I’m done entertaining on my boat…

Guides are a special breed of people. I don’t believe I could be one. Although they are being paid to direct you to fish they still can’t make them bite. And dealing with some of the personalities out there makes them saints. I’m sure they get folks on all ends of the spectrum. A couple of us hire guides a couple of times a year and make sure they have as much fun as we do. We know they have a tough job.

As for a beer or two, not a problem, however beyond that I expect folks to be wearing a pfd so that if and when they fall in I don’t have to dive in after them or look for a body. If they are really bad I can hold them under with a paddle.

I tend to end up fishing alone mainly because I take my fishing seriously and spend a lot of time on the water regardless of if the fish are biting or not and I enjoy it that way. I tend to shy away from inviting people to fish with me because I’m not sure what to expect. I’d enjoy sharing as many of my fishing trips as possible with almost anyone just to have company. Yes, that is an invitation. Life it too short for one person (myself and each of you) to learn all there is to learn about our favorite fish.

An exception is taking out young kids or young adults that have never fished. It is real easy to impress them and hook (pun intended) them on fishing. Their expectations are much lower and they often have more fun playing with all the colored plastics and a fish or two in the live well can keep them busy for hours.

As has already been tossed out I don’t ask or expect any payment since I was going anyway and if the other person has fun that is payment enough. On the flip side if I go out in someone else’s boat I generally feel obligated to at least offer launch fees, gas money, or buy the bait.

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show up late and you don’t come back. Ask to leave early and you better have a treble hook deeply embedded somewhere or be sporting a severed limb in the cooler.

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Now there is something I think we all agree on!

On the topic of Beer. I’d rather have a case of it spilled on the carpet than one can of Mountain Dew!

-J.

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ALOT of the time people that rarely get out overcompensate when they finally do. Honestly in my experience you just have to exlude them.

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So? You bringing the beer tonight?

I have to say for not having my own boat and being a pretty serious, not too intense, just serious fisherman, I rely heavily on my friends and “new friends” from here to get out. Depending on the body of water if I have fished before and had success I will share the spots and techniques and I will always bring bait, offer gas money, get the launch pass (if need be), and what I feel is right, most of the time I might give more then most or more then I possibly should but then again; it’s not my truck, boat, insurance, gas, payments, and ect….so to get out I find it fair to help out or at least to offer as much as possible.

Also, when I do get out with others, I help by setting the anchor, throwing the drift sock, help with anything else that may be needed and one pet peeve of mine is if someone in the boat gets snagged up or has a fish on or gets tangled up or there is boat issues, for god sakes reel up and help….just my .02

oh yeah anyone have an open seat

I’ve found this thread very interesting. There seem to be examples of both extremes here.

Until last fall, I was boatless. I relied on friends and was always willing to help as much as I could (setting anchors, launching and loading, bringing bait, chipping in for gas). When one doesn’t own a boat, it’s easy to forget the costs associated with them. I think I only rarely offered up cash, but I had no problem chipping in.

I now have a boat. I do enjoy fishing alone or with my dog (a Great Dane eliminates much possibility of anyone else being in the boat with me), but I like to share the boat with others, at times, too. Since I fish alone, I can handle the duties of boating alone, but it is nice to get some help when someone else is with. I like my beer, but I don’t like to drink and boat, and especially not on river at night. If a passenger wants to have a few, I am fine with that, but keep it reasonable. Like a few have mentioned, cost isn’t a big factor to me because I am going fishing regardless–doesn’t matter if someone else is with me. I’m not going to ask for gas money, but I certainly won’t turn down a goodwill offering, and it will likely get you a seat again.

I enjoy taking out guys that don’t have boats because I was in that situation for a long time, and I know how much I appreciated it when offered a seat. It never hurts to ask a guy for a spot in his boat. In my experiences, the answer is usually yes.

all of my friends have boats, they have all fished out of my boat, i have never fished out of a lot of there boats.
and my wife can not understand why i doen’t want any friends.

seriously, if a buddy calls and wants to go fishing i will offer to take my boat, (bigger, more room) and i ask nothing in return although most will offer to bring bait, beverage , what ever.
however if i call someone to go fishing that means i already have a plan of where i’m going and how i am going to fish do not sit in the back of my boat and tell me “go here, go there” i’m open to suggestion but no means no.
i am not a hard core fisherman, i just like to get out on the water, any fish caught is just a bonus. i’ve been known to anchor in 30 fow and fish with a bobber set at 5 ft deep, it pretty much assures i will not be bothered by fish

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I’m just the opposite. Bring your dog, beer, wife whatever. Just don’t show up late!!!

