I own my own boat and also fish in the back of partners' or friends' boats quite a bit. For a long overnight trip we always split everything 50/50. If we're just going fishing locally either I'll chip in for gas or they will, depending on who's driving.

Then again, lots of times I have taken friends fishing who didn't give me anything...nor did I ask for or expect anything. It all works out over the long run and getting or not getting gas money on a few fishing trips is neither going to break me nor end a friendship as far as I am concerned.

As many have already said, I am going to go fishing whether someone goes with me or not. Taking someone along is not going to cost me any more than fishing by myself. I look at going fishing as fun, not a monetary transaction.

All that said...I do think it is the polite thing to do to at least offer to help with expenses.

Waterlogged, I don't think you understood me when I said that you the non boat owner are not paying maintainence or payments on truck or boat...I wasnt suggesting that you should. But you should be aware that those costs are much more than all the sundry expences encurred in a single fishing trip. So pay for them and be happy you have a friend with a boat who is nice enough to take you fishing for a day.

Others: I really like the logic...I was going fishing anyway so why should I expect the backseater to pay for any of the costs. If I had known you back when....I would have never bought a boat. But I must ask...If you were going out to eat and you invite someone to go with you....do you always pay for their meal? If the answer is yes....please respond with your phone number because I want to be on your list of invitees.

I'm in the market for a new best friend, what might you buddies name be so I can look him up? Congrats for knowing a standup guy, the world needs more.

That is exactly what I do, because that is what I was taught. Now if arrangements are made to go dutch, then that's fine. I am selective of my friends. If you have someone over to the house for a meal, do you hit them up for the costs of the meal? Of course you don't!

[/quote] But I must ask...If you were going out to eat and you invite someone to go with you....do you always pay for their meal? If the answer is yes....please respond with your phone number because I want to be on your list of invitees. [/quote]

Yes, I find the opinion that the backseater should "at least" pay for all that stuff to be perfectly reasonable, honorable, and fully devoid of greasy sleaziness. We must follow the lead of the corporate model, which now calls their customers "guests" even if they're paying out the nose for the services they receive.

Of course, the term "at least" confirms that the above is a bare minimum, and there's room for more if you truly want to achieve fairness and be a good non-boater.

The non-boater should spring for a share of the boat owner's tire wear, fluffy socks, and medical and dental expenses, for how could they go fishing at all if the boater has a searing case of the clap or needs a root canal, eh? He should chip in for birth control, too, since nothing quashes fishing activity like a nice, fresh baby in the house. Sometimes, it even costs the boat owner his rig.

Then there's the garage. Gotta keep the boat in a garage, right? Garages generally come as part of a package deal involving a house, so there's a whole new set of expenses. In fact, it would be kind of goofy to buy a fishing boat without first having a place to live first, so technically that counts as a boating expense, too. Surely the non-boater should pay his fair share of the boater's tacky suburban McMansion, right?

Same goes with having company over. The carpet, patio furniture, and toilet tank flapper valve don't pay for themselves now, do they? That HDTV, home theater, and bottle opener didn't grow out for the ground, right? A home and its furnishings tend to cost even more than a boat, so when I have people over to watch a football game, I see to it that they pay as much as possible out of pocket to support the lifestyle that I selected to take on.

It can get complicated, though. Like, if my girlfriend wears a bikini, heterosexual male and lesbian guests can expect a surcharge. Should a lesbian come out of the closet after the gathering, she'll get a bill. Should that happen with one of the once-believed-to-be straight men, I guess he gets a refund.

That's just a sample of the issues involved, so an assistant must be hired to keep track of it all, but that's OK - the costs will just be passed on to the guests.

It's only reasonable, right?

I really want to say shut up and fish,,,,,but thats another story.. if big trip and big money is involved then get a understanding ahead of time.. if we are just going out for a short trip and my friend covers the cost i end up feeling like [censored] when all we catch is sun....but yes they buy the beer and sometime let me share,,,, unless they are fish named jp

+2 also

Are we talking co-angler during a tournament or just regular fishing?? Two totally different animals in my opinion.
If I invite a buddy on my boat for a day out fishing, I don't ask for anything (except a coffee for the road!!). I even pack/buy a lunch and drinks for both of us.
For a co-angler in a tournament that's different. 50-50 on expenses I feel would be appropriate, and I wouldn't pay anyone's fees (license, entrance, etc.)that's up to them. I don't think it's as much about "charging" the co-angler as it is about him sharing the cost of the day...basically...gas money for the boat, and not for my truck....i was coming to fish the tournament anyway. JMO
Alan (bassnajr)

