Guiding the Miss.

To all the guides out there, i guess a’m ignorant to the amount that goes on in this area, but can an individual “make a living” doing it around here? What make’s up your client base, multi-spieces? Kicking the idea around a bit and was interested in feedback.

Jimmy…I don’t think you could make a living guiding around here.If you have a very lenient job it works out great..I mainly guide for bass but I did a bunch of multi-species trip also..for example fish smallies an largemouth in the morning then do some trollin for walleyes for the rest of the day…Whats nice about that is if ones not goin you got the other to fall back on…But bass was by far more popular than walleyes….There’s just somethin about watchin them hit top-water that the people can’t get enough of…I ran over 25 guide trips last spring an summer with about a 1/3 of them multi-species..Maybe some of the walleye guides with chime in…I know they are by far way busier then us bass guys..Dustin,Jarrad an James are all very busy in the spring because of pool 4 being a world class walleye an sauger fishery…

Hey Denny,

Things gettin to ya at work or somthing?

Later,

Skeet

Champman- Sign me up- Ill be your first client. Not sure how much of a demand there is for full time guides, but it wouldnt be a bad way to pass a few months would it.

curious i guess, because i had an individual approach me and ask why i’m “not” guiding out here, and because he thought that there’s a huge market here for that. I was just trying to “see” this market to where it comes from and where to market it. Bottom line is that I want to switch over to the everstarts/flw and possibly the BASS side of things- and what to do on the “off” cycles.

OH, and skeet- right on target!

Jimmy,

I have never guided, for money, but I have spent money on

a few. I know they need better guides in Texas! Have you

considered a winter southern guide, and summer northern

guide approach? With your tournament experience, I am

sure you could build a client base down there, when

the ice locks us in up here. That would give you a

chance to stay current on a few southern fisheries, too.

From the guides I have used, and talked to about guiding,

(the thought has crossed my mind too), unless you get into

some kind of ice fishing guiding, and/or hunting guiding,

the off season can get pretty tight money wise. I use to

talk with one guide that worked the Vilas County area

starting in May, through September, and then drove to

Florida, and guided in the Keys, and Everglades from

October, to April. He seemed to be doing all right

money wise, and from the sweet young thing that answered

his phone, he had a woman in ever port(grin). She was

a big reason I had these thoughts running through my

mind

I once guided a Father and two sons, as a favor, and

after that experience, I decided that I was not ready

for that level of frustration. It was the age old

guiding problem of the client wanting to do what the

client wanted to do, regardless of the guide’s suggestions.

Then when the trip, catering to the know-it-all client,

turned out to be less than spectacular, the client was

not happy. During the hard headed client fishing time,

I did pick up a rod, and put two real fast fish in the

boat, just to show them what my suggestions might provide.

So then one of the sons starts working on the hard headed

old man to get him to listen to the guide. So right after

the wind goes NW, and the skies go high, the hard head

says, “OK let’s try your way”. My reply was, “Sorry that

bite has passed, and your time is up!”. I knew right

then that I was not cut out to be a guide. My hat is

off to those that have the right stuff to handle the

bad apples mixed in with the bigger batch of good folks.

Me, I have to fight off the powerful urge to pull a hole

shot with them standing on the back deck.

Big Bass Bane