becoming a guide?

im thinking about starting a guiding service soon but just wanted to know what i would need to do to be legal and also if any of the other guides could give some in sight on the good and bad things about guiding?thanks

license,insurance & most important clients.when i started 14-15 years ago the saying about being a guide was "earn your fortune 1st then guide" lol. with that being said the overhead is high but i LOVE what i do and that is almost priceless. best of luck if you decide to pursue.

Chris is right.

Just like anything else it does have its high points and also low points. Keeping clients happy no matter what. Building a customer base ( repeats) And the pressure to produce even on the slow/bad days.

If you live bait at all keep in mind that a half day fishing trip ( usually 6 hrs) means that you will work atleast on average 10hrs.

If fishing is a hobby for you and the family, becareful not to turn the fun hobby into a bad job. Dont burn yourself out at all. Have fun and enjoy it. If it gets to where you dont enjoy it anymore then you need to cut back or pick another career.

I've thought about this for years as well. I am so burnt on corporate america. I love to fish & I'm afraid if it was my job than maybe I wouldn't feel the same way about it. These guys work hard but how rewarding would it be for your job to put smiles on peoples faces every day! I know my job doesn't do that:(.

I think Lakeguide is going to put together a seminar on guiding and related matters.

Guiding is the most expensive job I ever had!!!! It's a good thing mama has a good job!!!!

There's the key. Find a good woman with a good job. Then become a guide.

The thing that you should really think about is the look on those same people's faces, when the bite is in the tank and you pull into dock with three fish. Anglers don't remember the days when they didn't catch squat, but always remember the days they killed them. Guides are just the opposite, they remember the bad days way more than the good. I'm not a guide but I have friends that are and this is what I have observed. One day I plan on starting my own guide service, it will be called YELLOW BASS ADVENTURES!!

All you need is a license to be llegal. The rest is the hard part! Same as starting any business, getting customers is whats hard. Good Luck
Good versus bad things? Its expensive to have nice equipment. It beats fighting traffic and listening to your boss gripe at you all day. I love it!

I thought you were going to start guiding down there.

guiding on texoma has become vastly more complicated than just a license now that thw coast guard is involved

All of the above is right on target.

1st thing you have to realize – you do not make money at it. You have to do it because you just love it. You have to be real good at it and catch fish even when they are not at all on. You have to get real good at it – to begin with.

I only go with the best equipment – boat – tackle – electronics (the electronics alone can run you $8,000 – not including a $40,000 boat plus add-ons (ie. 36 volt TM – batteries, etc…etc…etc…).

2nd you have to be pretty well off – have every thing paid for – boats – trucks – house – etc (everything paid for) – because you are not going to make any money.

3rd – BostonBob is right – you will need help even still with having everything paid for – with a good wife that makes lots of money. I ran a lot of trips last year - only to end up with a Negitive $5,000 of net income. That is my contribution to our income - I'm a tax advantage - I'm a write off with my losses.

4th – you get tired fishing every day (you just get tried working everyday – it’s hard work) – you end up catching in your life – way more fish than you should and that thrill is gone.

5th – your only real purpose is to put a smile on your customers face – and have them say they have never caught fish like that before – That is what it’s all about for a guide. – That is what it all comes down too. If it makes you happy to make other folks happy – (and you are very good at it) – then that is what it all come down too.

Sno-cones will be 2 for a dollar in hell first.

Dude being a guide is easy as 1,2,4!!! Think Mark P is on the correct trail. The best thing to do is go hire one for 3-4 days and see how easy it is B4 u make the leeeeeeep.

Good luck and come see me when u get that license

Here's the hardest part in guiding: staying busy/getting customers. If you want to do it full time, I would suggest to keep your day job and guide part time for 5+ years. Get a solid clientel of repeats before you take the plunge.

Yep you are right - I use guides all the time. And really I kind of feel sorry for them when I do. They look warn-out (and I’m sure they are) – but for the good ones – what a service they can provide.

I go every fall somewhere to our gulf coast – (from Texas to Florida) and I have used several of them – and in our fresh lakes too). Find a good one – if you are trying to pick a very good one (yep I use TFF to help me on that).

