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Member
Posts: 1991
| I know quite a few of you guide around here.
I am pondering upon taking this up on a local body of water here.
What road did you take to get there?
What made you decide to start guiding?
How about your qualifacations or skills to showing someone how to fish? |
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Member
Posts: 874
Location: Neenah, WI | First off, I think you need a Captains license to guide on the Misissippi. That's federal water. Don't forget insurance.
I'm not a guide but I've taken a lot of inexperienced and handicapped people fishing. Plenty of kids too. It takes patience. I think our friend Sunshine can fill you in on all of this.
Good luck to ya. |
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Member
Posts: 2680
Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | Heres a few things I wish somebody would have told me before I started guiding in 1984. Find out what your own States leagal rules, parameters and requirements are first. Then the best first judge of your qualifications will be you. Your clients will be the last judge and determine how successful you'll be. Be the best guide you can, but don't price yourself to low and out of buisiness, or become more hated by the other guides for doing so. Even if this is going to be nothing more then a part time hobby/business keep your prices in par with the others. You most likely won't be loved in the first place for opening a new store across the street. But many newer guides starting out think they will do better if they keep their fee's a hundred or more dollars lower then the established best stick on the lake. You'll soon find out why these other guides charge what they do. And you better include your family in on this decision. Because your yearly personal time spent away from them and your actual operating expenses that might see a lot of RED INK on the books for the first few years might surprise you. Find out what the going rate is and price in that ball park. And if at all possible, don't quit your day job. And that is not meant to be a dig or a slam on your expertise. Just making a living guiding or chartering full time involves a lot of cost, a lot of work and lacs a lot of the glamour most think it has. Fishing often changes when you have to go rather then want to go. Chartering/guiding has always been a form of work to me, with the attached gradifications, expectations and personal rewards considered a bonus. And so far it's still work I enjoy doing. And that basically is a lot of the real attraction, doing something you love and hopefully making money while doing so. If it ever stops being work I enjoy, I'll quit doing it.
Edited by walleye express 12/30/2007 8:18 AM
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Member
Posts: 1406
| You must be friendly, courtious, intelligent, humerous, and patient. Your personality must shine and have the qualities of that of a person that most people like to be around! Have strong ethics and know how to catch fish everytime you go out, be able to fish away from the community spots and have your decissions respected by your peers!
If you have all those qualities your better off running for president you'll be a lot more succesful! I'm not a guide but that is what I look for when choosing one so take it for what it's worth. I have been in the boat with a lot of egos and nothing turns me off more than the guy who thinks he knows it all and is better than everyone else! Guides come and go and the good ones are hard to find! If you fit the bill and can handle people of all ages without worry of someone braking a new rod or loosing a few lures or scratching the side of your new shinny boat then you might make a good one!
Good Luck
Tyee |
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Member
Posts: 2393
Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | There are no State requirements to be a guide except for buying a license at $40.00:
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/cs/specialpermiting/guidelicens...
The D.N.R. only licenses guides, they do not guarantee quality or credibility of a guide.
I actually wish that the state would require more from us. I wish they would require a CPR course. I’d like them to require additional safety equipment then what the average person has. And I wish that they would require a one day course on things like exotics and VHS.
Other than that, Tyee actually did a pretty good job of explaining the god like qualities ?
You must like people and enjoy being around them. I’m talking about both the people in your boat and those around you.
You must enjoy teaching people the art of fishing without talking down to them.
You must enjoy WATCHING people catch fish. The satisfaction of the job does not come from the catching it comes from watching others catch fish..
I personally believe that you should like giving a neophyte your expensive your and reel so they can catch fish. Remember that they do not have your experience or “touch”. You need to put everything in their favor to be successful.
Dan gives good advise. Read his words again.
If you plan on fishing the Great Lakes or river systems in Wisconsin you must have Charter Captains license. This can be expensive for those just starting out.
Feel free to pm me if you have additional questions.
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Location: Rhinelander | There are all sorts of personalities working as successful Guides, from friendly and open to reclusive and quiet. Style is almost as important as success, and in fact one drives the other in some cases. I know some very successful Guides who hardly say a word other than instruction and information about the water, techniques, etc, and others who keep one entertained all day.
