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Any chance of making a go at it by being a full time musky guide?


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I recently found out my employer is going under and got to thinking about possibly becoming a full time musky guide. I can write off my boat, I can write off my truck, and get paid mileage to/fro my "work" (lake) if I am self-employed. I love fishing and realize that clients would want to catch fish and it is a cut throat business. I've looked into requirements from the state and looks like the USCG has relaxed it's previous policy of being certified unless you are on LOW, Mississippi, Superior which I wouldn't be. The state release looked like as long as you have less than 6 paying persons on your vessel, you are not required to have inspections and so forth. Can you make a living off this?

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It is nice to write off all of your gear, but you still have to make enough to make the payments it's not like writing it off makes it free. Daily use would cause more wear and tear on everything too. DFefinately a Tough market with lots of Big name anglers in the area. You would definately want another job from Dec First till opener, and enough people that want to fish daily, then all you have to do is have good practices, put people on fish and they will return for more good times. Would I do it.....no....could it be done....absolutely! with lots of time patience and probably more patience. Sometimes your gonna have to fish with people that drive you insane, losing your gear and many other things.

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Well I am not a guide but I do know it is expensive and $400 a day plus or minus for 100-140 days a year will not go a long way in paying the bills. Mileage just comes off your end of the year gross as well as the other items you mentioned but as mentioned, you still have to dish out the money to buy everythign. I for one sell a lot of lures to mom and pop to big box stores. Over 100,000 lures a year sold and about 1500-2000 rods a year on average. So far I do not even come close to making as much in profit as my day job makes me. just be careful and start smart. Try it for a while but make sure you have something to fall back on and don't go into a $$$ hole for it or you will be stuck and on the way to bankruptcy real fast. Best bet is to call a few guides and ask lots of questions.

JMO

James

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I would 2nd James' post, first get to know guides if you don't already creating a network of info to lead you in the right direction. Personally I think its a tough business to jump into with the economy but I know someone who did it last year and is doing well, but I'd still be wary. Good luck if you do! Just don't fish Sugar on a regular basis to be sure smile

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Do yourself a favor and get another real job and fish for fun. Even if you do very well as a full time guide, you're still poor.

Figure $300/day (you're unknown and have no black book)

Lets say you do well and get 3 trips a week for the first year (generous for your first year).

June-Nov = 16 weeks x 3 trips/week x $300/trip = $14400 for the season

Now factor in your costs:

Gas: 60 gallons/week (VERY generously low)x $4.00/gal x 16wks= $3800

Gear: expect to lose, break, or just want about $3000

Insurance: you need to up your coverage if you're a guide: $500 (est)

Boat fix-its: people break your boat as well as other repairs: $1500

Gross income before "extra expenses": $5600 for 6 months

This don't include your car and boat payments nor does it include anything like boat ramp fees, food, etc. This also doesn't include the most important one: TAXES. True you can write off some of your income, but trust me it's not enough to make it worth while.

I throw this out there because several friends of mine have left the workforce to "live the dream" and become a full-time fisherman. All found out that the dream was really a nightmare and at the end of the day they lost everything. Do yourself a favor and keep fishing fun.

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Shawn has it spot on!

Get a real job and fish for fun. I've guided on Minnetonka for 20 years, and I continue to do it because I like to do it. Not because it's a cash cow. I have clients I've taken out twice a year for 15 years and I enjoy the commoradory. I've taken out Hollywood types, Wall street types and hog farmers from Iowa, and have enjoyed their company equally.

As a fisherman you like to be around other fisherman, exchanging ideas and stories while netting a few fish as you go.

You have to love people to do this job because in the end that's the reward.

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  Shawn Kellett said:
Do yourself a favor and get another real job and fish for fun. Even if you do very well as a full time guide, you're still poor.

Totally agree...Although it sounds appealing it's going to be hard to cover all the costs that you are and aren't thinking about. It could maybe be possible if you found a resort on a big musky lake (Leech, LOTW..ect) that needs a musky guide but not really sure what's out there. I think you would have a better chance of making money by making baits, but even then it's hard to build a brand name around your lures and there is a lot of labor involved. Think Shawn was right...fishing for fun is the way to go!!

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Guides out there now aren't as busy as they used to be.

The ones that make it have other jobs, guiding is just a 2nd job.

Or they guide year around and move state to state.

I dabled in guiding 10 years ago. Was just a way to make enough money to help support my fishing trips to Canada.

I quickly realized that it's more fun to fish with friends and family, or alone.

All took was a couple of clients, who did catch fish, to ruin it for me.

Some people are just not that cool.

