About the Outfit
One captain, one boat, one very good dog, and a stretch of water we know better than we know most people.
Steve McCartney
When you call Chesapeake Cast & Blast, Steve picks up. When you show up at the ramp, Steve is the one waiting. There is no dispatcher and no rotating cast of guides.
That is deliberate. It means the person who scouted the water on Wednesday is the person running your boat on Saturday, and it means nothing gets lost between the booking and the trip.
Steve grew up on these rivers, creeks and the Bay. Hunting and fishing have always been what he loves doing, but guiding became his calling — showing seasoned hunters and complete first-timers alike what Maryland has to offer.
Four things we will not compromise on
Safety first, quietly
Proper gear, proper briefings, and a captain who will call a trip off rather than push a bad forecast. You should never notice it, and it should never be optional.
Straight answers
If the bite has been slow we will say so. If your date is a bad one we will suggest a better one. Overselling a trip costs more than it earns.
Room for beginners
New shooters, new hunters and kids get the time they need. Nobody gets talked down to and nobody sits out because they are slow to pick it up.
Respect for the water
We target invasive species where it helps, follow the seasons and limits to the letter, and leave the marsh the way we found it.
Built for shallow water and long nights
Shallow-draft, wide open deck, elevated shooting platform and a lighting rig that turns black water into daylight.
The same hull works for both sides of the calendar. In summer it is a bowfishing platform with room for four shooters to move without tangling lines. In winter it hauls decoys, dog and guns out to the blind and gets everyone home dry.
- Gets into water most charter boats cannot reach
- Elevated deck with a stable rail to shoot from
- Full lighting rig for night work
- Room for decoys, dog and up to six guns
- Coast Guard required safety equipment on board
The dog does the swimming
Every waterfowl hunt runs with a finished retriever. He marks, he holds, he delivers, and he does not much care how cold the water is.
Practically, it means birds get recovered instead of lost, and guests stay in the blind instead of wading around in January. Less practically, he is the reason half our photos exist.
Guests routinely remember his name and forget Steve’s. Nobody is offended.
The water we work
The Chesapeake Bay and the tidal rivers and creeks that feed it — marsh edges, creek mouths, open-water bars and the cut fields behind them.
Launch points move with the season and the conditions. Bowfishing tends to run up in the rivers and creeks where the invasives hold; waterfowl moves between marsh, open water and fields depending on the wind and where the birds are feeding that week.
Because of that, we confirm exactly where you are meeting us a couple of days out rather than pinning it down months in advance. It is the single biggest reason our trips produce.
Take the logo home
Tees and hats in the house colours, available on the boat and for groups booking a private trip.
They are not sold online yet. If you want one, or want a run of them for a corporate outing or bachelor party, mention it when you book and we will sort it out.
The best way to understand it is to book one
Tell us what you are after and how many are coming. We will come back with dates, what to expect and exactly what it costs.