The old saying goes: Give a FishingBooker-er a fish, and you’ll feed them for a day. Teach a FishingBooker-er to fish, and you’ll feed them for a lifetime. So, in the interest of making sure we don’t starve (and getting to know our business better, having fun, and celebrating the end of a successful high season), every year the whole company goes in search of sun, sea, and fish on our annual fishing trip.
Last year, we all packed off to the UAE for a glitzy big game fishing extravaganza. This year, we stayed closer to home, heading over to the charming town of Rovinj. Located on the Adriatic, this small Croatian town is the perfect place to wet a line and get some well-deserved relaxation.
Last time we went fishing in Croatia, there were about a dozen people in the company. Now, there’s over 90. So, we went in two groups over the space of two weeks. Everyone got to go on at least one 4-hour fishing trip and had the rest of the weekend free to bond with the team.
Lucky for us, we know the perfect website to find fishing charters all over the world. We got in touch with some of FishingBooker’s highest rated local captains and chose to fish with:
eFISHent charters with Captain Nikola
MORA Fishing & Pleasure with Captain Matija
Bora Bora with Captain Mile
Tunaroa with Captain Marc
Always on the lookout for ways to make our listings even better, our video team brought along their equipment. While the rest of us were chilling on our boats, they were busy interviewing the captains and filming stunning drone footage to put on their listings. Some of our team mates and their catches got a starring role!
We fished in groups of 4–7 people, getting to know what people look like without their laptops as we practiced baiting our hooks and casting our lines.
We bottom fished over some nearshore reefs and wrecks, getting hooked on cute Snappers and Seabream.
As Aleksandra, one of our newest recruits put it:
“I was really excited to be on the water for the first time. I didn’t know much about the equipment or the techniques. I was wondering: Will the fish bite and will I reel them in successfully if they do? But the fish took the bait in less than three minutes and I reeled in a small Pandora. No matter the size of the fish, I felt like I caught a huge one!”
But it wasn’t just bottom fish that we caught – one group also got their hands on some small “Dolphin Fish,” aka Mahi Mahi.
We also picked up some interesting facts about the local sea life. Like the fact that there’s a fish called the “Pauk” (Spider), that’s more venomous than its arachnid namesake (in these parts, at least). And that some of the jellyfish round here are massive, but hardly ever sting!
But it wasn’t all about the fish. A big part of the trip was exploring the center of Rovinj and getting to know each other better. And – very occasionally – talking about something other than fishing!
Rovinj’s old town sits right on the seafront and there are loads of chilled cafes looking right out onto the waves. This gave us the perfect setting to practice our fisherman’s tales, seeing how much we could get away with exaggerating our top catch.
And of course, there’s no real team building without a party. And when FishingBooker-ers aren’t working hard or chilling on a boat, they know how to let their hair down!
Now, we’re back in Belgrade, with leveled up survival skills and just a little nostalgic for the sea. We’ve come back to our jobs with a better understanding of the fishing trips we book on a daily basis, as well as some hilarious mutual stories to look back on.
As Aleksandra put it:
“I can’t wait to go fishing again. I already started making plans to take my friends fishing to show them how fun it can be!”
We hear you, Aleksandra!