But as we fish thru the morning – (since I’m now a guide) – I can see just how hard and tried they are – and what a GREAT job they do.

Give them a good Tip – and I mean a real good tip – that is all they really make (your tip).

I’m scheduled to back to our coast at Port A this fall and looking for some new (GOOD) guides to fish with – if you have a recommendation – I would love to hear about them.

I stopped guiding because I like to fish to much. When something I like to do turned in to a job it wasn't as much fun for me. Sounds crazy but true.

Like Nitro said when you have bad day's and you will. It sticks with you. Hell I felt like giving them there money back. You can't because you spent alot of money on gas,etc..

I had one trip they limmited on Stripers and hybrids in the first 30 min but then stripers left out. Then we went SB fishing ( all day long bite) they got tire of that and wanted more stripers. They were pissy when we dint catch more. Limmit of stripes and 50 SB to take home and they were disapointed??? What the hell( you limmitted out but head)!! They wanted a all morning bite on stripers weel that happen everyday?? Thats been 7 years ago and I still pissed.LOL But people like that are few and far between.

Good luck

Bluwave,

I hear you - for my own peace of mind - I think we can catch them - if we do not catch enough fish – to make them happy – then you do not owe me anything.

But as a guide – you know you work 10 times as hard on the bad days. Gas and effort. Those are the HARD DAYS and you work your butt off.

But I have that in the back of my mind everyday – if we don’t catch a bunch – it’s on me. (Thank God that never happens)

I think Mark has the right approach. You need to have a good time yourself and enjoy what you are doing, if that happens it will roll over to your clients. When it becomes a job and is no longer fun it is time to retire...... is that some kind of a cliche?

I had the same thought a few years back, and even guided a couple
of trips. It was enjoyable as all get out putting people on fish
that had not caught fish before, but after it was all over I had
deep thoughts of what If I hadn't found any fish, and that
bothered me a lot, and I am being truthful here, I have been out
when I couldn't buy a bite, so I decided to keep my day job. Now
being retired I fish different. I enjoy getting out there and
doing some experimenting and having a good time, and if I catch
a fish or two, then I consider that a bonus, but the guiding is
for the other guys, and I really admire them for what they do,
because it is a very challlenging way to make a living, and I
feel fishing is more fun if I don't have to do it.

I guided waterfowel hunts in houston and I tell you what! it was fun when there where birds when there where no birds you better have some dang good jokes to tell because it is about making folks happy...

I have thought about taking the plunge and guideing fishing trips but in the end I think its just best to take friends and friends of friends for free... They usually kick in for gas and beer and if you dont catch anything no one is gripeing you also get to meet alot of "like minded" people.

you will prolly be better off this way... For example A friend of a friend that i take fishin on occasion recently poured a concrete pad for my trashcans for free!!! just because I mentioned that I needed to do it someday! when I asked what do I owe ya he said "a cold beer while we are catching fish"...

So my advice to you... take a bunch of people for free and see how you like it first

When I take my friends fishing and we don't get them going early they gripe and threaten to hire another guide.

You too?

Guiding is a whole different mind set. When the fishing is easy it is all laughs… but be in a boat with guest and at 10:00 am and you have 10 fish in the box I am with Mark, it is defiantly NOT all about money. Some people that can flat out catch fish can not guide….. I do not know why but they have a hard time adapting to the way it is. When I find fish, I do not fish… all I do is take fish off and help. When it is tough, I fish to find out what they want. Now, I do have regular guest that are good fisherman and they tell me to “get some of that “ but normally it is not fishing it is hunting It is not about telling them how many fish you have caught, they do not want to hear that stuff… put them on fish is your job. You also do not do it for “The Hero” factor, trust me… most do not like us If I am fishing and I hook a fish that I know could be the biggest hybrid that I have ever hooked into in my life and had a guest…. No second thoughts about handing that rod to a guest… how many fisherman could do that. I would feel just as proud for them to catch it. But if I am fun fishing with friends….. You aint getting that rod It is a different mind set. Remember, when you have a trip I start working the night before…. Making sure everything is rigged good, cleaning the boat when I can, planning my strategy and so on. Get up at 4:30am, launch the boat…. Meet them,,,, take them out , catch fish, come back and clean fish…. Load the boat…. Go home… put everything up and so on I LOVE IT ……..

