Becoming a Guide

[BIG ISLAND DUDE]

I am interested in becoming a fishing guide.
Can anyone give some advice on ways to get started? I have heard of some schools that teach that type of profession. Are they worth attending? Can anyone recommend one? Has anyone heard of guides that are willing to take a young hard working individual under their wing? I am sure that this is a type work that that dosent produce success overnight. If Anyone could give me some advice, it would be greatly appreciated. With the exception of 24 years of fishing the Grand Rapids/Marcel area, I am at ground zero on this dream of mine. I have been putting family and freinds on fish since I was a kid and I beleive that I have the know how, confidence and passion to pursue this. I just need some advice on where to start.

Thanx,
Big island Dude
[email protected]

[BIG ISLAND DUDE]

I am interested in becoming a fishing guide.
Can anyone give some advice on ways to get started? I have heard of some schools that teach that type of profession. Are they worth attending? Can anyone recommend one? Has anyone heard of guides that are willing to take a young hard working individual under their wing? I am sure that this is a type work that that dosent produce success overnight. If Anyone could give me some advice, it would be greatly appreciated. With the exception of 24 years of fishing the Grand Rapids/Marcel area, I am at ground zero on this dream of mine. I have been putting family and freinds on fish since I was a kid and I beleive that I have the know how, confidence and passion to pursue this. I just need some advice on where to start.

Thanx,
Big island Dude
[email protected]

[Jason Boser]

do you know ken wood up there in the talmoon area? ask him he has started helping us out on big groups we do.
Jason

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fishing fever guide service
fishingminnesota.com/fishingfever/
phone 218-327-2191
e-mail [email protected]

[scotty18]

This is a interesting subject. I have wondered how you become a guide. There are a lot of guides on this site, let's here from you guys. I'm thinking about guiding after I "retire". I have about 15 years before one of my kids will be old enough to follow in the old man's foot steps. Until then, I'm in the position to have winters off and could work on my new job.(not much call for ice cream when it's below zero)
Ice fishing is my main guiding interest but I have spent the better part of 20 year staring at bear baits. I should have charged all the people I have taken bear hunting, I did all the work and they got the bears

Thanks, Scotty

[LocalGuide]

I kinda want to guide in the future or just do something fishing related.
I found a article on Espn that talked about how to become a fishing/hunting outfitter. http://espn.go.com/outdoors/hunting/s/h_fea_04_guide_school_FHN.html Its a interesting reading.

[scotty18]

to the top

[protrapper]

Invest lots of money in boats, motors, rods, reels, lures, life jackets. Make sure you know your bodies of waters you plan to fish well. In all conditions. Know your species of fish also and how to target them in all conditions. Good insurance also. And most important be a great people person. I htink one of the most important things is to be able to talk about anything with people. You will be with them most of the day remeber. No dull times. They pay to have fun. And there will be frustrating times. Line tangles, snags all the time. Plus when they lose your lures and break your rods they dont cover the cost you do, on the outing you just took them on!

If you want to become a guide to fish more your in the wrong trade.

Good Luck,

Trapper

[snowfighter]

Trapper I'll second that and then some! Did some guiding in the 90's, Its more work then some people think. Remember to alot of the customers are people who have fished very little and you are teaching them.

[Chris Haley]

Plus they've been watching TV shows that have guy's catching fish one right after another and they are always big!!

[scotty18]

Sorry, I don't watch fishing shows. I think they are boring! I added my 2 cents worth to a interesting topic and look what I got. I own a resturaunt, not because I wanted to eat more, because I'm good at management, marketing, working with the public, etc. I thought these may be skills I could use for guiding if I decide to try in the future. I thought with all the guides that use this site I might get a idea how to proceed. Instead I got comments like I watch to much fishing on tv.

Thanks a lot, Scotty

[BDR]

???? Scotty, I really don't get where your coming from in that response. You sound like someone insulted you? I thought they were right on the money to yours and the original question. I think you may have misread something. The only thing I saw about watching tv was directed at the customers you may eventually guide(their unreasonable expectations).

Brian

[BIG ISLAND DUDE]

Scotty,
I think he was talking about potential customers.

I found a place in Grand rapids that promotes small business in the area by giving low interest loans and grants. I am definetly going to look into it. At this time I dont think it is appropriate to give the name of the place. FYI - there are poeple/organizations that will help poeple get things like this off the ground.

Just something to think about.

-Big Island Dude
[email protected]

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Ice fishin SUCKS...
But I do it anyway.

