WHAT DO YOU WANT ON A GUIDED FISHING TRIP?.

to be there on time and be ready to go and be outfitted with proper gear and be informed of the exact nature of the type of charter that was booked and have a plan in mind of how and where to get it done.

HOW MANY FISH(specks) IS CONSIDERED AS SUCCESSFUL?

some people get silly with this expectation but its called fishing NOT CATCHING so there is always a chance for off days, i only ask that when this does happen the capt has a backup plan to switch to if agreed upon by the customers i dont want a capt to decide for me when we have tried enough. IMO a capt should enjoy being challenged to make something out of a bad day. i think most people expect a limit of fish for each person but are happy if your under it as long as you caught a lot of fish and had fun doing it.

WHAT TO DO ON A BAD TRIP?(WEATHER,BREAK DOWNS,etc..)

if its weather related then its an act of god in my mind and a split the cost thing would be in order such as a 50% discout or maybe just base the cost on what kind of situation it was. if the customer was warned then its on them, if there was no advanced warning then you CANNOT and should not expect full payment from customers if they did not recieve the full service. if there is a breakdown then thats all on you and a full refund or no charge is warranted. i realise captains dont like this idea but its all on you, if your boat breaks down then you arent providing the agreed upon service and trip so you cannot and should not expect the customer to pay for it.

a comparible example is: you wouldnt be happy to go to a steak house and order a nice meal, get your salad then be told the stove is broken so thats all you get but you still have to pay full price for the steak plus a mandatory tip to the cook because the cook had to show up to work today anyways.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER A FAIR PRICE?

i think the price up front should be all inclusive including the customary 20% tip for the captain, meaning customers provide thier own food and drinks and everything else is in the price of the charter including gas and ice so there is no surprises no missunderstandings and only fish cleaning is to be paid after the trip if desired.

what is considered a fair price depends on the customers income level and ability and willingness to pay for entertainment, the market decides that and if you are overpriced you get less customers. i do think it should be trip and boat based and not per head so its priced the same wether you have 4 or 6 people because your not having to provide any extra expense just to ad another person or two.

ANY OTHER COMMENTS?

just be freakin polite, i dont care if the IRS is on your back or if your wife is screwing the mailman, your buisness is customer entertainment, yes the fish do MOST of the entertaining but you are also the host and must entertain your customers in a polite and at the very least non-grumpy fasion. if you didnt want to come to work today the DON'T but dont mail it in and ruin my day of fishing or worse embaress the hell out of me for bringing my friends out to fish with you. do us both a favor and stay home if you cant be nice, polite, and helpfull

All i expect is an enjoyable trip! be respectful and pleasant and we will be the same. Whether we catch fish or not I want a memory with the people i'm with.
Advice for the captains: explain to your clients up front that you can't always catch your limits but you will ensure they enjoy themselves. If they want a guarantee they are not sportsman and maybe you should decline the trip.

Like I said 1 bad apple ruins the bunch!!!

So far so good..keep it coming

Captain Kim - since your asking what we expect on a trip...I have a question for you.

As a captain what do you expect from your clients? I think it's only fair for a captain to tell all of us what they expect of us. Not trying to put you on the spot but most of us know what we want out of a trip and I would like your opinion.

I'll go out on a limb and say as clients we need to respect you just like we want your respect. Also we need to listen. A captain has alot on the line when he takes out a charter. our safety and lives!

Thanks Captain Kim for what you do as I'm sure you have turned alot of people on to the sport of fishing and provided a lifetime of memories to many.

I agree, captains constantly post on here how they catch there limits this fast, the fishing is the best ever. So what happens when someone not familiar with fishing comes along and the catch is not spectacular. The guides sometimes are there worst enemies. Just be upfront about the conditions. Most of us are aware of the situations, however many who takes these guided trips are relative rookies in the game.

My son had a T-ball coach a few years ago , after the first practice we had a meeting . The coach says ... We are not here to win or lose , we're just here to have fun . I knew my son was going to have a miserable time that year . They never did win a game . I can't remember having a great time and losing , except at maybe at a family get together where it really doesn't matter .

I think ultimately it's about catching fish . That's what its all about . This is why all the guides advertise all their limits and how quickly they can catch them . Nobody wants to go on an expensive guided fishing trip just for a good time .

Some buddy's of mine that i work with went on a guided goose hunt in Cameron parish a few years back . To say they had high expectations would be an understatement . That's all we heard about for weeks prior to this goose hunt . Well that weekend came and went and the following Monday rolled around . They were all very quiet . So quiet that I thought that something bad had happened on their goose hunt . Make a long story short , they were charged $700 a gun and didn't kill the first goose !