John, you are one of them kind that I talked about, and as I
said I know the fun of putting people on fish and handing them
the rod with a nice fish on, that part does not bother me at all
but them bad days I am sure would. But as I said, I admire you
guys for what you do. Maybe I am just getting old. Anyway Keep
it up.

What john said is the difference between the good ones and the great ones.

That is why JV is my hero!!!!

JV

Funny you said that about you not fishing. A friend of mine went to Lake Fork this year and the guide was more worred about catching fish than making sure my friend did. I couldn't beleave it! He said he was moving so fast with the trolling motor you could hardly fish. By the end of the trip he just stoped fishing. Thats sad!!

I haven't hired very many guides over the year, but have had a few. A couple were the types who were more concerned about his own fishing than whether or not the paying client - that would be me! - was catching fish. One Texoma trip almost ten years ago still makes me go "grrr"

But, most I've dealt with have one goal - to put their paying customer on fish. When we went to Alaska last summer, the first day of fishing was guided, and the Captain & crew worked very hard to put us on fish ... but the salmon just had other ideas. Even though we only had four salmon for the day, it was still enjoyable & it wasn't for lack of effort on the crews part. Learned alot more in a few hours from those guys than I would've picked up on my own in two weeks, so it was still worthwhile.

i'm with you 100% on this - nogeese.... they always feel better when they chip in for something even though i dint ask for it - sometimes we argue cause i dont take the money so they chip in for gas drinks and snacks

I run and fish with a couple of guides and the thing I could not put up with is the pressure of not finding fish. Also 99 % of the people are the nicest in the world and the other few I would be afraid they would get lost at sea. I enjoy helping the guides when they maybe are struggling and I find fish and help even more if kids are on board.
At my time in life I hate someone telling me I have to do anything even if it is fishing.
Johnny

Not a guide but the whole fish cleaning thing would wear me out. I have seen DTA and BB clean 75+ fish at the end of a hard day of guiding. No fun there.

That's why at Yellow Bass Adventures, we practice 100% catch & release

Seriously though, that is the part I just wouldn't want to do. I have a hard time cleaning 25 fish for a family fish fry, let alone 75 for snot nose Billy and his Dad

Aint that the truth, nothing like taking friends or family for that matter, and getting on a slow day. Its amazing the comments and looks you get

That's why I find myself fishing by myself more and more often. All of the second guessing and armchair quarterbacking from friends and family have started to wear me out. "We're too shallow." "We're too deep." "Look, that guy caught a fish. I told you we should go over there." "Look, there's fish on the graph - how come we didn't stop back there?" Enough already.....

Man that is the good part - cleaning bunches.

Some days and you have close trips with 6 to 7 in the boat and you have to clean 150 plus - yea that gets old (and your back hurts standing over that table for that long).

But if they had a good time - I had a good time.

I just might need to go to sleep a little early that night - and you for sure want to stay on your side of the bed - after those days.

I realize now that I was born to be a guide. I was a guide starting in highschool and all through college. After graduating, I tried to get a real job and ended up with a management position working 70 hours a week on salary and back to guiding it was. I have now started my own business and have been in business for myself for 3 months now and couldn't be happier. The buy in price can be high but it is a lot cheaper than buying into any other market. It is relatevely inexpensive to be a guide when you are talking about starting your own business. I went into about 60 grand in debt to get started. There are 2 parts to being a guide. 1 catching fish and showing your customers a good time. 2. Booking trips. I've noticed that there are some guides that can catch fish ALL the time (even when it is tough) and there are some guides who can book trip, then there are a few who can do both and thos few will be the ones that will make a successful living at being a guide. The big advantage I got out of college and my business degree is that I learned marketing and how to go out and book trips for myself. There is nothing eles I would rather be doning!

