Thread: Need Opinions on Guiding

Originally Posted by gcromer

I might add this, I don't think anyone has said anything about it but I've been known to miss it, but you might want to look at what insurance is going to cost you and I think that you'd need all kinds of it to.

Absolutely. I will not do it without insurance. Need marine liability insurance from what I've seen.

Personal liability too (and ALOT of it too)....there's ALOT of folks out there ready to sue nowadays. (maybe the same thing youre talking about...not sure.)

The only thing I have to add is....just an observation I have made on the Lake and on the parking lot and Marina.When a lake is hot for a few years I would see a lot of Guide services trucks in the parking lot and boats on the water.When a lake has been on a down swing for a while you see fewer of them on the lot and the lake. There are some still around...but business has to fall off. Of course you have less competition then,but all but the most hardcore lose interest in fishing a water that's not doing good. If its a flood control lake....flooding can put you down for a good while.

If something eats at you too bad sometimes you have to do it to get it out of your system. I would never like to guide...other than just taking a friend along once in a while,I like to fish and hunt to much myself to mess with someone else. I have only had a couple guys in my life I would spend a day in a boat with and enjoy it.

I have a good friend that is a guide down at Lake Marion/Moultrie. He is a retired biologist from DNR and really knows his stuff about fish. He does not need the guide money to survive since he is retired. He, along with a good many others were doing really good down there back about 10 years ago. Then all of a sudden the fishing fell off, then the economy went south. Then the economy went south, then the economy went south....There are a limited number of people that will pay to fish Lake Wateree. I do not see the demand from this area to support your business on Wateree. It does not offer great Striper fishing (big fish), it does not offer Hybrid fishing nor is it large enough to really have consistent crappie fishing if you are planning to take your clients to the same brush piles every week....If you decide to do this, I wish you well but I would consider having multiple lakes in the area and good luck with finding consistent clients that will support at least 4 days per week fishing which most likely would just break even with profits coming the fifth and sixth days....

Rush Guide service is who I use on Santee.
He fishes Warren as well.
Call Buster and talk to him about it. He's a great guy and I'm sure he would be willing to share information with you on guiding.

I second the 22' bay boat.

Its what my dad and I both run.

Plenty of room to fish 4 and runs 45 if you have to.

Nothing like having 4 clients on board with a storm coming at you 35 mph in a toon that only runs 25 mph...

Keeping it simple is the best way to get youngsters and older maybe a little less experienced anglers to catch fish.

I fish live shad almost exclusively, 6 rods out the back if up river, 6 rods straight down if in the main body.

I do all the casting up river, I can't imagine having 4 people launching lures all around me....

smooth lures, honest opinion here:

Definitely give it a try, but think at the big picture? who is your clientele going to be? I am set up to guide on multiple lakes (Norman, Wylie, Mt island, Badin and yes Wateree), and basically plan to do it to break even on costs, ect. I now even have a slip i can keep my boat full time on Norman. What i have going for me is location: Big city charlotte, huntersville, mooresville, statesville, Concord, Kannapolis will draw people to fish these local waters.

Lake wateree is located between a rock and a hard spot. Columbia being the closest Metropolitan city, most from there in my opinion will go to Murray. Wateree just wont draw the people in. It never hurts to try, but in my honest opinion it will not be a get rich and fish at least 3 times a week body of water.