[169Sportsman]

Like somebody said a while back when this topic arose-- Take the five most annoying and incompetent people you know fishing for five days straight from sun up til sun down, and after that see if you still wanna be a guide.

[Dennis Steele]

Just take Ozzy.

After a lot of encouragement from freinds I finally gave in and became a guide.
Its more work than a guy thinks and you don't really get to fish much.Your busy making sure that your clients are getting fish.
Getting set up isn't that hard.

Get a good boat that people will be comfortable in,not just the operator.The more comfortable your clients are the better chance you will have repeat buisness.THe baot should also be set up for the style of fishing you will be doing.For an example I have a River Pro Jet boat for guiding on rivers.It has tons of floor space so that my clients can move about the boat and not be stuck in one seat for eight hours.It also has some comfortable seating placed in the right spots to fish from them comfortably.Its also a very safe boat with high sides.I sit in the back where I can attend to tangles,bait hooks and net fish.I can also control the boat from that one postion and be out of the way so that my clients can go about fishing without me being in thier way.

Get lots of tackle.Make sure its quality stuff too.It doesn't neccesaarily have to be the most expensive but it best be dependable gear.And I believe the better the gear you have the more it improves your clients fishing.If something helps you catch just one fish more that day its well worth it.Quality baits is just as imprtant.Good quality hooks and lures will keep the fish biting,on the hook and your clients comimg back.

Get proper insurance.Its quite expensive but cheaper if something did happen.Check with a commercial insurance company for the right insurance.

Check with the Coast Guard to see if you will need a captains license.THere are some waters in the state that require you to have it.

When you do start guiding make sure you spend as much time on the water as possible.You have to know where the fish are and what they are doing at all times.Its best to be on the fish before you take your clients out.You will then know you have done eveything you could possibly do when the fish are not biting.You have to be the master of the water your fishing.

Keep your boat clean.I spend a couple hours making sure that the boat (and my gear)is in top shape before any trip.

Don't become a guide becuase you think you will get to do a lot of fishing.Its not like that at all.A guide is in the service industry and is not neccessarily a fisherman (all though you will have to have thsoe skills also!).

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Minnesota River Guided Fishing
www.mnriverguidedfishing.com
[email protected]
NPAA #863

[This message has been edited by Dennis Steele (edited 02-24-2004).]

[scotty18]

Bdr, I'm sorry, maybe I did over react, but it finally got people to reply. It wouldn't be the first time, I haven't gotten my nap yet today. As far as working with people, 95% of the people I employ are teenagers. I enjoy working with teenagers, but it takes alot of pationts.

Scotty

[Matt Johnson]

I do a little guiding during the winter and its just that...guiding...not too much fishing most of the time. I haven't really experienced any problems with the clients I've had but I've talked with other guides who have had (lets make this short)...long days. Guiding can be a lot of work, especially during the winter, but if you are willing to do that and have your mind set on that goal then go for it. If you can make the guide trip fun and enjoyable for your clients then catching fish doesn't seem so important (although it is ), but I think you know what I mean. Its the little things that count and have them coming back. Show them your techniques, talk with them, share tips and ideas...act as if you are fishing with a good friend or family.

I don't charge unless my clients catch fish. I know that somedays you just don't catch fish, but thats how I decided to work things. I believe that you pay for what you get...and if you don't catch anything then you don't have to pay. The company, enjoyable time, tips and techniques are free.

Good Fishin,
Matt Johnson

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First Choice Guide Service

[email protected]
Iceleaders
Catch-N Tackle and Bio Bait
MarCum
Stone Legacy

[MedicineMan]

I've always wanted to be a guide. I really don't fish anyways. I almost always spend more time playing with the electronics than fishing anyways. That and I spend WAY too many hours looking at maps and studying the lakes that I fish. But the greatest tool that I have would have to be the Aqua-Vu. Since my dad bought that thing I've learned more about the lakes that I fish than anything else I could've done. I also love to help people when it comes to fishing. I get more joy out of watching people catch fish than actually catching fish myself. During the last few summers my dad will drop me off at Medicine Lake in the morning and he'd let me find the fish and then he'd come out in the afternoon and fish. He hasn't complained about not catching fish yet.

[This message has been edited by MedicineMan (edited 02-24-2004).]