Oh and my girl just graduated as an RN...I plan on keeping her so I have that one in place too

Good Luck to all those who persue their passions
Brian

As some of you know, I'm an upcoming guide getting a client base going.( I now have a lot of repeat clients that know how to catch fish, but they just want to make sure they will be on the fish when they get into town.) I found a place does not have one guide besides myself to guide at, Rowlett Creek for the Sandbass run and Hybrids. Lots of people look at me weird when I say I guide there during the run, but the amount of money that little creek produces for the fishing world is crazy. I have reached a point where I'm booked almost 99 percent of the run now. I am mainly a guide up in Broken Bow at this time, but they had to release water in the park to control flooding and has messed things up pretty bad there. But there are some fish still there though.....But not enough to keep a novice fly fisherman happy. So, now I have had to find other kinds of fish here in Texas to guide for till October when things level out in Broken Bow. So I had to adapt really quick to keep the money flowing. I'm still taking a huge pay cut from it too. And now, the rules are being change in Oklahoma for guides:

Beginning Jan. 1, 2010, fishing guides applying for a license must provide the Wildlife Department with documentation stating they have completed boat training through the National Association of Safe Boating Administrators, which is available readily online or at locations throughout Oklahoma. They also must provide the Wildlife Department with proof of commercial general liability insurance covering services as a fishing guide with policy limits of at least $500,000 per occurrence. Additionally, fishing guides must maintain current boat inspection by any governmental agency or entity authorized to perform such inspections, and they must be certified by the American Red Cross in CPR and basic first aid.
(thefishingwire.com)

So "us" fly fisherman guides might have a problem. I will finish the year guiding The Lower Mountain Fork River, but if this applies to all guides, I may be stuck in Texas. I am CPR and First Aid Certified. But I don't own a boat anymore. I had no need for it. So with that being said, watch out Mr. Varner. You may have more competition coming to your lake. I may be buying a boat within the year if this Oklahoma thing sticks to the bank beater guides.

My thing is, I love to teach people how to fish and catch fish the next day without me. I love the smiles and props for being able to make every client this year happy. It does however kill me, like Varner said I think, to hook the clients into bigger Hybrids than I have caught. But like said before too, its the tip I'm after, you "have to make the client happy so your business gets advertised through word of mouth.- Free advertising. I know I do a good job guiding and I know I'm a good guide. But WOW, it takes up a lot of time. I'm up as well at 5 am to hit the water everyday. and watch the sun come up and then go down. But I absolutely love doing it too. And another point to make is you meet and make lots of friends. Best thing is making friends with people with hook-ups. Like doing trades. I got a great website off a trade for letting a guy tag along with me a couple times and showing him some water. So if you like my site and want one, his contact info is at the bottom of my site.....

-Anyways, do make sure you dont kick your real job to the curb yet. There will be bumps in the road that will put you back. Weather is the worst of that.........

Ill have to add, this site helped me be who I am. Thanks TFF.

I did it for 3 years and it started out as just a way to pay for the habit.Well it never did and as your client list grows so does your cost and making money is tough.Think about these guys that charge 250 a day. you have to fish 200 days to gross 50,000
and you will not make 50,000.List out all your cost and budget your self.Find your best deals on equipment and lures and make them if you can. It is also tough fishing the area lakes during the summer when all the crazy ones are out.
It has to be for the love of the game.

I don't even try and make money - I really don't (I put everything I have into it everyday).

I just want to be the best – and to be the best - sometimes you have to forego the money.

Just be the best you can be at whatever you do – and I think that is what makes you happy.

Brian hit the nail on the head... I've started dabbling in the guide business myself. I'm a football coach first, with a passion for Lake Texoma Striper fishing. On my salary, it's tough funding fishing trips 2-3-4 times a week like I like, and your buddies sometimes conviently forget to get cash for gas money. So this guiding thing really started as a necessity to feed my addiction to fishing like some stated. It's been a good start, this is my third summer, and marketing like Brian said is the secret ingredient. I don't like to open myself up sometimes to message boards, just gives people too big a platform to pick you apart. Anyway, the great guides that I've had the privledge of knowing and working with certainly manage their clientele well and martket to keep the business rolling. I've enjoyed watching Brian's business explode and his posts show what a great job he's doing with his customers. If it were only as easy as waking up and going fishing???

