The Griz is not allowed to continue Guiding...

[leech~~]

What's to stop a guy from just going fishing everyday with some of the 1,000's of "friends" they have!

[John Mickish]

What's to stop a guy from just going fishing everyday with some of the 1,000's of "friends" they have!

A Coast Gaurd interview and this thing called purgery.

[deadeye]

Thats exactly what I was thinking leech. Kinda sick the Griz is off the river, especially since he knows the river better than the coast gaurd ever will.

I took the time to read the whole thread and its kind of a sketchy deal, but the law is the law. I hate to see it that way but there is little chance of getting them to go backwards on that stuff. I just hope he is able to pass the test the next time around.

[leech~~]

It sounds like the 6 pack was made up more for Off shore Guides which is understandable for what conditions they have to work in. But, they really should have two, one for Off shore and In-shore guides. It's night and day between the two bodies of water.

[deadeye]

Thats kinda my thinking. I cant really understand why they would do that. Take the mississippi by my house in bc and compare it to somewhere like mille lacs. I would rather have a certified guide on mille lacs over the river any day.

But what do you do? It is what it is. I guess it never hurts to have a little more education. I have a backcountry guide certificate and I can say even with all my outdoor experience prior to that I still learned a couple things from all those courses. I would do the 6 pack just to have it but its so expensive I couldn't justify it unless I started guiding again (it has been a few years). If they lowered the cost on it, it would be a lot more reasonable at least to me.

[leech~~]

deadeye, so you were a guide once, and you live in BC by me. Huum what kind of ice fishing do you do?

[deadeye]

I got out of it a while ago before I got too deep into it. Ice fishing is after work on the way home mostly. I work in hopkins and drive up 169 so you can guess where I frequent. My freinds always joke that they are going fishing with a guide but being that its a hobby now its much more fun. I don't catch nearly as many fish but when Im not on the water every day its hard to stay in tune to whats going on.

[leech~~]

So you really don't make many trips northward during the winter? Shoot, here I thought I found a guide I could hook up with! I do a lot of running with a sled and porty up north Mily, brainerd, etc.

[deadeye]

Ya, I haven't been up north much in the past couple years with the cost of gas and lack of a job. If I were to guide, it would be in the DL area or up in Ely. I think I must have been to every lake in the ely area (it seems like I at least tried to anyway). There is such a sweet personality to each lake there that its awesome. Its just a long ways away.

Besides, when I can go out for a hour or two after work and catch enough eye's and crappies for dinner why drive a couple hours to do it? Just like the Griz said, some of the best fishing in the state is right here in the metro.

[Down Deep]

I went online a read about the 6-pack and it is mainly aimed at operators of big rigs. I know all the boats we hire in Alaska for ocean fishing the captains all have them. My take on this is that the Coast Guard doesn't have a category for small time guides operating in patrolled waters so they get lumped into what they have. The small timers aren't organized in any type of association so they have no legislative punch which could create a lesser requirement.

I pay over $2K a year for licenses, permits and surcharges on my utility bills for services listed as "other" on my bills to keep my business open. Can I get some of this sympathy lumped on me?

[pikedreams]

I've been through the process and have my captains license. The classroom part of it is a challenge but not overwellming. The major hassle is all the red tape! Your dealing with three different government agencies; the Coast Gaurd, the FBI and Homeland Security. So that tells you that the process is slow and there's way too many buerocrats are involved.

Once you finnish the class and produce all the documents you need then jump through a dozen more hoops it's typically a 4 to 6 month process. So unfortunatly the Griz and others may not see the river again till spring.

[Alagnak]

Yeah its the same thing for the lodge I work for in Alaska. I'm 30 miles from a port and have nothing to do with one yet I had to just get the TWIC card ($137) to add to my coast guard license too along with all the [PoorWordUsage] mentioned (proof of sea service, cpr, first aid, current physical, drug tests, etc). I don't fish ANY salt water-only rivers not any bigger than the MN but it is what it is and if you have to have it you have to have it. It sucks but....... most of these guys were well aware of the requirements but just chose to assume it would not get enforced here. Sorry but I don't have any sympathy wether you're 20 or 68 years old or how long you have been guiding. Funny thing is the 2 people I have worked with over the years that are dead from drowning did NOT have their CG license because they only did raft trips and not power boats.

Do you hire a licensed or unlicensed tax guy, plumber, auto mechanic, DR., contractor, etc??????????????

[jigginjim]

Gregg, Did you go through the same class as Griz? Call me, I'm home every day, unless fishing, trapping or working on my taxidermy items. I have my cell number on here, would like to know more about the class, I have my boat hours documented, and most everything else just need the money now.

[Sutty]

This whole deal is complete hogwash. A legislator worth a hoot would get this straightened out. There should be no difference licensing guides on Mille Lacs, Mississippi, Minnetonka, or any other lake in the state. If you need to have more safety equipment, cpr training etc. for one lake it should be required on all lakes. And it should make sense for our state not making guides learn about 100 foot ocean going vessels.