Hiring A Fishing Guide - Money Well Spent

Whether because of ego, misunderstanding or just not wanting to let go of the money, for many fishermen the thought of paying someone else to show them how to fish is unthinkable. Most of them, especially the ones who own their own boat think that because they have fished before they can figure out how to succeed at any kind of fishing. What they fail to consider is that even the same species of fish can act differently in another location or on another day.

Fishing charter captains spend nearly every day fishing and through this experience become very knowledgeable about what techniques have been historically successful in catching the targeted species. When a person lists the benefits of hiring a charter, some of the most important are:

• Knowledge - whether a knowledge of location, species or tackle a guide can teach the fisherman in a matter of minutes something they may spend days figuring out on their own. Something as simple as knowing that there is a channel or sandbar in a certain spot that usually holds fish versus no fish 100 yards either direction, or that fish prefer a certain color on cloudy days, or that a certain local species normally feeds near the bottom can be the difference between a fun day and a day of no bites.

• Gear - with the increase in popularity of fishing and more and more specialized equipment, a fisherman can be faced with a very large bill at a tackle shop getting set up to go after a new species of fish. Most charter boats are fully equipped with the right rods, reels, lines, lures and bait for the fish they will be pursuing. By having this provided the client can not only save a significant amount of money prior to the trip, but can also learn which ones work and then buy just those before their next trip on their own.

• Boat - even if a fisherman owns their own boat, they usually don't consider the large amount of expense associated with using it. The cost of fuel for both the vehicle to get to the water and for the boat to get to the fishing hole combined with oil and other necessary items can add  up quickly and could offset a large part of the cost of a fishing guide.

When considering the shortened learning curve, potential savings on equipment and saved cost of fuel the expenses associated with hiring a qualified fishing trip guide are usually well worth it.