Check out my website and see what you think...
www.ccstriperguideservice.com

I've been doing it 6 years now as a full time guide. I am not getting rich but I get by ok most of the time. The hardest part of this business is stating busy year around. Business generally comes and goes like flood water. That would be the biggest advantage of having a steady job versus guide work. Good luck if you plan on getting in the business. It's a fun business if you can survive.

good luck with that guiding just dont seem like it would be enjoyable unless you were fishing with some people that have never fished before.

i work in the music industry, where these snot nose brats are also paying my bills. Except their so rich, I wont ever see their money if I saved all of it in 10 of my lives. You guys should be happy but intelligent, ---not happy at work, get another job.

I barely can take my wife with me and I love that woman to death. Having strangers in the boat, back lashing, hanging up lures, breaking rod tips, needing to go to the bathroom, afraid to touch fish, an occasional cut finger or hand, rod and reel lost overboard, gut hooking fish and then letting then bleed all over your boat.

Do I sound excited about guiding?

I do not see how you professionals do it, my hat is off to you. Oh yeah did I mention about losing hats, loose shirts blowing overboard, getting cold in the rain, hot in the sun.................................

When your catching fish as fast as you can get the bait in the water then no one has a chance to do any complaining. Set your rods where they will not back lash and use circle hooks so there is no hook swallowing or bleeding. Its definatly better than a real job. I was off work today and what did I do....I went to work

HUH!!!!! So those "snot nose brats" are paying your bills. But we need to find another job??????? Who the heck are you to tell us we need to find another job????? I think you need to re-word your post.

im sure guiding is tuff. dont know if im cut out for it thought. lots of pressure to perform & early bird stuff. i still just catch a few on some days & would feel bad if someone was paying me for that experience. its the good days that keep me coming back for more & your customers remember those days for a lifetime!

Anyone can do it on the easy days.
Guiding is excellent full time work, last year I made over $11,000 not much over but a little.

Yeah, I didn't get rnrglenn's post??? Perhaps he didn't proof read it before he hit the submit button

Becoming a guide might seem like a great idea, but be careful. When you turn something you love into your daily job, it may not be something you love for very long. However, if you're not relying on it as your main source of income, than probably would be enjoyable, since there is no pressure to bring in the money. Just like rnrglenn posted about being in the music industry, he probably decided that being a musician, stage manager, roadie, tour manager, sound tech, light guy, etc, would be a great way to make a living since he enjoyed working the clubs on the weekend. But, after he went full time, he probably realized it isn't much fun when you have to work for those "snot nose brats" that pay your salary. I went down the same road as a touring musician and I'm here to tell you, I'll never do it again. I want to concentrate on my day job, to be able to make a good living and use fishing as a time to forget about the pressures of life. Nevertheless, good luck becoming a guide!!!

Dang Jackie....ya had a good year I see
Keep that up and your gonna have to move into a higher tax bracket

Ill show ya my tax returns.. been a full time guide for 6 years now and I havent "profited" a penny yet
ya wont ever get rich but ya get lots of tax write offs....if only I could spend a write off

Ya wanna be a guide huh???? Jackie made 11k and he's one of the really good ones

Please dont take this as offensive cuz I really dont mean it that way.. But if you have to ask this type of question .. then your probably not ready to be a guide...when you have put in your time,learn your lake/fish and know them like the back of your hand and build your clientel.. you'll know if you can be a full time guide or not...at this point I would say "not"
This is definately not something you can just jump into although many do.. and expect to make money...cuz it just wont happen...

