Our Captains and Crew

Captain Rich Harris is the senior captain and is a certified U.S. Coast Guard Captain and Maritime Officer.  He has been near the water all his life and has fished all over the world in places like, Caracas Venezuela, Panama Canal, East Coast of Africa, Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. He is retired from the U.S. Air Force where he proudly served for 22 years, most of that time here locally at Charleston AFB, fishing the inshore waterways every chance he had.  He lives off of the Wando River and is an outstanding guide to see all of the wildlife the Low Country has to offer. He has won numerous local inshore saltwater fishing tournaments to include a most recent 1st place/record breaking 14 lb sheepshead on light line in the year-long Charleston Trident Fishing Tournament. He was also named the Trident’s inshore angler of the year and The Reel Deal won for boat of the year.  A 1st and 3rd place trout, in the 2004 LLCA tournament and in 2002 a 1st place flounder. Captain Rich is a Christian and a member of Cathedral of Praise church in North Charleston, so you are guaranteed good times in a great atmosphere with him.

Captain Brian Garris is a certified U.S. Coast Guard Captain and Maritime Officer. He grew up fishing the waters of the Lowcounty from his fathers dock located in the Wando River. Living on the water as a child afforded him the opportunity to become intimately knowledgeable with the waters of the Charleston Harbor, Cooper River, Intercostal Waterway, and of course the Wando River. He still lives in Mt. Pleasant with his wife and children whom are fishing enthusiasts as well. When not fishing with The Reel Deal Charters he fishes the IFA Redfish Tour and HT Redfish Series traveling from Florida to North Carolina to compete in these nationally known tournaments. He has won several local tournaments to include the Christian Fishing Association Trout Division in 2008, ECFC Annual Spring and Fall tournaments for 2008/09, with a first place prize winner in the redfish and sheepshead division. He is one of the founders of the East Cooper Fishing Club, an organization founded to help others become better fishermen and to give back to the community. Having been born and raised in Mt. Pleasant his knowledge of the local history is a plus, and he will surely share some stories while making your way to the fishing grounds.

Captain Carl Griffin is a certified U.S. Coast Guard 100 Ton Master Captain and Maritime Officer. He grew up in North Carolina.  He came to Charleston in 1989 after finishing his second tour in the U.S. Navy.  He started fishing the local waters off-shore onboard the “Thunderstar”, where he started as a mate and worked his way up to become Captain.  He has fished from North Carolina to Australia for everything from Sea Bass to Marlin.  With twenty years of experience on the local waters of Charleston, he can find the fish!  Captain Carl specialized in bottom fishing and trolling.  The customers love his knowledge of the local waters, along with his many stories of the waterways surrounding the Charleston area.  

Captain Jody Tucker is a certified U.S. Coast Guard Captain and Maritime Officer.  He grew up in the Charleston area, where he learned to fish the back waters for fresh water species.  He is a graduate of Clemson University, and works fulltime as a Paramedic Shift Supervisor for Dorchester County EMS.  In his off-time he is chasing fish on one of the rivers in Charleston.  Over the last 10 years he has learned the saltwater fishery and has become an avid inshore fisherman.  He lives in Ridgeville which gives him access to the Ashley, Wando, Cooper and Stono Rivers.  When not guiding with The Reel Deal Charters, he fishes the IFA Redfish Tour, HT Redfish Series and The Lowcountry Redfish Cup, traveling from Florida to North Carolina to compete in these nationally recognized tournaments.  He won the HT Series Charleston in 2009, and recently won “Big Fish” in the 2011 IFA Tournament in Savannah.  He has a strong sense of the history of our area and is always willing to share the stories while putting you on fish.

Captain Peter Minton is a certified U.S. Coast Guard 100 Ton Master Captain and Maritime Officer.  He grew up on the Alabama Gulf Coast, and has been on boats all of his life, enjoying everything from a kayak to 130 foot cargo boats.   He is very comfortable with all types of boats: paddle, outboard, inboard & sail, his resume is endless.  He enjoys fishing in all types of conditions from fresh water, to brackish and salt; bottom fishing and trolling are his expertise.  He can catch fish with either fishing gear or a spear gun, as he is also a Master Diver.  He is an instructor at the Charleston Sea School and has a vast knowledge about everything that has to do with the water.  He co-owns a diving charter company up the road in Myrtle Beach.  He has literally fished all over the world, but his heart is here locally in the Lowcountry.  

