This is the only way to fish near Cape Cod, no matter how (in)experienced you are. Captain Eric is the best charter captain and fisherman you'll ever have the opportunity to fish with. After years of trying to coordinate the gang's calendars for a first trip with Hairball Charters, it finally came together on September 10, 2021. An old fishing buddy was coming back from Texas for a weekend taste of the Cape brine that he'd given up for his better half, and Captain Eric had an opening! After a few nights of jittery anticipation and logistical charliefoxtrots, the morning of the 10th began with us blazing out to the fishing grounds on Captain Eric's fishing wagon. It was less than a week after Ida dropped 9.5 inches of rain and a tornado near the boat ramp. Hurricane Larry was actively spinning offshore East of the Cape and throwing 30 foot swells at us, but Captain Eric was all fired up for some fishing scenario he expected would develop. We deferred entirely to him, and soon did not regret it. He quickly honed in on some fish-holding bottom features, judged the effects of Larry's huge swells, the ripping current of the new moon, and the wind that reversed direction with the high pressure system sucked into Larry's wake. Bam! Double hookups on cow stripers. Bam!! Double hookups on cow stripers! Nuff sed. You get it. But I have to say that when these fish shook their heads it didn't feel like I was holding a fishing rod, but the bridle of a constipated horse that hated me. Captain Eric kept the fishing wagon steady while we battled fish after fish. Our (my) arms and bodies were soon gassed from spectacular fishing. We (almost) wanted a break from fishing, a lifetime first for this crew. In sum, the fishing was outfnstanding, but I'd be remiss not to say that what made it all perfect was Captain Eric. That guy is a gentleman, a rock-solid American, a great father, and a guy who will give anything and everything to anyone who knows how to spell "respect." read more

I am by no means an avid fisherman. We went with Hairball charters for a bachelor party for my future brother in law. I thought I was not going to enjoy myself. Well boy, was I wrong. Captain Ryan, Captain Josh, and us eight guys all set out in the wee hours of the morning. It was a beautiful ride out to the Martha's Vineyard sound. We got out to where we were headed and the Captains got to work. They did everything for us. And they were extremely skilled fishermen. Real nice guys too. They helped the groom and his father cast their poles. Within a minute, no joke, they caught a huge striper each. Like 38 inches. The men of Hairball charters are extremely attuned to where the fish are and where to go. Using advanced GPS tracking and waypoints, we mastered the stripers of the MV sound. Even I, a poor fisherman by any standard, caught two huge stripers. And what a good eating fish to boot. When we got to dock, we were so tired from fishing but feeling victorious. And we got to watch the fishermen fillet our fish for us. Watching these skilled fishermen fillet fish en masse alone was worth the trip! What an experience this trip was! I am currently in the process of organizing another group of guys to go out with Hairball again. That's how much I enjoyed myself. And never fished a day in the ocean in my life before going out with Hairball. Highly recommend this charter. read more

My son and I have been on quite a few striper charters on the Cape with mixed results. That all changed when we went with Captain Eric on Hairball Charters! First, he took us directly to trophy stripers; I caught a 42 inch beauty, but my son caught the fish of a lifetime at 48 inches! That was just the beginning as we kept reeling them in! Captain Eric showed us how to use the rig he had set up, and it was on from there! After we caught a few more monsters, we switched to top water lures. It was explosive! The stripers hit so hard that my lure would go airborne! My son and I both caught keepers, but the slamfest was just getting started. We fished until our arms got tired! We'll be back again soon because Captain Eric is on those stripers! read more

I am an experienced freshwater bass fisherman, and was always skeptical of the saltwater stuff. The fishing I always enjoyed included aiming for logs, and rocks and structure of that sort. My buddy convinced me to try out saltwater fishing with Eric from Hairball Charters, and I was not disappointed. Eric can read underwater structure better than most can read a book. Put all six of us on the boat on a limit of big striper and huge black Sea Bass in no time. If you listen to his and his deckhand Ryan's advice, you will catch fish 9/10 casts. Must've caught and thrown back over 20 fish after catching a big limit. Will definitely go again in the fall. read more

Cap'n Eric KNOWS where the fish are!! I took my son out for his 10th birthday and there were only a few of us on board. Cap'n Eric paid close attention to my son and sure enough we nailed 'em immediately!! In 42 years of my life I have never seen ANYONE catch a Striper..and I left that day with plenty to write home about!! Thank you so much Capn Eric for making my son's (and my) the most amazin day on board a boat fishin and all my jealous coworkers, friends and family jealous!! :) Best day EVER!! You will probably be inundated with calls soon!!! Hahaha! ;) Thank you ssooo much! We ate Striper for a week! :) Yumm!!!! read more

