What does it take to be a guide?

One of my local lakes does not currently have a active guide service and I am tossing around the idea of doing it to support my fishing habit and make some extra cash this summer. Does any one know what is required as far as insurance and certification if any?

A wife that has a good income.

To be a people person.
To be a good teacher.
To find fish that not only you can catch but fish your clients can catch no matter their skill level.
Thick skin.
Long hours in a boat not being able to fish.
A decent boat that is dependable and safe.

If your local lake has no active guide service, there is a good reason. Either there are better lakes nearby, or there isn't enough demand for guide services to make a living. Otherwise, there would already be guides there.

I'll add to what Mark stated as for qualifications. You must be able to function at a high level on 3-5 hours of sleep/night, for months at a time, in all weather conditions.

Good luck.

Good advice above.

On the formal side, insurance and a guide license.

Resident all water fishing guide lic. in Texas is $210..add insurance and sun screen..and your good to go

Hope you like ramen noodles...

There is one other individual guiding but his main focus is white bass. I have been having great success with LMB as well as taking three different friends with little to no fishing experience and putting them on fish. I have a teachers heart and have been told by many friends and family that this is what I should be doing. My main objective is to offer a low cost outing to one to three people with no to moderate fishing experience. I don't have the latest and greatest boat (97 champion 225 mariner) I don't even have great electronics. However I have been successful in finding patterns and reproducing results time and time again. Fishing is my passion and drive for almost every aspect of my life. Quiet still water and sunrise is where I go to church. Sharing knowledge of where the bass are and why is how I preach and putting that plan into action is how I make believers.

Go for it..your start up will be next to nothing

I would just like to add that insurance is very important sence you'll be taking people out on the lake. Also once you tell your insurance company that you will be using your boat to guide out of most of them will drop you. There are only a few that I have found that will insure guides. Other then that go for it doesn't hurt to give it a try. Good Luck

If you don't try you'll spend the rest of your life wondering if you could have. If it is a relatively small lake I would have a 2nd lake I would offer trips on as well. Manage your money well and put away for rainy days.

In addition to everything posted above, You will need to have enough rods for every one, including closed faced reels. You better be good at getting out backlashes. It helps to have three fishing seats in your boat.
You need some good stories and jokes on those days when you cant buy a strike.
Plenty of tackle incase your clients don't have what they're hitting on.

These days not much...

You better be on fish every day, word gets around.

A guide without an outstanding reputation is just another warrior waiting on the phone to ring. Successful guides didn't get that way without spending thousands of hours out on the water and building a name for themselves in the process. Good luck in your endeavors but make sure you have all your ducks in a row before making the leap.

I think some would be surprised how some guides got started. Anyone can be a guide. Cater to the customers, and if you want to stay being a guide you have to put people on fish. Market yourself. Be on a lake people want to fish.

This is very good advice. You only have one chance to make a first impression.

Also, marketing is key also. Learn as much as you can about social media, forums, etc. Create a professional website and maintain/update it regularly. Always take pictures of your clients with fish. People love to see themselves with fish in the public eye. If you please the client, that's your biggest battle. Repeat business and their word of mouth is your best advertisement.

This is a good site to grow your business/ or sink your business too!

Be willing to "Cater to the Customers". Many so-called "GUIDES" are only looking for a free fishing trip so they can SHOW the clients how good that HE can catch the fish. It's not about getting a free paid fishing trip. If you look at it in that point of view then you won't get many repeat customers or they will just steal YOUR spots and wave at you when you show up. It's like any SERVICE RELATED Business. You have to keep your CUSTOMERS HAPPY and coming back.
It's not just about having the License and the Insurance and a boat. AND it takes LOT'S of PATIENCE!!!

Thank you all for all the awesome advise! I don't see being able to do this full time. I do see this as a way to spend my spare time on the water and doing what I love. I have been on trips that seem like it's all about how well the guide can catch. The only way I would pick up a rod is to demonstrate proper technique and show some one how it's done. So the next question I have is price? My cost is 30$ In fuel for an average day and 25$ wear and tear for tackle and line depending on experience of anglers throwing one of my bait casters. To start 200$ for a full day and 100 for a half??

You will go broke at $200 for a full day unless you are taking two minimum...
Best of luck to ya...

Id charge what most any other guide would charge

Really good advice from the previous posters, I decided to do this at age 40 after working all my life in the rat race. I do miss the nice fat paychecks, but I sure in the heck enjoy my office view. I am fortunate to have built rentals 1st and didn't even want to guide in the beginning, because of my love for tourney fishing, but after looking at the potential income I decided to guide. I enjoy people so the transition has been very rewarding for me. Remember you only have one chance to make a 1st impression if you blow that you lose more than just that customer.

Be prepared to fish in most all weather conditions (wind). According to you, you are able to consistently find and catch fish. If so, great. But, being a "part-time" guide can also be a red flag to some prospective customers. Personally speaking, I would be a little reluctant to hire someone and pay normal guide prices for someone who isn't on the water daily, staying on top of the prevailing fish patterns, etc. You don't get to pick just the pretty days, especially if this is a weekend venture. I say that because only fishing weekends doesn't give you as many opportunities (days) to reschedule trips. I think you might find that your actual expense is slightly higher than you project. Fuel, higher insurance costs, tackle, boat repairs, etc can add up quick. If you're chunking crankbaits, it wouldn't take long for clients, especially lesser experienced ones, to hang up and break them off quick, lol, been there done that with friends in the past. Other than that and what was previously posted, go for it if you have the passion and financial stability for it. Just know up front that not all customers will be pleasant as each has there own reasons and expectations when paying for a fishing trip. If you don't meet those, or the customer feels you didn't meet them, be prepared for negative feedback, it happens.

