The fishing world and the corporate world have some pretty clear dividing lines. One that often comes up is when someone asks if Chuck and I hold a formal captains’ meeting each day during which we then designate where each boat goes fishing. I’m occasionally asked if my electronics show me where each of our boats is at any given moment. This kind of managing and tracking employees may be common in corporate America. It may even create a desired outcome. It’s foreign to us.
AU has 9 captains, each of whom is smart, experienced, and skilled. The last thing we want to do is get in the way of their instincts and creativity. So, our day begins with all of us standing around in the processing room. We share what we caught and what we learned the day before. We share any intel we’ve gotten from outside sources. We poke fun at each other ceaselessly. We then go around the room and state where we’re starting that day. Some of us may go south to the Cape, some north to Georgiana, some straight to Point Amelia. We’d all like to pick right every day, but that’s not possible. It’s a highly variable environment we fish in. Once on the water, we talk on the radio all day. Those that went south, can always run north up the west side of Kruzof Island if that’s working out better. The north boats can always run south if that sounds good as the fishing progresses. Maybe the fishing is so good that we all guessed right.
Aside from the fishing information, we always discuss the weather in the morning meeting – safety first. There are days where wind speed and direction determine where it will be safe and comfortable to fish. When the guests arrive, we’re ready to place our first bets of the fishing day. The rest unfolds hour by hour, radio report by radio report, place by place. Every day is different and that keeps things interesting.