Hairball Charters out of Falmouth, Massachusetts, is hands down the best fishing charter in Cape Cod. Captain Eric is incredibly knowledgeable and professional. He consistently knows where the fish are, ensuring we always have a successful and enjoyable trip. His expertise and dedication set him far above other captains in the area. Every time we go fishing with Hairball Charters, we catch tons of fish and have an excellent time on the boat. The experience is unmatched, and I will never book any other charter in Cape Cod. Highly recommend Hairball Charters for an unforgettable fishing adventure. Book a trip today! read more

PUTS YOU ON THE FISH!! We had an excellent experience fishing with Eric. My son and I limited out on sea bass and then limited out on Stripers. You know the captain knows their stuff when they position the boat, tell you when to cast and you get smacked on your first cast nearly every time. Eric not only knows where the fish are but he's a good guy and operates a class act operation. I have taken many charters and Hairball exceeded my expectations. Stop looking at charter services online and book with Eric, you'll be glad you did. read more

If you are looking for an adventure or love fishing, you can't pass up this experience! I had been fishing ounce before in my life. A total novice and these men were such experts. I wasn't sure I could keep up or even catch fish. Eric and his co-worker Ryan were so helpful, educational, and worked sp hard for us! They know how to find fish! BIG fish!! I couldn't believe how many huge fish we caught. I've been smiling for days. Incredible. An absolute must-do. If you are near the cape- GO fishing with Hairball!! read more

I can't rate. Hairball Charters high enough! This is my third trip fishing with Captain Eric Staplefeld and his deck hand Ryan. They both want you to catch fish and work hard at making sure you do. With their combined expierence, vast knowledge of the sound and surrounding waters of Cape Cod they aways put you on the fish. Every trip we have absolutely killed the stripped bass. Limited out everytime and then some. I would recommend booking a trip soon, I know I'm going again for sure! Josh Newton, Vermont read more

Captain Eric is the Fish Whisperer! This was the best fishing experience of my son's life. Three of us (thanks Bob!) went out of Yarmouth early for a half day trip. By 8:00 a.m. we had our keepers (which 5 of us ate for 3 days!). By the end of our charter the three of us caught so many stripers that we lost count, but conservatively we caught 25 - 30 total. Also, Captain Eric is a patient teacher who enjoys introducing new people to Cape fishing. 10/10 recommend without hesitation. read more

best fishing ever! we've been out with Captain Eric several times and never been disappointed. i was skeptical the first time out when he suggested i throw back a 36 inch striper until i hooked a 46 inch and later, a 48 inch monster. recently after 6 of us caught our limit of striper in record time, he took us out to his "honey hole" where we caught black bass 2 at a time for hours! tired arms and a freezer full of fillets what a great day! read more

Captain Eric and his son took us out on a half day, late afternoon fishing charter yesterday and it was awesome! We caught a ton of flounder and some sea bass. They worked hard to make sure we stayed on the fish and were super professional and fun. The weather was great and sunset spectacular. They filleted and bagged all the fish for us to take home. I would highly recommend booking your fishing trip with Captain Eric and Hairball Charters! read more

Captain Erik was amazing. Gave us options on what we wanted to catch, we said trophy stripers!! He said done. I cannot believe how many we caught. We caught our in the first hour, but kept pulling up monsters and releasing for hours. There were several times all three of us hooked up at once. He's a great patient teacher and all around good guy. 100% recommend. read more

Best Fishing Charter that I have ever been on! I have been going on trips with Capt. Eric for the last two years now and have been amazed of how many 40+ inch stripers we catch each year! On both trips, we ended up throwing back anything under 40 inches! I would definately recommend Hairball Charters and I am already booking a 2014 trip! read more

Captain Eric is the man! Caught 10 fish on our boat and even got to go get lunch in Martha's Vineyard. He's a top flight expert who taught us everything about the area, and was great at preparing the fish to eat. Funny guy too, he'll keep you laughing the whole time (even if the seas don't have you feeling too great, like me lol) read more

Captain Eric definitely knows where the fish are! The four of us caught a few striped bass each. Him and his son, also Eric, did an awesome job teaching us how to catch striped bass and they filleted the fish for us. Very professional and efficient overall! read more

The day couldn't have gone any better. We were catching fish all day long. We caught 16 sizable keepers, and threw back a lot more fish that should have been keepers. Our group is already planning next years trip and I am planning a family trip. read more

These guys are as good as it gets ! They consistantly put you on fish, give solid instruction on technique if needed and clean and package your catch. The boat is FAST, clean and very stable. Try these guys, you won't be disapointed. read more

Captain Eric of hairball charters , is the man to see for some serious fishing. He put us on the fish immediately and kept us on them throughout the trip , highly recommend taking a trip with him if you are a serious fisherman read more