BAS alum Jamie Thrappas ditches corporate life, goes fishing

Photo by Aldrin Capulong

If a bad day fishing is still better than a good day working, then Capt. Jamie Thrappas is living a dream. See, fishing, well, it’s his job, and Jamie’s pretty good at it. Making things even better, he gets to bring Bay, his faithful yellow Labrador Retriever to work with him every day, too.

“In a few years, I’ll be calling him Old Bay,” joked the 2009 graduate of Daytona State College’s Bachelor of Applied Science in Supervision and Management program.

These days, Jamie’s office is typically an isolated, winding, oyster-lined creek south of the Dunlawton Bridge in Port Orange, or the rocky jetties of Ponce Inlet, where his Yellow Dawg Fishing Charters (named in honor of his loyal pooch) has been spreading the joy of angling full-time for over five years.

The son of a commercial fisherman, Jamie grew up on the waters of Chesapeake Bay just outside of Baltimore, sparking a passion for fishing at an early age. He learned his piscatorial technique by spending summers working on a commercial boat with his father and chartering boats with his brother and cousins.

When he moved to Florida at age 18 to attend Daytona State, the warm weather and large variety of species kicked his passion for fishing into high gear.

After earning his bachelor’s degree, he took a job with Piedmont Plastics, working there for eight years and becoming territory manager for Central Florida. He also earned his captain’s license and started doing fishing charters on the side with Bay and his 22-ft. fully outfitted Aquasport boat.

“But then it got to the point where if I was going to advance with the company, I would have to move, and I didn’t want to do that,” he said, “so I decided to take the leap and take Yellow Dawg Fishing Charters full-time. My experience at DSC gave me the confidence to be able to do it.”

Jamie said earning his bachelor’s degree has been key to helping him structure and properly execute his business. “You can start a business, but if you don’t know how to stay organized, or understand how to make the bottom line profitable at the end of the year, you’re going to struggle. I see a lot of that with other captains.”

In addition to his Yellow Dawg Fishing Charters, Jamie also manages Florida sales for Native Eye-wear. “I’m a firm believer in not having all your eggs in one basket,” he noted. “I always try to have two sources of income so I can be prepared when the economy changes or for unexpected challenges.”

He added he hopes to one day own his own fishing shop that supports his charter business as well.

He also wants to give back to his community by sharing the joy of angling with area youngsters. “I’m thinking about putting together a program called Fish School, a two-day program where middle school kids can get their safe boaters card, learn how to tie knots, how to use artificial and live bait, things like that, just to expose kids to fishing.”

For other would-be entrepreneurs, Jamie shares this: “Failing to plan is planning to fail. When it comes to running a business, you have to have a plan but be flexible. You have to be able to pivot, to think about how you can do things differently. Don’t get discouraged by failure, learn from it and build from it.”

Daytona State College's Bachelor of Applied Science (BS) in Supervision and Management program can prepare you for advancement in your field. Associate degree programs prepare graduates to enter the job market in entry level or mid-level positions. Upper-level course work in the BAS program can broaden your knowledge of applied business practices and prepare you for higher-level management and supervisory opportunities. Students who have earned an associate degree from an accredited institution are eligible to apply for admission to Daytona State's BAS in Supervision and Management program. For more information, visit www.DaytonaState.edu/sbs, email BASinfo@DaytonaState.edu, or call (386) 506-4BAS (4227).