Working for a Living | Paul Pancake takes his time at college and on the water

When it comes to his last name, Paul Pancake has heard it all.

He said he hasn’t heard an original joke about it in a very long time.

But the story he got is that when his family came through Ellis Island from Germany, the direct translation from German to English was Pancake. “We have been stuck with it ever since, but it’s also a great conversation starter,” he said.

Pancake, 25, has been a part of the fabric of the Grand Strand since the fall of 2008, when he moved here from Charleston, W.Va., and started at Coastal Carolina University. He is currently pursuing a degree in interdisciplinary studies, having taken some time off. “The running joke is that my junior year has been the best three years of my life,” he said.

His ultimate goal is to be involved in the marine industry, and recently returned from Florida and a three-month internship with Yellowfin [formerly Yellowfin Yachts].

“Yellowfin is a high-end, center console boat builder, and they build tournament boats,” he said. “It was a very educational experience, and I learned more doing that than I have probably in any classroom I have ever sat in,” he said.

He earned his captain’s license last spring. Last summer, Pancake worked on a sport fishing charter boat out of Little River as first mate and relief captain.

Currently, Pancake works for Jason Burton’s Fly Girl Fishing Charters [www.flygirlfishingcharters.com] in Murrells Inlet, running a boat called Skinny Girl.

“The gist is to offer the best experience for families and fishermen that come to the Grand Strand,” he said. “We do that with two boats, and have the option to run off the beach when it’s nice, and when it’s not-so-nice, to stay in the creek and fish our inshore fish – our flounder, our redfish and our sea trout. We can do just about anything.”

He said he has always been drawn to the water.

“I always loved to fish, and this is something that I always wanted to get into.”

He said his family used to take charters when they vacationed in Holden Beach, N.C., and credits his father with getting him started. “We used to do a lot of fishing together, and since I moved down here we probably fish once or twice a year now. I always really enjoy it.”

A typical work day for Pancake involves leaving his house in Conway at five or 5:30 in the morning and heading out to the Inlet – stopping at a gas station to grab ice. He hits up the bait shop during times when he can’t find bait quickly.

“We get enough bait for one or two trips, depending on how many we have for the day – then go down to the boat. We ice the boat up – get the bait in – check and make sure that all the systems are good on the boat.” Mechanical issues, he said, are not something he wants to discover when customers are sitting there looking at him.

“You get on all of the tackle – re-rig anything that you might need for that day – and then the head game starts – where you say, all right – do I go left or right when I come out of the creek – or do I think the fish are in spot A, B, C, D or E – and how do I make it to where we can catch fish and everybody has a good time.”

A lot of this fish-finding is done by networking with others, or using past experience.

“You look at the tide, the wind and what happened this time last year – or who did what yesterday,” he said.

Safety is paramount for Pancake. No. 2 is that folks have a good time and make the outing a memorable experience – and No. 3 is the fishing. “On most days, the fishing will take care of itself,” he said.

These outings can be anywhere from four to eight hours.

Decompression time might involve unwinding at a local watering hole – perhaps grabbing a bite at Wahoo’s Fish House or Bovine’s. Pancake is also an avid duck hunter.

“I’m about as regular a 25-year-old guy that you can meet,” he said.

Pancake hopes for a good and profitable summer. “After that, it’s school for the next year and then once I have my degree, we will see from there.”

This story was originally published April 28, 2015 at 10:09 AM with the headline "Working for a Living | Paul Pancake takes his time at college and on the water."