quote:Larry , funny you should say this . I have seen you offer to fix peoples boats etcc for free or just materials ,
Yes, I’ve fixed a few people boats on here for free. I’ve reached the point in life where I don’t have to make a living anymore, my living is made and in the bank and I enjoy helping people when I can, and I enjoy the work. But I struggled many years in the charter business and didn’t make much money doing that. It’s the hardest way in the world to make minimum wage. I’ve walked in those shoes.
Personally if I’m new to an area or a particular type of fishing,I hire a guide.Shortens the learning curve greatly.I feel like I am paying the guide for his knowledge and hopefully I learn in the process.As long as the guide is professional and courteous I’m happy.Nobody can guarantee fish.I’ve fished with a “world famous guide” out of Miami and we caught tons of fish,but he was such an A-Hole that I felt like the fee wasn’t worth it.He once made the comment "that I try so hard to catch fish that I forget to be nice."That’s not something you should have to think about.
HAHAHA im proud of you guys for taking it easy on this fella, I was expecting a blood bath. Glad you guys did not get to burned up, some folks don’t go enough or spend enough time with everything involved to know or understand, plain and simplte
Larry definitely does stuff for free. He repaired a hole on the deck of my boat a while back. After offering, I drove an hour and a half to go because I wanted to meet such a man. He did a wonderful job and would not accept payment. More important than the repair, I feel like I made a friend. I wish there was a way to repay him but, in lieu of paying him, I have tried to pay it forward by helping someone else. Just last week, ADIDAF sent me a kayak seat cushion and refused payment. I will do my best to pay that forward as well. There are some remarkable folks here on CF. Sorry, did not mean to derail the thread. I agree with most others here. If you find what a guide charges too much, don’t do it. MY fishing skills are so poor, I’m contemplating a trip for me and my sons.
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”, but really, who cares?
Okay, so I understand that there are obviously costs associated with running inshore fishing charters, but what I’m gathering is that it is alright to charge “Johnny Ohio” $400 to catch whiting and a few spottails because he does not have them available to him in his own backyard. I wonder, if the majority of this business was sustained by local clientele as opposed to tourists, would it still be justifiable to charge these rates? At what point does this become tourism exploitation on a shameless level? And lets be honest, whoever claims that they spend 8-10 hours preparing for a charter is full of it. I’m sorry, but it does not take 2 hours to walk your fishing rods out to the boat. It simply does not. Ice? Bait? These are relatively small expenses against a $400 charter and obtained relative quickly and easily, and then a tip is expected (to be fair, not always provided)on top of this… And “changing people’s lives,” Seriously? How? By screwing them out of $400? What are you from Nigeria?
Honestly, it seems to me like $400 is more than a little pricey for a half day of inshore fishing. Just curious to know where some of you other guys stand on this. I mean, it’s not like a lot of fuel is burned running to Castle Pickney and back or dock-knocking in the creeks, nor is catching a few spottail and trout what I would consider the trip of a lifetime. Is this cost appropriate for the quality of the trip that is being delivered by most guides in our inshore waters? Maybe there are many other expenses that I am not considering, but it just seems like a bit much. I know guys are trying to make a living, but come on. Thoughts?
Edited by - StrikePosition on 06/18/2016 5:21:09 PM
Okay, so I understand that there are obviously costs associated with running inshore fishing charters, but what I’m gathering is that it is alright to charge “Johnny Ohio” $400 to catch whiting and a few spottails because he does not have them available to him in his own backyard. I wonder, if the majority of this business was sustained by local clientele as opposed to tourists, would it still be justifiable to charge these rates? At what point does this become tourism exploitation on a shameless level? And lets be honest, whoever claims that they spend 8-10 hours preparing for a charter is full of it. I’m sorry, but it does not take 2 hours to walk your fishing rods out to the boat. It simply does not. Ice? Bait? These are relatively small expenses against a $400 charter and obtained relative quickly and easily, and then a tip is expected (to be fair, not always provided)on top of this… And “changing people’s lives,” Seriously? How? By screwing them out of $400? What are you from Nigeria?
No salt, no fun.