[scotty18]

Thanks for the replys. You guides that replied, with the amount of time you put in on a customer do you feel your making money, breaking even or your doing it because you would rather be outside than in a office? Like I said I have about 15 years before I'm in a position to retire. I'm the second generation in this resturant and I'm waiting to see if any of my kids are interested. I do get winters off and thought if I were to try guiding it may be a good time to try it out. I just don't know, right now I would say no to guiding. I think right now my next step would be to try out a couple of guides, see what it's like.
Sorry to everyone about my earlier post. I not kidding about not having a nap. If I don't get one I'm a real bastard

Thanks,Scotty

[protrapper]

The best thing for you would be to go at it part time for awhile. Ease yourself into it. Build up a small clientel. Then see how you like it. Then go for it. I love being outdoors and making money off the outdoors and the animals God put here.

[Jason Boser]

Scotty18, As far as the winter guiding You said you had winters off. I dont know money wise if really pays off we looked into it alittle up here and decided to do it only alittle bit, too much to invest and the people dont seem to want to pay 250 a day for you to drill holes and find the fish.As far as summer guiding you can make some money but the only way is to fish almost every day.the guiding season is short but if you can guide a 90-100 trips a year in the summer the pay is alright.
when you first asked the question I thought you must know woody up in that area he helps us out on our groups when we need boats and he could give you some good advice. That is how I got started helping out with N.M.L.O.G big groups and slowly worked my way into it. I had a fulltime job yet and did it when I could. I built up some good clientle over the years and when I got laid off I just kept fishing and had to get more. know I have about 0 days off in the summer but I am able to make some money. Its brutal to fish 30-40 days in a row and not an asy way to make a buck but it is rewarding.
Jason

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fishing fever guide service
fishingminnesota.com/fishingfever/
phone 218-327-2191
e-mail [email protected]

[scotty18]

Thanks for all the help. I guess I'm putting this project on hold for now. It is the end of ice fishing and I do have quite a few years to go. I will bring this topic up again towards fall. If any guide would be willing to take me with them next winter to get some experience, I would be willing to do the hard work.

Thanks,Scotty

[early007]

Time on the water! Time on the water!

That is the key. I run a guide service here in Nisswa. When the fish are biting everyone thinks they should be a guide. But when the bite gets tough they get humbled. Really take time to learn structure. Talk to other guides in the area. Find out what times they hang around the bait shops. Be there at the same time. Take notes. Learn seasonal movements. Get electronics on whatever your boat is, and learn to read your electronics. Keeping your clients entertained is a major part of success. You don't always have the luxary of choosing ideal conditions. Talking a lot and telling stories can be a major plus. Also and possibly most important, learn to fish with three other lines down. It is easy to fish when you are alone. But when the weather is nasty and tangles happen it can be a mess.

Jason Erlandson

Dave's Sportland Bait and Tackle
Sportland Guide Service
Nisswa MN

[sandman469ss]

Big Island Dude,
If I had the time, I'd look for it, but about a year ago, that very same question was asked. One of the guys that posted, should have published his post. The best I've ever read, and well worth searching for.
If I get a chance, I'll look, I wouldn't mind reading it again either.

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Takin it easy! & if it’s easy, I’ll take it twice!

[sandman469ss]

Found it. This was posted under the Open Water main forum, topic: want to be a guide, 5/5/2003 by smallmouthguide. Hope they don't mind I stole it. Long, but WELL worth the read.

So You Wanna Be A Guide...
Author: Steve Huber
January 2002
Ahh, the life of a fishing guide, what a piece of cake, go fishing and get paid for it. What could possibly be better? Well, I'm going into my ninth season and let me tell you right now, there's more to it than you'd think.

Don't get me wrong, I dearly love my time on the water with clients, but there are times....

I know that some of you out there have been thinking, I've got a boat, I've got fishing tackle, I know how to catch fish and I have free time, I know, I'll start a guide service.

Well, it can be that easy, but you've got to remember that there's more to guiding than having a boat and some fishing tackle.

First of all, you have to decide if you're going to specialize in one species or are you going to be a multi-species guide. Specializing is easier, requiring less of an investment in both equipment and time. Are you going to guide on one body of water or fish "all over the place?" Fishing one body of water and/or one species, while making it easier on you (and cheaper too) does limit you. How you ask?

Well, if you spend any amount of time fishing, you know that any body of water will have hot streaks and then go cold. If you happen to have a guide job during the hot streak, life is good, but if that job comes when the lake has turned off, life as a guide can suck! That's why I made the decision to fish different lakes as well as different species.

Now, if the fishing isn't that great for walleyes on Lake X, we can go to Lake Y and fish for smallmouth. Sure, it involves more running around, more pre-fishing time, keeping tabs on more water, but when a client is paying you to put them on fish, shouldn't you be doing everything possible for them?

