|
|
Posts: 152
| Anyone make a buck or a living in this sport? Maybe a couple dollars to put on the hemorrhaging wound? |
|
| |
|
Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | I spit rhymes, they straight fire yo! |
|
| |
|
Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | Tons of Pro's here.. can't ya tell. Haaha... |
|
| |
|
Posts: 1220
| By my definition, you are a pro if you’re making a family supporting wage at what you do for a living. In musky fishing, I’d say it is a guide who books 200 trips at $400.00 or better per year. That’s 80k gross which after boat expenses, insurance, fuel, advertising, and the rest leaves you with maybe 40K left. Probably better leave off the “family” part?? |
|
| |
|
Posts: 82
| Junkman - 11/14/2018 12:33 PM
By my definition, you are a pro if you’re making a family supporting wage at what you do for a living. In musky fishing, I’d say it is a guide who books 200 trips at $400.00 or better per year. That’s 80k gross which after boat expenses, insurance, fuel, advertising, and the rest leaves you with maybe 40K left. Probably better leave off the “family” part??
Very true “if you are making a living from it” but life is different for different people, so say for example if your parents for whatever reason leave or give you enough money to outright buy a house of your own that is going to make a huge difference, so in this example if that person had no mortgage and only had bookings to fill say 100 trips and after expenses had maybe 20k left would he be a pro ? I’m in the UK and nobody makes a living from guiding, no way is that ever going to happen unless someone comes along one day with no financial worries to start with. Also If I win the lottery and pay Todd to play darts (Todd has never thrown a dart ) enough to make a living then Todd is a “pro”, |
|
| |
|
Posts: 401
| I would say I have been lucky enough to make a couple bucks custom building rods for musky anglers over the past 15 years. I do not make a living at it right now....but retirement isn't all that far away. I would be afraid that the joy of handcrafting sticks one at a time would be replaced by stress. Yikes.
Keith |
|
| |
|
Posts: 7039
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4tShh8vkfw |
|
| |
|
Posts: 227
| What guide in the mid-west can book 200 days a year? I doubt a muskie guide could come close to 200 days, but I may be wrong. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 1220
| Abu7000 - 11/14/2018 2:31 PM
What guide in the mid-west can book 200 days a year? I doubt a muskie guide could come close to 200 days, but I may be wrong.
To the consternation of some guides who stick to their local, others often chase the season, or weather around the country staying on the water much longer taking their reputation to lakes where the bite is hot or where they can fish before or after their own lake is fishable. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 20219
Location: oswego, il | I am an internet musky pro does that count?:-) |
|
| |
|
Posts: 152
| ToddM - 11/15/2018 9:48 AM
I am an internet musky pro does that count?:-)
Yes. But I believe master is a better title for you. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | Sudszee - 11/15/2018 10:21 AM
ToddM - 11/15/2018 9:48 AM
I am an internet musky pro does that count?:-)
Yes. But I believe master is a better title for you.
He doesn't have a 50, no way can he be a master. |
|
| |
|
Location: Contrarian Island | master of catching small ones?  |
|
| |
|
Posts: 20219
Location: oswego, il | BNelson - 11/15/2018 11:09 AM
master of catching small ones? ;)
Yeah but I am very experienced in holding them so they look bigger!  |
|
| |
|
Posts: 1220
| Seriously, I think the most misunderstood term is, “pro-staff.” Many, including those who have that designation, think it means “professional” staff. It doesn’t. It means “promotional” staff. Mostly, it means a discount, maybe a few shirts and hats. It means you like the product so much, you want to volunteer to help the company sell it. You may help staff a booth at shows, write articles, post on the net, or (really likely) help trailer boats back to a dealer. I like to loan out rods for others to try at events because I think the rods I use will blow away theirs, but that’s promotional, not professional. I’m not saying it’s bad in any way, it’s a lot of fun for me, but it’s a “hobby,” its like shoveling snow at Lambeau because you love the Pack. So, again, if you make a living at it (or seriously attempt it) then you are a Pro. If you are like me, I’d say you are really serious about your hobby. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I make a living in the fishing industry, but do so creating content about, promoting, and publishing products, companies, ideas, and news. I fish a lot as part of the job, and do make money from that work, but am not a professional angler by any measure. |
|
| |
|
| sworrall - 11/16/2018 8:49 AM
I make a living in the fishing industry, but do so creating content about, promoting, and publishing products, companies, ideas, and news. I fish a lot as part of the job, and do make money from that work, but am not a professional angler by any measure.
Steve, without naming names, any guess as to how many guides in northern WI actually make their living guiding? I know it would not be possible to give an exact number, just looking for a ball park figure. With our short season, seems like it would be tough. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 8782
| So we're at 3 out of 40.
I know a few guides... For most, it's a side job in addition to many other jobs they have to make ends meet. They sell real estate, they work in restaurants, they plow snow, cut trees, fix plumbing, etc. The rest are retired from this or that career and use guiding to supplement their pensions/Social Security. Of the "full time guides" I've known, nearly all of them eventually got to the age of putting kids through college and decided to pursue more "legitimate" careers. One is a nurse, another sells insurance, one bought a lodge... From where I sit guiding is a job you only do full time if you don't need to earn a living, or you've already earned your living doing something else.
Even if you guide 200 days/year you're only looking at $80k/year before taxes, health insurance, and all the expenses of keeping a boat and truck running and all the necessary gear. Sounds like a fair amount of money until you factor in your expenses.
Edited by esoxaddict 11/16/2018 12:47 PM
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 20219
Location: oswego, il | Pro storage? |
|
| |
|
Posts: 7039
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | I live off the six to seven figure salary I get from all of your monthly dues. |
|
| |
|
| Slamr - 11/16/2018 1:13 PM
I live off the six to seven figure salary I get from all of your monthly dues.
Huh, you get a cut of the dues and Sled gets paid by the click. Steve has a really interesting compensation model. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Our compensation model:
Photo Caters News.
Attachments
----------------
 Untitled.png (535KB - 424 downloads)
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 8782
| His momma must be proud... |
|
| |
|
Posts: 716
| So what if your sporting that look and wake up one day and decide you need a change...something fresh |
|
| |
|
Posts: 255
| I raised something like that pic on a suick this fall. Actually , looks like the guy they arrested in Marshfield yesterday, and there is another greener guy in town with mass piercings.
I can't imagine the equipment investment a guide had to make in the last ten years with rod and reel changes, electronics. |
|
| |
|
| bturg - 11/16/2018 8:37 PM
So what if your sporting that look and wake up one day and decide you need a change...something fresh
fresh kit
Attachments
----------------
gasmatch1.png (16KB - 450 downloads)
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 1220
| My last in person sighting of Mr. Worral was when he was still recovering from an illness! It really brings me joy to see him back in full splendor.
Kind of reminds of the girl who brings a seven-foot tall guy home for dinner with a big bone through his nose and her mom says, “Marsha, I told you a “rich doctor!” |
|
| |
