What would you do?

[Old Dewjabber]

Hmm! I could not charge $250 a day for a shore lunch of fried potatoes, and a boat ride!!

[tunrevir]

Good stuff so far folks, keep it coming! This is a hypothetical mind you, I was doing a bit of daydreaming the other day and thought I'd toss the scenerio out and see what folks have to say. Dang hard to give up bennie's, definately hard to keep a family moving foreward and there are going to be time commitments that could possibly wreck some relationships. The thread seems to have taken on a guiding jist but nobody has mentioned the competitive tournament side. I would definately think this is the best way to build a name for yourself if you were to begin guiding. Any other thoughts?

Tunrevir~

[Ufatz]

Okay. I'll be the bad guy. FORGET IT. Go to work. Take care of your family. I know a few dozen guys who guided, owned tacke and bait shops, ran small resorts, tried to hunt and fish and trap for a living. And you know what? they all ended up taking County and State money to live on when they retired. Remember.....no Social Security while your out there living the good life. No employers health coverage when one of the kids comes down with some serious.

You can dream the dream if you want, but very few guys I have know were willing to live the way they had to live to do all that wonderful outdoor stuff.

After a few early mornings, when the rain is pouring down and you've gotta get out there to guide some guy you KNOW is a total #($%@ you'll run back to a steady job. Oh. tournament fishing. Please check to see how many people actually EARN A LIVING for their family at it. Or do they let their wife go get the money job and take care of the kids while they go our and play Fish Roulette to become a star. Check the numbers!

Go ahead. Laugh.

Come talk to me again in five years.

Been through all this magical stuff!! Ha Ha HA!!

[Pherris]

I have been a small business owner for 15+ years(not in the fishing industry) and will never go to work for anyone again. Yes there are ups and downs. They can be complicated and there are costs and considerations that need to be made. However the satisfaction, income, and flexibility I am provided make the hassles worth the effort for me. No matter what business anyone chooses the most important things to make sure is that you have the necessary capitol resources. There is nothing that will put a new business owner on tilt like not having enough money to pay the bills. Credit markets are extremely tight and obtaining credit is very challenging. Banks just are not willing to lend. That is the biggest issue facing anybody wanting to start a business of any type in my opinion.

Good Luck!

[Ufatz]

Hey Pherris.....thats a mighty purty dog ya got there.

[B-man715]

Where I'm at in life now, I don't see either idea working for me. I earn a nice salary and have good benefits. The Missus is also on her way to a nicer salary (just graduated from the nursing program and will be an RN soon), and has had good benefits working as a full time LPN.

Fast forward twenty years....... I will be 50, she will be 46. If we both continue on our current path, retiring early will be a very feasible goal. Lots of money made and lots of money saved.

The plan is to guide a little here and there. Just enough to keep the boat full of gas and beer ( make it a self sustaining hobby )

Then I figure she might as well keep working into her late eighties because she doesn't like fishing as much as I do...........

[Pherris]

Hey Pherris.....thats a mighty purty dog ya got there.

Thanks Ufatz, that is very kind!

[CANOPY SAM]

From a self-employed businessman's perspective, I agree 100% with what Pherris said. Exactly right in every statement.

As far as today's tournament fishing circuits, that's one you almost have to get a feel for yourself. I could tell you it's grueling, extremely stressful, and your hopes and dreams can be dashed in a matter of hours after years of preparation. But once you try it you might absolutely love it.

For me, the stress level was just too high. I can honestly say I'm just not a very competitive person anymore. So entering this fray again is just way to hard on my nerves. I don't find any pleasure in it, but I'm closer to 50 than 40 now, so I can say that about a lot of things.

But again, one person's garbage is another persons potpourri! You could find you absolutely thrive on the intense challenge, and love the marathon.

As for the money, I can do much better doing what I enjoy, and make more money than 99% of tournament pros on a consistent basis.

[delcecchi]

And don't you have to be a world class schmoozer to make it as a pro, since sponsorship is such a big part of it? You have to function as a fisherman, and as a spokesman for your sponsors, after you sell yourself to the sponsors in the first place.

[CANOPY SAM]

If you're a really good fishermen, and you're consistently in the money, the sponsorships will often come to you. A person wouldn't have to run with sponsors, but it sure helps to have the absolute best, fastest, most powerful, top of the line equipment to remain "in the hunt", and have someone else paying for all of it!

Especially if you're flying across Rainy Lake and you completely tear off the lower unit on your 300 hp Merc! Without Merc as a sponsor that can be a little bit of a setback.

[delcecchi]

And of course you need money to get set up and get to the tourneys to consistently finish in the money to get the sponsors. Eating, buying gas for boat and truck etc.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

I would rethink this whole thing. You should simply choose to be a rock star, or pro athlete. Then fish while being filmed for some of those Saturday fishing shows they throw at us to get us all drooling and get paid for that too!

[gurkster]

My $.02, you are young, stick with the day job, raise the family and in 10 years, when the kids are grown give this a shot if you still want to.