For this Ask an Expert we get the scoop from Captain Pat Love of Back Creek Charters.
Q: We hear you’re doing fishing camps for kids. Tell us what led to this?
A: I helped start Fishing the Chesapeake Summer Camp for Boys 10 years ago and have directed the camp for seven years. The camp is offered through Back Creek Charters and The Heights School, a private boy’s school in the DC area with a Maryland State accredited summer camps program known for its outdoor adventure camps. I’ve taught at the school for 23 years and I have five kids of my own, so fishing with or teaching kids is something I do every day.
The summer camp has grown a lot because of demand from kids who are interested in fishing and parents who want their kids to have an authentic, screen-free adventure with competent, respectful captains. This year we helped 92 kids get on the water for a week each. I partner with guides I respect for their fishing competence and disposition. They all have kids of their own, so they get it.
Q: What do you usually fish for, and what tactics and gear do you use?
A: We begin by bottom fishing, and ultimately we’re after gamefish species beginning with rockfish, usually using paddletails and topwater spooks. On low-wind days, we may head as far north as Baltimore or as far south as the mouth of Choptank. We’ve caught rockfish, bluefish, speckled trout, Spanish mackerel, and puppy drum over the years, as well as bottom fish. When bored, we wrestle with the Chesapeake Tuna aka Pennsylvania Flounder aka Cownose Rays ;)
Q: What do you teach the kids about, aside from just catching fish?
A: Knots, safe boating, lure making, casting, and light tackle fishing techniques. I preach the three G’s:
Gratitude - we teach a disposition of thankfulness toward our parents, the crew, the captain, and nature. Thankfulness opens our eyes to the people, places, and things around us and keeps us focused on positive experiences.
Generosity - we teach the kids that the best way to have a great day is to do something for someone else. Especially with the same kids in tight quarters all day long, this flips the script from gimme-gimme-gimme, to what can I do for you?
Gentility - we ask the boys to act like gentlemen. This means having manners, taking turns, obeying orders, saying ‘yes sir,’ and reconciling differences. Gentlemen act gently because they are confident in their inherent dignity as a person.
Q: How about your short “Back Creek” charters. Is there really enough in one creek to keep a family of anglers interested for an afternoon?
A: The first year I got my boat I caught white perch, rockfish, a puppy drum, and a small flounder all departing from Back Creek in under two hours, so I decided to start a two-hour trip called a Back Creek Charter. The irony is that I never fish in Back Creek, it’s just an awesome home base. Of course, many families and clients choose half-day or full-day charters.
Q: Give us your number one top general fishing tip for angling in the Middle Bay.
A: Find happy habitat. You’re looking for neighborhoods with live bottom, clean moving water, oxygen, and happy temps. If nobody’s home, change neighborhoods. If nobody is in several neighborhoods, seek current, bait, water temps, and structure in another zip code.
Q: Open mic: what haven’t we talked about that you want to tell all the anglers out there?
A: I guess I’d like to talk a bit about kids since I fish the majority of the summer with kids ages eight to 16. Kids like to go fast, enjoy windy days, and want a challenge and an adventure. They’d rather fail on their own than succeed and learn nothing. This is true in light tackle angling, but also in life. They want to be challenged to be good people, good citizens, to understand how to be good stewards of their fishery and good friends. I’m grateful to see this every day and am overwhelmed by the positive feedback and demand for Fishing on the Chesapeake Bay Summer Camps for Boys.
Thank you, Captain Pat! Parents: The camps for the next summer begin filling up in November and most weeks are full by January, so don’t wait until spring to click on the “Fishing Camps for Kids”! You can also contact Capt. Pat by calling/texting (410) 707-3805.