I run 180-200 trips a year, depending on weather, the random last minute cancellation, etc. Before gratuity, I make 18-20k. Those tips that I receive, if somebody should feel that I deserve one, bumps my income up to 30-33k. That extra income helps a lot in the four slow months of the year.

I'm going to do the best that I can, on every single trip that I run, because I have pride in my work and word of mouth is everything in this business. I think I speak for everyone in our five man fleet, and the entire service industry for that matter, that when someone hands you a little extra at the end of the day, it is greatly appreciated. If not, no big deal, the Lord always provides to those that work hard.

You should tip everyone who does work for you or helps you.

Not every one can aford to tip, I take a lot of client out who use to go to other guids who charge a lot more then me and thy just cant afraid to go with them any more do to the high price and yes spud is correct when you start to add stuff up you really dont make much my insurance is pretty expensive. Like spud i do fish it just not my main concern the customer is. some guys want to lean as much as they can so they can do it them selfs with there family other could care less they just want fish in the boat. More then One if it was not for me and my son customers would have gone home with 10 in 8hrs. because they dont want to listen and just do there own thing. I am sure i am not the only one who gets these guys. Even thou people try to tip me alway try to give it back as they are paying me all ready like the one poster said all ready. Even with all the little things you do i feel its part of the service they are paying for. I had to once cast for a guy because he just could not get the hang of it. when tips are given no one will take it back so I ask them to give it to my son he's 13 and does a lot he is one of the hardest workers I have meet. Freeman Clark can attest for that. I pay him a little for helping out but he really like it when the guys tip him. I just dont feel there is anything in the boat that I do is over and above the scope of what we are paid to do. i dont need to bait the hooks because every one loves the smell and not worried about it. I have yet to have one who was not happy to do it. but I do take the fish off the hook or at least try most tell me or my son that they have it just pass the towl I much be doing something write because almost all the customers i get are referrals of other customers and repeat customers. I have yet to have any one go home with less then 40 fish at the end of the day and 95% of the people are done at 12 do to being tired having more then enough fish or being hot. even thou the still have till 3 they are more then happy

Chemdog here is a tip for you. Tell your people that the icechest they carried their drinks to the boat in is the same one the cans/bottles go home in!!!

You are absolutely correct, Fishing Guides are a luxury and not a necessity like AC is in Texas!

Eating is a necessity, having someone serve it and cook it for you is a luxury.

Parking your car in the correct spot is a necessity if you do not want it towed, Valet is a luxury.

Fishing is a necessity, at least for us on this forum, but hiring a guide to drive you, clean your fish, supply your drinks, teach you how to use electronics, bait your hook, etc.....is a luxury.

I was actually a car salesman for a number of years and I have also worked in the service industry for a number of years. We may not agree or like tipping, just like we may not like or agree with taxes, but it is a part of our culture here in the states.

I love the idea of tipping because it lights a fire under the person providing the service to go above and beyond and give the best service possible. Being that tipped positions are generally associated with the LUXURIES of life, when I get the chance to save up for that annual fishing guide trip, fancy dinner, cruise vacation, 5 star hotel, I want people who are motivated at the opportunity to serve me because a good portion of their lively hood is on the line.

I am not wealthy and I work very hard. If I cannot afford a guide and the costs associated with a guide, I fish from shore.

most people are up in the boat picking up or asking if they can help in any way helping at least picking up the trash rolling up the ropes for the anchors that little stuff helps when your hurting and tired. this guy just stood there and watched. after we feed them and made sure they had planty of water. I do have a rule if it is hot i ask every one to drink at least a half bottle of water and hour. last thing i need is someone with heat exagusten or stroke. that day he was just pissing me off he had not control over his son, he didn't care what he did wile we were under power he sat on the bench behind me we weren't going fast do to all the stumps and it was 4-5 of water but i had the jack plate all the way up and the motor tilted in case we hit a stump he as is hands having over the transom it was hot that day and we were on the up part of the lake I think he was 11-12yr and he take his life jacket off and throughs it on the ground i stopped the boat and told his father he had to were it its the law I had to not so nicely tell him to pick his jack up and put it on or we were done for the day. this was just a night mare he coldnt use and open face reel so i brought a push button for him it took over 2 hrs of standing next to him teaching him over and over again how to use it. finally he got it and wanted to use and open face he gets frustrated and throughs it on the floor of the boat. dad agin acted like it didn't happen. later he through a fit because he cold not get a hook set. using a bobber he would just start to reel i stood next to him with my hand on the rod to do it for him so he knew how to do it those were the only fish he caught he was good at casting in the same spot looking hook sets after hook sets Dad was not much better he talk like he fished all the time but he was scared of taking hooks out really every time he held a fish to get the hook out what it would wiggel he would jump and he would not touch the fish with his bare hand. he had to have a Towl. wrapped around it even if it was 2 in we were out the the entire time first time ever so i was beat my son was beat. Being in the Sun take it out of you and after a while of them not listing i kind of gave up and let them do there own thing Oh forgot to tell you whay he only brought that much money he said ti was for the father day special he thought that because he called scheduled an a trip that week and then canceled 4 different times on me the day before. that I would honer the discount even thought i told him the price on the phone in an email and in text message I call every customer 4 days out and the day before to make sure they are still going and every thing is agreed upon then this guy just assumes i will honer a deal that is almost 2 month back

Tom. most people are good about there trash and i dont mined if there are a few on the ground as long as it gets pick up before i leave the ramp

