Owning your own boat can be a rewarding experience; you are the captain and have the option of fishing when and where you want or simply going for a leisurely cruise with the family. Yet, for many people, owning a boat is not an option for a variety of reasons. And trying to justify owning a boat with the dollar value of the fish you expect to catch in a season is a lesson in bad economics.

Sea Grant conducted a survey of the charter fishing industry and found that the average charter operator had to make more than 45 trips per year just to break even. Since the costs of boat ownership are similar for a private individual owning a 25-foot vessel, you would need to make at least 45 trips to financially justify owning a boat rather than chartering!

Consider your cost of ten six-passenger salmon charters on Lake Michigan to be divided among you and five friends. Your share of these ten charters wouldn't come close to the cost of docking a 25-foot boat at a Lake Michigan marina for one season. Not to mention the value of experience gained by fishing with a knowlegable professional charter captain or guide. These captains fish the lake daily and have the added advantage of locating and staying on top of fish.... ensuring you a successful charter