not all 17 year old kids are created equal.
 

yesterday, i went fishing. i treated a friend that always takes me out on his bassboat to a guided trip on a lake he has never been on. i hired the guide. the son of one of my contractor foreman.

we met in the dark at the ramp. everyone had masks and hoodies on because it was below freezing. the kid backed up the boat like a pro, took us on and out into the lake.

fishing was slow, but that isnt the point of this thread. when the sun came up, i got a good look at our guide. he was super young looking!! i had to ask, "how old are you?"

17!! i was blown away. (my friend got the WTF look on his face!)! he said, he got his guide license a mere four months prior. he hustled. i backlashed right away. the guide immediately grabbed the rod and handed me another.. he picked out my backlash while my good friend gave me krap the entire time. the kid seemed lost at our adult jokes and ribbing, but he got in on some of the action. mostly making fun of my lucky hat. but the guide never stopped working. always moving to find us fish. showing us the topo map and explaining the structure, and how to work a particular lure. he kept the boat clean, and made sure we were having fun. his boat was a bit junky, and run down. it had a new motor he bought used. but he said he saved up the money.

this kid guides when he isnt in school. he has plans for college. what a great young man!! there are some kids i wont get in their car..much less let them pilot me around a lake at 60mph!! i am reserving a date in the spring. he was a good fishing guide.

sounds like a good kid. and he has a fun life ahead of him if wants it and continues to work hard and plan things out. hired a guide in key west to hunt tarpon and he was a very happy dude living the life. said he moved down there with nothing and worked his way up to a successful business. i was very envious of all this. too late for me now. hopefully that 17 yo kid doesn’t lose his way like i did

saw your bass. that was a good one. caught one just like it on labor day along with a few walleye but didn’t get a pic. those big bass dive hard. lots of fun. way way way more fun than even the largest walleye.

That is cool. Nice story.

He may have more success as a guide business (certainly more satisfaction) than what he is going to college for. Good for him !

Had no idea Karens hire sherpas to go fishing.

You wrote that with exactly what in mind?

Discretion is a gift you have not been given.

To the OP, the best thing about being 17 and knowing how to work is that you always will.

That was a fair bit of work for an undeserved insult.

i saw that and had no idea what it meant. sounded like an insult but wasn’t sure. can someone interpret that for me?

does he not think people hire guides or charters to put them on fish?

What states the kid in? You might mange to drum up some business for him.

Still lots of good ones out there. My wife’s youngest brother is 20, for the last few years he has built a waterfowl hunting guide service in Central KS. He was booked full for the season by mid-summer and has had country singers, pro athletes, and a whole bunch of rich guys come out. Most are now repeat customers since he has been doing it for a few years.

Was channeling my inner Boomer. Any boomer worth his salt will bash and crap all over any millennial who hires a guide to go fishing. Back in the day before helmets, we went fishing on our own!! Like like these new kids who can't drive a car and even need a babysitter to go fishing, said every boomer pelican ever.

Oh I get it.

I do enjoy the misuse of “Karen” here. “Sherpa” was correct. Ironically the Karen is the one worried about how someone fishes.

It was the most cost effective way to get a bass boat on a strange lake.

Best part? I’m a millennial! No. Gen-X here.

Okay. More. Where does one draw the line? Eating out? Faack. A mountain man cooks his own stuff? Taxi? Uber?

Gardeners?

Fun.

It's just some guys going fishing on a lake they aren't familiar with, in a boat they don't own...sounds fun to me, and had a great time thanks to a young entrepreneur !

sugarwood has a seagull complex....fly in, make a racket, chit all over everything, and then fly off !

Hiring a guide is a lot cheaper than a BWI or BUI. I'll admit, there were some trips that I now wonder how we made it back to the boat ramp, got the boat on the trailer, and made it home.

If you aint drinking, it's called catching, not fishing.

i suppose you made your own boat out of matchsticks and homemade glue too.

i live on lake ontario which has a great salmon fishery. on any given day during the summer there are hundreds of charter boats out there owned and captained by boomers taking other boomers to catch salmon

not all of us are able to or want to own a boat or can bring a boat to a foreign body of water

i’m no millennial but i guess next time i go to the bahamas to fly fish for bonefish i should buy my own boat when i get there and wander around for a week looking for a fish

your inner boomer sucks

remember, he and those in his peer group don’t eat out and all gen-xers have 2-3 kids and don’t eat out either

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/1060147-does-anyone-actually-miss-table-service-6.html

it must be flattering to have Paul Simon write a song about you

He was a most peculiar man
He lived all alone within a house
Within a room, within himself
A most peculiar man

Nice story! Thanks for sharing, it gives hope for the future.

Amen! Plus when you’re fishing an unfamiliar lake a good guide can be invaluable. I’ve hired guides and chartered boats all over the place and always had a great time.