Like I said, the average family, mom, dad, 10 yr old daughter, 8 yr old son, camping over on the island from Vancouver. 3 to 4 hundred for just half a day might tax the budget. I know guides that would likely stay out longer just to make it special and that isn't the same cost as going to a Canuck game, but it can still be expensive while already on an expensive holiday for them. You see these families/people at the clean up station on the dock, just to see the fish and dream.
Two different client markets really.
Retirement, ahh what a concept, the wife moved out 6 years ago and took the pension with her and she liked fishing so it wasn't that, besides I just hit 60, you know the new 40.
I sympathize with the guides that have the huge expenses of the 150 grand aluminum boat with the 50 grand engines leased or purchased. I own trucks so I know expenses, especially if used.
I myself own two boats, a 24' & 28' Searays. Both inboards, both with new engines, legs, kickers, electric downriggers, Lowrance's etc...but I own them. Now you think I am loaded, not so, combined they both cost me around $25 grand, on trailers no less. And then spread the cost out over 6 years, the engines just went in this year. They aren't new, but they float and don't look like wrecks. Looking into another boat, a little smaller, 23' Bayliner or Sunrunner, both run, one is $5 and the other is $5.5, both run, stringers/transoms are okay, been garage kept for life, but older boats.
I'm thinking about renting them out a few times this year, maybe three weeks all together, they have rev governors, 4500 RPM, GPS location chips and a few other do dads on them.
If, IF, I decide to have guests on my boat, it won't be through advertising or more than a very, very few times all summer.
A funny story, I was fishing on the coast with my son and like I said before, "I think I have it figured out", well we do alright, hit a couple of 25+ springs and a couple of coho, so we go to the bar and my kid starts, well he can't stop talking about the hits and misses, especially the misses and without thought of others, there are guides and guests there, well the guide starts questioning my kid's sincerity because they aren't having much luck, apparently any where in the area. Cell phones take pictures and he proudly starts a rather loud encounter and flashes the video's. His guests are not impressed. These other two guys come up and ask what I do or how, I explain the process and figure that is that. Well they follow me back to my camp and ask me to show them the rigging set up on their boat so my kid and I say okay, it was a family camp out, my 83 yr old da, sister and others are there so it has to be quick. We get on his 26' newly purchased boat (he was a multi millionaire) so I show him the set up and poof, he kidnaps me and my kid. I try to make it quick, we drop the lines to show him various depths and other stuff and boom, he gets his first fish (keeper) after being out there three weeks, a little 8-10 lb coho. Now he wants to go again, he won't take us back, not really arguing too much but, long story short, we go out for 2 1/2 hours and limit out for them, not me and my kid, two 25+ springs and coho each for them. We go back to dock and I told them I am not thrilled to abandon the family like we did and we go back to camp. Two hours later the guy shows up with a cooked salmon and $500 bucks, we made his entire trip. And the guide in the bar, I told him what we do and the next day his group is limiting out, just luck I guess.
I try not to go to the bar much after that, I don't like arguments, I don't like being called a liar, I don't have to exaggerate and I don't want to make those that make a living doing this look bad and tell me I don't know anything. I am not conventional, I do the same thing over and over again, everywhere. There are no secrets.
AND I don't guide, but I might take that family that comes down to the dock for a quick trip around the harbour, not in Vancouver though. I haven't fished the local area since the Vancouver Sun derby's more than once or twice, well maybe afew more times than that......get it? ;D