It's all about the fish capt. Kim . That's why people hire a fishing guide . If they want to be entertained let them hire a comedian ... Just my opinion

I want a personable guide that doesn't treat me like a burden or a one-trip-a-year-joe-joe. If one of my kids are on the boat, I want the trip to be all about the kid. I want him to be punctual and his equipment clean and working. One thing that got to me on one trip I went on, the guide ran the boat at about half throttle everywhere we went, EXCEPT on the way back to the dock. He had it skinned back and was letting it eat! Kinda seemed that he was in a rush to offload us.
Every inshore trip I have been on I let the guide know in advance that I can take care of myself. I do not need someone to tie my baits on (I usually bring my own rods/reels)or take my fish off. If he wants to fish, please fish. All I pay a guide for is his boat and his knowledge of the area. I also bring my own filet knife and help him clean the fish even though they are way better and faster.
Let me ask you Kim, do guides hate when a client tells them that or is it appreciated?

what i expect-
first of all be on time.Getting to a spot early or first sometimes makes the whole trip.

Repect my equipment ( i do not use k-mart specials) each combo is worth over 200).

listen to and try to do what i am telling you to catch more fish.Believe me i want you to catch your fish.It is the little things that make a big difference in catching or not catching.

Do not not get drunk on my boat.you can have a few but there is a big difference when you get drunk.

Let me know if you want to catch the limit or just a few fish and have a good time.

To me it is all about catching a million trout,but not everyone agrees with me.

I like taking kids and women because they usually do not have a chance to go.

anything else?

JB
the more info the better.As long as i know going in or tell me when we are on the boat.

Capt Kim - Can I ask you to be honest? What is proper protocol when it comes to a tip? I'm not talking about an offshore trip where a deckhand is involved, I'm talking about inshore. Here is my thinking. I pay you x-amount of money. That price is the price that YOU set. Do I tip you at the end of the day? Keep in mind that I bring my own rod and reels and I tie my own baits, take off my own fish and help clean those fish. Do I tip you? My entire quandry is you are getting the entire amount for the trip and not paying a deckhand so is a tip expected? I don't mind tipping and have ALWAYS tipped but you are already getting paid to do a job, and quite a bit I might add.
When I pull someone out of their wrecked vehicle, I do not expect a tip, it's my job. When I arrest a drunk that just rear-ended another vehicle, I do not expect a tip from the other vehicle, it's my job.
If this seems like an attack, it really isn't meant to be. I just don't like being told 'Tip is optional' and then feel like I'm obligated to leave one.

I do not expect a tip but one is appreciatted but not necessary.some guides almost demand a tip,not me.

I take my employees on a least one guided trip a year. I've done this for the last several years because when it's right, there's not a better way for a group of guys to have fun. It's all about the fish for them. Me, watching them catch is what it's about. With this said, we've had really good trips and recently some that weren't so good. We've fished from Hopedale all the way to Big Lake usually paying around 650 plus tip on average per trip. The best trip I can remember we fished out of and old boat but very comfortable, plenty bait, appropriate gear, PLENTY FUEL, lots of trout, and a captain that took care of everyone on the boat. He was very personable and spent more time helping those with less experience. He never complained when the rookies got hung up, broke off, or got spooled. He educated them respectfully!!! He cleaned the fish, packed them up, and hung out a little while before we left. That was memorable and he will get return business. Ultimately, that's what it's all about.

JB you sound like a straight up guy . Why would you bring your fishing equipment and tackle and then help clean fish with your fillet knife at the end of the day ? You are paying for a service . That would be like hiring someone to paint your house and you supply the paint and brushes , paint all day , and then help clean the brushes at the end of the day . I could understand if you were fishing with your buddy's and everyone pitches in , but for the guides it's their job , your paying for that .

Drew,
Yea,that is true driving a boat and boat etiquitte is a lost art for sure.most boaters think they can go and do anything and it is ok.

This is going along pretty good.I was mainly trying to see the other side of fence and see what some people come up with.nothing too unusual yet,but i am sure someone will come up with a good one.

