Info:       

Draggin’ Fly Charters
20 Chapel Street
Pembroke, MA 02359

Web:
www.fishboston.com
 
Phone:
781-293-7444
617-688-1882

E-mail:
dragginfl@aol.com

Rates (2009):
Full day 3 anglers - $425
Half day 3 anglers - $325
Fourth angler - $50

 Fishing Boston Harbor for Business or Pleasure            

by Sean Mulready
photos courtesy of Bill Smith - Draggin’ Fly Charters;
additional photos by Mitch Kaplan

People have been fishing in Boston Harbor for centuries.

Since the creation of the Boston Harbor Island National Park more than a decade ago, thousands also come to these waters to tour historic sites, soak up the sun or take advantage of the growing number of services offered in the park.

A few, however, continue to make it their business to fish here. And, many are now mixing fishing with business.

 Gone Fishing                             

Bill Smith  runs Draggin’ Fly Charters, specializing in light tackle and fly fishing for bass and blues in and around Boston Harbor. His bookings in the last few years have been filled more and more by business people who see a charter trip in close proximity to the Boston waterfront as an ideal venue for entertaining clients.

It’s a lot like business golf except that here you aim for the water.

"The real growth is with corporate business, and my best clients are financial people," said Smith. Even the financial downturn hasn’t slowed the numbers of businesses who book trips with key clients.

"Business people might not be traveling as much, but they’re still traveling, and they probably have more disposable income than a lot of the local people who used to book trips with me," he added.

Smith has his city fishing trips down to a science. He primarily uses three piers for pick-up and drop-off points, while launching his 20-foot, center console from a state ramp on the Back River in North Weymouth.

"I like to use the pier opposite the Seaport Hotel," he said. "I’ll try to encourage people to stay there if they want to charter with me." Just as often, however, he will arrange to pick people up at other spots, some of those within an easy walk the Boston waterfront.

"There are two public docks, one at Charlestown and another in the North End on Sergeant Wharf," he added. "People like that because there’s parking right above the dock where I drop them off."

 Gettin' Down to Business                       

Most of the trips are four to five hours. Some go for six. The host gets quality time with his clients while on the water, and still has a chance to pitch products and services over lunch or dinner.

One such business client has booked multiple trips with Draggin’ Fly over the last four years. He preferred to keep his company’s name and his own identity out of this story, but was very willing to explain the benefits of these trips, as opposed to more traditional golf outings.

"Business golf is pretty predictable in terms of any business relationship," he explained. He noted that most clients are in their comfort zone on a golf course, where they can follow a set of rules and expectations from the time they get to the first tee. "When you’re out on the water it’s a bit more of an adventure."

His clients often have little fishing experience and, so far, none has fished in Boston Harbor. Most travel from New York and all this is new to them. "It gets them out of their routine. They’re going out with Bill on waters they’ve never been on before," the businessman said.

Here, it’s not about who’s ahead on this hole or on the front nine. It’s about sharing something new. "It’s more of a team building experience," he noted.

 When Business Turns to Pleasure                   

For some, the visit establishes relationships between businesses that go on for years. Sometimes, though, the experience goes beyond contracts and contacts.

"We had one client who came up from New Jersey this summer who enjoyed the trip with Bill so much that he came back just a few weeks later on his own to fish with his son," the businessman explained.

That's when business morphs into pleasure.