I don't ever expect a tip but some people tip me and it all varies to how much fun they have and stuff ... sometimes I get them 300 to 500 lbs of fish and get no tip and sometimes I work my seat end off and get them very little fish and get a pretty good sized tip. The most I've been tipped has been $500 and my trip fee was only like $300 and I'd say probably 40% of my trips I don't get tipped so it's mostly up to you how much you tip someone. I don't think it's expected as the captain but if there's boat crew they usually get tipped. I'd think that texoma stiper trips that last maybe 2 hours and they dump you back off at the dock and charge you around $500 wouldn't expect a tip at all as they're likely to take out 3 or 4 groups of folks per day doing that but I don't know about that for sure ... just heard the horror stories of folks that went out with some of those guys that didn't get to fish for more than an hour or so and the guide also helped them catch their limit to get rid of them faster ... I think they made them quit doing that though. They also have a lot more overhead than guides that don't have to be coast guard licensed too. So if you have a great time and feel like tipping then do so ... if you don't have a good time then don't ... it won't matter one way or the other. they won't not take you out again if you don't tip them.

I think tiny summed up what i was trying to say you should not me motivated to show them customers a good time because of posable25-100$ tip Most of use do our best to show you a good time and explain why were doing thing one way over an other. i ask people if they want to see the graph and how to tell balls of shad apart from others and how to jujde were they are at off the use of the side immage i show them how to tie several knots if they want to know even thou most of the time they just want to know how to make the loop in the leader lol I have ran in to a few of those so called guids who wanted to try my bait out to see is it is something they wanted to use one guy said he had this bit boat and the gear he had no trips so for a few gallons of bait. he would take my whole family out for the day when he showed up he had a john boat he brought no gear no gass no life jackets nothing we did not go fishing and he still though he was in titled to the bucker of bait.

If you feel you want to tip then go ahead and tip if you feel you got your moneys worth on the trip and enjoyed your self I have been on a trip were the deck hand sleep the entire time and would not do anything for anyone on the boat then the caption told us he needed to tip him when no one did he tired to give him the pick of the fish we caught wich was only 8 medium blues for 5 people there wee 2 other guys fishing as well wich i thought was weird on taking out more then 8 group at a time

That's crazy talk. You're telling me ever single waitress you've ever had deserved a tip? No way.

Same with guides, I've never taken a guided fishing trip, but I've been on several guided hunts. Guides don't get tips unless they work hard and deserve it.

Was going to book a trip once and in the fine print found a "gratuity" charge of $100. Asked the guy about it and he says yea that's the guides tip. How am I supposed to be ready to tip a person that I've never met? He says, "every hunter tips my guides, no exceptions!" Well I was the exception, I went else where.

Maybe im the odd man out I don't know. I can afford a trip, I can afford a tip. Guiding is a business, it is their job, if it doesn't make enough money then they should charge more or get into a different profession.

If I hire a guide I expect his 100% best all the time because that is what im hiring him for.

Question, For you guides out there, how many of you report your tips on your income? How many of you report ALL of your tips on your income?

Again nothing against guides, but when I hire you I want to pay you your fee up front cut and dry and be done with it, not pay you and then decide how much extra I think your worth at the end of the day. For me that amount will always be $0, because why would I pay more? When my A/C guy replaced my coil and got my house cool I didn't pay him for parts labor service call and a tip.

Well I don't use a guide very often but when I do it usually is for entertaining some clients. I want my clients to have a fantastic time. This requires a guide that will really work his/her tail off!

I am really picky about guides and research them PRIOR to bookin a trip. I let my expectations be known and I will even help the guide if he/she allows as some of my clients hav'nt fished in years. Each to his own, but I expect a lot from any guide I hire and make that known up front.

I do not need a guarantee of catchin fish as that is icing on the cake. Now the tip, again I have done my research and have never been disappointed. When we git on the boat I give the guide an envelope with the fee and a healthy tip up front. It's more than 20% tip too. I have never had a time when a guide treated like this did not bust their tail to make the trip very enjoyable for my party.

Just all depends on what you want. Even with tipping, three or four persons splittin a trip is not that expensive.

Paying a guide his stated fee will get you his 100% effort.

Tipping a guide will get you 120%

You don't have to tip. A tip should never be forced since it should be based of the efforts of the person providing the service.

Back in the day when the cable man came to the house to hook up your television, if you paid only the service charge for him coming out to setup your TV, you would get 100% of the channels you subscribed to. If you through in a "tip", you would get 100% of the channels you subscribed to PLUS a few extras! This would also save you money in the long run since those extra channels never showed up on your bill.

I view tipping for services the same. I pay a lower cost and tip what I think the service is worth. This motivates someone to give you those extra efforts as well as ensuring that your next visit will be even better because then the last because the guide knows that you will treat him right.

I took a guide out of Florida, Grouper fishing. The guide was only allowed to go out 8 miles. within that 8 mile range, all fish caught were undersized and all the larger fish were holding in deep water almost 50 miles out. Because I took care of him the last time we were out, he risked it and drove us 50 miles out. We caught some of the largest grouper I had caught in my life and plenty of them. Had he not been working for his tip and all charges were already included in the cost of the trip, would he drive us 42 miles outside of the area he was allowed to fish? Probably not, afterall, 8 miles would be him giving it 100%.

If he gives his 120% he is dead. You should always give your all. How does he know weather to give 95% or 150% if you tip after the trip is over? Or are we supposed to tip before the trip?

so your saying you bribed a cable guy to give you channels illegaly