All right, you've decided what you're going to fish for, and on what lakes, what else is needed to start a guide service?

Well, take a good look at your boat. Is it really adequate? Is that boat large enough to safely carry you, a couple of clients, a cooler, all the tackle, bait, etc, etc? Is everything safe, operating at 100% and dependable? It has to be, or else you're not giving the client his money's worth. I've heard horror stories from clients about other guides and their equipment.

One guide showed up with a 14 foot rowboat and ancient outboard, to take 2 clients casting for muskies. They motored out onto the lake, where the guide disconnected his starting battery and hooked it to the trolling motor. After a day of fishing, and using the trolling motor, when they finally wanted to go home, the guide un-hooked the trolling motor and reconnected the starter. Guess what? They'd used the trolling motor so much that there wasn't enough juice left to turn the motor over! The recoil starter on the outboard was broken as well so the guide and clients took turns rowing back to the landing.

So, take a good long, hard look at your boat and equipment. If you don't think that it would pass a DNR or Coast Guard inspection, you're going to have to invest in repairs and upgrades.

I started guiding with a 16' aluminum deep vee boat with a 40 hp outboard. It wasn't long before I discovered that while this boat was fine for one client, it was way too small and underpowered for two clients with the type of fishing that I do. I upgraded to a 17 footer with a 75 hp outboard, and while it was better, it lacked the needed storage and was still a bit cramped when you have 12 inch muskie lures flying around. That boat was sold and now I'm running a 19 foot ProCraft SuperPro 190 with a 175 hp outboard. This boat has the room for casting, the necessary storage space and the horsepower to move the boat when it's loaded down with clients and gear.

As long as we're talking big buck items, what about your tow vehicle? Is it dependable and safe as well? If you're fishing one lake and you always plan on meeting your clients at the landing, it's not as big of a deal, but if you're like me, you'll be traveling to various lakes in a three county area. I need a safe, dependable, roomy and economical to operate tow vehicle.

I bought a 2001 Silverado 2500 HD 4x4 extended cab diesel truck. I put 10,000 miles on a year towing my boat, carrying at least 2, sometimes 3 clients, so I need something that gets good fuel economy and has the room for my clients.

Now that you've gone through your boat, look at your tackle. Do you have quality, first rate rods and reels? Most times, the guide supplies all of the tackle, and believe me, it takes a lot of tackle. Gone are the days of going fishing with two or three rods and reels. You have to be prepared and anticipate the worst, because if you guide long enough, (take my word for it) you WILL have those days when you'll wonder if you've got enough gear on board. I've had days when clients have broken rods, backlashed reels beyond any hope of picking the line clear and dropped/thrown rods and reels overboard, making me wonder if we were going to have any working tackle at the end of the day, and this is coming from a guy that goes out with a minimum of 18 rods and reels!!

Also, as long as we're talking about tackle, how's your lure selection? Gone are the days of going out with one of everything, now you've got to have at least 3 of everything. There will be days when one particular lure is the hot bait, and you're going to have one P.O.'d client in the boat if his buddy is catching all the fish and he's sitting there with egg on his face. So, you're going to have to stock up, if you've decided that muskies are going to be your fish of choice, that gets expensive when you're looking at $12 - $40 per lure. Heck, even if you're guiding walleyes, it gets pricey. I've had days when we've gone through 100 jigs fishing a rocky shoreline for 'eyes. That one particular spot is a great walleye magnet, but on each cast, if you don't hook a fish, you've hooked bottom and that jig is gone. At a quarter a pop, that starts costing you too, but if that's where the fish are, what are you going to do?

Good quality fishing line costs money too, you're going to go through line at an alarming rate, making you wonder if you should buy stock in a line company. When you're re-spooling a dozen or more reels several times a season, you're talking about a fairly major expense as well. I buy PowerPro line in 1500 yard spools. That's not cheap!

If you're like me, you'll cruise sporting goods stores/departments (driving your wife crazy in the process) looking for marked down or closeout items. I do this year round, stocking up in the winter and losing it all in the summer. But hey, if I can save a couple bucks, that's what I'm going to do. Plan on spending a minimum of $20 every time you walk into a sporting goods store.

You also have to have quality life jackets in several sizes, as well as rain gear. I tell people that they need to dress for the weather and it never fails, they show up at the motel lobby or landing dressed for a trip to the mall, regardless of what the forecast shows. Again, the client is looking for a fun day of fishing, and they can't do that when they're soaked to the skin and cold. I suppose that if they're not dressed right, you could just cut the day short, but I hate to do that to the client. So, I carry raingear in several sizes.