Choupic - I bring my own gear because I'm very particular about what I use and generally, I use better equipment then some guides. Not saying their stuff is cheap, just saying my stuff has less miles.
I help clean fish because I can. I have on two seperate trips, told the guide NOT to clean my fish. Both times their boat was really dirty and the captain had another trip the next day. I cleaned the fish so he could clean his boat and get home at a decent hour. I didn't have to but did anyway because the guide made our trip enjoyable and worked his butt off for us.
I wouldn't help someone paint my house because I hate painting and I'm not good at it. I help clean fish because I think it's chicken ____ for me to watch 1 guy filet 75-100 fish while I just stand there.
Let me say that I don't clean fish from an offshore trip as I have no idea how to clean most of those fish nor do i have the equipment to clean them.

JB,
wanna be my deckhand? L.O.L.

Kim - No way!! No how!! Fishing is a hobby. I want it to stay a hobby. I could never do what you or any other guide does. Wouldn't want to fish tournaments professionaly either. Besides, if I'm on a boat and fish are feeding heavy, I be danged if I'm not gonna be one of the people chunking!!!

Drew .... It was just a question to JB , not you . I was just curious and was happy with his answer . I take friends and co-workers fishing almost on a weekly basis . We always seem to have a good time regardless of how many fish we catch, although we normally do pretty good . So in a way I am a guide , just a very cheap one compared to some of the guides advertised on this site . We usually just use my equipment , being not that many people have jig poles for sacalait . And not many people have jugs to fish gar with either , so we just use mine . I realize that type of fish is sub par for some of you guys to eat but that's what we catch . We did catch a lot of speckled trout , croakers and a few jack crevalle after Katrina in Lake Maurepas .

JB if you ever get the itch to catch a few sacalait email me and I'll hook you up . Every now and then we'll limit out but we usually are back home for 11. I'll pay for the gas and you can bring the fillet knife .

Choupic-Man if you've never been a fishing guide or never been on a guided trip your opinion is absolutly useless. You have no clue what your talking about. If you think taking your buddies fishing is anything remotly close to being a guide your dead wrong. You may as well be given your opinion on rocket science.

Flatboat didn't mean to strike a nerve buddy . But I've been taking people fishing and hunting for 20 years . No I don't know anything about rocket science but I do know enough not to have to hire a guide to go catch a few fish . What exactly does a guide job entail ? Put people on fish and have a few laughs in the process ? That's not hard to do , especially if I'm not charging a grand to do it . Y'all say the only reason y'all hire a guide is so you don't have to worry with the little things ... Would the little things be knowing how to catch fish ? I don't see what's so hard about admitting that you not that great of a fisherman , and you need a guide to be able to bring home some fish .

Good luck guys !

gentlemen shall we get back to the question at hand?

choupic-man has his opinion and like it or not it IS a valid opinion. first timers or those that didnt have a first charter yet will have an opinion that you might not agree with or share but its still a valid opinion and lets leave it at that and stop the back and forth over nothing.


to the question this thread is about, i want to add to my earlier post that THE main question i think captains struggle with is what is the amount of fish needing to be caught to satisfy customers?

and IMO the answer is about half of a limit would be the least i think a person could catch and still feel ok about it.

the truth is most people dont have a lot of money and when people pay a lot of money to go on a charter its to learn a new area or learn to be better fishermen from a pro and are looking to learn but they also go with the expectation of catching a guaranteed limit even when one isnt promised. most people look at the huge cost of a charter and decide if i'm paying THAT much for it then they better bring us catch our limits.

If you want to say your a welder , that's fine with me but you wouldn't trully be a welder unless you were drinking coffee and telling jokes in the a/c .. Right ? rnrnI didn't say hiring a guide was a bad thing . Matter of fact if it weren't for guys like you , there would be thousands of guides out of work .rnrnIt doesn't take a rocket scientist to catch a speckled trout or a redfish . Just a little basic know how . I've caught my share of both . The last time we went which was last winter , we limited out on trout before 10 am . The only challenge was driving through new Orleans on the way home . rnrnYou should start a self help group like something for battered women ... Only abused by fishing guides .

Most just want to catch a bunch of fish, but when I hire a guide I'm more interested in fishing tips and fishing patterns. A 'one-shop stop' then in by 8AM *is* fun and easy on the body, but doesn't teach me much. The guided trips where we hit several spots for both reds and trout really paid me back dividends on my own trips. I'm not necessarily interested in spots but learning patterns and techniques for different times of year. But that's just me. Bottom line....ask customer what he wants.

Oh, one more thing. I understand the guide may need to fish at the beginning to help scout that day's pattern and help get the trout in a frenzy. Once that is done, PUT DOWN THE ROD! Some reports are actually padded with the guide's catch.

Me

My son and nephews ... Good times , good times !!

