You need a guide license ... Also your taking a chance without guide insurance talk to Bob Lewellen at world wide marine. Also call your current boat insurance most will not do guide insurance and if they find out your making money using your boat the cam cancel your policy as well as not pay claims if they stem from guiding. Anyway these are issues I ran into when asking about coverage for my clients.

Not trying to offend the guides, I was just trying to be funny. Nothing worth doing is worth doing half way. Guiding is hard work, if it wasn't we'd all be doing it. Sorry about the job loss.

Ignore the people telling you to go for it. They might as well be telling you to jump while you are perched atop a 20 story building. They just want to be entertained, or they are completely ignorant of the laws.

You cannot hire out as a guide without a license, legally. If you want to do so illegally, then you might as well start selling cocaine because it's faster and the profit margin is better.

However, if you want to get a license, then I say go for it. We need more guides. As it stands, we can almost walk across the lake on their boats now.

It sucks you lost your job, I know the feeling. However, there's better ways of getting by than pretending to be a guide. I think even renting your boat out requires some kind of a permit.

Guide License:

Fishing Guide License

Required for any person who for compensation, accompanies, assists, or transports any person engaged in fishing in the waters of the state.

* Fresh Water (Type 600): Residents or non-residents operating as a fishing guide in fresh water. Fee is $132.
* All-Water � Persons operating as a fishing guide in all public waters (salt water only or both fresh and salt water): For residents, the fee is $210 (Type 610). For non-residents, the fee is $1,050 (Type 710). No person operating a motorized vessel or boat as a fishing guide on or in the salt waters of this state may be issued a fishing guide license unless the person presents original documentation at the time of purchase that the applicant possesses a valid and appropriate U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Operator�s License. It is the operator�s responsibility to assure compliance with USCG regulations. For additional information, contact the USCG Regional Examination Center in Houston, Texas at (713) 948-3350.
* All-Water Paddle Craft: Persons operating as a fishing guide in the coastal water of Texas and utilizing paddle craft (canoes, kayaks, etc.) while guiding can qualify for a fishing guide license by presenting certification or proof of completion of a TPWD boater safety course, CPR/First Aid training, and completion of the American Canoe Association �Level II Essentials of Kayak Touring� and �Coastal Kayak Trip Leading� courses or the British Canoe Union �Three Star Sea Kayak� and �Four Star Leader Sea Kayak� courses. Fee is $210 for residents (Type 650) and $1,050 for non-residents (Type 750). This license is applicable only to paddle craft and cannot be used when a person is operating a motorized vessel. However, any person who possesses an All-Water fishing guide license and a valid USCG vessel operator�s license is qualified as an All-Water paddle craft fishing guide.

All-Water and All-Water Paddle Craft fishing guide licenses are available only at TPWD Law Enforcement offices. Freshwater fishing

Can't guide, assist, rent yourself without a license.

Great, why dont you sign yourself and families up to go on a trip with him and be the first customers, you are both much smarter than I. What did either of your replies add to this thread besides nothing, at least my reply answered the question.

He asked and I answered. He obviously is not set up to guide, I dont know his abilities to operate a boat or the rules of the water, without any credentials I could draw that he is not insured to take guided trips and no captains license. That is the reason that guides can command the extra dollars because they all have at least met certain minimun obligations. There is a little more to guiding than just going fishing.

I honestly think this is the most logical answer on this thread... I wouldn't pay him either.

When I hire a guide I am looking for a guy with lots of experience and knowledge on a specific lake, species, and technique. I do have my own boat so I am hiring a guide to learn not just to catch fish. With that said I also think there is a market out there for lower priced trips for people who dont have boats and just want to go and catch fish. Just look at Capt Larry on the catfish section. His prices are pretty low and he seems to do alright.

There are a lot of good suggestions posted here so this is just my 2 cents worth on the subject. A good friend of mine was once a professional guide and told me after paying for gas, liscense fees, and insurance he lost money so he now just takes people fishing for a so called donation. I'm not a lawyer but there must be some legal loop hole to usem such as making clients sign a waiver or something like that. Have you considered advertising or competition? Craiglist sounds like a good starting point and I do website designs and would help you out. Good luck and I hope you get this off the ground and make some money. Being unemployed must be a bummer.

I'm a lawyer. Don't do it. Might you 'get away with it'? sure, maybe, but if this is something you're going to do as a professional is that really how you want to do it and be known? If you're going to do it, do it right.

invest in the guide license, and commercial insurance... and have at it.

OK, you lost your job...sorry to hear that. But, you're best bet is to get after finding another one. The first one you find might not be exactly what you want to do, but there are jobs out there if you are motivated enough to work hard at finding one. Then, while you have a job, go spend time and find the job you will be happier at. It's a lot easier to find a job when you have one!!!
THEN GO FISHING.........

+1

X2

I have went on a guided trip once in my life. His prices were fair and I did it more to learn the lake more than catching fish. Seems to me a guide who produces fish and has excellent customer service skills can make a living at it. Seems to me word of mouth is everything in that business. I would not pay premium prices for a new guide. I would pay cheap prices for a new guide. If that guide proves to be good I would certainly expect to pay more on a repeat trip. Supply and demand will dictate your prices. I say get your license and give it ago. Since you have more time than money how about this. People take you out own there boat and you charge for your expertise. No overhead for you and a bargain price for them. You gotta think outside the box.

Reggie

I like that Grainraiser--