All right, now we've talked about the tow vehicle, the boat and the gear. So what else is there to get? Well bucko, there's still licensing and insurance. The guide license for Wisconsin is easy to get, fill out an application, send in your money and that's it, you're a guide! But what about insurance? Let me say right now, if you guide for money and you don't have guide insurance, you're an one-who-thinks-I-am-silly!!!

Think about it for a minute. You've got a client or two in the boat and these guys go fishing once or twice a year, so their sea legs are iffy at best. Now, you're out there, it's choppy, the boat is rocking and they're casting large lures with three sets of razor sharp 5/0 treble hooks. What do you think the chances are for an accident of epic proportions are? Or how about this for a worst case scenario...

I heard about a guide that had taken two clients out on one of the Great Lakes, trolling for walleyes. This guide is good, with a 21 foot boat, designed for big water fishing. Well, they were into fish, not paying as much attention to the weather as they should have been. Before they knew it, a storm system had moved in on them and whipped the water into huge, dangerous waves. They pulled in the lines and were trying to make their way back to the harbor when they hit a wave wrong! One of the clients was washed overboard and ended up dying of hypothermia. Can you imagine the lawsuit? Now, still think that you don't need insurance?

Don't tell me that you've got boat insurance and that's good enough, cuz I doubt it. I too had boat insurance, thinking that I was covered. But talking to my insurance agent, I found out that if you're taking clients out for money, regular boating insurance won't cover you. My premiums went from $118 a year to over $500! And you have to have liability and medical coverage, as well as insurance covering the boat and contents. You won't believe how quickly those contents add up either. I estimate that I have well over $5,000 tied up in rods, reels, lures, locators and trolling motor.

All right, now you've got the tools for guiding, what's next? You've got to have clients if you want this to be a money making proposition. That too takes time and money my friend. Gone are the days when you get some business cards printed up, put them in a couple bait/tackle shops and get clients. I'm not saying that this won't work, just don't expect to be very busy. Nope, in this day and age, you have to market yourself. This means building a HSOforum, a good one that will answer many of the client's questions, make them want to book a trip with you, or at least contact you for additional information. This isn't easy. Even if you have the most fantastic HSOforum on the net, just because you built it, that still doesn't mean that the world will beat a path to your door. You have to have someone host the HSOforum, that part is easy with HotSpotOutdoors offering HSOforum hosting, but it's still an annual expense that needs to be covered.

You should be doing things that get your name out in the world. That means doing things like this, writing articles for various publications, it means promoting your service through other places as well, maybe offering to do seminars for fishing clubs or tackle shops. This will help draw business. Probably one of the best methods for getting your name out is sport shows. But these are not cheap, you have to rent booth space, there's travel expenses, lodging, meals, show displays, embroidered shirts, hats, etc, brochures to hand out, promotional items, etc, etc, etc. This can run into some major coin, but how busy do you want to be? If you're hoping to do this full time, you're going to have to do this and more. How much more is entirely up to you.

OK, now we've got the financial aspect more or less covered. Now think about the time you're going to have to invest in guiding. You have to stay on top of the fish, so now you have to be out fishing, in all weather conditions, because again, you owe it to the clients to make their time on the water as productive as possible. You can't pick and choose the weather that you're going to fish in. It seems to never fail, the weather will be perfect for fishing, until the client gets into the boat, then a major cold front blows in. You won't get a lot of repeat business if at the end of the day, all you have to show for your efforts is a lot of fresh air and a nice boat ride. So you have to be able to produce fish under all weather conditions and that my friend, isn't easy. So even though it's cold, raining, blowing and generally nasty and miserable, you have to be out there. That doesn't sound like a big deal, but believe me, some days it is.

All right, that still doesn't sound bad, and most times it's not. But remember, there's going to be times that you're not feeling good, or the Packer game is on, or some friends want you to hang out and pop a couple of cold, frosty ones and you've GOT to go pre-fish for an upcoming job.

Then, you've got the clients themselves. 95% of my clients are great people, a joy to fish with but that remaining 5% will drive you nuts. There's a reason that I have all of this gray hair and I can't blame it all on my kids.