I guided near full time for years, and found what worked best for me was providing a stream of information about every spot and technique, friendly conversation if the client seemed to desire alot of talking, exchanging stories about fishing, hunting, and subjects in which the client shows interest. No politics or religion...bad subjects with folks you don't know real well.
Find out what your client's expectations are, right out of the chute, and correct any that are unrealistic while encouraging the realistic ones. Watch your clients all day for signs of boredom, hunger, bathroom needs, discomfort, etc because some folks plain won't say anything unless you ask. Let them take breaks if they need one; driving a client to distraction with obsessive 'we must catch more fish at all costs' behavior may turn them off more than help.
Insurance. You may need it, crazy stuff can happen on the water.
Gear/rods/reels. You will need at least 4 working models of everything if you intend to guide two clients.
Baits. Lots. Carry extra sunglasses, including a set of $7 clip on polarized.
Emergency hook out gear and medical kit, with all the stuff for headaches and general common discomforts. Benadril or similar, keep some on board; I had several clients who didn't tell me they were allergic to whatever, and an allergy pill straightened out a day that otherwise would have been a total loss.
Personal comfort gear. Extra rain gear, towels, etc. The client will say he/she has that stuff, but when a sudden cloudburst is on the way, many times you find out the guy has a 89 cent plastic poncho.
Think of everything you can imagine happening (within reason), gear up for it.
I had some really weird stuff happen on the water over the years. Once the Muppets ( a group of Stockbrokers from across the country...Big Bird, Father O'Malley, Animal, etc...) sent 'Animal' down to my boat in 45 degrees and rain in nothing but a pair of boots. I had a couple Japanese clients every year who spoke not a word of English...that was fun. I had a couple of guys from Lake Forest who were married and had kids, but took a week every year to..I had a couple Navy Commanders who were a Mutt and Jeff team in the boat. One wore a 10 gallon hat and a gallon of sun screen, got alittle drunk before I picked them up almost every time, and walked off the back deck into the lake more than once.
I could write a book.
Keep in mind there are all SORTS of folks out there, and you cannot choose your clients at first. Be prepared to make some lifelong friends, and experience some trying days on the water. If you have a problem client, when the call comes the next year, you can just be 'booked up'.
I think you'd be a great Guide.
Everything Dan, Sunshine and Tyee said applies. It's all in the image, so to speak, and then catching some fish. If the fish are not going, show the client the sonar, show them the fish on the sonar, and keep the hopes up but realistic. |
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Member
Posts: 1991
| WOW lot of good info, no I dont plan on quiting my day job, but I have kind of tossed around the idea, I took out Big Brother pair last year and had a great time, and had fun during the FLW last year.
So it is something I might enjoy |
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| Moreyes
You got a load of great advice and Sworral hit it right on the head with everthing you may possible need to go the water with you will at some point use it. And there is no justifacation for not having a captians license to guide. You owe it to your clinets to be as safe and knowledeable on the water as possible. The class time and insight gained is woth the effort. Along with additonal things to be considered are CPR training, First Aid and Redcross Livesaving. You would be surprised how often I ask the question to my clients if they can swim and the answer comes back not really. Most important is the aspect of safety and common sense. gmwguideservice.com |
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Member
Posts: 859
Location: Appleton wi | greg ............. Whats up gerber baby!!!!!!! |
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| Here in Illinois you have to apply for a passenger Boat License. $50.00 fee and a Marine Inspection Report must accompany application and be filled out by a Marine Inspector or Independent Certifier. This has to be done for every boat used for guideing every year. I am planning a Friday Fishing Day Camp. I hope to introduce a new way of Day Care. Anyone have stories about kids or maybe advice on ages? Thanks Dan Palmer |
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Member
Posts: 2680
Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | Moreyes.
Heres something to think about. I just finished figuring out my expenses for the 2007 season. Considering I have 2 boats, guide 4 seasons of the year and had to have a new custom trailer built for my smaller 18 foot Jet Boat this past season, my total expenses were $11,266.21. My total earnings would have covered that hit, if I had not had to cancel $4,970.00 worth of Bay Charters and Guided River Trips to bad weather, ice and break downs. Even the best guides in the world (as Tyee described them), cannot get ahead when they don't or cannot get out.   
Edited by walleye express 1/2/2008 11:21 AM
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Member
Posts: 1188
Location: Chicago IL. | Dan P. Give me a call or pm me for my number |
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Member
Posts: 1382
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