What to Bring

When customers book a trip with us, they ask us “what should we bring”. Being well-prepared will make your excursion all that much more enjoyable. As you would expect, we provide all of the rods as well as any bait that we might need.

✅ Here’s a suggested list of what you should bring:

• Dramamine – If you’ve never been on the water or if you’re prone to seasickness, we suggest that you take Dramamine before the trip. Dramamine works better if you take it before you start feeling queasy.
• Cooler – A “Clean” Small Personal Cooler of 48 quarts or less to hold your food and drinks.
• Snacks – Whatever you would like to eat or snack on. The captain likes Doritos but fresh fruit is always a good choice.
• Water – Bring plenty to drink, especially water. It’s really easy to become dehydrated. Any “adult” beverages should be in cans.
• Sunscreen – Please apply your sunscreen before you get on the boat and wash your hands after application. The lotion can end up on the gear and the lures which will keep the fish away. Even on hazy or cloudy days, the sun can be intense on the water so it’s really easy to get a sunburn so apply before you board.
• Sunglasses – Polarized sunglasses will help with the sun’s glare off the water. It gets incredibly bright on the water.
• Hat – A hat will also help with the glare and keep the heat off your head as well.
• A sweatshirt and or a windbreaker – It can be really hot onshore but very cool on the water. Sometimes it feels like you’ve opened the refrigerator door when we round Monomoy. The water temperatures offshore can dip into the high 50’s so the air gets much cooler than the temperature is onshore.
• Raingear – If it looks like rain or a chance of showers bring a raincoat or some kind of water-resistant outerwear.
• Rubber-soled shoes like sneakers. Flip-flops are not a good idea.
• Gloves – They’re not necessary however, you may want to bring a pair of fishing gloves to protect your hands from sunburn and line burns, etc.
• Camera or cell phone for pictures! Take lots of pictures and share them on Social Media and with us.

❌ Here’s a list of what not to bring:

• No drugs of any kind! We have a zero-tolerance policy about drugs on board the boat. That includes marijuana and it doesn’t matter if you have a medical card or not.  Smoking or possession of marijuana on a boat in federally patrolled waters remains illegal, despite the recent legalization of marijuana in the state of Massachusetts. Thank you for your understanding.
• Please do not bring any Hard Liquor. Beer is fine. Fishhooks and booze don’t mix and drunk people are a liability.
• Expensive clothing. Warning, fishing is a messy business and you can get dirty. There are things like fish blood, reel oils, and more on the boat that could stain your clothes. We don’t want to see you ruin a nice shirt or blouse.
• Open-toe sandals or flip-flops are not recommended! Normally flip flops or sandals are a great option on a boat but open-toed shoes on a fishing boat can be dangerous. There may be lures or live fish flopping around on the deck. This can create a very dangerous situation.  We recommend a comfortable pair of sneakers or deck shoes.
• It’s not necessary to bring any of your equipment. We carry a lot of different rods on the boat so it might be difficult to find somewhere safe to store them while we’re making our way. We can’t be held responsible if your gear gets damaged.
• Please don’t bring spray-on sunscreens. With the ocean breeze, the sunscreen ends up on all of the fishing gear and the deck making them very slippery and none of it ends up on you.  Lotions work much better but please apply before you board.
• Finally, No Bananas! Because they have a sweet scent and a stickiness they can stay on your hands after eating them. This scent ends up on the lures and the lines and it scares away the fish. It’s an age-old superstition but why take the risk? They’re just bad luck so please, don’t bring any bananas on board otherwise we might just be taking a boat ride.

Your expectations:

The more information that we have about your expectations, the better we can plan and prepare for your trip.

• Is this your first time on a fishing charter?
• Are you bringing any children along? What are their ages?
• Is there a particular fish you would like to try to catch? Fluke, Scup, Bluefish, Striper, or Black Sea Bass. Please keep in mind that some fish may require a longer trip.
• Do you want to keep the fish that you catch or would you rather just have fun and release your catch?
• Would you rather fish inshore (closer to land) or offshore? If you’re not used to being on the water, you might want to ask for an inshore trip. This keeps us a little closer to land and it gets us fishing all that much faster. Inshore trips can target fish like Black Sea Bass, Fluke, Tautog, and Scup.

When you arrive at the marina:

• Please park in the upper parking lot designated for Shanty customers. You’ll find it on the right-hand side of the driveway coming into the marina.
• Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to your departure time. We want you to get the full value for your money.
• If you’re going to be late for your departure time, please call us: at 508-284-8511. We will do what we can to extend your trip time but we might have another trip scheduled after you If that is the case so we can’t add on any additional time.
• Make your way down to the marina and come around the righthand side of the Shanty restaurant facing the water. We are located on dock #3 in slip #328.
• If you’re lost in the marina, please give us a call at 508-284-8511 and we will come to meet you in the parking lot.