By Maddy Vitale
Capt. Craig Peters loves fishing. Ever since he was five years old, he has been on a boat.
The retired Galloway Township physical education teacher said he learned his expert fishing skills from one of the best fishermen he has ever known, his grandfather, Bill Peters.
“He taught me how to filet fish, bait my hook and cast my line,” the 62-year-old Peters said.
His love of fishing inspired by his grandfather was transformed into his own business, Fish Tale Charters, out of Harbour Cove Marina in Somers Point. He operates fishing charters as well as intimate cruises for couples and small groups of people.
Peters grew up in the Philadelphia area, but spent many of his weekends with his grandparents in Ocean City.
That is where he honed both his fishing and navigation skills of the bays and ocean.
“I would come down and stay with my grandfather Bill and my other grandfather Joe,” Peters explained of alternating between his fishermen grandfathers in Ocean City. “They took me out fishing all the time. I think in the summers I spent more time in Ocean City than at home.”
Then came college and it was time to pick a career path. He chose teaching and spent 25 years in a position he enjoyed, instructing students at Arthur Rann Elementary School on physical fitness.
But his dream was to make a living out of fishing, so he earned his captain’s license from the U.S. Coast Guard.
“It was in the back of my mind for quite a long time,” Peters said. “When I got into my 30s and 40s I said, ‘Maybe I could do this.’”
He sought the advice of fellow anglers.
“I had friends who were charter captains and I worked for several of them as a mate,” Peters said. “That is how I learned the charter business.”
Eighteen years ago, Peters, who lives in Marmora with his wife Susan, purchased a boat he named Fish Tale and created Fish Tale Charters. He offers a host of packages that are on the website www.fishtalechartersoc.info.
“I started this with the idea that when I retired it would be something to fall back on. During the school year I would book my weekends and holidays,” he said. “When I was off from school in the summer, I would be out with people fishing seven days a week.”
For anyone who has been on one of his excursions from bay trips for flounder to ocean outings for flounder and black sea bass, the captain provides an educational and fun experience, that most of the time, includes some decent catches, he said.
“I can’t predict what Mother Nature can do, but I can watch the weather and I can take you to places that I know fish will be,” Peters said with a laugh.
Over the years, Peters has built up a customer base.
He just booked a bay trip for flounder for a husband and wife.
“They fished with me before over the years,” he said.
What he provides on his charter fishing experience is a bit different than on a large charter fishing boat.
Fish Tale seats up to five people, but depending on the type of fishing, Peters might cap the number at three or four.
A great experience, topped by some good catches, are Peters’ goals for his clients.
“Most of my clients come from the Philadelphia area, but I’ve had people come from all over the country – California and Michigan,” he said.
Two years ago, when his fishing charter business became full time, he was ecstatic. And he got to use some of his teaching talents to show some novices in the fishing world what it takes to be a top fisherman.
There is a definite art and mastery to fishing.
“When I get people, if not complete newbies, maybe they’ve fished a handful of times, I give them instruction on how to hook the fish,” he said.
Being the captain means he doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty. He is more than happy to clean the day’s catch and bag it for an angler’s dinner.
Like any good captain, Peters is watchful of the weather. He studies it three or four times a day during fishing season, which on Fish Tales begins in April and stretches to early December.
“We want an enjoyable day. I want to give you the best possible situation to give you a good chance to bend the rod and catch the fish,” he said. “That is the way I have done it for 18 years of the fishing charter business.”
When asked the most popular fishing trips booked with “Capt. Craig,” he said it was tied between the flounder fishing in the bay and the ocean bottom fishing trips. Both trips have one thing in common – flounder.
But in the ocean, you can also catch croaker, black sea bass and other fish.
And if it’s flounder you want, plan on booking a trip on Fish Tales soon. Flounder season starts Friday.
“Flounder is the number one sought after species in the state of New Jersey,” Peters said. “The facts are there. The boat is all set. I just tied all my rigs on the rods for flounder. All I need to do is put ice in the ice box, get my bait and pull off the dock.”
Peters also provides other trips, including a bay cruise.
“I take people out for a two-hour cruise around the bay to look at the sights along Ocean City and Somers Point. They get to relax, drink some wine and eat cheese and crackers.”
On the flip side of it, he also offers a shark trip, which can be thrilling – especially to the novice fisherman.
In the off season, Peters spends his time playing golf. He looks at the weather just to make sure it isn’t bitterly cold out when he wants to practice his golf swing.
“Once the boat goes back in the water in April, I look at the weather four times a day,” he said.
Keeping his customers happy remains his goal while taking people out on Fish Tale Charters.
“We get some really good days, where we catch flounder, sea bass, croakers, a mixed bag of fish,” Peters said. “When I take you out, there will be a reasonable chance you will catch a fish.”
For more information, visit www.fishtalechartersoc.info or call Capt. Craig Peters at 609-391-8230.
