Andrew Ragas helps you get started planning your chartered fishing trip by suggesting some important questions to ask a prospective guide.

To help assure satisfaction and a fishing trip that meets your needs and requirements, do the following legwork with your guide of choice prior to booking a trip. Most will not be offended, and no question asked is a stupid question:

1. How long is the fishing trip? Most guides offer multiple packages comprised of full-day or half-day trips, while others offer fishing by the hour. Make certain you know and mutually agree to the length of trip and guide’s rate.
2. When are you available? Be understanding of the guide’s work and life schedules, and aware that there could be several other anglers ahead of you in line to fish with him if they have a waitlist. It’s always in everyone’s best interests to book a trip several months in advance versus the week- or day-of. As we know, last minute-plans seldom work out.
3. What are the rates? Know everything that is included in the cost before committing to the trip, including additional service charges. Be keenly aware that rates can also be identifiers of a successful operation and its quality. High costs can signify the guide has high operating expenses to help pay for equipment and bills, as well as fuel and commercial insurance expenses.

A guide’s rate is also his figure in determining self-worth. If it’s in response to his status or being high in demand, people are willing to pay for it. Meanwhile, below-market-value and significantly lesser rates by someone else could represent a lower-quality operation and lack of liability insurance. These are red flags. Do not get on a boat if the operator isn’t commercially insured, registered and licensed with his state to guide.

4. Are you certified and accredited? A customer should expect a safety-conscious guide who operates his business by the book. Check local and state requirements for fishing guides, and then inquire with your potential host to check whether the operation is legal or not.
5. What gear and equipment is provided? What should I bring? Most guide services will provide and give clients full access to everything in the boat. I am most confident in the trip’s success when all guests fish with what I provide and use myself. Guides will also provide clients with boat rules and checklists of what is and is not acceptable to bring for a trip.
6. What kind of boat do you have? You wouldn’t believe the number of prospective clients whose decisions to book or not are based on a guide’s fishing platform. This is the worst thing for anyone to prioritize. The quality of a fishing trip and knowledge you will gain is not determined by the fishing boat. It’s more important to know what type of fishing platform it is, how it’s configured for optimal success, what are its weight capacity limits, and if the guide has a limit to the number of persons he can host.
7. Will you be fishing for us? Or will you be fishing just for yourself? I’m horrified by the number of guides who still fish from the front of the boat, ahead of the guests. Lots of guides also record and produce YouTube videos for personal gratification and popularity at the expense of a customer’s fishing time and money.

Guides who care about customer service and the success of their guests will fish from the rear of the boat, ensuring that their clients are their top priority, recipients of first-class service and have the “first crack” at all the fish. You do not want to hire someone who will be out-fishing the customers.

Planning a fishing trip this year? You’ll find lots of suggestions of where and when to do just that in every issue of MidWest Outdoors, available by subscribing on our website.