Commercial mackerel fishing question

[fish4bills]

Looks like I may be doing a little commercial king fishing this winter and I was hoping that someone could update me on the standard % that the mate should make from the sale of the catch.

I believe that the fuel and other relevant expenses come off of the top before any money is calculated for the mates pay. Is this correct?

Any info from the commercial guys on the board is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[swell rider]

Exspences always come off the top..Fuel, Bait ,Ice, Tackle ect...don't make the mistake that alot of mates make and expect to get rich and when they don't they walk away with a bad taste in there mouth..Remember it's all about the bottom line when it's all said and done, not every trip is going to be a home run.. I grew up in the fishing business working my way up from the bottom to running and owning boats it's a tough industry that's only getting tougher. If your young and really want to try fishing for a living I'd say head to Alaska, I spent 23 yrs working as a commercail fisherman up there and made a very good living, it wasn't easy and it's alot of hard work and dedication but if your determind enough to stick it out the benifits can be great..If you have any questions feel free to contact me...Ken

[terr]

The first thing to keep in mind is that the cut, and/or how expenses are calculated will vary. Expenses come out first. Then: Typically the boat is going to get a cut, 25-50%, call a third average, I don't remember. After that if the Capt. is not the boat owner he may well get twice the cut of the crew. If the Capt. is the boat owner he might take the same cut as the crew. So.. if the Capt. also owns the boat, and it is just the two of you on the boat, you might get 25%. Might only be 15-20% if there are two deckhands, but a three man crew would not be the norm. Sometimes a non-owner Capt. takes the same cut...hard to say.

Slinging slimeys is a lot of fun when they are snappin. Dealing with 40-80 foot leaders off the planer will help with your charter/private boat wiring skills as well. The number one thing to remember when trolling 4 planers for macs, in my opinion, is DON'T GET TANGLED!! Mind, you have to be quick, but if you run one of your inside planers into a outside and them things get wrapped up... That's when you need to remember rule #2. Sometimes, often really, it is quicker to cut and retie. The other situation that will get ya is if one of your short planers is coming up and you try to sneak a long out by it on the same side. If it is on the outside sometimes you can, other times you are better off waiting until that king is skipping on the surface.

Good luck with it. Hope you enjoy it.

[capt. jakeg]

Industry standard is mates split 1/3 (if there are two mates, they make 16.6% each) of the profits or 1/4 of the gross. As a mate, I have always wanted to get paid 1/3 of the profits, as a owner I have always wanted to pay 1/4 of the gross, but its whatever the agreement is. If you got a guy who is very good, knows the fishery, and is reliable, consider paying him more. If you got a drunk that is gonna be a pain in the ass, pay him shit and have another one lined up as soon as he dont show at the dock. Some boats also pay dailys plus a small percentage, but they get paid a full day for each and every day (most times its somewhere just greater than or equal to $100 per day)- and they make their own hours maintaining boat, maintaining gear, rigging, etc- even on wind days.

[DropinBack]

Just like charter fishing it depends on the owner/captain/crew and the quality of each but mostly...THEIR AGREEMENT. Ask the captain and or boat owner before you get to involved...

[fish4bills]

The first thing to keep in mind is that the cut, and/or how expenses are calculated will vary. Expenses come out first. Then: Typically the boat is going to get a cut, 25-50%, call a third average, I don't remember. After that if the Capt. is not the boat owner he may well get twice the cut of the crew. If the Capt. is the boat owner he might take the same cut as the crew. So.. if the Capt. also owns the boat, and it is just the two of you on the boat, you might get 25%. Might only be 15-20% if there are two deckhands, but a three man crew would not be the norm. Sometimes a non-owner Capt. takes the same cut...hard to say.

Slinging slimeys is a lot of fun when they are snappin. Dealing with 40-80 foot leaders off the planer will help with your charter/private boat wiring skills as well. The number one thing to remember when trolling 4 planers for macs, in my opinion, is DON'T GET TANGLED!! Mind, you have to be quick, but if you run one of your inside planers into a outside and them things get wrapped up... That's when you need to remember rule #2. Sometimes, often really, it is quicker to cut and retie. The other situation that will get ya is if one of your short planers is coming up and you try to sneak a long out by it on the same side. If it is on the outside sometimes you can, other times you are better off waiting until that king is skipping on the surface.

Good luck with it. Hope you enjoy it.

Industry standard is mates split 1/3 (if there are two mates, they make 16.6% each) of the profits or 1/4 of the gross. As a mate, I have always wanted to get paid 1/3 of the profits, as a owner I have always wanted to pay 1/4 of the gross, but its whatever the agreement is. If you got a guy who is very good, knows the fishery, and is reliable, consider paying him more. If you got a drunk that is gonna be a pain in the ass, pay him shit and have another one lined up as soon as he dont show at the dock. Some boats also pay dailys plus a small percentage, but they get paid a full day for each and every day (most times its somewhere just greater than or equal to $100 per day)- and they make their own hours maintaining boat, maintaining gear, rigging, etc- even on wind days.

Thanks guys. This was what I was looking for. I don't need the lectures. I'm not a kid looking to get rich. Been fishing the same boat with the same owner for 12 years. Have not mackerel fished in 6 or so years and just needed updating on the financial end.

[gameover]

just curious, where and what are the kings commercialy sold for?

Are they exported?


Thanks,

Taylor

[swell rider]

Wasn't giving you a lecture just some info..You ask a question on an open forum with no info about your age, exp or time onboard the boat ...what are you going to do if the Capt. try's to explain how to do something tell him not to lecture you. All I can say is Good Luck!

[fish4bills]

Looks like I may be doing a little commercial king fishing this winter and I was hoping that someone could update me on the standard % that the mate should make from the sale of the catch.
I believe that the fuel and other relevant expenses come off of the top before any money is calculated for the mates pay. Is this correct?

Any info from the commercial guys on the board is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I asked a financial question....didn't know that I was supposed to tell my life history to get a simple answer.

[Wahoo whacker]

Next thing you know you'll be on a discovery channel show or something like that...