I was on the phone the other day with a friend when he asked me, “Are you taking a vacation in 2023?”

“Yeah, I hope so,” I replied. “I’d love to go somewhere sunny (because Southeast Alaska is cold and rainy) and book a charter fishing trip.”

He was surprised by my answer—after all, I run a charter boat and spent countless days last summer catching fish. The conversation moved on, but it got me thinking: Why do we book fishing charters?

More Than Just Filling the Fish Box

Is it just about stocking up on fish? It can’t be—because, economically, that doesn’t make much sense. When you go fishing, charter or not, there’s never a guarantee you’ll catch even one fish, let alone enough to fill a freezer. If your only goal was to put food on the table, you’d probably stay home and order a box of fish online.

And what about all the crazy people (myself included) who choose to catch and release on guided trips?

It’s About the Experience

Whether you’re casting for snook in Florida or trolling for cohos in Alaska, you’re not just chasing fish—you’re chasing a feeling. It’s the same thrill of anticipation you felt as a kid, threading a worm onto a hook and watching your bobber disappear beneath the water’s surface. It’s the same rush you experienced when you first felt the rhythmic head shakes of a fish fighting on the other end of your line.

On a charter, it’s a blend of your own skill, combined with your guide’s local knowledge, that turns the unknown into something tangible—a fish. That transformation is a kind of magic.

The Tug Is the Drug

That’s the phrase, right? It’s the intoxicating rush that surges through you as you fight a fish—the real fear of losing it mixed with the thrill of possibly landing it. Fishing is optimism and resilience in action. Just “five more minutes” and “one last cast.”

And when I lie in bed weeks or even months later, it’s not the fish I landed that I think about. It’s always the one that got away. The flash of a silver head a hundred feet behind the boat, the dark shadow that appeared at the surface before spitting the hook and vanishing into the depths.

Why I Still Book Fishing Charters

As a fishing addict, the urge to connect with a fish—especially in a new place—is always enough to get me to book a charter. And that feeling doesn’t fade when I take you out on the water.

I’m just as eager for you to hook into a fish as you are to catch one!