WANTED: Guide Fishing (Benwahh)

[jchief]

Ok, what kind of "guide" do you want to be? On Big Lake, there won't be a deckhand or intern. It is one guide on a boat with 3 customers. If you want to guide big water, then they do have a deckhand, but you need to be in Venice or somewhere like that.

It is not an easy life. There are good days and bad days. There are good customers and some are total butt's.

When someone pays you to fish, you are out there whether you want to be or not. It is not about you going out and catching fish, it is about your client's having a "good" day on the water. And, each group is different and you have to figure that out.

If you guide on Big Lake, you need at least a 22' boat, a USCG license and a LDWF license.

[Benwahh]

yall are very convincing, just got me off my butt to start this adventure today.

Originally Posted by LPfishnTIM

good luck with that, I don't have the patience to teach someone how to fish when there biting, and I'd have a hard time putting a pole down too. Only time I put my pole down is to grab the net for someone catching a big one! I've brought friends fishing and taught them how how to cast, and have told them where to cast and have had successful trips but had to apologize for getting rough with them while they were learning. Its just always easier to fish with someone who fishes often.

Oh I hear that, the net for big ones and a drink of coffee on a cold day is the only two things I'm puttin the rod down for.. but if someone starts paying me well that's different story. I couldn't agree more it's easier to fish with an experienced angler, I've had a little practice showing kids how to cast, but throw in a grumpy adult that doesn't want to listen I don't know how I'm gonna handle it but like slidellkid said -
You have the rest of your life to get a 9 to 5 job, do what you want to do when you are young and you will never regret it

[Benwahh]

Originally Posted by jchief

Ok, what kind of "guide" do you want to be? On Big Lake, there won't be a deckhand or intern. It is one guide on a boat with 3 customers. If you want to guide big water, then they do have a deckhand, but you need to be in Venice or somewhere like that.

It is not an easy life. There are good days and bad days. There are good customers and some are total butt's.

When someone pays you to fish, you are out there whether you want to be or not. It is not about you going out and catching fish, it is about your client's having a "good" day on the water. And, each group is different and you have to figure that out.

If you guide on Big Lake, you need at least a 22' boat, a USCG license and a LDWF license.

Just sat me back down..
I'm 19yrs old... a 22' boat really? I don't know big lake.. Is that the only way to guide in southwest Louisiana?

[inchspinner]

talk to some guides that have been in the buss.for a long time....there are ones that love their job and continue to grow their buss. and ones that just do it because its a job....100% is what it takes all the time to make a successful career of it....Honesty loyalty and trust makes repetitive customers .....a bad experience travels 7x faster than good buss...good luck.

[jchief]

If you fish all the time, where do you fish at?

If you know the marsh and can specialize in red fishing maybe. Then you can down size boats.

I guided for 5 years. Planned on retiring and doing it full-time. Health issues killed that.

What did you have in mind?

[jchief]

I am not telling you not to do it, you just need to know what you are getting into.

[Benwahh]

Originally Posted by jchief

If you fish all the time, where do you fish at?

If you know the marsh and can specialize in red fishing maybe. Then you can down size boats.

I guided for 5 years. Planned on retiring and doing it full-time. Health issues killed that.

What did you have in mind?

We land in Vinton and specialize in reds.
I don't have much of a plan, I just know I want to fish for living.
trying to expand my knowledge of the water as much as possible.

[Benwahh]

Originally Posted by jchief

I am not telling you not to do it, you just need to know what you are getting into.

I got cha man, I appreciate you telling me the side of guiding I don't know it's very helpful

[Ray]

I will send my wife fishing for 1/2 a day with you.
If you don't throw her in, you can be a guide.
She gripes cause she don't catch anything.
When I tell her what she is doing wrong, she tells
me to shut up.
When she asks for help, I show her, then she goes
back to doing what she wants.
When I tell her she is doing wrong, again, she tells
me to shut up.
When she don't catch anything, she says it's my
fault, even though I tell her she is doing it wrong.

She is not doing anything Saturday.

[Benwahh]

Originally Posted by Ray

I will send my wife fishing for 1/2 a day with you.
If you don't throw her in, you can be a guide.
She gripes cause she don't catch anything.
When I tell her what she is doing wrong, she tells
me to shut up.
When she asks for help, I show her, then she goes
back to doing what she wants.
When I tell her she is doing wrong, again, she tells
me to shut up.
When she don't catch anything, she says it's my
fault, even though I tell her she is doing it wrong.

She is not doing anything Saturday.

I would have to talk with my dad first, he's gonna wanna go fishing sat and we only have 1 boat.. I appreciate the opportunity and would love the challenge of putting her on fish, just need to run it by him

[Jadams]

Guiding just for reds in black bayou won't be very successful business in my opinion

[Benwahh]

Originally Posted by Jadams

Guiding just for reds in black bayou won't be very successful business in my opinion

I agree with you 100% We used to fish black bayou for bass.. and since 2000 and all the posted water we don't even fish it but maybe 1 once a season for old times sake..