Drew you keep trying to down grade our kind of fishing , and you say it's all about the experience and the good times . In this pic we didn't have a guide or a comedian in the boat . So maybe you should try gar fishing . No frowns here and only cost about 20 bux ....

So all a welder has to do put the ground on and lay the rod in the crack right? Sounds stupid right,but a person that doesn't know any better might think thats it. And as far as people taking a charter because they can't fish thats just about as stupid. Just because I go to a resturant and eat don't mean I can't cook. I bet Frank Davis never stops at Popeyes and gets some fried chicken lol.

I just got back from fishing and started reading this.I told you guys from the beginning NO BASHING.I will delete this post if you continue.

I am really only interested in the boat ride so i can fish.

I want to bring my own sandwiches, my own drinks, ice chests, poles, tackle, gear etc...

I want to take home and clean my own fish.

In my opinion, all the other 'services' provided are unecesary and take away from the fun of fishing. no offense to anyone who enjoys these perks.

If anyone offers a 'bare bones' charter, thats for me. I would expect that to cost well under $800

Things i expect from a guide / trip.
1. That the guide be up front w/ me on the chances that day of catching fish. ( if it's crappy weather offer me the chance to cancel at No charge) I can't control the weather and neither can the guide.
But give me the option to cancel if it's a bad day.
2.Have good equipment ! crappy rods ,reels ,line etc .makes it hard for a good fisherman ,much less a novice.
3. Have your boat in good working condition.
Just because you are a part time guide doesn't mean that you need to have a part time boat.
Mechanical stuff does break and things happen .But if it's maintained the chances of break down are less.
4.Fish enough to find the fish and the pattern for that day and then help your clients catch fish. If everyone is catching and the guide wants to catch his limit for himself or his clients that's okay. IF everyone is catching.
I don't need someone to bait my hook and take my fish off the hook. But if a client does,that is what the guide should be doing.
5. TEACH TEACH TEACH!!! Don't do like one guide and say watch me catch fish ,see how easy it is?
Spend whatever time you have to and make sure that everyone gets to catch some fish.
6.take the time to talk to the client who booked the trip to see what they expect? Do they want a quick limit ? or is it a more of a learning trip where they would like to fish multiple areas and learn something.
7. Maintain a good attitude ! Like someone posted earlier, the client doesn't need to know your problems. What ever you do don't show up drunk or hungover.
8. Enjoy your job, if you are having fun the client(s) will have fun.

RENOLLC,
give me a call and we can talk about your trip.

Thank you Capt Kim for starting this. Alot of good very helpful info both ways here before someone drove it in the ditch!
One message I'll make note of here is that most people would rather the guide to do less fishing, even though I keep none of the fish. That's good to know and something we will talk about at the beginning of my trips.

Capt E
CATCHDAT.COM

Turned out pretty good except for the pissing match...(that i did not want)
Basically everyone may expect something different when they hire a guide..bottom line seems to be make sure you and the guide are on the same page.nothing worse than to have another 'bad guide' bashing post.
Thanks for the input.Good fishing to all .
Capt. Kim

