For a guide now. I paid that 10 years ago in Ojai, California. Lake Casitas. I'm priced out. Five Hundred for Fork? 2020.

Crazy!!

If people do the math it sounds even worse.

On an average day I bet customers are lucky to catch 5 fish. $100 per fish

Let’s say you have a 10 fish day....which is above average for a guide trip on Fork....that is $50 a fish!!!!!

A stellar 20 fish day is like burning $25 each fish you catch!

I’d split that with a buddy but not $500 going solo

Still not a get rich quick scheme for the guides. Boat, truck, fuel, equipment......and everything left over is their FULL DAYS salary. Don’t want to start a post on “what do you get paid for a living”? but you can’t simply look at the cost of a guided trip as “what is it worth TO ME to pay someone to take me fishing”? You have to equate it to someone’s(the guides) full time salary. He is not getting rich off you. Now if his small salary is to much for you to pay for someone to take you fishing(not a fair value to you) simply DO NOT DO IT. Regardless of how good or bad fishing on the lake is, how famous the lake is, where the lake is....the price of a guided trip equates to someone(the guide) getting a full days salary out of taking you fishing. Just a perspective.

I was quoted that amount for my mudlhole lake over here by a guide last year. Floored me to say the least ( for this lake anyway)

That probably did not include the tip correct?

Some of the guides are worth that.

At those prices, and if you have a group of four or more, it might make more sense to go to Camelot Bell.

I just paid $1k for REPAIRS to My boat.

With that same $1k .... I could have gone fishing with a guide. One who knows where the fish are, and knows how to catch them. Plus, you get to walk up, go fishing, then leave at the end of the trip with a bag of fillets. Let them worry about launching, loading, cleaning, filleting, etc.

Now , tell me what your monthly boat payment is.

Of course this doesn't apply to everyone.

But the last time I bought a new boat, I did the calculations, and I said that I would need to use the boat at least every other weekend, to pay for it. Otherwise I could hire a guide.

Of course, this does not take into account the pleasure of owning your own boat, and doing whatever you want, whenever you want.

Just sayin ....

Let me put it another way. You pay $500/month for 12 years for a boat. You have to put gas in that boat and truck, buy rods and reels, tackle and lord knows what else. I’d say if you fish at least once a week, that person is in for around $800-$1,000 a month. To fish 52 times a year.

Roughly about $10k annually. If I found a buddy to go in 1/2, we could fish 40 times a year with a guide for the same price as owning a boat. Here’s the best part, when I decide I don’t wanna go fishing it cost me zero. When I decide to sell all my stuff because fishing sucks, there’s nothing to sell because I use the guides provided gear for free. When I finally decide to sell my $10k a year boat that almost certainly has more owed on it than it’s worth, I don’t have to get on this site and weed through 40 offers for substantially less than what I listed it for.

$500 for 2 people to fish with a guide seems expensive, but from my perspective, it’s not unreasonable.

Now, who On here wants to buy a 2016 ZX225 for about $5k less than it’s worth!

I’ll take someone fishing for half that.

Here we go again

I can easily name some guides on Fork and other lakes that splitting a day trip for $500 is an investment and not an expense. Are there some who take your money, fish more than guide, fish more than help those needing it, don't teach the client a thing all day, and generally don't seem to care, yep. However, 90% of the guides I've used, Tony Clark, Marc Mitchell, Mark Pack, James Niggemeyer, James Caldemeyer, Justin Margraves, Larry Allen, Eric Wright, have all worked their rears off to put us on fish. Customer caught a 10 with Clark. My oldest son caught is PB with Caldemeyer. My wife still has a crush on Niggemeyer!! Caught tons of fish with Wright. Caught 8 over 6lbs in an hour with Clark. Just Tony and me. Pack stood in a driving rain storm to put us on fish. Great memories were made with all of them, so I feel I got the best end of the deal.

Further, you can spend less than $500 with James Biggs or Slade Daugherty and I will bet you at the end of your time with them, you will feel the money was INVESTED!

Finally, if you do own your own boat, monthly costs with gas, insurance, maintenance, gear, etc. etc. etc. it is FAR cheaper to take a couple of guide trips every month than what you SPEND doing it all yourself.

If everyone thinks the guides are getting rich jump in and get you some for 6 months and post on here your thoughts. A butt load have tried it and it's work plus the expense for boat,truck, fuel,oil and tackle and they are making minimum wage.

Them getting rich or not has zero to do with the value of the trip.

I never have and never will pay for a bass guide. Other people have taken me on trips with many of the big names on Fork. Had a good time on each one but never good enough to spend my own money on one.

I did however go out with James Biggs for an educational trip that was money well spent. There is a difference paying someone to teach versus paying someone to take you out catching fish.

Man I used to pay that for deer lease for the whole season