A first-time deep-sea fishing trip was supposed to run from 2 p.m. until dusk. Instead, the group said they were back at the dock after only two and a half hours, arguing with the crew over a tip they had never been told was required.
In a Reddit post, the fisherman said six people chartered a boat for $675. None of them had been deep-sea fishing before, so they were going in with the usual first-timer trust: you pay the money, listen to the captain and mate, catch what you can, and figure out the rest as you go.
They were told the trip would run from 2 p.m. until dusk, which the poster understood to mean somewhere around 8 p.m. They were also told they could keep two rockfish per person and could keep more of the other fish they caught.
At first, the fishing went well. Too well, almost.
The group caught their 12 rockfish pretty quickly, hitting the two-per-person limit. That should have been the start of the next part of the trip. They had been told they could keep other fish too, and they were expecting several more hours on the water.
Instead, the captain started heading back.
The poster asked why they were going in if they still had time left and could fish for other species. According to him, the first mate simply said it was the captain’s decision.
That left the group confused, but they went along with it. They were new to this and may not have known how hard to push. Maybe the captain had a reason. Maybe the bite, weather, regulations, or boat traffic made it normal. But from their side, they had paid for a trip that was supposed to run until dusk, and they were back in two and a half hours.
They had also heard from a friend that tipping the first mate was expected, so they came prepared with extra cash. After the boat was tied up, the group got together and came up with $65.
To them, that felt reasonable. The trip had been cut short, they were only gone a fraction of the expected time, and nobody had told them a specific amount was required.
The first mate did not take it that way.
According to the poster, the mate immediately got upset and went to the captain. Then the captain turned around and told the group the tip was not good enough. He said it would be $20 per person, as if it were not optional.
That would have put the expected tip at $120.
The group apologized and told them they genuinely did not know. Nobody had said $20 per person up front. They did not have more cash on them. They had already paid $675 for the charter and brought what they thought was a fair tip, especially considering how short the trip had been.
Then the first mate allegedly threatened to take the fish back if they did not pay more.
That changed the whole tone. A tip is supposed to be a gratuity, not a hostage payment. The group had caught the fish. The boat had already come back early. Now the crew was telling them the tip was not enough and threatening to keep the fish unless they came up with more cash.
The poster said they briefly considered going to an ATM to get more money. That alone says they were not trying to stiff anyone from the start. They were new, embarrassed, and trying to figure out whether they had made a mistake. But as they walked away, the way the crew handled it started to bother them more.
They did not like being told the tip was mandatory after the fact. They especially did not like being threatened over the fish. So they left.
Afterward, the poster brought the whole situation to Reddit because he wanted to know if any of it was normal. Was it normal for a charter to end as soon as the group hit a rockfish limit, even though the trip was sold as 2 p.m. to dusk and other fish were still available? Was it normal for the captain and mate to demand a specific tip after the trip? And how wrong were they for giving $65 when the crew expected $120?
The post had the feel of someone who was not trying to dodge paying people. He wanted to understand the custom. He knew tipping mates was common. But he also felt like the trip was cut short and then the crew tried to squeeze more money out of them once they were back at the dock.
That is a bad first impression for deep-sea fishing. A good charter can make someone want to book every season. A bad one can make a first-timer wonder if the whole business is built on hidden expectations and dockside pressure.
Commenters mostly told him the crew handled it badly. Several said tips are common on charters, often around 10 to 20 percent depending on the trip and the crew, but they pushed back hard on the idea that a tip should be demanded after the fact.
One commenter who said he had been in the charter business for years said he had almost never heard of a boat returning early unless the customers requested it, weather forced it, or there was an emergency. He said if the captain had not clearly explained that the trip ended once the limit was caught, cutting it short was wrong.
Others said the threat to take the fish was the worst part. Commenters argued that once the fish were legally caught and kept, the crew had no business using them as leverage over a tip.
A few people said the group should leave a truthful review online and pick a different boat next time. Several also said they should ask more questions before booking future trips: how long the trip runs, whether it ends at a limit, what species are targeted after limits are reached, how tips work, and whether any minimum gratuity is expected.
The practical advice was clear: tipping a good mate is normal, but a demanded tip after a shortened trip is not the same thing. And threatening to keep the fish over it made the whole outfit look bad.
