So me and boys got a fishing trip coming up this weekend. After some research I contacted a well recommended guide about 2 months ago. Visited on the phone and he answered some questions I had and I reserved the trip. Contacted him today and he informed me that someone else is taking us out. Is this a common practice? I haven't been on a lot of guided fishing trips but this isn't the first time this has happened to me and once I wasn't to impressed with the guy we got passed to. The guy said he has a family thing he has to go to which I understand those things can happen. I did tell him I'd of felt better if I'd been notified of this as soon as he knew not when I contacted him a couple days before the trip. More than likely we will have a good guide and a good trip but I find it a little frustrating when you take the time to search for a good guide then get past along to someone else you know nothing about. He didn't ask if he could switch, he just stated we be going with this other guy. He did offer to refund my down payment or pay for the trip if I wasn't happy, which I told I appreciated and respected but wasn't going to take him up on. For no more fishing trips I've been on this seems somewhat common. Maybe I'm just not in the loop but if I was paid to guide someone for fishing or hunting I wouldn't feel right unless it truly was a family emergency and I'd notify the clients asap. What are some of you guys opinion with more experience?

I think a lot of popular guides commonly pass clients onto less popular guides for a large finders fee. It's a bait and switch.

Keith

If he had availability 2 months ago?????


He’s not that good of a guide,,,,,, the guy he passed you onto might be

We had this happen to us about 6 yrs ago on an. Oregon InletTuna trip. The boat we wound up on was the boat we’ve stayed with. Go for it. Fishing is fishing and y’all might catch more with the new guy.

I never have. I know others who do. It may be a personal issue the guy has to attend. Some guides pass people on when one of there repeat, generous clients call and want an outing.
Your in for a dollar in for a dime, give the guide the benefit of the doubt and have a happy trip with the guy you get. For your boys sake if nothing else.

Osky

Thanks u guys for ur input

never had that happen. I have set up guided trips with a guide that ran several guys in his group that all worked exclusively for him. When you set up a trip you could request a certain guide if you wanted if not you never knew who you'd get. He had about 1/2 dozen guys working for him.

The vast majority of guides I have worked with you had to get a trip lined up about a year ahead of time. Only other way was to get on a waiting list and hope for a cancellation.

Yes, it's not uncommon.

Lol. Ur probably right Lefty. Hopefully Savell will learn everything has effects before the consequences are to severe

Unfortunately you didn't book with a guide, you booked
with a pimp who sold you out for a booking fee.

Reputable guides aren't pimps and If they aren't personally
available on your chosen date they would recommend a suitable
available guide of quality & experience but never take a cut of the charter fee.

You would be notified up front when you booked the charter, not
have the surprise news sprung on you at the last minute.

Any guide or charter captain who pulls that crap on his clients
is a greedy con-man, used car salesman, and snake oil peddler
who probably also guarantees fish.

walleyed

Walleye
I talked to him on the phone and and asked him what dates he had open and he is a one man show. So I booked the trip with the understanding he was our guide. If it was just me I'd of took him up on the offer to refund my down payment on the principal of it but the boys took time of work to make this happen and are excitement about the trip so we'll give this other guy a chance and hope for the best. I'm not going to tell the boys the situation.

Sounds like he really did have to attend to family business to me. I would go anyway

As a fishing guide for 30 years I saw this happen a lot.

One guide booking himself for six charters on the same day
and then burning up the phone lines searching for a guide,
any guide, to take the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, & 6th charter.

Especially rampant was this scamming on week ends & holidays where
some of these shysters always had the day open no matter what.

Then they'd take a 20% to 40% cut or "booking fee" and clean up by
hoodwinking unsuspecting clients out of a proper charter thru deception.

That's why we referred to them as Guide or Charter "pimps"
as some of them never left the dock but had six charters out that day.

This kind of "Parasite Guide" gave the fishing charter industry a bad name.

w

Well a guy could have three boats and three crews and wouldn't necessarily be on your trip either.

Or, most likely in your case, all the captains know each other in the marina and when they have to cancel its probably common for them to ask one of the other guys to cover and you probably expect to be on the other end throughout the year as well. I can't imagine them asking someone that they feel would give you a worse experience but I guess it could happen.

Seems like he tried to make it right though and you didn't take him up on it. I don't see where I can fault him any. I'd pay with credit card, just go fishing, have some fun, and call him back if you have any issues after the fact.

Had that happen to me once, showed at the boat I've been on before to shark fish a d a stranger came out of the cabin.

Surprise, he was our captain for that day. I forget the reason now, but that was the last time for our group on that boat.

Never had that happen on our trips to lake Erie over about ten years worth of trips there.

Where is this trip?

I've worked as a commercial fishing guide for twenty years. The industry is different than what you might think.

If I have five requests on the same day, I'm taking who has been with me the longest, who I enjoy the most, or who tips the most.

Not really sure what kind of fishing you are doing but tons of subbing out clients with charters

Geez . Do you know him? Do you know what will be going on in your life 2 months from now? Maybe he is sick and needs some test done. Guy might have found out he has cancer! Maybe he hit a log and he lost his lower unit !!!!
That takes time to fix . I know !!! LOL LOL LOL

Sounds like a win win for you. HE OFFERED TO PAY if you don't have fun ???? Heck what else you want?

It's common practice to sell a guide using their background and then shift you to someone else. I think it stinks and dishonest as crap. If you book a trip make sure the guide your getting is guaranteed in writing with a money back guarantee. You notice he never contacted you and said something came up and give you the choices of money back or switching guides. That right there would be a real big red flag. Of course now that you called him on it he is banking on the fact that you will just go and be happy .You are not getting what you paid for and expected.

The local “ big “ guide has a crew that works for him his son and several others it’s common from what I’ve seen to book with a guide service and get an approved guide that he supplies.