May 15, 2017

Meet Scott Campbell of Fishing Frenzy Charters in Charlestown

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Campbell.

Scott, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up fishing on Nauset Beach with my dad and it was obvious I had a love for the ocean and fishing at a very young age. I remember watching the fishing boats from the beach and dreaming about being on them. I had an opportunity to fill in as a mate in Rhode Island in the late 90’s and jumped on the opportunity. This is where I really learned the ins and outs of the boat and sport fishing. After moving to Boston in 2001 I realized I needed to get back on a boat. I approached Captain Paul Diggins, explained I wanted to be his mate, and it wasn’t long before we were fishing together. I spent 11 years working with and learning from Paul in Boston Harbor. Not only did this help my fishing ability and the ability to learn the important aspects of navigating a boat, but it also helped me to pass the exam to fulfill my dream of obtaining my captain’s license. I knew that someday I wanted to run a boat of my own and in 2013 I was fortunate enough to find the perfect boat and I started Fishing Frenzy Charters. It has been a great experience and I am very lucky that the captains throughout Boston have taken me under their wing and shared their knowledge and expertise.

Has it been a smooth road?
While it hasn’t always been a smooth road, I have enjoyed the process. I think the biggest struggle is that fishing is so unpredictable and I want to ensure that the customer is satisfied. People spend their hard earned money for a day on the water and I feel a lot of pressure to put them on the fish. Owning a boat can be a full-time job in itself with maintenance and upkeep. I didn’t have any business experience when I started so it has been a work in progress to learn the business, keep the customers happy and maintain the boat. New challenges arise every season and it forces me to be creative and come up with new solutions. It isn’t often that people get to do what they love and I feel fortunate to be able to do that.

I think the biggest struggle that will always be there is making sure that the customers are happy and have a good experience. People spend their hard earned money for a day on the water, so I feel pressure to put them on the fish. Owning a boat can be a full-time job in itself with maintenance and upkeep so juggling the boat and the business has been a learning experience. I didn’t have any business experience so learning the business side of things has also been tricky but it has been a work in progress. New problems arise every season and it forces me to be creative and come up with new ideas.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Fishing Frenzy specializes in both inshore and offshore fishing. For inshore fishing we would be targeting flounder, striped bass, bluefish and mackerel. Offshore fishing, which is my favorite, we would target tuna and shark. As I mentioned before, customer service is the upmost priority in the charter fishing industry. We can’t control how many fish we see or catch but we can control the quality of the experience the customers have out on the water. I make it a priority to establish a relationship with my customers and give them options during the trip. I make sure to explain each decision I make as the captain and how it will affect their day. As long as it is not a safety issue, the customer has as much say in what we do or where we go as the captain. The excitement out there is contagious and I get as excited to watch people fishing as I do to fish myself.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Boston is an excellent city for the Fishing business. Boston Harbor has 34 islands covering 50 square miles. There are so many areas to explore and fish, one of the significant advantages that Boston has compared to most places on the ocean are the islands. The island enables us to always be out of wind conditions that could potentially create an uncomfortable sea condition. The harbor is centrally located between Cape Cod and Gloucester. When we leave the harbor and head offshore we encounter Stellwagen Bank which is an ecosystem of marine life. It is very likely that you will see whales, tuna, dolphins, sharks, and other species. It is as exciting as it gets. Being centrally located in Massachusetts gives us many options to target multiple species throughout a trip. One improvement that I would like to see is a charter boat dock located downtown. This would give people better opportunities to see how much fishing is a part of Boston.

What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
I am just so proud that I am actually living my dream! Owning and running a charter company has been my dream since I was a little boy and it feels amazing to have accomplished that. I think I would have to say that the proudest moment so far in my life has been when my wife and I had our first son last year. I am looking forward to the day we can fish together and eventually work together so I can teach him everything I have learned.

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