Good luck to you.

Always tell your customers the fish are biting, regardless.

LOL! And have a repertoire of excuses in your back pocket when you don't catch em.

Heck, at $200, your boat, your fuel, your tackle I'd go just to be chauffeured around! You gotta charge more than that.

Life is short buddy and that's no joke. Live it the way you want and do what makes you happy regardless of the naysayers. Do it. And if you don't like it, do something else.

Ain't that the dang TRUTH!

It's easy go buy the license you're a guide.
But you're already getting off on the wrong foot thinking you'll make extra money it's a hard job with long hours and lot of them you don't get paid for.

If you have a older boat better have extra money for break downs because that's going happen more then a newer one that's why most have a new boat each year.

You think you have enough fishing equipment you'll find out you don't get ready spend more on that also if you go cheap and have cheap stuff your customers notice.

Ha! Love this one.

Change your name to Red Champion. It works well with the ladies.

"Should have been here yesterday"-------- Learn it, know it, live it.

"Nice one", and other over-enthusiastic phrases at each mediocre fish are a must.

Some folks can turn their passion into their livelihood and do well. Personally, I used to love woodworking....started building cabinets and did it for years. Now, I'd rather take a beating than do any sort of carpentry. I'm just saying be careful when turning something that you really enjoy into work.

Make no mistake...guiding is work. You will hear this a lot "must be nice to fish all day". Most folks just don't realize the effort it takes to put a boat on the water everyday AND produce. I like to say the fishing is the fun part...It is! The pre and post trip is where the work is.

If you have a relationship, prepare for it to be tested. As a guide your weekend schedule is the exact opposite of normal humans. It will be taxing to say the least.

A lot of people don't like Facebook, but it is probably the number one way to build your business, as other have said, People like to see themselves on the web.

Get your liability insurance, It is not that much cost wise and the peace of mind it buys is priceless...

My mantra is simple....I can put up with anyone for 4-6 hours, I have put that to the test many times.

I also agree with others...raise your rates.

That about sums it up

Don't forget the fact being on the water 10-11 hours aday for months at a time will generally out a strain on your marriage or personal life if your wife or gf isn't prepared.

To be a guide:

Change your name on all internet boards to include "guide" in your name. Find another guides website and copy all that they have done. Then take a bunch of your friends fishing and post pictures of the fish you and the friends caught while claiming on the internet that they were "clients". Make sure those friends know about the TFF so they can post how good their trip was and how great their guide was. If you can't get those friends on fish in time then just go find a bunch of pictures you have saved of you and your friends and put them on your website as if they are recent. Always embellish every trip that you post about and then offer discount rates on the internet to undercut the others who are guiding for a living.

To be a good guide:

Learn to consistently stay on fish year round (understand what they should do before they do it). Work your butt off 6 to 7 days a week from well before daylight till everyone else is at home from work eating supper for most of the year while being a happy people person. Be a tackle shop and a rod and reel supply company all by yourself. Become a professional at getting out backlashes. After you get home be a part time boat repairman. Learn to act like someones best friend when they are pretty much a jerk. And possibly learn how to feed a family as cheap as a bunch of college kids with no money.

Sounds about right.

Incorporate slick catch phrases on the water. Examples: 1) What a chunk! 2) Are you sure you haven't fished before? You should go pro! 3) That's not a backlash, it's a birds nest. 4) That rod was old, I didn't like it anyway. 5) Jerk hard, reel fast!! 6) No time for Shirley Temple hook sets in my boat! 7) Those fish were stacked in here like cord word yesterday. 8) This weather has given these fish lock jaw. 9) I don't know how that line broke, I changed it last night. 10) You're gonna get your arm ripped out of socket today. This is small sampling, I hope this helps....

Well, if you wish to do it legally, you are also required to have a US coast guard captains license. That's a fact few know.

No you don't.

My father in law has spent over $20,000 in gas just looking for new spots the last ten years. Not to mention he's on the water everyday of the week, every week. To be a productive guide in his words it's a full time Job

After the hard reality check that y'all have so graciously given me I have come to the realization that this is my dream and I'll never know until I try. But as all things worth doing it looks like I have an incredible amount of preparation and time getting my ducks in a row before jumping face first off a cliff.

And don't forget the faux tournament scenario. They keep track of the fish your catching and comparing it to being in a tournament. That's what many of them really want to be doing so they try to incorporate that into schtick.

That's right Big C. Have to make the customer feel like KVD or some such.

A mailbox lol.........

Actually, by law, you do. Call the striper guides on Texoma who have captains license and ask them why they got it. If you have an accident while guiding and don't have it you will learn a hard lesson about the law.

All you need is a jersey

A lot of hard work. Be honest and humble. Do your best and never guarantee anything you can't deliver.

Turning FUN into hard WORK......