Written by Megin Potter  |  Photos Provided

For an unforgettable salute to singledom, experience the impeccable brilliance of life’s ability to triumph with trophy freshwater fishing charters for your  bachelor and bachelorette parties. 

“I’ve taken out bus drivers, baggage handlers, doctors, lawyers, and politicians. It’s something everyone from every walk of life loves to do,” said Captain David Lee. 

Mount the Excursion 3, a 28-ft. Penn Yan Predator yacht with twin 350 horsepower Mercruiser engines (originally owned by the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department) for world-class fishing just three hours west of Saratoga. 

From the Waters of Champions

Trolling up monster trout, salmon, and walleye on Excursion Charters, with an avid outdoorsman like Dave, makes for a great last hoorah (that often has his clients returning again and again). 

Prized for their size, flavor, and fight, Lake Ontario’s Pacific Chinook and King Salmon have anglers flocking in to hook ‘em. These stocked varieties have taken to their environment in the last fifty years, making this unique intersection, where the St. Lawrence River meets the Great Lakes, into a world-class fishery. Its waters are teeming with walleye, northern pike, lake and brown trout, smallmouth bass, and pickerel. These are fish with a power unlike that of those found in smaller lakes and rivers. They are muscled swimmers just as happy to take you for a ride as you are to pull them in. 

Longing for the Lake

Having fallen in love with big water when he was just a kid fishing with his dad, as a teenager, Dave started working summers on Lake Ontario at Henchen’s Marina and Fishing Camp (the preferred pick-up and drop-off locale for fishing charter captains). He then began working as a rigger helping fishing guides, got his US Coast Guard Captain’s license, and since the late 1980s, has been chartering his own boats annually, from April to Columbus Day. 

Dave’s boat is equipped with five Cannon downriggers, two planner board mast and reel systems, numerous rod holders, and a plentiful selection of lures. 

“I provide everything except licenses, food, and drinks. Just show up with your cooler and you’re ready to go. There’s a great stereo system on the boat, and it’s all about having a great time and a lot of laughs, regardless of the fishing,” said Dave. 

Because different species are on the bite at different times of the year, Dave always has a plan B or C, he said, and because he is so well known in the area, he can also make personalized recommendations on lodging, local golf courses, and the different dining options that your group can experience here – all of which are on the water. 

Fun – it’s Catching on

At the ready to make your adventure happen, it’s Dave’s excellent rapport with guests that has them coming back. Licensed to carry up to six, Dave’s fishing packages are priced for parties of four to enjoy half-day (4-hour) to full-day (8-hour) excursions. 

Premier sportfishing excursions are not just great for the guys, Dave emphasizes, but for women and families, too. “Women are some of the best and most appreciative clients I’ve had on the boat. They like to have a good time, laugh, and be themselves. They like that there’s a bathroom on board and anything that I can do to make the experience more enjoyable, I’ll make it happen.”

For more information, go to excursionfishingcharters.com