I guess if you want one you gotta pay. I don't remember half day trips on a smaller charter costing $375. An entire boat payment on a very nice boat for a single trip? I guess it's good I don't go every month. Has fuel gotten that expensive or fish that hard to find?

I just dont hire someone that expensive. Whatever the market will bear..

I don't know if you have checked out expenses lately, but my center console that I bought in 2002 for about $30,000 now costs over $45,000. I'm not an accountant, but you can't pencil whip this without loosing money. Your guide fee comes nowhere close to a boat payment and it normally includes personal instruction, insurance if you get hurt and usually a 100 percent effort. Guides don't make a fortune. They do what they do because they love it. Some are bad but almost all are not. They don't last if it they cant perform.

Good post... I personally do not depend on my guiding fees to make a living off of, I guide because I enjoy it and to have a little extra cash to put into equipment and boat expenses. The saying "you get what you pay for" comes to mind. Personally, I charge $500-550 for a full day, depending on location...

Dont forget fuel costs.

I just started an inland guide service over in Sabine pass that only charges $125(4-5Hours) for half day trips and $225(8 hours) for full day trips. I target mainly redfish, trout, and flounder. I too think that some of the guides have gotten Looney with the prices and though I could do the same job for a cheaper price so that people who are feeling this economic down turn (like ME!) can still enjoy fishing and the outdoors. I fish out of an 18ft Ranger to keep cost down and pass those savings on to the customer. If anyone is interested just give me a call or drop me an email

Nathan Wolfgang
Cell 409-273-2712
Email: Basfisher2@yahoo.com

I have never been out to Sabine and I think I might just pick you up on this deal. I'll keep your number handy when I can make a run out in that direction. Where do you launch from so I can see how far a drive it is from me?

Full time guides that support their family and their kids future from only one income - fishing - have more ability to find the trout, reds n' flounder and a much different attitude than part time guides that don't need your money because they have a primary income to supplement their HOBBY.

You'll find that full time guides that don't use cell phones or networking to find their trout, reds and flounder will teach you more about fishing, finding fish and how to catch'em.

Basically, they'll teach you how to "fish smart" as well as put fish in the box.

That's what I call "more bang for your buck."

Gotta agree... for those $$ you are really getting your moneys worth.

I ran numbers on possibly starting a guide business with my 18'cc on FRESHWATER and honesty i couldn't even come close to even making a decent living doing it...

That is with already OWNING the boat!

The cost of vehicle maintenance, gas for boat and vehicle, ramp fees, commercial license cost, maintain the boat, vehicle, hardware, taxes, advertising ect.... It became very clear that unless I could get 350.0o a day and do 3-4 days a week that it wouldn't be worth it.

keep in mind this is on a boat with only 90Hp, 100% paid for as wel as a 100% paid for vehicle.

Don't see the correlation between a guides ability to find fish and the number of income sources they possess; can you explain this theory? As for attitude, I can see a positive difference. If you "don't need the money" (which in this economy isn't very likely) you are less likely to take a trip on a marginal day, more willing to give customers extra time on the water on tough days, more likely to have top notch equipment, and more likely to donate trips to charity organizations/fundraisers. Fishing might be a hobby for you, but for us guides, it is a way of life...



Any guide worth his salt uses networking to help in their decision making/business processes. It is much easier to determine patterns of fish when you have a small, trusted network of top notch full and part time guides who are on the water every day, fishing different areas with different styles. With the shared knowledge of the group, each guide educates the other, which leads to better condition/location instruction to each guides clients.




You're what I call "absolutely misinformed and completely biased".....

WARNING! to those who are thinking about turning a hobby into a business. you will soon see how much work it turns into, and will have to find another hobby to enjoy. LOL

85 MPH wrote:


I have nothing against the cell phone/net working guides - they gotta make a living, and there are some darn good guides that do that.

However, common sense will tell you who KNOWS how to FIND the fish when you compare the two.

I launch out of Sabine Pass.

Guiding as a business may look sweet, but is a tougher gig than many think. Look at a good guide with decent gear and equipment. The tooth fairy doesn't stop by every night to do the make ready for the next day, handle the paperwork, etc. Calculate the hourly rate for the days they work including prep, factor in cancellations and weather, etc.... the rate per hour on a weekly or monthly basis gets to be lower than you think v other trades. Not to mention the admin time to book trips etc.
So, the guys that do it well have a real talent (keep the gear going, consistently find fish & have a personality to handle all types of people) and a bargain overall, IMO.
Those of us who own a boat get real satisfaction running around doing our thing and tinkering away on our gear - keeps of out of the pool halls, I guess. :-)
Anyhow, I know a bunch of guides in TX and LA (hired a few, too) and they do what they do because they love it. The good ones are able to make a living doing something they love - none of them are Donald Trump and good guys as a rule.

I guide because it's what I love to do. Will I get rich at this? NO WAY!!! Every guide has his or her specialty that they do. Myself, I wade with lures. I can keep some of my costs down because I'm not buying bait and tacking that on to the price of the trip. As far as being to good to pick up the phone and call my buddy that guides is a stupid statement to say. Not very often do we call back and forth but sometimes the fish just do not eat or bite. I am a guide, not God. Another thing about paying for what you get is not always true. I have seen some of the best guides not charging premium dollar and some of the best that do. My business, I try to focus on the middle to lower class americans that work hard for what they have and would like to enjoy a fishing trip with out breaking the bank, folks just like me. I do donate trips for charities and for those in need. Can I always aford to? Not always but the good Lord always finds a way for me to run those trips.

Back to the cost of a guided trip, it does seem high when you first think about it but we do have tons and tons of money going out to fuel, insurance (that is high), boat, truck, licenses, tackle, rods, reels, oil and most important also is our time. It's not just our time to take you out there and run a boat but to teach folks a few things here and there as well. Kinda a class on the water is what a guided trip to me should be like. Catching is a good thing but it's not what all folks look for in a trip.