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HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JUNE 29, 2026 19 Changing Tides Fishing entrepreneur seeks next generation to carry on one of CT's best-known charter businesses in Waterford. By fifth grade, he had decided he wanted to make a living on the water. "I've always been driven from day one, I always wanted to fish," Dubrule said. His father, an independent insurance claims adjuster, hoped his son would pursue a more conventional career and spent years trying to expose him to the insurance business. Instead, Dubrule built himself a 10-foot flat-bottomed dinghy in high school shop class because he couldn't afford to buy a boat. Powered by a 1958 Johnson outboard motor, the homemade craft carried him trout fishing on West Hill Pond and along the Farmington and Connecticut rivers. "My parents, God rest their souls, fought me my whole career to get out of the fishing business," Dubrule recalled. "My father had a successful business of his own and he wanted me to follow in it. And there was just no way in the face of the earth." By age 17, Dubrule was commer- cially fishing for striped bass near the eastern end of Long Island Sound and taking paying customers on guided trips. He upgraded to an 18-foot StarCraft aluminum boat with a 50-horsepower engine and then, in his early 20s, to a lobster boat. By then, he had a Coast Guard captain's license and officially launched a charter fishing business. Money was often tight, Dubrule noted, but he pushed forward, building a reputation. A pivotal break came in 1975 when Noank Shipyard owner Don Singer took a shine to the young fisherman and offered to partner with him on a purpose-built charter boat. The arrangement launched the Seaweed in 1976 and a second vessel three years later. Dubrule eventually bought out Singer's interest and used the Seaweed II to build his reputation as an offshore fisherman, charter captain and promoter. He chased giant tuna, swordfish, marlin and sharks. In 1983, with the blockbuster film "Jaws" still fresh in the public imagination, Dubrule set out to catch a great white shark near Block Island, believing it could generate publicity for his business. After locating one feeding near a floating whale carcass, he landed a 17-foot, 3,800-pound behemoth and towed it back to Noank. As he headed for shore, Dubrule radioed his wife and asked her to distribute a press release he had prepared. Biologists were waiting at the dock, and the news interviews piled up. "Everybody picked it up worldwide," Dubrule recalled. The catch eventually turned Dubrule into a nationally known fishing personality nicknamed "Sharky." He was paid thousands of dollars to appear at fishing shows across the country, hauling the taxidermized shark to events throughout the lower 48 states on a trailer behind his Ford F-250 pickup. Sponsors supplied rods, By Michael Puffer mpuffer@hartfordbusiness.com F or more than half a century, Capt. Greg Dubrule has made a living doing exactly what he wanted to do since he was a fifth grader: fish. The 75-year-old owner of the Black Hawk II sportfishing fleet in Niantic has spent 56 years turning that obsession into a career, growing from a teenager catching striped bass from a small aluminum boat into the owner of one of Connecticut's most recogniz- able charter fishing businesses. Now, Dubrule is preparing for retire- ment and the possible sale of a busi- ness that carries about 11,000 visitors onto Long Island Sound each year. The likely buyer is already aboard the vessel. Matt Chamberlin, a 40-year-old Niantic native who has worked aboard the Black Hawk for 15 years, is in advanced discussions to buy the operation. "We want to keep this business going," Chamberlin said. "It's going to have to change hands eventually. He's put a lot of time and energy in — money and everything else into it." The potential sale represents more than a retirement plan. It is a test of whether a new generation is willing to take over an increasingly chal- lenging business that serves as both a tourism draw and a key access point to Connecticut's recreational fishing industry. Several well-known party boats have disappeared from the Connecticut shoreline in recent years, making the future of the Black Hawk significant beyond a single family-owned business. Shoreline magnet The Black Hawk offers fishing excursions from May through December targeting porgy, black sea bass, striped bass, bluefish and other species. Tickets cost $115 per adult for a standard eight-hour outing. The boat typically accommo- dates up to 60 anglers, but can carry more than 100 passengers on shorter specialty cruises, including seal-watching trips. The Black Hawk has developed a loyal following that extends well beyond southeastern Connecticut, attracting anglers from throughout New England and beyond. Even fishermen who own their own boats tune into the operation's YouTube tutorials and social media posts for tips and advice. "They've got a very well-known brand locally," said Richard Balestracci, chief lending officer at Chelsea Groton Bank, which has financed capital investments for the business over the years. "Everybody knows Greg and his crew. They know how to put people on the fish." Balestracci said the Black Hawk and other charter operators play an important role in southeastern Connecticut's waterfront economy, drawing visitors from outside the region who spend money at local hotels, restaurants and shops. "We need businesses like that because it feeds into that benefit for us as a total region," Balestracci said. "It gets the traffic here." According to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration analysis, saltwater recreational fishing supported 956 jobs and generated $118.4 million in retail sales in Connecticut in 2020. The American Sportfishing Asso- ciation estimates 147,760 anglers spent $2 billion on fishing activities in Connecticut in 2025, generating $175 million in tax revenue. Seth Megargle, vice president of the Connecticut Charter & Party Boat Association, said charter operators provide access to offshore fishing for people who don't own boats. Customers travel from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and beyond to fish Long Island Sound, he said. But the number of party boats — vessels that sell individual tickets rather than private charters — has declined in recent years. Well-known Connecticut operations including the Mijoy and Hel-Cat II have ceased operating, Megargle said. Rising fuel costs, tighter fishing regulations and shifting fish popu- lations have made the business increasingly difficult. "It's definitely getting harder," Megargle said. "Fuel is up and that cuts a lot into it. There are all the taxes and licenses." Childhood dream Dubrule traces his passion for fishing to his youth in Windsor, and to an elementary school teacher's tales of her husband's fishing trips on Long Island Sound. That was reinforced by trips with his own father aboard the Mijoy party boat Capt. Greg Dubrule pilots the Black Hawk II out of Niantic. Dubrule is preparing for retirement and a possible transition of the charter fishing business. HBJ Photo | Michael Puffer Continued on next page