I have several "Friends" that I fish with. We all have boats. All of our boats are also paid for. We help one another out also when something breaks or needs mending. Aint much cant be done when you put your heads together, and you're livin on a budget. I wouldn't trade the couple of "Fishin Friends" I have for anything. I've known 2 of them all my life. The other couple I feel like I've known all my life. Then I also have a couple of Friends that don't own boats. When I ask them if they want to go fishin. It's because my wife and myself have already planned on going, and just inviting them because they are "Friends". I don't think I've ever taken a penny they have offered when we go. I've told them to buy Ice of bait or something like that when we hit the Saltwater, but other than that. Heck I was going regardless if they went or not. I've had friends give me anchors, Depth Finders, other odds & ends for the boat, and I gladly accept them. That's when you know who your REAL Friends are. Now if I'm not planning on going anywheres for the weekend, and one of my friends calls up and says, "Hey let's go to ________________ for the day. I'll pay for the fuel or whatever." If my schedule permits; I'm all over that. My buddies that have boats...... 1 has a Bass boat but loes to Saltwater fish......... 1 has a 17' Carolina Skiff (I have a 19') he leaves his at tht Coast. So when he wants to fish up around the house. Well we go in mine, and when he ask if I want to hit the Saltwater. Well I can leave me boat at home as his is down there already............. 1 other has a 22' Fish Master and if he's going Downriggin at the local lakes for Redfish and has an empty seat he will invite also. I also invite him if I am going alone. I also have another great "Friend" that owns a Pontoon and a Center Console. I've had him on my boat and I've been on his boat.

I for one am grateful to have such good friends in life. Just the way things work out when you have "Friends" with common Interest and know the VALUE of a TRUE Friend.


+1


Rob

now i have a fishing partner .i dont ask 4 nothing but he pays 4 everything except gas .{oil,entry fee,buys all kinds of lures, when my starter went out on the boat he went and bought one.AND SAID ITS STILL CHEAPER THEN OWNING HIS OWN BOAT

LOL...If you hadn't typed it, I would have. A guest is a guest. I don't have a boat. I am always the backseater. I would never ask my friends to take me anywhere they weren't already going. That's what guides are for. I usually only ask when the next trip is. I always chip in because that is just my way but my friends rarely take cash from my hand so I usually end up buying dinner or lunch depending on when we're going home. The only time I demand they take my cash is when we go offshore for a few hours as I know the costs associated with that trip. I don't care if they were going to go with or without me. When we go wade fishing or down to Seawolf or the likes and I drive, I don't ask for anything (nor I expect it) and I usually cover any entrance fees when we get there because I invited them.

when you guys invite someone over to your home for dinner and a movie are they expected to pay for half of everything? I own a nice boat and will never expect reimbursement for any expenses. Apparently some people invite others as a back seat to reduce their costs.

some people may bring a bottle of wine over to dinner. some will just bring over their fork n knive i guess?


tourny fishing and just a day on the lake are two different worlds..

I haven't read the entire thread, so maybe I am just repeating a previously stated opinion, however here's my take:

There are more types of "back seat fishermen" than just one.

There's the once in a blue moon fisherman who is a neighbor or relative or whatever, and they aren't accustomed to fishing. I never ask these people for money. I get my money's worth watching them hold the spinning reel upside down and the look on their face when they hook up with a decent fish.

There's the "I don't have enough money to own a boat" fishermen who bounce from boat to boat and have good boat skills, do good deckhand work and are good company (and know how to fish). These people generally offer something, either they buy drinks or ice or something, or they pay the entrance fees but I never require it.

There's the "I could own a boat but I prefer to not deal with the hassle of it, and I really wanted this expensive motorcycle instead" people who still want the benefits of having a boat that they don't have to store, clean, gas or maintain. These types generally show up at the ramp and treat you like a guide. These types I have no problems telling them to bring food, drinks and pay for the boat gas. Most of them have no problems doing it and often I don't have to ask.

I am not a guide, I don't want to be and I am not skilled or efficient enough to be a real guide (anyone can be a weekend guide that's just trying to make a boat payment). That being the case, I don't want to be treated as a guide for someone and their friends or their kids. I don't mind taking people fishing, but when it comes down to just using me as a means of entertainment for themselves and their group, I feel differently about the expense sharing.

So, there are many types of backseaters. Regular every weekend guys who you constantly fish with should have no problems paying. They are getting the life without the cost otherwise. That's not fair for the boat owner. If you feel that because you own a boat that you should be rich enough to pay everyone's way, I should have hooked up with you long ago.

And finally, there's a difference between taking someone fishing and going fishing with someone. When I am going fishing with someone, I never consider the costs. When I am taking someone fishing, I would expect them to consider the costs. Taking someone fishing is akin to being a fishing service. This service should only be reserved for kids and people who aren't familiar with fishing (or other people who deserve it, like soldiers). Going fishing with someone is an event and those whom I go fishing with, be it in my boat or theirs, only consider money as an obstacle that we all work to overcome, not as a prerequisite.

One question that has not come up or been addressed is:
How many times do you offer to give a boater some money when he says "No don't worry about it."

I always seem to walk away feeling kind of like, "I wish he would have taken something!", when a guy refuses to let you pay for some of the gas.

You feel like if you keep insisting you're offending them.