Knowing Your Neighbors: Happy Hooker Charters
DULUTH, MN – There are thousands of lakes in both Minnesota and Wisconsin to go fishing on, but to go fishing out on Lake Superior is a one of a kind experience. It is an opportunity to catch several different kinds of fish, see Duluth from a different perspective, and even get a closer look to some of the larger ships out on the lake. The popularity and demand for the opportunity has grown in recent years and one local company has been offering chartered fishing trips on the big lake for nearly 50 years.
Happy Hooker Charters is a family owned business that started in 1976 and has seen first-hand the growth of the industry right here in the Twin Ports. Just in the last seven years they have expanded their fleet for four boats to seven and have also seen more charter boats pop up in the harbor. For the ship captains, it is more opportunities to bring more excitement into people’s lives.
“A lot of the times we’re the first fish that people have ever caught on our boats. It’s kind of neat to be able to show them the ropes to fishing and show them the excitement and see their eyes kinda light up as they see that fish come in. It’s just always fun seeing the smiles on people’s faces,” said owner Captain Riley Leslie.
Being able to make it worthwhile is important to Happy Hooker Charters and they do what they can to send their customers home with fish in hand.
“It’s kind of a benefit to having our big seven boat fleet here. We always have a group text message going. We’re always talking to each other. We’re always calling each other. It’s awesome because we’re out there every day. That combination of being out there all the time and being able to talk to so many boats and knowing what’s working, we just kind of… be able to meander around the lake and stay on top of the fish. If one boat’s catching, we kind of all move in towards there. We kind of share each other’s secrets. We share each other’s knowledge and we keep each other on fish because at the end of the day that’s what we all want to do,” said Leslie.
At the end of the day, it is still fishing and the best day of the year can be followed by the worst day of the year, even for seasoned veterans with over 35 years of charter fishing under their belt. On days like that, they try to make the most of the situation.
“We pride ourselves on having a good time. We can’t always catch a lot of fish. Today we caught a bunch of fish, and it’s always a good time when you catch a lot of fish, but there’s times when you don’t catch as many, so you have to make it a good experience for them. And you don’t have to explain what we’re doing. You know, teach them things about Lake Superior,” said Captain Peter Dahl.
October 2 marked the end of the charter season, so while the boats are coming out of the water and getting winterized, the ship captains are already getting bookings for next year, several of which are coming from happy customers as soon as they get back on dry land.
We’re already booking. I’ve got a lot of customers that book right after their trip year after year. They get off the dock and they’re so excited, they’re so giddy-up, they already put the next trip on the calendar for the year after, so we’re already up and rolling for next summer,” said Leslie
We are told that weekend trips go fast so plan ahead and book now if you want a weekend trip next year.