Keep your day Job

now if you chose to not follow my advice then your crazy enough to be a guide... like many of us we spend 12-15 hours a day working...our customrs only see about 4-6 of those while we are out fishing.. what they dont see is that we are up at 2am and on the water at 3am catching bait so we can be ready for a 7am start time.. then after fishing for 4-6 hours and clean their fish we still have a few hours of work to get the boat cleaned and ready for the next day. Ill then get home about 3-4pm ish and take a nap.. get up at 6pm and have dinner...fall asleep watching a movie on the couch at 7;30ish and get up and fall into the bed about 9ish...its not as glamourous as some will have ya think... ya its alot of mens dream job but most dont have a clue whats involved...
now that you've heard all the doom and gloom...the bottom line is I absolutely love what I do and never feel like I am going to work...I love meeting my customers each day and love the challenge of going out and trying to beat mother nature everyday...most days Ill win or break even but mother nature will always inpart her revenge and humble even the most capable guides out there.
thats my 2 cents...that and another buck might get ya a cup of coffee

Ditto to JD.i BEEN MESSIN WITH IT ON hUBBARD FOR NEAR 20 YEARS .SAME AS ANY OTHER GUIDE REPAIRS AND TACKLE WEAR YOU OUT .YOU GOTTA LOVE IT AND WANT TO GO FISHIN IN YOUR SLEEP TO BE A GUIDE.

Dang Jackie - you had a great year, I'm jealous with that.

Tell me how you do that (making money as a guide) – No really don’t – my best thing is my losses (which I’m good at doing) – I’m a tax advantage (and proud of it).

It’s really about having fun yourself – and putting smiles on other folks faces.

"Catch it and they will come."

Thats been my moto for the last 15 years.

Good luck!

I make a good living guiding. I run my guide service as a business and not a hobby. I think some of you guys are making more money then you are admitting. I paid over 11,000 in income tax last year.JD claims to fish 250 days a year and calculated at 400 dollars per day (and the average day would be more then 400) that comes to 100 thousand dollars. I know there are a lot of expenses but come on guys .You can make a good living guiding but it is really tough and takes a long time to build a customer base.If you do it do it for real and charge what you say you charge cause nobody is going to give you new equipment when you wear yours out.

To young to be Mr. Varner, that was my dad I was reading the Okie thing.. that is going to apply only to Texoma for the six pack as of what I read... but who knows, they will try to find a way to get money.But I do not guide there so I have not really kept up with it.

http://newsok.com/oklahoma-fishing-law-a...d_lead_outdoors

Yea the coast guard thing is going to get interesting. I don't think it will be a problem for most guides, we will just have to wait and see what happens.Coast guard inspected my boat on Tuesday and I only have a few things to get in order.Since I also guide some saltwater trips I already have a coast guard license and I have known for a long time that it is actually a requirement to have on Lake Texoma, the law is nothing new just the enforcement. I really dont think all the guides will have to get a full blown coast guard license but it looks like they will at least have to get a special Lake Texoma coast guard license. I don't think it will be a big deal for most guides.

Captain Barnes I have seen you on In-Fishermen TV twice now...Keep up the good work sir! The accents on those guys makes me lol..

The most important thing for me on a guided trip is that I learn something new..I am not from this area originally and guides have provided me with a plethora of knowledge that I would have not otherwise known... also sometimes the fish just don't bite and usually you can tell if it's the guides fault or not.. so don't give him a hard time if it's not his fault...I tend to have the most luck when I book fishing trips around solunar peak period days...and remember to tip a guy well for a good job. I usually add 30% if I feel like i learned something new. That's my $0.02.

OK Steve.. you busted me.. Like jackie maybe we did understate our real income a bit...Aint no guide gonna get rich....but the good ones can make a decent living...making a living vs reading a tax return can maybe be misleading and makes for a good joking conversation.. I think most can rwad tween those lines
anyone really thinking guides are just doing it for fun.. i dont think so.. I think we are all just trying to paint a realistic picture of what a newbie should expect.. Like You said Steve.. it takes a long time to build a client base and be able to fish 200+ days to make a decent living..

I don’t want (right now) in my life to make a descent living. I've done that and I’m thru with that.

Right now for me I just want one trip a day – it’s the same cost for a 4 to really an 8 hour trip – what ever works best for the conditions and the customers.

I DO NOT want two trips a day – that is too much work – and yea that takes all the fun out of it.

I like to be flexible and spend the right about of time on the lake – for the conditions and the customers I have.

