Usually, where you fish aboard a charter boat is a free for all on a first come, first served basis. Some boat skippers, though, employ a round-robin system. It’s less common, but you move deck position every hour or so; this determined by the number of anglers and the amount of time likely to be fished, divided equally. This equalises opportunities as best the skipper can, though some angler groups choose to do this themselves anyway.
There is no guarantee then where you’ll be fishing, so you need to have the versatility to instantly adapt to any deck placing and fish it to its maximum. In football, players capable of playing out of position are one of the most valued alongside strikers, which proves the point of being able to adapt to any position.
FISHING THE STERN
There’s always a clamour for the stern of the boat, especially the middle if there’s room for three anglers across the back, but the stern corners are just as good. There is an obvious advantage to the stern positions.
The main advantage is that, in theory, the fish should find the stern angler’s baits first as they follow the scent trail. It’s not quite as simple as that though.
