How to Pick a Fishing Guide

 So, you are sitting in front of the computer, looking on your phone, or searching your tablet for a fishing guide or charter Captain. Hit that search button and your device will fill up with results. Your first temptation is to pick a few and call them for prices or browse websites in the endless search to find a bargain that sounds justified. In other words- value, but is there a way to know if you found value or are you getting what you paid for? There are some questions, that if you find the answers to, can help you choose.

   First thing to find out is if the Captain you are looking at is actually legally able to bring you on a charter trip. You see, every charter captain is required to have a US Coast Guard Captain's License. If they don't, then the charter trip is by all means- illegal. Captains have to go through training and testing to receive this license along with a federal background check among other things. Also, most states require the Captain to be licensed in the state of operation.  For example, every year in the state of Louisiana, I have to renew my Louisiana commercial charter license.

 Now that the legal stuff is out of the way, let's look at another factor that should be important to you- time on the water. You see, there are two different categories here. Captains who run charters for a living and Captains who run charters in their spare time outside another job. While this doesn't always speak to how good a charter will be, time on the water will usually stack the odds in your favor. Captains who are on the water more are typically more in tune to what the fish are doing currently and traditionally. With that being said, there are also Captains who charter on the side that are very talented and put fish in the boat. To be Honest most “full time” Captains started off doing charters on the side. 

   Next is customer reviews. I would go to sites such as google, bing, yelp, fishingbooker, and social media to look at reviews from customers. Don't just look at how many stars they have either. Read the reviews. Reading the reviews will give you more insight and help you match a Captain to your needs. A good example of this would be if you are bringing kids on a charter. Look for reviews about fishing with kids. 

   One of the most under rated tools in your arsenal for finding a captain is social media. Go on Facebook, TikTok, Youtube,  and Instagram and look at the post that the Captain or Charter make. Are they posting regularly? Do they post client photos, reels, blogs, and share post.  Are their social pages maintained and up to date? This is usually a good indication of how active they are with fishing. If there is one thing all fisherman like to do, it is show off their catches.

  Finally, the one thing that drives most decisions in life- cost. It is good practice to go through several websites for charters in a given area and get a base line cost of what most are charging. Truth  is, that most Captains in an area keep their prices pretty close to each other. It is kind of an unspoken rule. So, if you see ten charters averaging $900 for a group of three, then find one charging only $400, red flags should be waving in your head. Another thing to find out is hidden cost. Some charters will charge a flat rate depending on the number of people. Some will charge for bait, fuel, fish cleaning  and ice. It is also a good idea to find out how much time you are getting for the price and what is all included.

   Well, hope this all helps. We have a lot of amazing Captains in south Louisiana to go along with this amazing fishery. If you would like to book a fishing charter with me, call 985-277-9277 and make some fishing memories. 

Tight Lines

Captain Shawn Mitchell