From Captain Mike, 

Admittedly, the fishing for us so far this season has been a grind. We have had some decent trips, mixed with some really slow fishing. The haddock this year for us have been spotty and tough to keep biting consistently. I know that I’m not painting the prettiest picture of fishing lately, but it is extremely important to me to be honest when it comes to these reports. I think that as an industry, it’s easy to report when the fishing is great and the fish just seem to jump on the boat. I’ve been lucky enough to have more than my fair share of good fishing over the years. But, right now, the bite has been slow.  The fishing will get better, then it will get slow again, then it will heat up again. That’s fishing. That’s the reality of going out onto the ocean and counting on wild fish stokes to cooperate day in and day out. 

However, on the same note, our level of effort and dedication to trying to put our customers in the best position to catch fish has never changed. On the Lady Sea, we always try to go above and beyond for our customers. Not just with fishing either. We are a small family, family owned business, and our relationships with our customers mean everything to us. 

A recent Google review from an unhappy customer has brought up some thoughts for me on the subjects of customer service and fishing productivity as they relate to each other. I’m paraphrasing, but basically the customer said the boat and crew were great, but the fishing was exceptionally slow. Then the person went on to say that as a company we should have offered him a discount to come back because he himself didn’t catch a keeper. The last part of the review stated that giving a future discount would have been the right thing to do, but we’re obviously all about money and he wouldn’t be back. 

My first thought, is that I appreciate the mans honest account of his experience. Although he was unhappy with the fishing, he gave credit to our operation where it was due. Our crew is friendly and fun, and are very good at what they do. We are very proud of the way they make us look as a business. 

Where I take offense with the gentleman’s review, is the last part. I personally have been in and around this business for 25 years now. I have never once encountered an operation around the world that would return ticket fair for a slow day of fishing. I would be lying if I said i don’t run this business to make money. It is a business. However, this is a labor of love for me personally. Slow fishing is aggravating and tough for me too. But that’s the game that is fishing, it doesn’t always work out in our favor. But to say that we as a company are all about the money because of slow fishing speaks to a lack of understanding of how this industry works. As a business we have cost ourselves countless thousands of dollars over the years putting the customer first, and we will continue to do so when it’s the right thing to do. We pride ourselves on that. But slow fishing is not that kind of situation in our business. On that particular trip, I put in an extreme amount of effort trying to put fish on the boat. Without hesitation, I burned a huge amount of fuel trying to make it happen. The fuel burned actually lowered our bottom line for the day significantly.

So, in the future, if you want to write about a bad day of fishing, I encourage you to do so as it is your right. However, badmouthing the company that put in a huge amount of effort to try to make your day better because they wouldn’t give you a discount is unfair.   

FROM THE DECK OF THE LADY SEA
CAPTAIN MIKE & CREW