But if you do need to make money at it (GUIDING) – yep you bet – book all you possible can (two or three a day). In Prime Time – March thru August – you better get with the program and book all you can. Because the remainder of the year – it’s pretty much just you fishing.

I HAVE A REALLY GOOD FRIEND THAT GUIDES ON O.H. IVEY. HE HAS BEEN FISHING THAT LAKE SCINCE 1991. ECONOMY IN THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY IS REALLY TIGHT RIGHT KNOW AND I KNOW HOW THAT HURTS HIM ALSO. HE JUST TOLD ME HE HAS DISCOUNTED ALL TRIPS FOR THE REST OF THE SUMMER SO IF ANY OF YOU HEAD DOWN THAT WAY GIVE HIM A CALL. HE WILL FILL THE BOAT WITH CRAPPIE AND WHITES. AND IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR C-CATS THERE IS NO ONE BETTER. HE IS ON THE TFF AS BITTERCREEK -NO LIMITS GUIDE SERVICE-

I do it because I would rather be fishing than sitting in an office or behind the wheel in traffic. A man has to do something unless he's smart enough to not have to. I guess I am not that smart. I make a living doing something that most people envy and that I enjoy. Will I do it forever? Probably not but I have 3 kids and guiding is most of my income right now. Therefor I bust my butt and run lots of trips.

So here you go – just got canceled – the day before – No chance to rebook that.

It’s a day with no money – that happens (it cost you $400 to $500 plus) - but even in the good season – count on that happening- it is a bummer.

ok i have a question
how do you Guide and keep your day job?
I am not interested in being a gudie just interested in how you get to go fishing when you should be working?

Guide on your off days only. Build your customer base first. Just remember, every trip you get, there might be a full time guide that missed out on some business. Not that there is anything wrong with guiding part time, just let your customers know what you are doing. Building clientel is a necessity. There are some that advertise as full time and skip out on their day job just to fish. That hurts everyone, employers, guides, and customers.... Full time/part time - just do it the right way.

Our have a job with 3 days off like me and I have been there long enough that I have bunches of vacation time saved up

Hey you guys that are looking at getting into the guiding business to make money....I will do you one better get in the lure business full time to make ya a mint. You can make a fortune, ... yea right. I tried the full time lure making self employment route and lasted a whole 8 months. I had a wife that made great money and had the benefits for our family. That is the only way I even considered doing the lure gig. I think it would be the same way for me if I was to try guiding. I think you need a solid income coming in if your new at the business, and as little of debt as possible. Now once that all is in place hold your breath, and pray that the economy doesnt land you square on your tail and have all your plans blow straight up in your face with your significant other getting news that they had been laid off a week before Christmas...These things happen...well at least it did to me. So now over the past 2 1/2 months I have once again found myself to be a full time worker/and a part time lure maker that works full time hours, Why would anyone do this....cause they love it. When I dont love it anymore I will no longer be doing it, how long I will last who knows. But I have learned from an ugly economy that money that is a bit more solid and comes in every couple weeks along with benefits is a big load off. I commend you guides that do this thing full time, you have iron pot stomachs. If you take the guide plunge and give it a go, do your homework, your getting lots of opinions. The thing that it comes down to when you look yourself in the mirror, does it make you happy, and can you make it work. There are going to be highs and lows like in anything. The good thing about guiding is the fact that you get to go fishing though. I have been on the water about 6 times this year and I am willing to lay odds that it doesnt all amount to 18 hours total. Good luck!

For anyone who wants to be a guide full time I suggest you go up to Texoma where there are an estimated 5 million striper in the lake and then have some days where you 1. Can't find bait 2. Can't find fish 3.Can't find a place out of the wind. After days like thoseyou realize that guiding is a skill that takes time on the water and nerves of steel. Imagine a 4 person trip scheduled in your boat and you show up with no bait. You better have a plan and quickly as the word will get around that you don't know squat and don't know what you are doing.As a guide , you really can't say" what the heck" and sit back and have some cold ones while the kids swim on the beach, not with 4 paying customers sitting there looking at you. Now that is some intense presuure....