I am no expert, but have used numerous guides myself and booked many trips for friends the last 10 years. The degree of disagreement on what makes a good trip makes this a very good learning experience, if guys will take it for that. I have had only one bad trip, and I blame myself for a portion of it. You can do a search and find a report on it from several years ago. I find my friends cannot agree if the trip was good or bad when they are on the same boat, it all depends on expectations.Here are some recommendations to clients, but guides might pick up a few things to avoid disgruntled clients.
1. Do your research, some guides specialize in specs, some in reds, some all live bait when available, some all plastic, some want numbers, some will trophy fish, etc.etc.
2. Talk to the guide,or e-mail, before the trip. Not the marina or some third party, talk to the guy that is taking you. Let him know what you expect and see how he reacts. From my experience, most guides will let you know what is reasonable and what is not.
3. If you fish a mixed group of experienced and novice fishermen, let the guide know upfront who is the most importent to please.
4. Let the guide know whether you want to trust his best judgement on where and how to fish, or you want to try a specific technique and understand it might not be as effective as his.
5. Let him know before the trip if you want to use your own equipment, rod holders and rod boxes are limited. You cannot expect him to leave his tackle in the back of the truck while you fish.
^.Let him know how you feel about him fishing. Do you want him to fish to help with a quick limit, or to help locate fish? If everyone is catching, and he does his other duties, can he fish or do you not ever want him fishing.
7. Are you interested in a certain area to fish, or trusting his judgement. Do you want to GPS a track in an unfamiliar area? Best ask.
8. You want trophy fish or numbers? Days and techniques vary, but rarely can you have both, sometimes neither.
9. Had you rather fish the rigs/rocks for bull reds all day or catch trout? No use the guide buying $50-$100 in live bait if dead will do.
10. Last, but not least, let the guide know beforehand how hard and long you want to fish. Guides try to read minds, but would prefer if you spoke up pretrip. I fished with a top Venice guide in May, one I have used and booked for others numerous times, and had a good trip. fishing was tough that day and he worked his butt off and really stayed on us to keep chunking. He knew I had caught limits out of my boat the two previous days and really wanted us to catch. Trouble was, it was just one of those days. I thanked him for his hard work when we got in, but another guy on the trip who had never fished with him before said he never wanted to use him again, that he fishes too hard. I should have picked up on that, the guide was just trying to please me and the other two guys were just there to have a good time.
Lots of other ideas, but this is too long now.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you are talking about my comments and you think I'm taking the guides side. You sir are wrong extremely wrong! When I said i respect the guides I do. Most of them anyway. You have stated that you have never taken a charter, then you should have read the post and moved on! Captain Kim asked a specific question and I feel the answers should come from those of us that have used a charter. Your opinion is useless! And I don't know Drew B but for you to pile on him shows your ignorance.
When I said I respect what a guide does I mean every word. There is a big difference in recreational fishing and what they do. I have been on charters from inshore, the gulf, the atlantic and up to the great lakes and yes I have experienced the good and bad. Almost everyone of the Captains were courteous, Professional and all around good guys (one girl). Whenever they pull away from the dock they have the lives of everyone on the boat in their hands and the STRESS of making sure they all have an enjoyable time and return safely. We all have stress but until you put yourself in their shoes you will never understand. I have a boat and fish 2 to 3 times a week but I still love to take charters. There is always something to be learned when you fish with a Professional! If you think you know it all you are wrong. My suggestion to you is get your Captains license and run your own charter business! No didn't think so!

i rather when the guide fishes with us. He knows the spot way better than anyone in the boat. if there are fish there then he will catch. it would suck to leave a good spot because your clients wwrent working it right. Ya know? And you should have known this would turn into a tampon tantrum, happens on a regular basis lol

Edit to my comment, i rather you do fish us, but unless the day is going really bad stick toi catch and release. i like working on my own limit. But like someone said before, all the little details need to be stated and worked out before the trip starts.

And what someone said earlier, im paying for the gas so i wanna hear that 300 Yam scream haha

Tigerdave most of my comments were directed to drewb. I think you are referring to the other thread charter trip catastrophe about taking up for the guide that ripped the guy for $800 .

I want to bring my son on a trip this fall . Pulling a boat through new Orleans is a real headache . If we decide to go captain Kim would be my choice . He seems like a real honest , layed back person who loves to fish . And I would rather fish in his area because we have fished that many of time back in my younger days . The grand isle area is turning into a nightmare with the thieves and toll bridges and price gouging .

But to be honest with you I was mainly messing around with drew on most of my post and didn't mean any harm to anyone . He seems to like to argue and theres nothing wrong with good clean humor . And I have nothing against guides or people who hire guides . I only have a problem with guides who take advantage of people .

Good luck to all ...

Honestly, I don't know what to 'expect' from customers anymore. So this just proves to both sides, that communication is the key to a good trip.

A lot of people say to have nice equipment that is in good working order. I am talking about rod and reels and like Capt. Kim I have expensive equipment. The thing is, some people just don't care. I have had customers say, 'this is why I use the Capt's equipment, so I don't tear up my own'. It is really hard to keep nice equipment when someone is tearing it up. This is something that happens on almost every trip, so I can understand why Capt's don't want to have nice equipment for customers to use. It boils down to being respectful of others.

As a guide, I want my customers to catch all the fish they could dream of, unfortunately, mother nature doesn't always like to play fair. The biggest thing about this is people actually think we can control what we catch and this makes us good guides or not! (This is not just from this post) We cannot make a fish bite a hook, so for the new guys going on charters, try to remember this. Some people do expect to limit and some guides make it seem that it is guaranteed, but trust me, it never is, so you should not expect.

As for me, I would love for customers to bring everything, but for the majority, that is why they are coming, because they don't have what is needed.

I wanted to thank everyone for posting their opinions and Capt. Kim for starting this. It has really made me think from a customers point of view and I will be able to learn from this and apply it to my work.

