Trolling rods set off the stern of the Whistle Buoy at first light
Montauk Harbor, New York

Thirty-one seasonson the Montauk rips.

Charter fishing aboard the Whistle Buoy, a Maine-built 38 out of Montauk Harbor. Capt. Ray Mercer, USCG Master, third generation on this water. Striped bass, fluke, tuna and sharks. Six anglers max. First-timers welcome.

Text Capt. Ray See Trips & Rates
USCG Master licensed Six anglers max Slip 9, Montauk Harbor Texts answered same day
Working the cockpit of the Whistle Buoy with trolling rods set
Capt. Ray Mercer
The Captain

Ray answers his own phone.

Ray Mercer grew up handing out sinkers on his grandfather’s party boat and ran his first charter out of Montauk Harbor in 1995. He holds a USCG Master license, fishes six rods max, and still gets loud when one goes down. The program is simple. Fish where the fish are, keep the boat honest, get you home with dinner.

The Whistle Buoy is a Maine-built 38-footer, all cockpit and no nonsense, repowered in 2021. She rides the rips the way a hull should. Stern into the chop, deck dry, drags set.

31Seasons out of Montauk
4,000+Trips in the log
38 ftOf honest boat
Trips & Rates

Three ways to fish the boat.

Every rate is for the whole boat, up to six anglers. Tackle, bait, ice and fish cleaning are in the price. Nothing gets added at the dock.

Holding a date

A $300 deposit holds your day. Capt. Ray makes the weather call by 7 p.m. the night before. If the boat cancels, you get the deposit back in full or first pick of the next open day. Your call.

Montauk Point Lighthouse at first light

Past the Point, the water goes to work. So does the boat.

Montauk Point, six minutes from the slip
The Deal

What’s in the price. What to bring.

On the boat

  • Rods, reels and tackle, rigged the night before
  • Bait, chum and a full ice hold
  • Fishing licenses, covered under the boat’s permit
  • Your keepers cleaned and bagged at the dock
  • USCG safety gear, life jackets in kid sizes too
  • A mate who nets clean and takes photos

You bring

  • Food and drinks for your crew (coolers live under the gunwale)
  • Layers, even in August (it blows cooler at the Point)
  • Soft-soled shoes, sunscreen, a hat
  • The seasick pill the night before (not on the dock)
  • A cooler in the truck for the ride home
The Log

Proof, not promises.

Same-Day Answers

The captain is on the water until four. You hear back by supper.

Text the date you want, how many are fishing, and whether kids are coming. Every message gets an answer the same evening, seven days a week, all season. No booking portal, no phone tree. Just the captain’s number.

Text the Boat Call After 4 p.m.
May to JulyStriped bass pile onto the rips. The morning tide is the one you want.
July to SeptFluke on the slack, mid-range sharks, and the first tuna at the Edge.
Sept to NovThe fall run. Bass blitzes under birds. Book these weeks early.
Request a Date

Tell the captain what you’re after.

Send the form and it opens a text to the boat with your details filled in. Hit send and you’re in the queue. Answered by supper.

Rather type it yourself? Text (631) 555-0119 with your date and party size.

Message ready. Your texting app should be open with the details filled in. If it didn’t open, text (631) 555-0119 and the captain will take it from there.
Questions

Asked on every dock.

Do I need a fishing license?

No. Everyone aboard fishes under the boat’s charter permit. Show up, step on, fish.

Can kids come?

Yes, and they usually outfish the adults. The half day on the rips is the right first trip. Life jackets in every kid size stay aboard all season.

What happens to the fish we keep?

The mate cleans and bags your keepers at the dock while you take pictures. Bring a cooler for the ride home. Anything short or out of season goes back swimming.

What if the weather turns?

Capt. Ray makes the call by 7 p.m. the night before, and he errs on the side of the fishing, not the fuel bill. If the boat cancels, your deposit comes back in full or rolls to the next open day.

I get seasick. Am I done for?

Take the pill the night before, not on the dock, and eat breakfast. On sloppy days the half day stays in the lee of the Point where the water behaves. The captain has seen it all. Nobody judges.

Text the Captain