You have to have good people skills. It's not enough that you're a great angler, when you're in the boat with a client, you have to wear many different hats. You have to be a teacher, a coach, a cheerleader, a story-teller, a stand up comic and sometimes even a marriage counselor! You won't believe some of the conversations that I've had in the boat with clients. You hear all of their hopes, fears, aspirations and frustrations. You'll hear about past successes and comparisons to "Guide Joe". It doesn't matter that Guide Joe was guiding them on a Canadian Fly In and that the walleyes were hitting anything that moved. Now you're fishing cold front conditions in August, with jet skis, water skiers, pontoon boats ripping around the lake with bright sunny skies and a 20 degree temperature drop, they caught walleyes throwing shallow running crankbaits and "ripped them up." "Why aren't we throwing Rapalas?" "Guide Joe said that Rapalas were the best walleye lure ever made!" Try to explain that they were fishing pre-spawn walleyes in shallow water and now you're trying to dredge up inactive fish in 25 feet of water, they won't believe you, because "Guide Joe said...."

You'll find out that there's people out there that you could actually, cheerfully pitch overboard. I had one client that when he missed a nice muskie because he didn't believe in figure 8's and didn't do one when the fish hit at boatside, started cussing a blue streak and threw a St. Croix rod and Ambassaduer 6500 reel just as far as he could. As I watched the rod disappear in 20 - 30 feet of water, knowing that there was no way I'd ever find it, I couldn't believe my eyes. The client refused to reimburse me for the rod, demanding that I give him another rod and reel! That was the only time that I returned to the landing and demanded that he GET OUT OF THE BOAT NOW!

Guide long enough and you'll find out that catching fish is actually a small part of guiding. I know some anglers that even though they make unbelievable catches, I wouldn't want them to guide me, because their people skills suck. Conversation while fishing? Forget it, you've got to catch that fish. Tell a joke or get them to crack a smile? No way Jose. Miss a fish a get complained at. Not exactly what I would call an enjoyable day. Nope, you've got to keep the clients spirits up during those fishless times, telling jokes, stories of past successes and failures, make small talk that shows you're interested in their lives, all the while trying to figure out a pattern that will start producing fish.

You'll have to be able to teach your clients to cast, retrieve and explain what the feel of a walleye picking up a jig in 20 feet of water feels like. You have to be able to cheer them up when they just screwed up on the fish of a lifetime, answer questions about anything and everything while controlling the boat, ducking lures, re-tying lures, re-baiting hooks, again still thinking of the next move in your fishing plan.

But, for the most part, my clients are great people. Many of the clients have become close friends, some to the point that I feel odd taking their money. I get Christmas cards, birthday cards, invitations to family functions, their or their children's weddings and the like. It's people like this that keep me coming back, season after season.

I love the look on a client's face when they hook into their first muskie, when that big smallmouth leaps from the water 10 feet from the boat. I love to see the closeness that develops between a father and his child as they share a common experience. One of the best feelings in the world for me is at the end of the day, a client tells me "Thanks Steve, I had a great day and I really learned a lot about fishing today." That's a reward that I can't put a price on.

I've just briefly touched on the high points of guiding, there's still the pricing, covering expenses, bookkeeping, records, etc. Remember, you can't price yourself so high that people can't afford you, but you still have to cover your expenses, plus make a decent hourly wage. Don't think that you'll ever get rich being a guide, "cuz it ain't gonna happen." Heck, when you get right down to it, you could probably make more money flippin burgers at McDonald's!

But, if you think that you have the time, money, ability, people skills and the mental toughness to put it all together, become a fishing guide. You'll find out real quick if you've got what it takes.

I don't mean to scare you off if you're considering becoming a guide, I just want you to benefit from my experience and go into this venture with your eyes wide open. If you're considering this, feel free to contact me, I'll give you all the help I can. Just don't expect me to tell you my good spots

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Takin it easy! & if it’s easy, I’ll take it twice!

[Matt Breuer]

That article is great! It really covers things and lets people know what guiding is all about! It's not a walk in the park, and there isn't a whole lot of money in it! I've taken a group out and spent their payment within 20 minutes after docking on new stuff that was lost that day! Must we speak of gas prices? This summer is going to be profitless if the gas prices keep going like this! I personally have two part-time jobs and guide as well, it's tough, and I think the woman is going to leave me this summer, but it's what I have to do! Every minute of free time I have is spent scouting, and fishing has become less fun, except for those rare days when you get to go fishing with loved ones, and they are rare!

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Matthew J. Breuer
Northcountry Guide Service
[email protected]
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Custom Jigs and Spins
Phelps Tackle
Today's Tackle
Stone Legacy
Ice Leaders

[protrapper]

I read that before. And it hits nail in the head. My women left already Matt!! LOL