Taking guests on your boat.

Just wondering, if you invite people to fish with you is it wrong to expect anything in return?? Before I had my boat I would always offer to pay for launch fee, gas or lunch/dinner if someone took me out, now I pay for my trucks' gas towing to lake, gas/oil for boat, beer/snacks and launch fee, am I wrong to at least expect an offer?? Comments welcome...

Buddy of mine owns a big charter boat. 40ft+ and twin 454s. He said we can fish all we want, just gotta pay for fuel. Typically $30-40 a guy per trip. Very nice price, esp with all the room we have and all the top equipment. I'm always willing to run rods and help with boat maintenance. I get a kick out of guys who see $550 for up to 6 people for a charter and then ask well how much for 3 guys?

I and a couple friends go out on Lake Michigan with a few friends with bigger boats,all met on LL.We always kick in $20/25 each.It's a small price to pay for something so enjoyable.If going to an inland lake with a bud we just split cost,whose ever boat is used.It's the right thing to do,and I would expect the same.

Watchinbobbers - My guess is the outrageous launch fee is from somewhere in the flatland near the Chain O' Lakes. I'm pretty sure the launch fee for Bangs Lake is something like $25 or $30. It's pretty damn ridiculous.

If someone asks if I am going fishing and asks to come along or says "when are we going fishing?", an offer to chip in for the launch fee, gas, or offer to bring food or drinks is the polite thing for them to do. If I call someone and say "I am going out- Do you want to come along?" I expect nothing as I asked them to come along. If they offer, great, if not, great-I was going with or without them. If I am asked along by another I always offer something in return-That is how I was raised and what I believe in. I have fished with others who invite themselves along or beg to go fishing and offer nothing. After a couple of trips like that, I won't take them again. I have a friend who offers to chip in every time, even though he knows I will say don't worry about it. He has gotten wise and brings food and beverages, or bait, or beats me to the launch fee envelope, or pays for the gas when ever he can beat me to the cashier. On the other hand, I have a brother-in-law who used to invite himself and never chip in, and he no longer gets sets foot on my boat. Those who run their own boats and fish with friends or others on another boat, definitely are better about chipping in as they realize the associated costs.

Where are you paying 25$ for a launch fee? In my area they range from 3$ to 6$.

If I buy the bait, fill the boat and truck with gas, pay a launch fee of anywhere from $15-$25 I would expect the other person to offer up some kind money to help defer the costs. Fishing a hot bite from anywhere 5-7 days straight can get kinda expensive and I think it's only fair that the person who is fishing with you shares on the expenses. The guys who I have fished with in the past and never even offered are left at home to read my fishing reports ..... Poorboy

If you invite them they owe you nothing. Should they offer? Yes, they should just to be courteous and you should have the decency not to accept it. Unless its a big trip. Then I will say right up front, do you want to go fish XXX and split the gas? If they say yes, then I expect gas money.

When I invite someone to go with me I don't expect anything. The offers are always there which is nice but the way I look at it is I'm going anyways so I would be burning up the expenses that go with it regardless. However if I'm invited to go with someone I do offer just common curtesy.

Depends where you fish too. Going casting on an inland lake might cost $5-$10. Big deal. But going trolling all day might be anywhere from $30-$50 or more depending on where you run to and your boat size. That adds up after a few days if you are the only one chipping in.

I just appreciate a thanks. Gas money seems silly to me. I have had people offer just never accept it. I was going to go myself so that isn't necessary. Some days just having another person in the boat is enough. I rarely go with someone else if I do it's same people who go with me so we just consider it a wash. If we buy bait the other guy pays for that. That's about it. Biggest thing to me is the people who notice what you do and how much work you do for them in the boat. When it's 25 plus mph wind and your fighting the wind with the trolling motor keeping them on fish. Those are the guys I want to fish with not just the guys offering me money. Our cabin is little different. When we go with friends some are lot better than others that's for sure. I don't expect them to pay me to stay there. Some will pay for our supper if we go out some will not do anything. You know the people who appreciate it and the ones who don't. Not just by paying for stuff but the way they act. We don't feed them and wait on them and everything like they are visiting our home. We split meals and cooking duties. It's our vacation too. We have made that known since the beginning. Only time gas money is nice or expected is when friends use the jetski's. I make sure they are filled when we leave when it's just us. I make it known that they get filled when our friends are with us too.

I knew a guy once who was going to sell his boat and gear because it was easier to fish with me. So I get all the costs for him to go fishing. That ended lol. I just like people to offer. I might not even take it, but just the thought that they have the decency to offer is all I look for. If they don't then we are probably 2 different kind of people. Haven't ran into that much so I guess my friends are like me.

I will say it all depends. I have a good buddy who always tries to throw me money, and I simply won't take it. He takes his rig up north for sledding, and won't take money for that either. And he brings over his jet skis in summer and won't take money for that. So we are even as far as I am concerned. However, there are others. After years of my wife's uncle begging me to take him out, I did. We fished off my dock for the evening. Landed a bunch of eyes that night. Next morning head out on my boat. The fish were not cooperating in my first spot, so needed to run 9 miles each way to my go-to spot. He was rough on my gear, stepped on my rods, lost my baits and kept banging the fish and lures in my boat. He was over 1 hour late from the time I asked we leave. He had the audacity to say the coffee I made was not very good (I don’t drink coffee, so did the best I could), complained the pull out couch wasn’t very comfy, and brought up that he thought the governor was screwing him personally and knows I swing very right. This was all done on my boat/dock. Then he starts to ask me how much everything costs. I run a $50K rig, ran about $40 worth of fuel, parking $6, and many other costs for the day. His wife calls and asks how fishing is, says slow, but caught a few. He lost at least 8 because he can’t handle a rod, but yet I put him on fish! He still went home with 4 walleye, few crappie. But that wasn’t enough. Wanted to go back to my house and grab the fish out of my livewell! Never offered up a dollar, and to be honest, I am glad he didn’t. It firms in my head; he is not coming with me again – just not worth it. The sense of entitlement with this guy was unreal. Most of my buddies are pretty fair. Flip a $20 here or there. My dad always offers to pay, but to me, those trips are priceless, knowing he has a lot more trips behind him than in front of him. I run about $1000 of fuel in my boat a year. I don’t expect to recover any of that from friends/family, but if I do a little great. It is better you appreciate the outing, treat my gear with respect, and have a great outing rather than anything else. Then you are invited again!

I don't ask for anything when guys come fishing with me. I don't take the offer of money but before we go and talk about the day, I will say meet me at such and such and you bring the bait or soda/beer and I will pick you up and drive. On the other hand, when a guy ask me to go fishing and we take his boat or he drives, I AWAYS offer money or bait because I know how much it takes to run a boat and truck. I want to make it a good trip for both of us. I even bring some venny sticks for both of us for a snack. That goes over good for both of us. One time we went to michigan for salmon and the friend didn't want any thing for the trip and I know the trip was a few bucks and I brought home 3 salmon so I put a 20 in his ashtray in his truck because he won't take any money and I didn't say anything. I am sure he appreciated it when he found it. We still go once in a while and I still leave the money and we never speak of it. It's kinda funny. Last time I left 30 bucks.

I agree with matt 100%. I invite them they owe me nothing. They ask me to take them then that's little different. I bought the boat knowing all that comes with it. Headaches and all the costs thats not the other person I fish withs problem.

When I fish I dont expect anything and also dont ask for anything. I mainly troll so a second person is a must for me or I wont go. Not because its hard to do with one person but I want the extra 3 rods out. I also wont take gas money but if they offer to buy lunch or dinner ill take them up on that.