I want to be a fishing guide(charters)

[bigredfisher]

hey im back i havent posted in a while. I have a question????? I am looking into investing some money in a charter boat and i want to become a guide. What steps do i need to take so i am legal and a licenced guide??????. Can you make a living from this? Is it stedy income? or do i need to find another job on top of this?

 

thanks

[BillM]

I wouldn't considering guiding a full time gig, unless you are REALLY good and have a lot of clientele.

[DRIFTER_016]

The only place you can expect to make a living guiding fishermen is on the west coast.

Anywhere els in Canada the seasons just aren't long enough.

If you are talking great lakes chartering you really have a limited window of opportunity unless you are going to diversify and spend your time moving from port to port following the fish as well as changing species as the year goes by. If you are based out of one port you will have a very short peak season. i.e. Port Credit has a seaon that is mostly mid July to mid September for salmon and trout. If you want early seaon fish you will have to move your setup to the western end of the lake for April and May and then head East for June and strat following the fish back to Port Credit. Now that you've found the fish and can catch them consistently you need to get clients. This will start of very slowly, don't expect to be booked solid, if at all the first year. It can take a lot of time to build up a client base plus you have to remember we are in the midst of a recession and people are not spending as much on non essential items like charter trips.

Think long and hard befor you spend your savings on a venture of this kind.

Talk with some charter owners and listen to what they have to say, it could save you a bunch of money and heart ache.

[troutologist]

When you mention charter boat it seems like you had Great Lakes salmon/trout on your mind?? Have you ever worked as a guide before?

 

Why not try to get on an existing outfit as a mate or something and see if it is something you would like or believe you could do as well or better than a guy currently successful at it. I would think the financial outlay to secure a boat, gear and insurance would be very large.

 

A steady income? Maybe if you are established after a number of years and fish 365 for different species or head south with the boat when the ice comes. Not something I'd bet the farm on personally, as much as I'd like to.

[Harrison]

Ran a charter and guide service for a few years. Ran all 4 seasons, year round.

 

You may solicit quite a few opinions on this from various guides, but I'll share a tid bit of my expereince.

 

IF you love fishing and are looking for a hobbie biz/excuse to get a fancy rig thats fine. Maybe raise some moola to help pay your way to fish.

 

You have to be diverse and experienced angling wise. Things happen on the water (weather etc..) and you have to sometimes have 3 or 4 back up plans to get your paying clients on fish.

 

Full time, man, there is maybe a handfull I know that do it. Couple are on the board here. I used to, but with a young family to support and spend time with, there is NO way.

 

Unless you can support everything on one body of water year round and reside close. My experience and research lead me to believe you had to be diverse and cover a large area and various styles of angling to not limit yourself.

 

Over head is very high, (boats, trucks, gas, high-end gear, oil, insurance(s), maintinance, boat supplies, memberships etc...) Gear for various styles and target species ie. downriggin, bass, muskie, steelhead(rivers), ice fishing, flatline/planers etc.. Adds Up!

 

It was fruitful for us, even hired guys to help out. For us, you were gone for most days from 5 am and rolling home around 8/9pm. During our fall Quinte and winter Niagara trips I'd be gone weeks at a time.

 

Sure I had a blast, loved alot of it, but with anything things change when your passion becomes your only avenue to put food on your kids table.

 

If you have more specific questions, you can pm me if you'd like.

Edited November 13, 2009 by Harrison

[aplumma]

I would try to see if you can be a mate for a season in the area that you are close too and hopefully the Captain will share his wisdom with you. I think you will find that the amount of planning is very high if you want to have a chance at it as a career.

 

 

Art

[Billy Bob]

Your best bet to be a full time guide around here would be on the lower Niagara River and you can get into to it with a lot less investment money than chartering on the Great Lakes. I know of a couple that do pretty well working that river but then again their wifes has good paying jobs.

[eye-tracker]

A lot has changed in the past few years - a few things you will need to do with your boat and as the operator is meet the Transport Canada rules and regulations for a Small Commercial Vessel.

 

As a minimum you will be looking at the following:

 

ROC-M VHF Restricted Operators License

Marine First Aid Certification

Small Vessel Monitoring & Boat Inspection Program Certification

MED. A-3 (Marine Emergency Duties Certification)

SVOP (Small Vessel Operator Proficiency Certification)

 

I highly recommend you talk to a few charter boat operators that have met the Transport Canada standards to get a feel for all the details involved including commercial boat insurance. I would also recommend you check out the OSGA.

 

Good luck and start working on that business plan...

-s

Edited November 14, 2009 by eye-tracker

[Twocoda]

here is the link to one of the most successful charters on Lake Huron ...Rick and his son Chris are outstanding fisherman and its a labour of love for them...they simply LOVE to fish...

 

http://64.177.125.54/index.html

 

Insite from Rick or Chris will go along way ...