Meet the Captains
Capt. Chris Valaskatgis - Manolin
Within minutes of first meeting Captain Chris Valaskatgis you will quickly recognize his passion for guiding anglers to a trip they will remember forever. With 25 years of experience of fishing the Merrimack River and Jeffrey's Ledge out of Newburyport, his knowledge is surpassed only by his effort to get your lines tight on the fish of a lifetime! Obviously, the fishing is fantastic; but also the scenery, biology, history, camaraderie, and the stories that come along with all of it. Our main objective at Manolin Charters is to give our clients an exhilarating experience and to share lifestyle of a fisherman on the Merrimack River. Capt. Chris's fishing philosophies are directly related to his experiences - he is no one trick pony - and has developed various techniques to adapt to the existing conditions. Years of experience have allowed him to tweak enough styles to get fish to bite and is constantly improvising his skills to master any given situation.
Capt. Chris started fishing the Merrimack River since he was eight years old on his family's center console boats, the "Outta Line" where he learned about running a boat and keeping an efficient deck. As time went on, he fished and mated with some of the best captains Massachusetts from Maine, as well as establishing a close network of anglers. He is very much in tune with the situation on the water.
Capt. Chris has been featured in many fishing publications including On the Water, Sport Fishing Magazine, The Fishermen, and Saltwater Sportsman. In addition, he has given seminars for George Poveromo’s Saltwater Sportsman National Seminar Series, Boston Boat Show, Plum Island Surfcasters, Newburyport Marinas, and for the Northeast Charter Boat Association. He is also a proud member of the Minn Kota, Humminbird, Backwoods Graphics, and Pair Custom Boats pro staff.
Capt. Chris is a USCG OUPV licensed operator with CPR and First Aid Certification. While we want you to have a trip of a lifetime, safety is our #1 priority. As a USCG licensed captain, he is also part of a random drug testing program. You can trust Capt. Chris with the safety of your party. In the offseason he is a math teacher in Newburyport. He is also the President of the Northeast Charterboat Captain’s Association.
Capt. Mike Fallon
Merrimack River Striper Caught on the Fly!
Captain Mike is an accomplished outdoorsman and holds a USCG 100 Ton Masters License. He grew up in Newburyport and has been fishing the Merrimack River for more than 20 years. Capt. Mike's speciality is early morning, light tackle plugging and fly fishing. He is equally at home fly fishing for trout in a high mountain stream, casting 12” herring patterns into a predawn striper blitz, or shark/tuna fishing offshore. He’s passionate about the outdoors and graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a B.S. in Coastal Marine Policy & Management. He enjoys long walks on the beach. He likes big bass and he can not lie.