I expect the guide to know a plethora of old rock and roll songs and to not be afraid to sing duiring a trip. I also expect a Labrador Retriever deckhand to be on board at all times to remove the heads off of the trout as they hit the deck.


RIP Capt. JLT.

I have not been a charter in a while but when I was going on alot of them I settled on 1 Capt because he would teach us how to find fish and figure out the patterns (we were all experienced fishermen). He also had no problem with me bringing a map and showing me different areas to try during different seasons.

Also, do not rush the clients. I had 2 captains, that had the boat loaded and were heading home before we knew what had happened. That left us feeling like he did not want to fish to start.

All inclusive pricing is nice as well.

Went once with JLT. Didn't sing but his dog ate a plethora of fish!

If you can catch drum and sheephead and have happy clients then so be it. Years ago was trout only then red fish took off. My last years before I ret. mosted wanted red fish never though I would see that day when I first started. Could not give them away years ago. Now with bigger boats and gps cell phone and power poles a guides life is a lot better and you can add the elec. power washer. Most important thing for a guide is to be 15min. early so that a client never has to wait for you and have a very clean boat. Starts you off on the right foot.

As a person that has some experience with guides, I appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback. I have fished with guides in Slidell, Lafitte, and Buras. From what I have found, the expections should be adjusted by the location as there are great differences in fishing conditions and techniques depending on the location. However, as for what I expect it is basically the same for all locations as far as service, but the fishing type differs with each location.

#1: I expect a guide to have well maintained and dependable equipment. I prefer to be given a choice of the type of tackle to be used as I prefer to use baitcasting equipment to cast and work soft plastics as is done at the trestles or in the surf but don't mind using spinning equipment when using a cork or tight lining shrimp on the bottom. I expect the guide to be knowledgeable, courteous, and informative to help my party catch fish. I do not expect him to 'look down his nose' at me because he is a better fisherman than me or some member of my party. He should be better or I wouldn't need him.

#2: As to the number of fish, my expectations vary depending on the location and what the guide has advertised. In my limited experience I would expect a much greater number of specs if I was fishing in the Buras area, expect larger size but maybe not as many numbers in the Lake P area, and, depending on the time of year, would not plan on specs at all in Lafitte without a long boat ride. I also realize that they call it fishing and not catching. Some days they just don't cooperate, all I can ask is for the captain to try hard to find them.

#3: I have had the dealings with less than optimum weather on most of my trips. I would appreciate the opportunity to reschedule given bad weather, but don't expect a discount if I make the decision to go out with a bad forecast in hand. As far as breakdowns, look at my expectations for a good guide. I would not expect to pay full price if a failure in the guide's equipment caused the trip to be cut short. The amount I would expect to pay would entirely depend on the affect that the problem had on the trip.

#4: As far as a fair price, that depends on what is provided. I do not have a problem with providing my own food and drinks. However, I do not want to have unquantified costs when I get there. I want the quoted cost to cover all fishing related items such as boat, fuel, oil, sufficient quantities of bait (artificial, live or dead), a choice of good tackle, ice for fish while in the boat, and cleaning/packaging of fish. On the bait, I have been before where the captain ran out of jig heads while we were out on the water far from the launch. We were fishing plastics over oyster beds so some breakoffs were to be expected. As far as the tackle, yes I can use my own stuff if I prefer, but I do not as I live 5 - 7 hours away from the fishing locations and do not want the trouble of having to haul my equipment, subjecting it to possible damage. I treat the captains equipment as well if not better than I treat my own. The same goes for fish cleaning, I don't want to have to bother with it although I am perfectly willing to clean my catch when fishing on my own. I usually have to make a long drive after fishing, and would prefer to use the time it would take to clean the fish in preparing or resting for the trip, not cleaning fish. Another reason I do not want to clean them is that I do not have access to a good location to do the cleaning while most reputable guides are set up to do it. I have only been with one that did not include cleaning in his price. He did offer to do it as an extra cost on his website, but did not appear to actually want to do it when I mentioned it. Needless to say, he won't be bothered with my business again. I would prefer a set cost for added fisherman in the boat. I understand paying the same amount for 1 or 2 people as well as a added amount for additional people. I don't understand adding $50 for a 3rd person then $100 or more for the 4th. If the 4th person can be accommodated in the boat, then that person should be no more expensive than the 3rd one. If the 4th makes an added boat necessary, then I would expect to pay 2 full trip prices. That being said, the cost $450 - $600 range is acceptable as long as the fuel/oil are included. I will not book a guide that does not cover these costs in his price as there is no way to know if the fuel I paid for is used on my trip or if only some is used mine with the remainder used for someone else to have a boat ride.

