# Florida fishing guides.



## WillW (Dec 6, 2012)

Search option & look at some previous thread on the subject, lots of advice given.


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## Pierson (Mar 16, 2016)

Ask around and go out on a few one on one local charters yourself (if you haven't already). Find a guide that you think has the knowledge you are looking for and establish a friendship. I myself do not guide but maintain several friendships with guides in different areas. They are always happy to share fishing reports, gear recommendations, and what they are biting. The knowledge I have picked up from them has been invaluable over the years. If you are a nice guy and enjoyable to be on a boat with, you would be surprised how much info a good guide will be willing to share with someone learning their same passion. 

Good luck to you and enjoy living the dream so many of us have, but for one reason or another, have failed to pursue.


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## 994 (Apr 14, 2008)

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge caps the number of commercial fishing guides at 70. The list of guides is here.. https://www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/PermitedFishingGuides2017.pdf

If you are fishing with a guide who does not have his permit displayed next to his boat registration numbers he is operating illegally (theres a ton of them doing this right now). 

You'd be hard pressed to find a mentor in this area unless you are from here and know someone. Your best bet is to pick a guide who's principals are in line with yours, and pay. Become a repeat customer and a friend. Most of the guides I know thrive on the repeat customers year after year. Fill out your application and get in line. Good luck.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Here's a portion of what I had to say for another guy (on another site) regarding getting into guiding... Once you've read through it - give me a call and I'll be glad to answer any questions you have. I've been full time now for a few years (this is my 22nd year... and I work mostly out of Everglades National Park....). One other thing - if you're a fireman - you're in the best position possible as a guide. Work your career as a fireman until you can retire - then your second career will be right there waiting.... 


... The guiding business is only what you make of it - there's no template to follow anywhere that I know of (and I've been full time now since 1996....). You're going to have to decide what size boat you're going to work out of (and that will directly decide how many anglers you'll have aboard each day) and you'll have to decide exactly how you're going to go about it - inshore or offshore (or a mix of the two)... are you going to be a live bait operator or strictly lures only (or once again, a mix of the two...). Answering those questions will at least get you in the ballpark.. Be aware that most who take up guiding have already been fishing a particular area for years and years and will have most of the questions I've just asked - long settled... Me, for instance, I've been fishing out of the same beat up old Maverick skiff now as long as I've owned it... around thirty years - so long, long before I came back to guiding....

Once you finally have all of the above questions sorted out you're finally ready to get that first business license (you're running a business, remember....). After you have that business license (for the area you're going to be working out of...) your next step is re-register your boat as "commercial -for hire" and that's easily done - just a trip to the local tag agency. Once you're registered commercial that triggers some additional requirements... the first will be to upgrade all of your safety gear to commercial standards (call your local CG if you need to know exactly what's required...) -that means all new type one life jackets for a start (and that's just the start... don't skimp on safety gear since you're directly responsible for all of your passengers - like it or not..). Remember as well that once you're "commercial" any law enforcement you run into will hold you to a "higher standard"... Now for the first surprise... your old recreational insurance policy will be voided the moment you re-register your craft (and most outfits that insure recreational boats won't offer any commercial policies at all -another of those "ask me how I know" propositions..). The good news here is that Charter Lakes will cover you - I've been with them for 22 years now and have nothing but good things to say about them... go to charterlakes.com for additional info... They're not the only game in town so don't be afraid to shop around if you're not satisfied with what you hear from them... Remember as well that if you intend to operate in a national park or similar jurisdiction that they'll have specific levels of liability insurance for any guide that works there... 

Now you're licensed (almost), re-registered, safety gear up-graded, and insured - and you haven't gotten a single customer... Now for your fishing license... Here in Florida we're able to purchase a guide's license (issued to the vessel or the guide... your choice..and they'll want to see both your captain's license and your business license before they proceed...) that allows up to four anglers to fish with you under your license... It's an annual license (mine is $208 as of this year - it includes a snook stamp and a lobster stamp...) and I have to renew it every year... Since I'm not fishing offshore (out in federal waters...) that's it for me. If you fish there you'll have additional licensing requirements. My only additional license is my permit to guide in Everglades National Park (another $300 per year -as of this year...).

Now for the bad news... guiding isn't a job that will bring in much money - certainly not to start... I was told, all those years ago that it would take roughly five years to get up and running properly (and I didn't have a boat payment at all...). I expected to increase my business about 20% each year - and that's pretty much exactly how it went... But you're always at the weather's mercy (and also the economy's --- nobody will be taking any guided trips if the economy goes bad...). Just to give you one last glimpse of what guiding is like... here's an old joke they tell down in the Keys...
"What do you call a fishing guide that just broke up with his long-time girlfriend?" Just a one word answer that says it all... "Homeless"... 

Good luck and hope it works out for you. I didn't come back to guiding until I'd won a a full pension from another job and had already set aside monies for two kids headed for college... and it was still touch and go...
Tight Lines
Bob LeMay
(954) 435-5666
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## JTFD (Dec 30, 2015)

Thanks everyone for some good advice.


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