A Question For Guides

So a buddy of mine was telling me his horror story last night. He asked if I had ever heard of this happening, i said no but I could ask around. He was wondering if he did everything right.

Paraphrasing from what he told me...

He met a guy at the ramp for a pre-paid day trip. The guy reeked of marijuana, but the guide held his tongue and figured it was no worse than a guy showing up after a night of drinking. So they went on out and caught some fish. On the way back in, the DNR was at the ramp with lights flashing, stopping boats for routine safety inspection. Im sure you have already figured out where this is going.
They got to his boat and the first question was the obvious, any drugs on board (warden smelled it too). Capt said no, customer said no. Warden asks if yall are sure, and if the client minded stepping out of the boat and emptying pockets. My buddy is sweating bullets because he thinks this guy is about to go to jail or cause a huge scene, but the guy says sure thing and hops off. He is all clear.
Then the warden asks the capt is there any drugs on board, he of course says no. Now im sure you have figured out exactly where this is now headed... The warden asked if he could quickly search the boat, the guide knowing he cannot say no due to being a commercial boat says go ahead. First compartment he opens in the back by where the guy was sitting has a bag of weed, papers, couple pre-made joints, and a small tin with a bag of meth.

Both capt and client are cuffed and interrogated, drug dog from PD comes and the rest of the boat is clear. As you can tell, the client hid it when he saw the flashing lights at the ramp. Eventually my buddy (capt) was let go, after it was made pretty clear what had happened and the wardens found out the client had priors for drugs and a warrant.

So what do you guys think? Just a crappy situation or did my buddy do something wrong? Should he have refused the trip because the guy smelled like he had been using? I pointed out that it might have been a bad situation if he had refused service, and the client might have thought it was a racial thing and you do not want your business associated with that these days!! Should he have made it clear, no drugs allowed on the boat? Again what if the guy though he was profiling him?

He told me that he is going to have a piece of paper printed and laminated saying no alcohol, drugs, tobacco, and the safety rules of the boat, so he can hand that to each person and have them read it. I said it probably won't help a situation like this, but a good idea to do it anyways.



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It should have been no problem to ask the guy if he had any weed on him (since he was smelling like it) and to politely ask to leave it in the vehicle before heading out. It’s your business, maybe have them sign some kind of waiver beforehand that has a clause about no drugs or alcohol on board to cover yourself in a situation like that.

Now the meth….that’s a whole nother thing. Wow is all I can say.


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Attachment 449770

Seems like locked compartments would be a good idea. Leave one unlocked for customer use. Could have went a lot worse.

Thank goodness the DNR was reasonable. I agree it could have been worse. And I don't think the captain did anything wrong. His sign and instructions is a good idea.

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I've taken clients I caught drinking on my boat straight back to the marina...no refunds. My website says no non-prescription drugs or alcohol. I had a guy last year try me on it and asked if he could smoke a prescription joint. I said absolutely not. I told him I could take him to the dock and drop him off where he could smoke all he wanted and I didn't have to deal with him under the influence. His buddies told him to shut up and fish!

I've always said if I was ever pulled over ANYWHERE and accused of drugs or drunkenness, I would demand to be taken to the nearest hospital for a blood test.

Many states don't even require a guide to be licensed. I'm required in KY to be state licensed with a background check required each year PLUS I must have a USCG OUPV "six pack" credential because I fish part of the Inland Waterways. For that I must have special hearing test, special drug screening, boater safety, first aid and rescue training, and a TWIC card that requires a THOROUGH GOVERNMENT BACKGROUND CHECK and one of the hardest classes and tests I ever took. My KY guide license will be revoked if I am convicted of a fish or game violation.

I don't want or need any crap in my boat.

The guide should have learned a lesson from this but I agree, he personally did nothing wrong. I'm not going to inspect personal items brought on my boat. I respect my clients until given a reason not to.

Wow man that’s all wrong for the guide, he’s just trying to make a living.

I was in the truck with a retired federal agent at the time I replied to this. He said it was no different than him hiding his stash in a clothing rack in Walmart. The owner of the business is afforded some lead way to prosecution

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Scary story for someone trying to make a living. A strict policy is the way to go these days.
Bob

Takes all kinds in this brave new world we live in, it isn’t unusual to smell that smell , but the meth thing is past bad about 47 miles.
Probably need to have waivers ready and the right to refuse service if they appear to be under the influence.
Drunk or drugged up is a major liability issue and generally a pain in the you know what to deal with as well.
Belligerent people under the influence can be seriously dangerous too.
What a nightmare story , just wow …:banghead

Most of the guides up here if you smell like alcohol or anything else you are not going period and no refund.