Ok, First you ask a question and ask for ■■■■■■■■ and when it’s not what you want to hear you insult the people who you asked the question of? I do not know your experience in inshore fishing, you may be veteran angler or a person new to the sport. But my inclination is that you do not have the experience
Most of our business was repeat locals who understood value…we didn’t prey off tourists. Sounds like Strike Position needs to either learn how to bank fish, or buy a boat.
I actually do have a boat and fish often. I’m pretty successful off the bank as well. I appreciate supply and demand and that a service is worth what people are willing to pay for it. That is sound logic, but let’s just be honest with ourselves about cost incurred, time involved for preparation, and the value of said service. There have definitely been some embellishments in regards to those things in some of the responses on this thread. I will add that I have also been fishing a spot and on several occasions have had a guide roll up on me, position his boat too close to mine, and start casting into the same area I had already been fishing. So it is possible that I harbor some bitterness regarding this subject. Does Johnny Ohio have more rights to the fish than us locals do just because he has paid for a charter?
Your experience level has become extremely transparent. What I think you are struggling with is the perception of paying guides $100/hr for “similar” experiences that you can obtain yourself in your own boat. This could be the case with some guides/charter captains. I can assure you though that your inshore fishing knowledge is in its infantile stages, but with the right guide/captain, $100/hr is cheap to shorten your learning curve which will greatly enhance your enjoyment of fishing in whatever waters you choose to fish.
quote:Originally posted by StrikePosition
I actually do have a boat and fish often. I’m pretty successful off the bank as well. I appreciate supply and demand and that a service is worth what people are willing to pay for it. That is sound logic, but let’s just be honest with ourselves about cost incurred, time involved for preparation, and the value of said service. There have definitely been some embellishments in regards to those things in some of the responses on this thread. I will add that I have also been fishing a spot and on several occasions have had a guide roll up on me, position his boat too close to mine, and start casting into the same area I had already been fishing. So it is possible that I harbor some bitterness regarding this subject. Does Johnny Ohio have more rights to the fish than us locals do just because he has paid for a charter?
Something is worth what people are willing to pay for it… Simple as that…
Ding ding ding. All this justification about getting up at midnight and working 10 hours for a 4 hour charter is moot, if not quite an exaggeration. I mean how do you run two 4 hour charters in a day if it takes you 10 hours to get ready for them…?
I hire guides all the time in new areas. You’re paying for the knowledge and the experience, not reimbursing their costs. I probably could have caught a tarpon on a fly rod in Puerto Rico by myself, but I would have had to figure out how to rent a boat, get rods and tackle, learn how to tie the crazy heavy sinking line to the (**() leader, and then figure out where the the fish are. Instead, I paid $450, show up, we got on a boat took a nice ride and in 30 minutes I was on fish. Looked like a stupid lion tamer out there trying to work the heavy tackle, but the guide helped me figure it out. Was it expensive? Sure, but it was worth every penny.
quote: All this justification about getting up at midnight and working 10 hours for a 4 hour charter is moot, if not quite an exaggeration. I mean how do you run two 4 hour charters in a day if it takes you 10 hours to get ready for them...?
That would be a serious exaggeration, but 2 hours of prep time and 2 hours of clean up time are not. That makes a 4 hour fishing trip an 8 hour day for the guide. That’s if nothing breaks and you don’t have to work on the boat all night.
Now I mostly fish offshore. My trip starts with an hour and a half at least on the day before. Getting ice, fuel, tackle, bait, and food with other possibilities. Next day starts by 4 am, maybe earlier some days. Get to the dock at least 30 minutes before the client. Get back to the dock 8-10 hours later. Clean fish. Thank my clients for choosing my service. Then at least two hours cleaning,rinsing and taking care of equipment. Then there’s the mate and his time and effort’s and tons of expenses a larger boat brings. Bad weather cancels half or more of you’re trips some months. At $1,000 that’s a steal. $400 for inshore is too.
If you are wanting to catch fish and have a good time, and LEARN SOMETHING, the fee a guide charges is a pretty good deal. My only issue with guides is that I’m going to keep meat fish. Make sure you ask him/her about this before you ride.
Hey Strike! If you were a Captain and owned your charter business, what would you charge for a four hour trip? I charge $400 for up to four people.
Capt Buddy Bizzell
Edisto Palmetto Charters
803-603-2781
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