Starting a new fishing charter??

[fisho30]

Hello all,just want to know whats invovled in starting a fishing charter business?

I really love my fishing and would not mind doing it as a side business on weekends etc..

would be looking at lake and and reef fishing

Any advised would be great thanks.

[Scalem]

I can answer that. Don't do it unless you really want to put a whole lot of time into 1st getting your license, your boat needs to be built to survey spec, insurance on top of that, the amount of book keeping and answering to regulatory guidelines will drive you crazy. Then there is how the other fishing public perceive you, they will follow you around like flies around a dead dingo. You might practice catch and release every time, but professional charters are often condemned until proven otherwise that they don't make as big an impact on fish stocks as everyone thinks. This varies from one operator to another naturally, but I have asked the same question you have, the answers were as I have explained. Charter guys work very hard for their money and I tip my hat off to them.

Scalem

[Shark Poker]

On a more positive note, there appears to be far less charter boats operating now in the Moreton Bay area than 5 years ago.
Certainly less than half anyway.
So the opportunity is there, or would appear to be, for you to enter the market.

[upstart]

I reckon it would be cheaper and easier to buy a beach shack somewhere and rent it out when you're too busy to go there yourself.
But it'd be great to get paid for doing what you love.

[Jeremy]

You worked as a deckie for a few years have you? Got your coxwains ticket? First aid? Charter licence? ABN? Know you area backwards and can catch fish in any conditions? Got a vessel in survey? Good at dealing with unhappy customers?

Just saying that this isn't something that you would do casually. Lots of training and set up costs involved and from what I hear the margins aren't big.

[Shark Poker]

Anything like this is a big decision about the way your life unfolds.
Research like anything, listen to both positive and negative advice, and then go find a suitable accountant, lawyer, bank manager (aka the 3 Wise Men)

Luckily, Marketing should be straightforward enough if you are operating successfully.

[Lucky_Phill]

AS always, just about any subject has been covered before.

A search of the threads found this:-

http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/showthread.php?182823-Starting-fishing-charter-business&highlight=charter+business

cheers LP

[NQ-FISH]

fisho 30 Scalem is right in what he is saying plus there are few more things involved in getting it all going, but if you are keen and have a goal by all means give it a go. Ihave been operating www.castandcatch.com.au for 5 years i still have a full time job due to weather conditions if i relied on the business to support me i would have not survived. Lot of operators in my area have finished due to the cost of running boats, i have just fitted to new motors on boat after 3&1/2 years at a cost of 35-40k. So what i am saying to you is do your homework and expects big outlays and heaps of red tape i have a government job with the boat once a month that makes it all worth while for me, but if it wasn't for that this year due to bad weather the boat would have made virtually no money for the first five months.
Wish you all the best with your venture NQ-FISH

[Sheik]

Agree with nearly all of the above but my take home message would be, don't take it on if you think you're going to be paid to go fishing. You're paid to take someone else fishing.

[Scalem]

Agree with nearly all of the above but my take home message would be, don't take it on if you think you're going to be paid to go fishing. You're paid to take someone else fishing. How true! One charter I know takes a holiday ...... and goes fishing solo to unwind!

Scalem

[morphias]

Hello all,just want to know whats invovled in starting a fishing charter business?

I really love my fishing and would not mind doing it as a side business on weekends etc..

would be looking at lake and and reef fishing

Any advised would be great thanks.

I thought about doing it...then started working as a deckie and it put me off.

You work f$&%ing hard for your money. You DO NOT get to fish as the skipper and rarely as a deckie.

You will need to get a Coxswain cert - that is a minimum 900hrs of boat time in QLD if you complete an industry based taskbook - 1800hrs if you don't and then there are the exams, etc.

The boat I work on was holed up for the better part of 4 months after Xmas last year due to the weather - more than 20knts and you are not allowed to go out by law.

Running a big boat means a lot of costs - mooring, a LOT of fuel, maintenance, insurance, etc, etc.

Be prepared to work from 4:00am to 7:00pm every day you operate plus extra for maintenance, errands, etc.

I worked out I would need to get 200 paying days a year to put ~$50K in my pocket after everything else was covered. In the end, you do it for the love, not the dollars. The guys making the big bucks have been in the game for a very long time and have done the hard yards to get there and they don't muck around with the $250pp day trips either.

Just from my first hand experience anyway...

Ben.

[no chicken tonight]

You will either hate it or love it.
Either way, dont spend a tonne of money finding out. Get a job on one first, you will also get some much needed experience.
Easy to catch fish on a boat when its you and your mate, but trying to get a group of people (most of which have little or no fishing experience) to catch fish while theyre drinking like its just a piss up IS A LOT HARDER! Then at the end, if there isnt much fish, thats your fault.