A Crew Family Tree is the chronology of mates who have worked the cockpit under the command of Captain Irving E. “Chip” Shafer. While Shafer has engineered many tournament victories and led anglers to a wide ranging list of accomplishments, it is the men who Shafer has mentored who best illustrate the legacy of his influence on offshore fishing. Perhaps nobody says it better than Chip himself, “My greatest accomplishments are getting to know the fine young men I have had the pleasure of fishing the worlds oceans with.”
Captain Shafer worked early in his career with Hatteras Charter Captain Emory Dillon. Some 50 years later, the time Shafer spent in Dillon’s company is still influencing the sportfishing landscape. In Chip’s words, “I really want to stress that the common denominator in all of these people is what Capt. Emory Dillon, (Early Bird, Hatteras, NC) instilled in myself, John Bayliss and Buddy Hooper. He pointed out how lucky we were to be able to make a living doing something that we loved, but that we had a responsibility to try our hardest for our people and at the same time to be courteous and helpful to our fellow fishermen.”

We ask if you have any great images of fishing with Chip to send them in to us so we can add to his crew photo gallery. Thanks for any input and support on this idea.