Thread: How is legal to be a Crappie/Bass Guide?

Originally Posted by dwightparks

I would not have the success I have today if I had not taken a couple of guide trips years back not to mention the friendship's I am blessed with. I learned boat setup-colors-water temp variables-fish habits. Keep in mind all guides are not the same. I feel I have been given knowledge I would have never learned on my own. A good guide will try to teach and give you a few pointers to help your next trip. My only regret is I didn't hire one sooner. Between the guides and crappie.com I am a better fisherman. When you figure what a guide has in equipment- gas-boat-electronics as they furnish everything it in my opinion is a very good deal. I have even considered selling my boat and just using a guide. For people who don't have a boat this is a luxury for them

Agree 100%,between guides and crappie.com I have learnt alot

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Originally Posted by mrdux

My guide license lists "Resident Commercial Guide License". It allows me to take clients fishing for pay. It doesn't allow me to fish, I have to buy a state of KY fishing license to do that. I will lose my license if I am convicted of any fish/game violation for 3 years. I can't take fish ABOVE the creel limit of my clients. In other words, if my clients limit out, the boat is done. I get some who say we can take our limit then catch yours. BIG NO NO!! On any water that is navigable from the Mississippi River, a guide MUST have an OUPV/Six Pack Coast Guard license. That can add another $2000 to the kitty.

Commercial fishermen are allowed to sell their catch as long as it is not game fish. They don't have to buy a guide license. All I can sell is my time.


I think we all have been cooped up too long.

Doug,

I was going to bring up this exact point. Many people think that when going out on the water with a guide, the limit is of the boat! The problem is that they could not be further from the truth. Back in the late 90's and early 2000's, you could only keep 5 Salmonoid species but no more than 3 of any one species per person. Many thought if the captain had 3 on board plus himself, they could have a maximum of 12 King salmon. This was incorrect.

It becomes a slipperly slope when they are jigging. Take walleye for example. A guide has 4 people on board plus himself. Everyone is jigging (including the captain). Although the law states you can only keep 5 fish per person, everyone continues to jig until they reach the 20 fish limit. The guide on the other hand is not supposed to count ANY of his fish towards that limit. Technically, once you start hitting 15 or 16 fish, someone should be done fishing (limited out) but it is such a hard law to control that they simply allow "party fishing" to occur. Much different topic but....

Originally Posted by pescador

Quoted from fishing guide Roger Campell . "A fishing guide is a fishing junky that takes others with him to pay for his habit."

This... I deer hunted with a couple guides in Western KY that used their guide money to pay the duck lease. They were waterfowl junkies!

Several local guides in this area guide to fund their tournaments.

Back in the day when I was guiding you had to have a "letter of recommendation " frown a warden

A little easier now and Doug, I'm the guilty party that got the fee raised from $10 to$100