guide service

[ethan77]

I am tossing around the idea ofa guide service... any suggestions in East Central mn???

[Feldy]

Fishing with a guide in my opinion is worth every cent. If you can split it with a couple other guys the better. I've been using Mille lacs Guide Service and love them. Always work hard to make a guy happy and best of all hammer fish. What lakes are you going to fish and what for?

[Guest]

If your looking at Mille Lacs, Ive fished with Jack Dunn at McQuids and he is very good and knows the big pond well. Also you will have a fun day with Jack and most of al you will learn alot at the same,only downside is he is not the

cheapest on the pond.

[Wayne Ek]

Eathan77, there are a number of great guides who advertise in Fishing Mn. I would love to assist you but my area is more west central (Alexandria Mn) Check out the guide site, one of the guide services works east central I'm sure.

[gunflint]

Eathan77,

Don't forget to talk to your insurance agent you may be in for a surprise. You also may want to talk to an lawyer about drawing up a release form. Figure out an advertising budget. And also hire an accountant to take care of the big bucks you'll be rolling in.

[Paul Waldowski]

Gunflint,

I think he wants to hire one, not become one, at least that's how I read it.

[gunflint]

That could be, I've been known to suffer from brain freeze before.

I gotta get out on the water.

[ethan77]

well actually I do want to become one here in east central mn.. I am currently going to get my captions lic... and from there I am not sure where to go or what to do.. I was hoping to contact a guide and ask him how to go about this... and is it worth it.. to me this would just be a hobby to start with.. I am thinking of the big lakes.. mille lacs.. low and maybe eventually superiot.. but rmeber this is just a thouhgt.. I do tend to dream big... but if I could swing it that would be great... thanks for all you help guys... and keep it coming.....

[Ice9]

Guiding isn't fun, it's work. It may be fun work, but it's still work. Fishing has a lot to do with it, but people skills, organization, preparation, a lot of paperwork, and a lot of energy are required. Before you make a big move into it, understand that a big move is needed. CLients don't often hire guides who are half-committed. You need good, new equipment and boats and vehicles, or you are likely to be outcompeted. It won't work if you just imagine taking a few sports out once in a while in your usual spots in your usual boat. You need to put a lot of time and energy into cultivating clients, long hours at shows and hard work on materials and web advertising and networking and all that. When I started, I had the luxury of working for an outfit where the boss did a lot of the overhead (and took a lot of the money, too). He told me something there. It's easy to envision a good day on the water, when everything works out, but before you start considering yourself a guide you need to consider the bad side: lousy weather, uncooperative fish, obnoxious clients, malfunctioning gear, fatigue, mistakes, all of it. If that still seems fun, then you may be suited for it.

ice

[matthothand]

Ethan,

When I got out of high school, I was scheduled to be on my way to college in the fall and wanted to do something I had always dreamed of. I wanted to be a fishing guide. I was a manager at the local bait shop for the past two years and already had a good number of potential clients. I also was good a acquaintance of a touring professional that had ties to many outdoors magazines. I contacted a recognized guide (thanks Dick, if you're out there!) and he helped to explain the real side of being a guide as well as how he started out. I advertised like crazy on the internet, through the bait shop, brochures in local businesses (including other bait shops), and of course just good old word-of-mouth. One of the first calls I had was from a professional photographer, who essentially was my first sponsor for business expenses. I took him fishing in my girlfriend's dad's shiny Lund, pulled by my dad's brand new Dodge V-10; he made me expensive color business cards with a wide angle lens and hefty bass. After that first summer and all of the advertising I did, I had 13 trips. It was fun, but a lot of work man. Then it was fall and off to school in Duluth. Instead of going back 'home' and guiding the next summer, I decided to get into the Great Lakes fishing scene. I still have many of my ties from 'home' and through them I have had excellent business on the big water. I'm still doing it after 3 years and each day on the water with a crew I get the same feeling I got on my very first trip. It's fun, but you have to be a dedicated person with more good qualities than just the ability to catch fish. I think you should go nuts and try it. Go all out and book some trips. It shouldn't take long to know what's meant to be.

P.S

Quite a few successful guides still have second jobs.

[matthothand]

Ethan,

I almost forgot to ask you the names of some of 'your' bodies of water. Both where you are thinking of guiding and where you fished around home.

[ethan77]

WEll thanks guys for all the info and input on this possible venture.. I realized it would take a lot to do.. and now I see it takes more than what i expected... that will not deture me from my hope though... thanks a bunch for the input... really appreciated.. I guess maybe right now I should look for a quide allready that wants.. or needs a extra set of hands to learn about the business.... that would probably be a ok idea i guess... you see I am going to get my caption lic... I have allways wanted that ever since my first BIG lake trip...... and ever since then that was something I wanted... so I am going to get it.. I am a good walleye fisherman and excallent crappie... half a*$ bass.. and well of course a ok trout and salmon .. that is when the "caption " puts me on them.... and I use there lures... anwyays the lakes I was thinkg of... mille lacs...low...superior..maybe... I need a bigger boat first.. and then some of the local lakes around ehrer...sturgeon,island,oak,pine.. you know this was just a hobby ventrue for me..nothing to make it rich..just enjoy it when otherpeople catch fish besides me... the most rewarding thing I have ever saw... a 6 yearold kid caught a 7 lb bass... on a tip up and sucker at a local lake around my area....sorry guys...can't tell you about it but if you ask me questions about that lake.. I will not lie...... thanks again guys.