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Re: Honest feedback requested.
[Re: Natekh]
#12842332
07/26/18 06:08 AM
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Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 4,340
Bobby Milam
TFF Team Angler
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TFF Team Angler
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 4,340 |
If you were a "guide" wouldn't you be required to get a license for it? How about just having a site that you could request to rent a rod and the back seat. There are always people going solo that wouldn't mind someone tagging along and if they could make $50 to help cover their costs they might just do it.
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Re: Honest feedback requested.
[Re: Natekh]
#12842354
07/26/18 10:14 AM
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Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 2,120
Brad R
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 2,120 |
Just looking at the economics behind it, I'd say it'd have almost no chance of working, not at the $$$ rates you suggest.
Demand for it? Sure, I think there could be some if it made sense for the owners of the equipment.
There is some active debate regarding whether Uber drivers and other similar services actually make any net income after gas/depreciation of autos, etc. If they do, it is likely closer to minimum wage than first thought.
I didn't read all of the logistics behind your idea very closely, but just getting a boat on the water assuming it is trailered, back off, gassing it up, outfitting it with fishing gear and supplies is so very time consuming.
Brad
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Re: Honest feedback requested.
[Re: Natekh]
#12842381
07/26/18 11:19 AM
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 19,756
Huckleberry
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 19,756 |
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Re: Honest feedback requested.
[Re: Txduckhunter]
#12842424
07/26/18 12:10 PM
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Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 457
dandeeks
Angler
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Angler
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 457 |
I'm not a guide. If I were, I cannot imagine selling my hard earned fishing intel for $25 ($200 might be worth it, I don't know, but then that's messing with your price point and then maybe it's just best to do a fully guided half day trip). And you say it would be for "traveling through" fisherman? I'd have no faith that this would be true and that I wasn't selling my info for pennies on the dollar to someone who would then be on those spots for the next two weeks while I have other clients paying me a daily guide rate who I need to put on those spots. So, the only information I'd probably be willing to give would be as beneficial as a TPWD fishing report -- "Bass are fair on black/blue worms and white spinnerbaits on main lake points..."
On the user side, I therefore would expect my $25 to give me the level of information I could find on the TPWD website and might as well save my $25.
As a user--absolutely, I'd love to rent someone's guide-worthy equipment for $10/hour. On the guide side, no way in he%l would I rent any sort of usable equipment for $10/hour. It would require methods and time of getting it to the customer, getting it back from the customer, evaluation of and claims for damage--what occurs if I lend out 5 rods/reels and they come back (if I get them back) with backlashes to the spool in each reel? Will the customer then pay a re-spooling fee for fluorocarbon as well as a service fee for the time it's going to take me to re-spool? On this same line of thought, it would require having additional equipment set aside just for renting purposes. A guide could not lend out the same equipment that he then needed to have for fully paying guide customers the next day for a wide variety of reasons--loss, breakage, backlashes in all reels, etc.
As far as the review system--if I were a guide, I would not want to subject myself to this system for so many reasons. You can give the best info in the world--30 of your best waypoints, but if the person doesn't know how to fish, catches nothing, then blames you for it, what's the review going to say? That's my reputation there. Guides can get away with saying "you should have been here yesterday" to returning clients or clients that have been with them in the boat all day because that client can still see you visually working to try and put you on fish. It's also about the experience on the water and if you've ever been with a guide, there are some that the experience is still worth every penny even if the catching wasn't great, and then there are others...So, would not trust this system whatsoever as guide or user.
Someone else mentioned it, but the only idea I see here (and maybe you prove me wrong and this is the next Uber), is equipment rental. Again though, I would not want to be in the business of fishing gear rental, especially if it's the same gear I need tomorrow, and as someone who has rented gear to say fish on a coastal pier, rented fishing equipment cannot be of high quality. So as a user, it wouldn't be worth looking into for me.
I see additional problems that time will not allow me to discuss--liability issues, etc, but this is my honest, devil's advocate feedback because I want anyone looking into a potential business venture to predict the problems before investing. If you feel like they can be overcome, then go for it. Good luck.
While I feel that you are sometimes a negative Nancy.... I actually agree with you on everything you threw out here. I can appreciate the OP and his idea but I also have seen a LOT of guys step up on this site and offer a back seat when it has been asked for. Agreed
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Re: Honest feedback requested.
[Re: Natekh]
#12842947
07/26/18 07:23 PM
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 39,372
Dan90210 ☮
Jr Deputy Dan
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Jr Deputy Dan
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 39,372 |
I would go in for this.
Cant tell you how many times I have been traveling on business, ran across a little pond or creek or what not and just would have loved to be able to rent a rod for a day or two...
I would use this app.
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Re: Honest feedback requested.
[Re: Natekh]
#12842962
07/26/18 07:34 PM
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Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 158
TexasTechBassAngler
Outdoorsman
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Outdoorsman
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 158 |
Definitely an interesting idea, but I think most bring up some valid points, and the proposed prices do seem a bit low for renter and/or "guides". I'll say this, I think that your potential target customers would not be people not on forums like this one. For the most part, a majority of the guys who are on the TFF regularly fish often, have boats, high end gear, etc. so it certainly would not be as attractive to them as a customer or "guide". I think that if this was going to work, it would be more for the novice crowd. Beginners, people taking little ones fishing for bluegill, etc. I can't say I would use if often but I will say that if I was out of town for work and saw some good looking water, I would certainly consider renting some decent gear if available. Good luck
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Re: Honest feedback requested.
[Re: Huckleberry]
#12842988
07/26/18 07:46 PM
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Joined: May 2014
Posts: 7,737
GIG'EM AGGIES
TFF Celebrity
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TFF Celebrity
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 7,737 |
I am a Senager. (Senior teenager) I have everything that I wanted as a teenager, only 50 years later. I get an allowance every month. I have PU truck and a bass boat, I am blessed. Conscience never acquits, it either accuses or excuses.
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Re: Honest feedback requested.
[Re: Natekh]
#12843236
07/26/18 10:39 PM
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,179
Guide Richie White
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,179 |
Several years ago, I put several hundred hours into a site ( www.fishingguidenow.com) designed to allow fishing guides to enter their available dates and have a free online booking system that they could put a link on their site and get their own customers to book online. If they chose to participate, they could have their dates shown on the public site that I advertised - and if they got clients due to my advertising, I would get a 10% commission. I figured it would be a great hit because clients want to easily see what days are available - and every guide on the planet should want a free online-booking system that did everything necessary for a business. The going rate for a referral at the time was $50/day for a $350/trip - and many guides were willing to pay the referral. So 10% was a discount. I incorporated the business and planned on putting a lot of money into advertising to send business to the guides. With thousands of guides on this planet and fishingguidenow.com being the only global online guide booking system, I expected to be able to retire with all the income from this LLC. The problem I discovered way too late is that guides don't want to put their available dates in a database. It never got off the ground because I didn't have an inventory of guides to throw the advertising money towards. I still use the system today. But I only had a handful of guides sign up - and very few of them were willing to put in their trips to keep the calendar accurate. I'm afraid you would probably find similar issues in your proposed scenario.
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Re: Honest feedback requested.
[Re: Natekh]
#12843971
07/27/18 02:56 PM
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,136
Skunked Again Fishing
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,136 |
I think this is a really good idea. Let's call it UberFish. You have a boat and are going fishing anyways. A backseater wants to fish some lakes in the area. UberFish connects you two. The backseater pays a fee to help pay for the gas, maintenance, etc.. Now if I knew how to code apps. I would help fund this concept. Tim
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