Right on the money. I retired from the Navy two years ago and started guiding in Virginia Beach, which is a salt water town. You went right down the line of everything I've experienced. Godspeed!

I've been a business owner the past 12 years and decided to have a career switch and be a guide. I just passed the exam and excited to start the journey. I appreciate all your tips capt CA.

#4...Respect other guides. This should also include "respect other fisherman". My experience has been in fishing many different areas that guides are some of the rudest people on the water. I do not roll up on anybody fishing. Many guides will and then will run their mouths to intimidate you to leave. I try not to lump them all together but there are enough bad apples out there to spoil the rest. This was really good content CA! It did not feel like an infomercial.

I’ve been a guide in training for 30 years it seems! From taking my wife and kids fishing to the grandkids now days seems like i’m rigging lines baiting hooks or removing fish from hooks!!! But CA it’s worth every minute of it cause the memories are priceless!!!!

All I’ll say is that you are a natural at it…. You love to fish…. You pass that on, and teach at the same time…. And are fun as hell to fish with….nuff said

I really appreciate this valuable advice. I've actually been encouraged to become a guide because of my passion to put others on fish and teach. Keep doing what you're doing!!!

So true see ot all the time in Eastern North Carolina

🌴I think you tube has inspired a lot of fisherman & women to “ try “ and become guides but they didn’t realize the commitment it takes and the things you talked about , there is so much more that you didn’t mention, and as a renowned guide like yourself there are things like having to do shows for sponsors, and fly tying teachings , product endorsements, or lure new product ideas , the days of Flip making tv shows which for many is the new drive for you tube videos and the future of fishing video industry guiding is a hard business, it’s a physical, mental and emotional, drain accompanied by long hours of experience and trial and error, I’m just an old salt that likes to buggy whip the water trying to find something stupider than me to bite my fly , but I sure enjoy your videos and I’m glad you do what you do , tight lines my friend.

I think the problem is that some people think that every spot is “their” spot and nobody should dare be there when they are there. When I see someone in a spot I fish I either keep a respectable distance (if it’s a drift spot) or I go with the backup spot if it’s a nook or narrow or draw spot.

Great advice as always C.A. I’ll never forget the advise you gave me. “Make sure you have a strong support system”. Boy, you weren’t kidding. I’ve been blessed with an amazing wife and kids. I couldn’t be chasing this crazy dream without them.

I learned what to look for in a guide.

Captain CA all my respect and admiration to you , super professional u r the person that compromise with the job …. ! 💯

Thank you for this video, I’ve been thinking about being a guide for years now. I’m gonna submit my application for my MMC and maybe start guiding just weekends and see how it goes at the very least I’ll have the knowledge from my MMC. Thanks again tight lines 🎣.

Thanks Capt for the great advice.

Great post and advice, thanks for taking the time to post.

This is fantastic content. Thank you CA!

Great tips! Thanks for sharing. Greatly appreciated!

Last guide i went with in Charleston... trolling motor and power pole didnt work as a result caught little to no fish had to throw the anchor out everywhere

Thanks for the great advice C.A. It’s nice to know as a newer guide myself what I’m doing right and what more I can do to grow my business. Seems like I’m on the right track though.

All spot on advice CA... 🤙🦀🌴

Great advice from a pro.

Watching from Texas that was absolutely great advice. Love your stuff and ya'll have a merry Christmas!!!

Great vid captain

Great video…..Great Advice 👍👍👍

thank you for this!

CA, looking foreward to tonite's session. Question: did you or Cam put the "shortcuts" (I think that's how someone referred to them) online somewhere? Been looking on KZfaq but haven't seen them. Thanks. Bob

Excellent advice captain. I learned a lot from it just to be a better operator of a vessel with guests on my boat. Never say never, but I would never become a captain and a guide for a lot of the reasons that you express. They say that if you find a job that you love that you'll never work a day in your life and my hope is that's what you and all the captains and guides out there are doing with their career in fishing as a guide. I have personally experienced fishing on boats and alongside boats that were guided and captained by people that desperately need to hear this advice. With Captains at I've hired I've had more negative experiences than positive experiences. An amazingly insightful video. For me fishing is a passion on a philosophical level and, while I love to share it with others, I don't think I could bring it every day on an occupational level and not damage that philosophical passion. Thanks for the great insights.

Thanks for the great advice CA! I’m “taking the plunge” right now. Just finishing up my captains license to get a charter started in coastal Georgia.

My experience. My guide was unhappy I wanted to bring three bait casting rods I’m accustomed to (and I did). It turned out all his rods are right handed and mine are left handed. He stood next to me and then complained I almost hooked him with a cast. I don’t cast directly overhead because I generally kayak fish. I wanted to use artificials but asked him to bring shrimp as backup. He forgot. He was unhappy I didn’t appreciate his blaring rock music. I mistakenly thought a guide knew the best fishing spots AND where fish were found in the near past. He was free to go anywhere he wanted but I wanted to flats fish. We went to five different locations (at 45 mph) and I got no bites much less a fish in six hours. He did allow me to watch him catch two undersized reds.

What about being a fishing guide that's a land based guide? Would you and can you maybe do a video on that and what goes into it from taxes how to register with the it's and such and then filing as such maybe because I have not found anything here on youtube of anyone that talks about starting from the start from planning to becoming to doing all the paper work to tax paper work and such to publicity to getting clientele and to how to be successful.

One of my sayings when talking to wanna be's or clients is that the best quality a guide can possess it to be a " People Person ".

Rule #4 is funny to me because over here the old guys follow me and disrespect me as the young guy ! Not to mention keep everything and disrespect the fish. Don’t sleep on all young guys, some of them are on the right side of this and aren’t in it for the money like a lot of the older guys are.

A good guide tells you to cast over there and you hook up! A great guide casts over there then hands you the rod. Lol

Here in Va Beach, every boat is a charter boat! And then, the people who charter those boats are charter captains the next year! They come and go, just like the fish populations they wipe out. Greed has ruined the business up here. Everyone wants their limits and to catch the biggest and to get that social media fame. Great point on not mentioning political affiliation on social media. That’s a big no no if you want to have a successful business in my mind. We have some donkeys up here for sure!

Its a fly gnome...LOL