First Mate Kevin Vincent grew up in the local area and learned how to fish the Charleston waterways.  He is a graduate of Clemson University, and works in the insurance industry.  His true passion is offshore trolling, where he is comfortable and passionate about catching fish.  He would like to work towards getting his own captains license.

First Mate Leigh Colyer is a local that has grown up fishing our waterways.  He was born and raised in Charleston and is a third generation fishermen.  He has fished offshore since he was 5 years old and is one of the best to have on the boat while trolling.  He has fished from New York to the Bahamas, and has caught a marlin in the upper 600 pound range.  He went away for a year to Hampden-Sydney College but returned home to attend College of Charleston where he is studying Marine Biology.  He aspires to work on the water his whole life, wanting to get his captains license and eventually become a Harbor Pilot.

First Mate Patrick Brogan “Jr.” to us is a Mt. Pleasant native that is attending Wando High School.  He has been fishing all 15 years of his life, his family is full of avid fishermen.  His favorite is to fly fish for redfish.  He currently holds the title “Angler of the Year” for Wando High Schools fishing team.  He aspires to become a charter captain, and is getting some great experience and knowledge with us; his plan is to always work on the water.

First Mate Strachan Hagood "Scratch" is a Johns Island native that is attending James Island High School.  He started fishing when he was 7 and has fished in Coasta Rica, the Bahamas, the Keys, Puerto Rico and in North Carolina, as well as the surrounding Charleston area.  He is a real outdoorsman, fishing and hunting every chance he gets.  His favorites are tarpon fishing and duck hunting.  He has been working daily, training his Boykin Spaniel "Major," and is excited to get him duck hunting for the first time this upcoming season.  He also works for the Charleston Riverdogs baseball team part time, when he is not working on our one of our boats.  He aspires to become a Navy pilot.

First Mate Greg Anderson is a native of North Charleston.  He fished for the first time seven years ago in freshwater and was literally hooked the first time he did.  His first excursion on the saltwater was two years ago, and he fell in love with it immediately.  His favorite is fly fishing for redfish.  He has a lust for fishing knowledge and started out being a customer of ours, but has worked his way into becoming a mate for inshore fishing.  He is a graduate of Trident Technical College with an Associate’s degree in automotive; and works full time in that industry.

Theresa Harris is the owner of The Reel Deal Charters and the person who keeps it together behind the scene.  She has a keen business sense, and has worked in the travel industry for many years.  She is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, and is originally from Minnesota—but has rooted well here in the Charleston area, having been here for more than 13 years.   She is the one that makes everything we do run as smoothly as possible—always filling in and helping everyone with anything they need, along with taking good care of our customers.   Married to Capt Rich, she too has become very knowledgeable about fishing and can answer all of your fishing questions.  Customer service is her area of expertise.

Melissa Colebank is a Corporate Communication major at the College of Charleston; she is from South Carolina’s upstate.  She is a big help to us behind the scenes answering phones, web design, helping the customers and doing a lot of office work.

You can be assured that when you choose The Reel Deal Charters for your next trip you will be treated like one of the family.  All the captains are top professionals in the sport and know how to put you on the fish.  We cannot guarantee you will catch fish as everyone’s skill level is different but, we can guarantee that if you listen to the captain you will get the bites.  We also teach fishing basics like casting, proper baiting techniques, setting the hook and much, much more.  There is always loads of fun for the young and old alike.

Any feedback you give us will be greatly appreciated!  Sometimes a new point of view may facilitate change that will not only help the next group but will make your next trip that much better.  Please e-mail us any comments to the1reeldeal@aol.com and we will answer you as soon as possible.

Many people ask us if gratuities are the norm and what is the percentage?  Tips are greatly appreciated by our captains and mates.  As in any service oriented job, tips are at the discretion of the client and based on the service provided.  Generally speaking, if you have a good time the tip is calculated on the same scale as restaurant service providers between 15%-20%.  We understand times are tight so any gratuities are truly appreciated.  Our mates work only for gratuities, so please keep that in mind.