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by Ray

I will send my wife fishing for 1/2 a day with you.
If you don't throw her in, you can be a guide.
She gripes cause she don't catch anything.
When I tell her what she is doing wrong, she tells
me to shut up.
When she asks for help, I show her, then she goes
back to doing what she wants.
When I tell her she is doing wrong, again, she tells
me to shut up.
When she don't catch anything, she says it's my
fault, even though I tell her she is doing it wrong.

She is not doing anything Saturday.

This is the reason I no longer take mine, too much trouble.
Guiding is not as much about killing or catching as it is taking care of the people that are paying you. You need to be level headed,honest,extraverted,and sure of yourself (some would call it cocky). Nobody wants to spend money with a doubting Thomas. I hate fishing with close friends because of the pressure I put on myself to find fish for them. Can't imagine how stressful it would be with folks I only met hours prior knowing they Expect fish blood on the deck.

[Mediumheavyaction6'6]

Sounds like you need to do some research. You have a laundry list of things to do before you are even legal to take someone out. Check into all those things first and then start thinking about guiding. You are looking to spend between 1500 and 2000 dollars just to have the chance to call yourself a guide. These expenses don't include insurance, gas, boat notes, days on the water to find fish, gear, a truck to pull the boat, business cards, website, marketing, an llc... (you get the point). Enjoy your youth and spend time with your dad, fishing. Get yourself a job you can make money at and start saving. Actually, better yet, go to college. You DO have the rest of your life, so don't jump into things so quickly. Your time would be well spent getting yourself out there and known by all the guides in your area. This business is all about networking and if you are on the outside looking in you are not going to make it. If it gives you any indication how intense this is, I do it part-time!

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Benwahh

I would have to talk with my dad first, he's gonna wanna go fishing sat and we only have 1 boat.. I appreciate the opportunity and would love the challenge of putting her on fish, just need to run it by him

I was just joking about sending her. The point was what you would have to deal with as a guide. Not all are like her. Most are people from outta town that want to fish Big Lake and actually catch.
You don't know how many people come to Big Lake with their own boat and scratch. They think it is easy to catch fish here, but when they get here, they don't know where to go, or what to look for.
Some are smart and hire a guide, and catch fish. Some are cheap and get a hotel, spend money on gas to get here and in boat, and scratch, or don't do well.

If I were you, I'd go to a good school and get an associates degree in process, instrumentation or electronics, where you can work in a plant/refinery or offshore so you can have more time off than a regular 9 to 5 job. Then fish fish fish until you figure it out. After that, start working on your licenses.

[Duck Butter]

You fished this past Saturday right? Imagine having 4 people (paying customers) on your boat this past Saturday and none are really fishermen. You tell them it is gonna be tough because a cold front pushed through and it would be better not to come this weekend, but they are coming regardless. They hear Big Lake this and Big Lake that and expect to bring home an ice chest full of fillets. They don't know that it is very difficult in those conditions, on top of that they are all hungover, they don't know how to cast, their lines stay tangled up in the wind, you can't go to the weirs to catch the easy fish because it is closed, the water is muddy up and down the lake, and... etc.

Good luck with whatever you pursue though. You will never know if you don't try it

[Benwahh]

Originally Posted by Duck Butter

You fished this past Saturday right? Imagine having 4 people (paying customers) on your boat this past Saturday and none are really fishermen. You tell them it is gonna be tough because a cold front pushed through and it would be better not to come this weekend, but they are coming regardless. They hear Big Lake this and Big Lake that and expect to bring home an ice chest full of fillets. They don't know that it is very difficult in those conditions, on top of that they are all hungover, they don't know how to cast, their lines stay tangled up in the wind, you can't go to the weirs to catch the easy fish because it is closed, the water is muddy up and down the lake, and... etc.

Good luck with whatever you pursue though. You will never know if you don't try it

I did, just my dad and I in the boat, caught over 15 reds not one under 22".. artificial only.. I have no experience outside of fishing with him therefore I don't know what it's like to watch fish bust yet no one hook up.. or a group of random hungover people that have never fished before. thanks for luck and advice. I will be putting my all in to this dream, it may not work out but when its all said and done I can say I tried..

[Duck Butter]

Originally Posted by Benwahh

I did, just my dad and I in the boat, caught over 15 reds not one under 22".. artificial only.. I have no experience outside of fishing with him therefore I don't know what it's like to watch fish bust yet no one hook up.. or a group of random hungover people that have never fished before. thanks for luck and advice. I will be putting my all in to this dream, it may not work out but when its all said and done I can say I tried..

Thats the spirit

[BossHog]

Like I said, at your age the only way to get started is with a big guide service, most will provide everything you need besides the license. You just gotta pass the interview which will probably be you guiding the boss on a fishing trip

[Benwahh]

Originally Posted by BossHog

Like I said, at your age the only way to get started is with a big guide service, most will provide everything you need besides the license. You just gotta pass the interview which will probably be you guiding the boss on a fishing trip

any suggestions? as of now I'm going to talk to
creole fin and feather
hackberry guide service
big lake guide service Capts. Jeff & Mary Poe
bayou charter service Capt. Steven Bono
Calcasieu Charter service Capt. Erik Rue
Corbello's guide service