Brothers use fishing expertise as charter captains

Since they were boys growing up in Eastlake, brothers Ed and Tim Guy always have fished in Lake Erie.

Back then, they wet their lines off the shore, piers and breakwalls.

They still ply the lake’s waters today in search of walleye, yellow perch, steelhead and smallmouth bass for pleasure and as co-owners of G&G Sportfishing, a charter fishing business they’ve operated for four years.

With their 25-foot Sportcraft fishing boat Teamster as platform, the Guys operate out of west basin dockage in Marblehead in April, May and June. They re-locate to Grand River Marina in Fairport Harbor for the summer and fall.

If the weather permits, and it has in recent years, the Guys and Teamster stay on the water into December.

“As long as they’re biting, we’re out there until the snow flies,” Ed said.

Ed, 54, lives in Painesville Township. He is an adjunct professor of biology at Lakeland Community College. He also owns and operates North Coast Wildlife Control, a nuisance animal removal business

Tim, 49, lives in Newbury Township. He is a respiratory therapist at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland.

“We’re fortunate because the schedules we have at out other jobs are flexible and give us the time to do the fishing charters,” Tim said.

G&G Sportfishing charges $500 for charters with one to four clients. The charters usually last eight hours.

There is an additional $150 charge when clients order an onboard lunch with non-alcoholic beverages. Ed and Tim are licensed as captains by the U.S. Coast Guard and Ohio Division of Wildlife. Clients must have valid Ohio fishing licenses which this year cost $19.

“For us and our clients, the charters are a relief from the stresses of our jobs and everyday lives,” Tim said.

“But this is not a stressfree enterprise,” Ed added, smiling. “When people pay good money for a trip, they want fish in the boat. Some days, despite your best efforts and expertise, the fish just aren’t biting. Fortunately for us, we usually get fish in the boat.”

Their quests to put fish in the boat are augmented by the latest in tackle and lures as well as a technological array that includes a Cisco Fishing System, Garmin chart plotter, VHF marine radio, Garmin TR1Gold autopilot and Lewmar windlass anchor system.

Teamster is powered by a V-8 inboard engine but uses a 9-horsepower trolling motor for walleye fishing.

Beyond the technology, the Guys rely on accumulated experience and a feel for how the fish are running to make sure clients go home with plenty of fish in their coolers.

“We go out on the lake all the time because we need to be on the fish. And there are places we go where other people don’t,” Tim said with a chuckle.

The Guys rely on several weather apps loaded into their cellphones to constantly monitor the often rapidly-changing conditions on the water. If storm fronts are approaching, Teamster heads to shore and safe cover.

Lake Erie’s water quality is of paramount importance to the Guys as businessmen and avid recreational anglers.

“Back in the 1970s, the water quality wasn’t good,” Ed said. “The Clean Water Act and public awareness made a big difference. The lake is as clean as its been in three or four generations.”

Because their charters cover a wide swath of Lake Erie, the Guys allow for how water depth changes the dynamics of fishing. In the west basin, especially around the Lake Erie islands, depths range from 12 to 35 feet. The lake deepens in the east basin to as much as 70 feet.

The Guys offer tips to clients who aren’t experienced in Lake Erie fishing and allow clients to carry on canned beer.

“People want to have a good time and we’re fine with that,” Ed said. “If they get inebriated, we’re going back in. That has never happened and I hope it never does.”

Because the Guys paid cash for Teamster, they don’t have to factor in loan payments when establishing their prices. They keep a close watch on marine fuel prices. At this point of the season, that price is about $3.25 per gallon.

“Talk to any charter captain and he’ll tell you the number one item is fuel,” Ed Guy said.

Running an average of 40 charters per season, the Guys said their business makes money on a modest scale.