My husband and I salmon fish on Lake Ontario in New York twice a year. We booked a charter with Captain Bob Songin of Reel Excitement Charters in August of 2017. It was one of our most memorable fishing trips to date!!
We had four fishermen on our charter out of Kent, NY. Captain Bob - referred to as "Reel Bob" - also owns a fishing cottage within walking distance to the dock. We were luckily able to rent the cottage for our fishing trip.
We were aware of the fact that we were not fishing in optimal weather conditions on this trip. The winds were high and some captains were delaying (or canceling) their charters. Captain Bob gathered weather information, was in constant contact with the other captains, and provided us with up-to-date information. We ultimately decided to fish both days.
The lake was very choppy with average waves in the 4 to 6 foot range. We were hitting salmon within a half an hour of arriving at our first destination! Captain Bob knew the best spots for fish out in the lake. He kept us off-shore even though other captains were moving closer to shore. We brought in more fish than any other charter during those two days!!
I felt safe and comfortable on the boat... and Captain Bob worked his tail off for us. During an 8-hour fishing trip there are bound to be lulls - that's when your captain's personality is most important. I don't remember the last time we laughed so hard!
We have stayed in numerous houses/cottages in this area over the past 5 years or so and NONE of them compared to Captain Bob's cottage!! It was homey, and warm, and spacious, and lovely!!
When we arrived Captain Bob had the cottage ready for us. We unlocked the door and stepped into a cathedral ceilinged living room with a sports channel programmed on the TV (one of our Ohio teams)! The ceiling fan was slowly churning up the smell of the lake through a few open windows. I thought, "this is a honeymoon get-away"!
There were several couches and recliners in the living room graced by coffee tables. The main room was open to the eat-in kitchen. I was amazed to find a full-size refrigerator, stove, toaster oven, microwave and coffee maker. The kitchen was fully stocked with coffee and water, fresh kitchen towels, paper towels, zip-loc baggies, and candles.
Captain Bob's wife, Lisa, takes great care in maintaining the beauty of their cottage. The Songins understand that their charters aren't solely "men only". I can personally attest that, although I love fishing on Lake Ontario, I love the comfort and beauty and romance of the lake when we return from a day on the boat.
Great trip, great fish, great memories... thank you Reel Excitement! read more