What to Ask a Fishing Guide Before You Book

You do not need to interview a fishing guide like you are hiring a chief financial officer.

You need to know what kind of day you are buying.

What will we catch this time of year?

Not “What species are in the lake?” Every guide website has a wall of fish that somebody caught decades ago.

Ask what the guide honestly expects to target on your date. Then ask whether that means a real shot at fish or a heroic all-day hunt for one trophy.

How will we be fishing?

Trolling, casting, drifting, jigging and fly fishing are completely different trips.

Guys may all be excited about fishing and still have very different opinions about sitting beside a rod holder for eight hours. There is no wrong answer. Just know the answer before the boat leaves.

Can we keep the fish?

Ask what can legally be kept, what usually gets released and whether the guide cleans and bags the catch.

Then verify current limits with the state fish and wildlife agency. Seasons and rules change, and “the captain said it was fine” is not a magical legal exemption.

Also ask whether you need a cooler in the vehicle. Bringing home fish gets complicated quickly when everyone packed as though the trip ended at the dock, which is exactly why a catch cooler is its own line item.

Does the whole crew actually fit?

Tell the truth about the group:

We have four adult fishermen with mixed experience. Two fish a lot, one fishes occasionally and one is basically an enthusiastic civilian.

Ask whether everyone can fish comfortably, not whether everyone is legally allowed on the boat. Legal capacity can still mean taking turns while half the group becomes expensive spectators. Four per boat is usually the clean number, which is why the fishing blueprint prices a four-man trip.

Also ask if it is a private trip and whether the boat has a toilet. These questions become much more important after departure.

What is the real price?

Get the full number and ask what it includes:

• Rods and tackle
• Bait
• Fuel
• Fish cleaning
• Licenses
• Deckhand
• Gratuity

Then ask what you should bring: food, drinks, rain gear, boots, motion-sickness medicine and a cooler.

The charter is usually the single biggest line on a fishing weekend. It is the difference between $445 a head guided and $215 unguided.

What happens if the weather is bad?

Who makes the call? When? Do you reschedule, get a refund or receive credit?

A trip like this can involve cabins, flights and time off work. “We will see how it looks that morning” may be normal, but you should know that before building the whole weekend around it.

The email we would send

Hey [Name], we have four guys looking at [date]. Experience is mixed: a couple of us fish a lot, one fishes sometimes and one barely does. What are we likely to catch that time of year, and how would we be fishing? Can we keep fish, and do you clean them? What is the all-in price, what should we bring, and what happens if weather blows us out?

Send that instead of a longer list. A good guide will answer it like a normal person. If the response is vague, irritated or mostly pictures of fish caught eight years ago, keep looking.

The GuysAway rule

Ask about the day you are booking, not every fish that has ever lived there.

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Verify licenses, seasons and keep limits with the relevant state fish and wildlife agency. For a paid U.S. charter, you can also ask to see the captain’s Merchant Mariner Credential.

Sources: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, fishing licenses by state, U.S. Coast Guard, charter boat captain requirements