Captain Hook

Keith Robbins, Charter Fishing Guide

Makeup by Cara Aeschliman.

LOOK TO THE LEFT. See that crusty dude who looks like he belongs on the deck of the Pequod? That’s Captain Keith Robbins, and chances are that’s the last time you’ll catch him sitting still until the end of the month. August just happens to be the peak of king salmon season in Puget Sound, and thanks to the old-school, hands-on angling style that he uses, Robbins—owner of A Spot Tail Salmon Guide—is one of the most sought-after charter fishing guides in town. But even if he didn’t get a single call, he’d still be out on the water.

I WAS FISHING BEFORE I WAS FISHING. I’d be in the boat but not holding a rod, just going out with my dad and my brother.

CAPTAIN KEITH IS MORE OF A NICKNAME THAN A FORMAL DESIGNATION. But yeah, I’m licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard. I just had to pee in a cup this week.

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A FISHING GUIDE, a good question to ask is where they like to go fishing when they’re not guiding. And if they say they don’t fish when they’re not guiding, you don’t want to hire them. A guide who doesn’t like to fish has been guiding too much.

THE MOST FRUSTRATING QUESTION THAT PEOPLE ASK ME IS, “How many fish are we going to catch?” That’s a pretty good indication that people haven’t spent a lot of time fishing. Yesterday, I had somebody call and say, “Can you clean and package and ship our catch?” And I said, “Let’s catch them first. The rest is easy.”

I’M THE MOST DISAPPOINTED PERSON ON THE BOAT when we don’t catch anything.

WHEN MY GIRLFRIEND MOVED IN WITH ME, I had just had my floors done. I said, “Okay, there’s only two rules: You can’t wear shoes in the house, and don’t ever question me about how much I fish.” Within a week, she was wearing shoes in the house, but she has never, in 10-plus years, given me any grief about how much I fish.

IN MAY, I TYPICALLY GO TO THE FLORIDA KEYS TO FISH FOR TARPON. At that time of year they’re typically 50 to 150 pounds. And you’re fishing for them in crystal clear water, so you can see it all happen. You’re throwing a two-inch fly at a fish that opens its mouth the size of a basketball, and when you hook one, which is hard to do, they jump so high out of the water that you’re actually looking up at them.

A LOT OF PEOPLE JUST WANT TO CATCH FISH. The technique is less important than the outcome.

THE WAY I FISH REQUIRES A LITTLE FINESSE. It’s called mooching. You’re dropping and reeling, dropping and reeling, dropping and reeling. Your bait never sits still. Every other guide in the Sound has gone to trolling with downriggers, which is where the pole is in a holder, you drive around, and when the fish eats, you grab the rod and reel it in. It’s a very effective method for fishing. But there’s a handful of us that still like to be connected to the rod.

I’VE TAKEN OUT A WHOLE BUNCH OF BASEBALL PLAYERS AND MUSICIANS, kind of crazy celebrity types. I took out D12, Eminem’s group, once. They were all very…let’s say, relaxed.

I DON’T REALLY WATCH ANY OF THE FISHING SHOWS. We call it fish porn. I have, and I do, but I don’t do it regularly. I don’t have it on my DVR or anything like that. I’d rather be out fishing.

I GOT MY FIRST BOAT IN 1976, my senior year in high school. Just a little beater that was $300. I used to leave it at Ray’s Boathouse when it was actually a boathouse. There’s a whole story right there: There was traffic at 4 in the morning in Ballard because it used to be a viable fishing community.

THE THING THAT’S AMAZING TO ME ABOUT SEATTLE is that you can catch salmon and see the skyline in the distance. Where I fish, you’re at most about a 15-minute boat ride from the city, but mentally, you’re in the wilderness.

THE IDEA OF KILLING AN ANIMAL DOESN’T SIT WELL WITH ME. A lot of people would say, “You’re killing fish,” but I actually kill very few. I really encourage people to catch and release. My old hat had a saying on it: “It’s about the catchin’, not the killin’.”

OH NO, I EAT FISH. I love fish. Love ’em. It’s pretty tough to beat fresh salmon on the grill.

THERE’S AS MANY FISH STORIES AS THERE ARE FISHERMEN. Actually, there’s about 10 times more fish stories than there are fishermen. Hey, we’re fishermen. We exaggerate.

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Published: August 2010