FISH CALL
CHARTERS
Your Guide & His
Boats
Capt. J.R. Waits (me!) will be your guide for an exciting
day on the water. I am a U.S.C.G approved captain that started guiding in the Charleston area in
1996. I grew up on the waters surrounding Charleston, and fishing with my father are some of my
first memories. I graduated with a degree in Geology from the College of Charleston in 1993 when I
decided to pursue my education further by enrolling in Graduate School at the University of North
Carolina - Chapel Hill. I thought that I wanted to go on to get my doctorate and teach at the
college level. I started teaching in graduate school, but soon found it was not my cup of tea. The
most important thing I learned in North Carolina was that I wanted to spend the rest of my life in
Charleston. There is nothing wrong with Chapel Hill except that there is no ocean. I never
appreciated my hometown until I moved away. I got my Master's of Science Degree from UNC in 1996
and immediately moved home. I really was not even thinking about getting into the guide business,
but just having fun. One day my mother said, "You're 26 years old and it's about time that you
move out. Why don't you get a Captain's License and get people to pay you to take them fishing?"
It was awful nice to wake up every morning, walk down to the boat, go fishing, and then come home
to Mama's supper on the table, but she had a point. My father warned me to be careful and not ruin
my hobby, but come to find out, I enjoy helping and watching others catch fish as much or more
than catching them myself. So in 1996 I got my Captain's License, and I've loved it every since. I
am currently living with my wife Pilar, daughter Greta, and our new arrivial Guerin just down the
dirt road from my parent's house on the Wando River. There is a picture of all of us
below.
I have gained much recognition in the fishing community
since I started guiding. I am on the Pro-Staff Fishing team for Action Craft Boats, Yamaha Outboards, Shakespeare
Tackle, Pflueger, All Star Rods, and Precision Tackle plus I'm a guide team member for Berkley
Fishing Tackle, G. Loomis, Ross Reels, Tibor Reels, H & H Tackle, and Mister Twister. I have also
been featured in many magazines including SportFishing, Saltwater Sportsman, In-Fisherman,
Saltwater Fly Fishing, South Carolina Game & Fish, North Carolina Game & Fish, North Carolina
Sportsman, etc. I have been featured on several television shows on The Outdoor Channel, Outdoor
Life Network, ESPN, FOX Sports South, TNN, Turner South, and others. I am currently (2005) on
several episodes of Shallow Water Angler Television (click here for schedule) on Saturday mornings and Sunday nights on The Outdoor
Channel. I have also been on In-Fisherman Televsion, The Dodge Everyday Sportsman, Outdoor
Sportsman Televsion, Off the Menu, and Inshore Fishing with Mike Dias. I have also been a feature
speaker for both Saltwater Sportsman's National Seminar Series and SportFishing's Learn from the
Experts Series.
I have been recognized by South Carolina Marine Resources
many times over the past 8 years. I used to tag alot of fish for the SCDNR, but don't do it much
anymore because they have a good handle on what the fish are doing now. I had a goal to tag over
1000 fish in a year because no one in South Carolina had ever done it before. I wasn't counting
but when SCDNR sent my Master Angler Certificate for 1999, I had tagged 1007 fish!! I was also
awarded the Most Interesting Catch of 2001 when we caught the same 100+ pound tarpon that some of
my clients had tagged the previous summer. We caught the fish in the exact same spot just a few
days over one year later! Makes one think that the tarpon visit the same inlets every year! I was
also awarded The Ecology Certificate from the Charleston Trident Fishing Tournament in 1997 for my
tag and release efforts. As for tournaments, I only fish a few but have dominated the I.G.F.A
Charleston Harbor Tarpon Release Tournament for the last several years. My brother-in-law, Steven
Michaels, and I won the Tarpon Tournament for two consecutive years in 2002 and 2003 (read more on
the Charleston's Fishing Page). We also got a very close second place in the 1999 tournament. In
2004, I had some good clients, Hylan and Brad, get 4th place overall and 2nd biggest fish in The
Redfish Tour Tournament in Charleston. Other than those few, I have not fished any more
tournaments in the last few years. The problem with these new large redfish tournaments is that
you have to leave your family for weeks at a time, and I am just not willing to do that.
"Fish Call" - Action Craft 1720SE Hybrid |
Lookin' for Mr.
Redfish |
"Flyin' High" - Action Craft 2110TE Coastal Bay | 
Hooked Up to "Large & In
Charge" |
We now have two boats to fish out of, the "Fish Call" or
the "Flyin' High." The "Fish Call" is a 2005 Action Craft 1720SE Hybrid flats boat. This is an
exceptional flats boat designed to fish extremely shallow water yet offer a comfortable ride. The
Hybrid is a state of art Kevlar/Carbon Fiber hull that weighs only 620 pounds. I am getting
shallower and staying with schools of fish longer than I ever have. I have the console mounted to
the side which makes for more fishing room in the cockpit. The "Fish Call" was repowered in 2006
with a Yamaha 90hp. Everyone raves about this flats boat!! The flats boat also has a new
revolutionary anchoring system, The Power Pole. I control
it with a remote control and can get the boat stopped in any conditions. The "Flyin High" is a 2005
Action Craft 2110TE Coastal Bay boat powered by a 200hp Yamaha. This boat has higher sides and T-top to
keep that blazing summer sun at bay. The larger boat can accomodate parties up to five anglers
while the smaller flats boat can handle three anglers plus the captain. Both boats are equipped with all the latest saftey equipment. We use the flats boat year
round but the bigger boat is used mostly in warmer months. Come check out both new boats!!
My family with new arrival
Guerin!! | 
Greta's 3 1/2 pound trout!! |
Family Fishin' on the
Wando |
The sweet Wando River
Moon..... |
email Capt. Waits: jrwaits@fishcall.com
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