I hope this helps!!! I have had no real problems with the guides I have used. Just like in everything, some were better than others.

I have fished with guides and the ones that i liked the best was nice and had VERY good boat etiquitte,lots of ice and drinks.One guide took my best freinds son (8)and helped him cast his pole and put him on some very good reds.WE just set in the back of the boat and watch! Best time i ever had! As far as numbers go we as fishermen know not every day will have big numbers.Just reminber not all people are fishermen and you should advise everyone that we will TRY to catch fish and lets go have a GREAT TIME!

I think there are a lot of people that would go for a trip like that. Let's say you bring all of your own stuff -- the only thing the guide provides is the boat and the spot to fish. Just get me there and point where to cast. How much would a trip like that cost?

How much cheaper do you think a 'bare bones charter' should be?I charge 650 for 4 people,ice,fuel,300 live shrimp,tackle,fish cleaning.

I really have no idea I was just asking.

Hell I'd even help you clean the boat :)

Kim - This is just a guess so I could be WAY off but if I bring my equipment (after you tell me what baits I should expect to use), I bring all my drinks/food, buy ice and buy shrimp (if available or needed) I would expect to pay no more than 350-400 bucks. And that is on the high side. If the only thing you provide is the boat, gas and spot, I think $350 is more than fair. When I used to fish Grande Isle regulalry, live bait, ice and fuel was never more than $150. Am I way off base? If I am I hope I didn't offend you, it was not my intention.

JB,
350-400 for how many people?

That would be 3. Unless you supply a 30 foot boat, I wouldn't want any more than 3 fishing. Do I need to call a shrink?

Fuel will run from 20 gal min for a one stop shop 40+ gal if he needs to hunt, so $100 + average? You expect to fish from insured well maintained and well equipped $60,000+ boat. And a fare days wage for the captain, that's cutting pretty close?

jb,
I am just trying to analyze this to see if it works.This is how i roll.For 3 people would need 200-250 live shrimp(70-90bucks),ice($4)=(75-95).I pay for fuel.so you pay for your food etc..,bait,ice,you clean the fish and give me 350-400 dollars .Is this what you are talking about?

If we burn 40 gallons of gas, we wouldn't be doing much fishing. Let's split the difference and say we burn 30 galloons of gas. I will even over-estiamte the price of fuel at $4/gallon. That totals $120. If we pay $350-$400 that leaves the Captain clearing $230-$280. Now, let's say the trip starts at 6 am and we fish until 2 pm. He has zero fish to clean, no tackle to re-rig or baits to replace. All he has to do is clean his boat. Let's say it takes him 2 hours which again is an exageration. That is 10 total hours which comes to $23-$28 an hour. Is that really that far off the mark?

Kim - That $350-$400 is you only providing the boat and fuel. I buy bait, ice, all tackle and all drinks and food. I would even bring enough drinks and food for you as well. Like I said, the only thing you will be responsible for is boat, fuel and spot.
I hope I'm not making you mad or coming across as trying to Jew you down (can I say that?). I'm actually at this moment trying to find 2 other people to book a trip this fall and you are on the top of my list to call. And I'm not talking about a bare bones trip.

This is just a discussion,no problem.
3 weeks ago i was running for an hour and catching 100-125 trout in 2hours or less and burning 30-35 gal of gas.so burning that about of fuel does not mean your are not catching fish.
Now i am still catching fish in less than 2 hours(8-8:30am) and in your sanario you want to fish till 1-2pm.you will be fighting thunderstorms and heat after 9am.Plus the trout bite would be over by then(9-10am most days).I am just trying to figure out how much money YOU are saving by this.No problem just a discussion,explain.fishing in the FALL is adifferent situation.

Kim - My saltwater experience comes from Grande Isle/Fourchon. My only knowledge of Delacroix is bass fishing and it's very limited. I didn't realize that 1 hour plus runs are that common. Personally, I'd never request a bare bones trip. If I'm gonna spend $200, I will spend $300 and get the full experience.
In the fall do you still have live bait? I'm trying to get my dad and brother to come with me. We all are very experienced fishermen. My dad used to have a 22 foot Triton bay boat but sold it because saltwater fishing was getting too expensive and he only fished Grande Isle. Doing that meant at least a 2 day trip. Gas for 2 days, bait and ice for 2 days and a room on the island for 2 days means mega $$$$$. He bought a bass boat and hasn't looked back since. We have been talking about going but would rather go somewhere where we can drive that morning then drive home after the trip. That rules out Venice and Grande Isle is kinda hit or miss, especially in the fall.

that was the point i was trying to see ,what were YOU saving= not much.thanks for the input.live bait until the end of december.

