MAKE-OR-BREAK MATES

WITHOUT A DOUBT, a good mate—or team of mates—can be the difference between a good operation and a great one. It takes a lot to excel as a top deckhand in the sport-fishing industry today. Being well-versed in the many disciplines of fishing takes a great deal of patience, a strong desire to learn, and a will to succeed.

Looking back through time, a mate’s path to success was typically to hitch on with a captain and then learn everything they could. A prospect would sign on for a season or longer with a certain captain or boat, and if they were lucky enough that the boat moved around, they got to fish in different places and were able to pick up other techniques and nuances from crews on the dock. That was also the time to learn what not to do.

This gave the crewman a good chance to learn how to keep the boat running by assisting the captain in fixing things; learning how to properly maintain systems and the boat itself was a big part of the job. If they were on a charter boat, they learned it all, because missing any days due to breakdowns also meant a loss of income. To the charter captain, that is the focus: making the day’s pay for the boat, himself and the crew. And when the ship hits the fan offshore, a mate has to be able to handle the situation, not look into the hatch waiting for someone else