JS

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  john skarie said:

Some people are just not that cool.

LOL! Aint that the truth?!? I used to be naive enough to think that all I needed to like a person was for him/her to be interested in fishing. Turns out that's not at all true... Some of the people who that's not true for would be people I'd be guiding, if I wanted to guide. No thanks.

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If I wasn't married and lost my job, I would be tempted to start calling resorts up in CA to see if I could get on as a guide/maintaince guy. To become a successful big name Muskie guide in MN right now would be tough. If your wife has a decent job or if you have a decent bankroll to start, it could be possible but not easy..

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Not to kick a dead horse but I can speak from personal experience. I used to guide in the park rapids area when I was in college. My father was a full time guide all his life in the park rapids area and has recently had to get a "real" job. He is building roads for cumber construction and can't get any where near enough business to justify guiding any more. He will continue to take a few of his "black book" clients but with the cost of business and garbage economy its almost a net/net on the year. The guys that can make it as stated earlier have other jobs and most are teachers. Jason Durham does a great job but with out teaching and a financialy sound wife no way could he still do it. Not to mention the toll it will take on any family life you think you have. I used to see my dad only on sundays when we were kids, he never booked trips on sundays so we would have time to see him. And with the expenses involved now (gas prices) you can't afford to take a day off, if you can book a trip you have to take it. also a guide lives a crazy schedule. no sleep the week of new and full moons if you can book them, all night excursions trying to earn a "tip fish" and you will always get a nasty flu half way thru the summer from stress...... I know it this makes guiding sound like a bleak profession but right now it... Ib the area you are at there are of big names that fished that hard last year and if I can hire a guide for one day I hate to say it but I look up a Gregg Thomas or Timm Anderson because of their exposer in musky media. Not to mention I loved to musky fish when I started guiding, and now I only fish for them in the fall when i can chase with suckers because I got burned out.

Sorry if that got long winded but I have been there and done that and its alot more work then you think.

Best of Luck!!! Jonah

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and,,consider the health

'SKIN CANCER' Know of a couple guides who this is an issue with

its going to wear on your body,joints,backbone tossed in waves throwing big baits

and

I know of a guy who made the transition and now he dosent do the 'fun' things associated with musky fishing everything is a biz decision.

consider this very hard

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I think that anyone considering getting into guiding or starting any business for that matter, should talk to and listen to those that have tried it and have not been successful, and those that are doing it currently and are being successful. There is great insight on here from those that have already posted that you can learn from. Starting any business, in any industry is not easy, otherwise everyone would be doing it.

Having said that, don't ever let anyone elses experiences and failures dictate what your personal decisions are in life. There are many examples, in all types of industries, where many businesses have failed but someone else came in, did things differently, and were successful. Many people would tell you not to start a business because personally, they wouldn't do it. But you are not them. If it couldn't be done, then there would be no guides like the ones that were mentioned before.

I'm guessing that alot of your fixed costs, boat payment, gas, rods reels, lures, etc you already have, or would be paying for anyway whether you were guiding or not. You already know how to catch muskies and have a belief in yourself otherwise you wouldn't be considering this.

So I would ask myself the following questions:

1. How much money do I need to pay these costs?

2. How much money to I need above that amount to be able to live my life?

3. How many clients do I need in order to cover #1 and #2?

4. The most important one: Do I already have a natural market that I can tap into (friends, family, co-workers and their friends, families, clients, and co-workers, bait shops, etc) that will get me that number of clients to cover my costs?

5. What am I going to do in the offseason when I can't guide to make money so I can pay my bills?

Don't let anyone else make this decision for you. You need to make it for yourself because if you are successful, it is going to be because of you, and if you fail, it is going to be because of you.

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race”

~Calvin Coolidge

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I have been guiding full time for 24 years and I still love it, but it's not because it made me wealthy. Even if you have a lot of equipment, you'll need more and by the way, you can't "Write it all off". You can claim depreciation on your boat and gear but only for a while, then you have to buy new stuff to get the same write off for a year or two. New boats that you can guide out of cost $40,000.00 and so do trucks. Like was said before, you still have to pay for them before you get any "write off". I guide about 100 days a year and when the guiding season stops, so does the money. It takes years for even the best guides to build a steady calendar. There are more Muskie guides working in MN than you think. Many come from all over to work the summer guiding season. This summer gas will be in the $4 to maybe $5 range and man that ain't hay. Then there is insurance, new gear and maintainace, repairs to boats and trucks and so on. Get a job and try it part time to see if anyone really wants to fish with you. Because it takes more than a pretty boat and photos of you with a muskie to attract steady customers. JMHO.

"Ace"

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