It's been a while since a took a charter out, mainly because of school, but i used to go a lot. The last one i went on was a disaster (forgot the captain's name, it was out of dularge). Long story short, some guys from BAton Rouge scheduled a charter and someone backed out, we had a mutual friend and my name got thrown in so i went. One of the guys brought and hid his GPS and marked the first couple of spots. Needless to say after the first few spots im assuming the captain figured it out, and we ended up leaving a fairly productive spot. The next few spots were nothing but hard heads, rays, and small drum. Then the CAp called it a day and we returned to the launch with not much to show for it.

Was it coincidence or is the GPS frowned upon? i think its kind of messed up to do, but i always wondered since that trip, if thats why the fishing went bad quick.

I have had several guides tell me if they see a GPS, the trip is over. I don't blame them one bit...

I think the guides charging 5-600 dollars for a day of fishing is very fair. Hell I only run a small bayboat and my trips easily exceed 100-150 when you factor in live bait. I think anyone charging 300-400 dollars for a trip wont be in business too long. As far as the GPS, you should ask the captain up front about bringing one aboard (most probably wont care), because most dont fish spots but fish conditions, its just not right to sneak one on a trip.

i dont think so,

hell im just joe shmo but if i tell a few people where i caught fish, the next time i go its got 6 boats in my spot.

how can a charter captain make a living if he doesnt keep (some) locations on the down low?

if you remember how to get there then thats fine he cant control that but definately dont be marking his spots with gps, thats just wrong.

everyone always says its just me and my guys so how can our one boat matter if we know his spot but all it takes is one idiot passing the gps info on or worse posting it on a forum and he can cause a captain to have several bad trips and unhappy customers until he finds new spots. these guys cant be hit or miss, they HAVE TO produce limits of fish EVERY day so there spots need to be large sustained populations of fish to support the constant daily pressure put on them. its not like you where if you find a spot holding 100 trout your happy, for them thats not worth thier time to fish it.

do you always limit out or close to it when you go fishing? so how would you feel if someone was telling others all your best favorite spots and when you went fishing you couldnt get to them from the crowd or some idiots were there scaring the fish away?

Great comments and feedback for the most part. I'm sure that being a guide is a tough and sometimes thankless job. I have been on guided trips and for the most part, very enjoyable even if we did not load the boat...that's the nature of fishing (I'm a fisheries biologist and have fished for years in the Gulf both inshore and offshore.)

What I expect is to have an enjoyable time even if not loading the boat and expect to have the captain do his best to provide his expertise and experience for this enjoyable time. That is what we are paying for anyway...time on the water and the guide's expertise and experience. I friendloy demeanor is also always good.

Personally, I would hope that if we limited out on, say, specks early, I would want to captain to suggest that we now target another species like reds or maybe flounder and not hurry to go in and do whatever like maybe having an afternoon charter or whatever, etc. I pay for a days worth of fishing and that is what I expect...a days worth of fishing.

I went on an offshore charter with one captain years ago and had a good trip catching many tuna, wahoo, etc...good trip and came in after a DAYS WORTH OF FISHING. So we chartered him again. This next trip we didn't do so well...That's OK, that's thae nature of fishing. But come about 11 am, he told us 'OK guys, lines up, we're going in.' We asked him 'What's up?' and he told us 'Well, we were not catching many fish and besides, I have to get the boat ready for tomorrow's charter I have for the Greater New Orleans Big Game Fishiing Club's tournament'. I can't tell you how p***ed off I was at this guy who is one of the charter captains that have been there the longest out of Venice (MF you know who you are!).

Anyway, I just want what I pay for...a nice 'time'.

Think about it this way with the GPS. You find a spot that is unknown to anyone else and you HAMMER the fish there consistiently. You bring a buddy and wear them out. He tells 1 person. That 1 person brings 2 people to that spot and they hammer them. Each of those 2 people tell 1 person and on and on. That is human nature. When we do well fishing, we have to tell our buddies. We can't help it.

Well i have a condition that is brought on by a limit of trout.When i get back to the dock i forgot where i caught them ,but by 3:30am the next day i remember again.

'trying to Jew you down (can I say that?)'

you can, but you might want to consider what you're saying. Sort of racist if you ask me.

It's only racist if people reading it want it to be racist. It's intent was not to be racist at all. It's just a saying...

Lets get back on track,get over it.