Thread: Where do I start to get a captains license?

Anyone know where to start to get a captains license?

https://www.seaschool.com/

Yep, that or get a job on a crew boat and work your way up.

Back in the long ago and far off times, I started by getting the required amount of documented experience. Back then, it was a year of time served---don't know about now. That was over half a century ago.

Originally Posted by CarlF

Yep, that or get a job on a crew boat and work your way up.

Thanks..not interested in work boat stuff. More just curious of how an average joe becomes an inshore fishing captain..thats all!

Guys I know either worked as deck hands on charter boats for years or worked on crew boats serving offshore rigs back in the day.
I entertained the idea years back and then realized turning my hobby into work might not be all its cracked up to be.

Originally Posted by CarlF

Guys I know either worked as deck hands on charter boats for years or worked on crew boats serving offshore rigs back in the day.
I entertained the idea years back and then realized turning my hobby into work might not be all its cracked up to be.

You are even more intelligent than I realized. After a few years chartering, it dawned on me that I was no longer a fisherman---I was a boat driver, marine mechanic, marine cleaning service, deck hand trainer, etc., etc., etc. Don't overlook the frequently required job of offshore plumber when the marine head clogs or the holding tank springs a leak. Makes you forget about lure presentation.

Some of this is tongue and cheek...so don't try to get a bank loan on this info! You will need a year's worth of sea time...you can sign off on your own if you are a boat owner. Then go to Sea School to collect your OUPV license (6-pack). Many recent rumors indicate they will not let you fail the test.
Then the tough part...You will need a brand new 4 WD truck...and a brand new 24' State of the Art boat fully rigged with a minimum of one power pole and GPS guided trolling motor with a 300 HP motor of your choice and both truck and boat should be unmercifully and gaudily wrapped in graphics with your business name...a full set of shirts and pants, etc. and sign up with every charter booking service in the nation, join a marina as well as pay for a top notch Web page design and purchase a Google ad to keep you at the top of the search page. Good news is Instagram and Facebook are free!
And you don't have to know that much about area fishing either...you just have to toss out that you have fished area waters for 30 years...even though you are only 32 years old. prkr99 that's the new way! not the old way...
Oops...all of that was tongue in cheek! No harm intended...

In the not so distant past, there were 2 ways to get into it. You could get you a boat...(most already had a suitable boat..probly not fancy) and join or buy in at a marina or you could be pushed or lured into the business by guide friends that saw you could fish pretty good and had the temperament to put up with average fisherman and tell you how much money you could make. Capt Gary Davis and Capt Toby Mayfield were the 2 that egged me on! So, these already successful guides would send their "overflow" to me...new people they didn't have room for on the calendar. Eventually, they come back and then they recommend you to friends and family and you build a solid return clientele.
The way guys get to the point of being a guide is all over the place. The majority fall into 3 categories though from my point of view...Offshore deckhands that are getting a little older and don't enjoy the grind and the allure of the bluewater as much, guys trying to supplement their income while working a full time job (that was me), and ones have had enough of their old jobs whether it was corporate grind, or shift work or whatever and are just ready for something new.
It's easier than ever to get into the business. We have more tourists than ever.
I love it everyday! I love to fish! I enjoy meeting people!
I've been blessed to have it as the second career that I enjoyed as much as the first one!

Thanks for the response Jayhook! I hear a lot of good things about your charters!