Not a bad idea if you get all your ducks in a row & a have a clearly defined business plan. When I was much younger, before I had a boat, I would have jumped on this. A chance to get off the bank & fish w/out the cost or the responsibility of the boat & everyone in it. Heck, it cost me more than $30-$40 every time I take my boat out and I have to do all the work while everyone else enjoys the ride. Yes, I would rather go out with an experienced guide but who can afford to do that very often. You do get what you pay for & for this you cannot be pissed if you don't catch fish. Just paying to be on the water & do what all of us here love to do. Good luck with your venture! I'm not sure why this has struck a nerve with many here. We all love to fish so what is wrong with trying to do what you love and make a little money. You're not claiming to be a guide & you're not charging the cost of one. Good luck.

JSIG, its struck a nerve with some because it appears that the gentleman is trying to operate a guide business without having the appropriate licenses - for example, on Lake Texoma, one must have at least an OUPV license issued by the Coast Guard in order to be a guide (along other things, you have to have training in things like first aid, CPR, navigation, etc and be able to document at least 300 sea days in the past 5 years).

It doesn't matter if you're a 30 year veteran guide who knows every hump, lump and brushpile on the lake or if you're a complete novice who is just giving folks a boat ride so they can try to catch fish. A fishing guide is a fishing guide.

Me, I get jitters when I see someone temporize and prevaricate quite so much in saying "I'm not really a guide, but I'll take you fishing for a fee". But I'm also willing to give this guy the benefit of the doubt that he just doesn't know whats involved in this business and that once he does know, he'll do the right thing and obtain all the necessary licenses and I hope he does well.

WOW......quite the "frenzy" here while I was gone fishing. Things are starting to get busy around here for me so I just want to clear UP ONE THING.

Whatever license is required we will have it. If we must be called Guides, then so be it. We will be Guides.

Texoma is going to be put on hold because none of us have a USCG cert. Our first wave of mail-outs just came back and it appears that we'll need both vessels on Lewisville.

To all that offered advice....THANKS Starting up a business is a lot of work plus getting our boats ready.

To all who taunted and posted "funny ads like mine".....you'll be OK.

I now see where the confusion is lurking. By me typing (saying) WE ARE NOT A GUIDE SERVICE is giving forum members the idea that I want to bypass the rules and regulations of getting the proper license. I understand why all the old-timers who have payed their dues and went the proper channels would be on-edge.

That could not be farther from the truth!

What I meant is I don't want to work hard, just drive them around, watch the graph, mark the holes and let them fish. Nothing more, nothing less.

I'm ready tomorrow , let's go catch some fish

A long time ago there was a big house boat that was called the floating fishing barge that used to get out behind the islands at Texoma and had 50 people on it during the summer months and they were all trying to catch those little stripers that hung out there. It was quite a sight to see 50 or so people trying to cast off a house boat. They had music and it was not an organized fishing trip. I don't know what happened to it maybe the USGC Lic. put an end to it.

So a bait tank full of shad for every fisherman. sounds great except cetain times of the year bait is hard to come by especially if your dropping off customers at 4:30 in the morn and taking the next group out at 5:30. not much time to catch bait even when it is easy. two coolers per person one for food and drink and another for fish. so each angler is surrounded by two coolers and a bait tank plus fishing gear. so will yall be the ones catching shad? what type of bait tanks do yall have? certain tanks will not hold bait well in this heat or even in the dead of winter.

Your boat has 8 livewells full of shad for each trip? You are taking night trips with clients as well when you clearly are not very seasoned on the water? Lewisville and Texoma are dangerous enough in broad daylight for experienced boaters. 27 inch LCD on board? Strictly Internet booking? What is this???

I for one am not buying this pitch it seems too gimmicky. I highly recommend going back to the drawing board. No way you could ever convince me with what you have posted here. That's just me though.

Good luck with the Coast Guard, Game Wardens and LPD.

Do you have pictures of the boats. You can take this for what it worth, but i wouldn't have less than 1 million liability.. I know from personal experience that some people are sue happy, even when they were at fault. The idea has some good points. But you are still a guide ounce you take payment.

We appreciate your comments and concerns. Once we're up and running, come out and have a look. Have a great week!

My apologies on the photos of boats as they are being put together right now. The difference in price for a $500k and $1M insurance policy for our transportation company was only $120.00 per year.....I understand your suggestion on the insurance for sure. Thanks!

In our preliminary CAD mockups during the R&D stages of the vessels we showed 1 large bait tank and 6 or 7 smaller ones. Now that we've moved to production that has changed.

Why wouold you insinuate that we're "clearly not very seasoned on that water?" I was unawre that you were part of the 9 person team putting this together. Navigating the inland waterways of North Texas 'vs navigating through PDF files are quite different my friend.

Im my most humblig voice...."lewisville and Texoma are not the least bit dangerous. An outing on the lake is what you make of it. I am proud to say that in 12 years of boating on the ICW of the Gulf Coast and 5 years on the inland lakes of NT, I am incident free."

Whats wrong with a 27" LCD, do you think thats to small? We have a 32" on our personal boat and our kids love it! The Internet Booking idea is ingenius! Do some reasearch on it if your truly interested......

To all our friends, followers, disbelievers and everyone else.....this will be our last posting here at TFF. I went against my entire team and familys advice by giving forum members a sneak peak at our new business venture and I'm out of time and breath.

Did you knwo that in the past 2 years over 12 new "boutique burger joints" opened up within the Frisco city limits and all of them are doing well!! I wonder what the Big Mac folks had to say about that??

Good luck to all~~

Wasting your time defending your position... Still not convinced and I'm clearly not alone. Actually you just made me even less convinced by showing that you don't believe Lewisville and Texoma are dangerous, especially when you don't know what you are doing. CAD mockups and R&D? Please spare us. If anything it's worth a good laugh. I honestly though it was a joke when I first read this.

I'm brave and powerful behind my keyboard so lookout!!!