
Trolling or drifting?
Trolling for walleye means setting ten or more rods then motoring slowly while each rod pulls a bait behind the boat at a pre-determined depth. Once a fish takes the bait, it’s reeled in. Drifting, or casting, means each angler uses a single rod and reel to cast a bait then retrieve it, setting the hook when they feel a strike and reeling the fish in. While trolling can be productive, many aren’t fans of it.
“We don’t do any trolling,” said Tibbels. “It’s about the experience people have and in my opinion it’s not fishing, it’s harvesting. There’s no fight to it you just reel it in, and the boat does all the work. Here I can teach a person how to cast and at what depth and when they hook a fish it’s up to them whether they get it in or not.”
Captain John Tibbels nets a customers walleye. (Photo courtesy of James Proffitt)
Whitt does both, depending on his customers and fishing conditions.
“A good skipper is one that will look at his crew and listen to them and do what they want to do,” he said. “About 90 percent of the time they’ll go with what the captain recommends.”
A quality day on the water is key to successful charter fishing, according to Whitt. He said that doesn’t always mean catching fish as fast as possible.
“I book people who have had a trip where the guys go out, drop in their trolling gear, grab their limit of fish (six walleye per person) and head straight back into the dock,” he said. “Some people aren’t happy about it. I can only say this: basically I’m not a troller but I will when I have to. There’s only one thing more boring than not catching fish casting, and it’s not catching fish while trolling.”
A cooler filled with fresh walleye is the most popular goal for Lake Erie charter customers. (Photo courtesy of James Proffitt)
Charter captains are licensed through the U.S. Coast Guard which includes documenting 300-plus days on the water, a series of in-person classes, a sequence of written tests, and drug testing. Taking people onto the lake makes captains responsible for safety, which sometimes includes saying no.
“I went through a learning curve with that,” Whitt explained. “I tell people right up front when they book with us that drinking is fine in moderation but no liquor or medical marijuana. If people show up at the dock drunk or high, I won’t take them. I’ve had guys sneak moonshine out there and I told them put it away or we’re heading right back to the dock.”
New trends in the charter business
Like Tibbels, Whitt has a decades-in-the-making clientele. But early on, being a charter captain meant spending winter months attending sport and travel shows, promoting services through flyers, photo albums and business cards. Nowadays it’s different.
“I haven’t done a sport show in years. Today these new guys coming in now use social media and online booking services,” he said. “If someone books through an online booking service like fishingbooker.com and you do a good job and give them a card, they’ll call you directly the next time. These days everything is instant. When people call to book a trip you better answer your phone because if you wait until you’re off the water to call back, they’re already taken care of.”
Tibbels said he’s noticed a change in recent years among captains in general.
“More of us are talking to one another now than in the past because there’s different ways of catching these fish, so it’s much less secretive than it used to be about locations and techniques,” he said. “At the end of the day we’re here to make sure people have a good time. We don’t always catch fish, that’s just the way it is. They don’t bite all the time. But we always try.
Tibbels customer Johnny Batko displays one of his six walleye. (Photo courtesy of James Proffitt)
So really no matter what happens, we want people to have a good experience on the lake because we want repeat customers.”
Catch more news at Great Lakes Now:
From the Ice Age to Now: A Lake Erie timeline
Lake Erie charter industry rebounding from slump
Featured image: Captain John Tibbels heads east on Miss Jill one of his walk-on boats. (Photo courtesy of James Proffitt)