BTW, I never ask for any money. Never even crosses my mind. I never offer it either. Guess I need to reconsider that part.

-J.

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Jon, I’ll bring my wife, dog, and beer, and even show up a half hour early. As long as we can fish a remote lake, with a few islands, of which to chose one to leave my wife on!

Slack I by no means drive from the back seat but usually have an idea as in my experience converstation usually turns to (if it isn’t happening) what should we try next…

I just got a boat that I can call “just mine”. I have two types of friends that like to fish. The ones who know what they are doing and the ones who have no clue. Like my buddy who shows up with an ultra light to fish Northren and Eyes with line tangled up in blue. He has no tackle, line that is older than both us combined and shorts and a long sleeved t-shirt on a 40 degree day. He does have a few brews ready to go though. That is a tough day where I am the guide. Bless his heart. My buddies that know how to fish are the best to go with. Long days, no complaining, share spots, rig yourself up, blah blah blah. Same goes for ice fishing but seems open water draws more attention. Go figure.

Wow, I was surprised to see all the reply’s. Good stuff.

Don’t get me wrong, people and beer are welcome in my boat and I’m pretty mellow, just a little respect next time. This wasn’t directed at anyone here.

First off only had one real bad experince, and they were friends of friends, never again will that happen.

Generally speaking my boat is alcohol free, but with responsible friends and family I wouldn’t put up a stink as long as it’s for refreshments sake, not entertainments sake, never had any issues. I don’t for say have rules that I have to explain I have good family and friends, so I don’t have to voice such things.

I’ve fished with a lot of people, I always had a great time, I always offer money and or assistance in anyway, rarely do I get taken up on the offer, but I don’t think higher or lower than others which ever they choose, I think its a respect issue, and I want to respect those that take me fishing from time to time too. I also know what it takes and costs to run a boat, so I don’t expect someone to foot the tab. Generally speaking I try and trade a trip back with someone, we may take their boat one day, mine another, doesn’t much matter to me, I’m about the fishing.

Generally speaking if I going out, I’m going out due to my schedule and such, I don’t always get prime times that others can join me, I’m just happy enough to have company on occasion. I have a good system down as most people do, I don’t want nor need much if any help, and for those I’ve fished with I find this to be their case too, at most I back the trailer up and pull it out, I can do that, that help is almost always taken, not that one couldn’t do that alone too. I just try to leave people do their thing, seems like when someone helps me I forget things, so I prefer to do it myself.

I guess I’m lucky, I always seem to have a good time on the water, but I don’t think that it by accident, it’s by design.

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It has begun, got my first email just last nite from a neighbor to take her “baby boy’ fishing with me.

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C’mon Jerr, don’t lie….sounded to me like you had a great time!!

WADE74,
by no means was i making any pearsonal implications, your post just happen to be on the bottom. looking back now i can see the misunderstanding i created. sorry.
my thought was i do have a friend i USE to fish with that did that all the time.

C’mon Jerr, don’t lie….sounded to me like you had a great time!!
Should have seen the bribe I got to take your sorry fanny out for the day jerr

Interesting to read all the opinions

I really liked the acknowledgement of guides having all extremes and being a saint – Thank You!

I was disqualified at a tournament because of an empty beer can in my boat. I was second place until the DQ Yep, I’m still bitter about it because i didn’t know it was in my boat, never consumed it, and my non-boater reported it as I drank it.

Had a drunk guy fall in my boat and scared the hell out of me. Thought I was getting sued for that.

I never had a good experience with anyone that drank beer all day. Somewhere between beer #1 and running out, they loose interest in trying and thats not my style. I have a goal to learn something everyday I am out. Regardless if I’m trapping, fishing, or hunting. It all comes down to expectations. If you expect to cruise around a lake and drink, then so be it. I want to learn and teach what I know. I ask people in my boat to be respectful of that. If they refuse, I refuse to take them.

Good post, Randy.

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Somewhere between beer #1 and running out, they loose interest in trying and thats not my style.

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Exactly, especially when I’m planning on being out way after dark fishing for cats and they are done after sunset.

I made this post after a BS trip out over a couple of nights. I figured out how much I spent, how little fishing got done, and looking at the scratches in my boat that I didn’t do…things will be different from now on. Partially my fault for letting it happen, but it was a lesson that won’t happen again.

This last week I hit the St. Croix alone…Wow what a difference, so relaxing! I had a blast even though I didn’t catch what I was after.