PORT CLINTON, Ohio — Every day on Ohio’s north shore is business as usual for Captain Jason McCann.


What You Need To Know

  • Jason McCann is a captain of a charter boat in Port Clinton

  • McCann is a third-generation charter captain

  • He hopes someday his son will be the fourth generation to captain a boat

“I couldn’t really imagine doing anything else,” he said.

Captain McCann is a third-generation charter captain. Lake Erie is part of his family’s DNA. As he prepared his boat, his father readies another boat on a neighboring dock.

Captain McCann considers himself “very fortunate to grow up with the influences I did. With my father being a captain and my grandpa, just kind of spent every day out here and it’s kind of a bonus to get to do something you love and meet people, enjoy the weather and catch fish.”

While Port Clinton has a reputation as the walleye capital of the world, in late summer and early fall, the yellow perch takes center stage.

With all the boats vying for the same catch, chasing fish that are constantly on the move, Captain McCann credits his success to having friends and family sharing information out on the water.

“There’s different networks that kind of work together, you know, there’s different groups of guys that work tightly together and then there’s the other groups that kind of loop in when fishing is good,” he said.

Even when Captain McCann takes a day off, he said he often finds himself back on the water.

“I get a day off and a lot of times, I’ll actually go fishing, but it’s just different without customers — come out and relax, crank some tunes,” he said.

Captain McCann is a father of three. His daughters are off in college and he said he sees a time when his son will take the wheel and continue the family legacy.

“I imagine as I get older, hopefully my son can run the boat and I can just run the business,” he said. “I imagine another 20 strong years.”