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SELECTING
YOUR FISHING GUIDE
Going Fishing?
Is Your Captain
Licensed?
Summertime means water
time for most Coastal Bend residents and visitors. And fishing, both
surf and deep-sea, remains the top draw for area water enthusiasts. To
help keep your outing a fun and safe experience the Coast Guard
suggests you take the following tips into consideration before you get
underway.
First, fishing and excursion Guides, who take customers for hire on
the navigable waters of the U.S., are required to be licensed by the
U.S. Coast Guard. Any body of water that flows to the ocean, has a
tidal influence, or permits transportation between two or more states
is in most cases a navigable water. All coastal waters fall into this
category. The licensing requirements include navigational and
seamanship competence, on water experience and participation in a
formal drug abuse testing program. Make sure the guide you hire has a
valid Coast Guard issued license...ask him or her to show you the
license before getting underway.
The Coast Guard also offers free vessel safety examinations to verify
that all required safety items are on board and that the boat was
seaworthy at the time of the boarding. They may show evidence of
completion of these important safety checks by display of a decal
issued by the Coast Guard Auxiliary. In addition, the vessel operator
may carry a special wallet sized card that attests to the vessel
having completed all requirements for un-inspected passenger vessels.
Although Coast Guard safety inspections are not required for vessel
operators carrying 6 or less passengers (Six packs, as they are called
in the industry) you will be assured that the vessel's equipment and
operator's credentials have been given a thorough review by a Coast
Guard official.
Simply verifying that the guide's license and vessel seaworthiness
will go far in insuring your excursion will be a safe and rewarding
experience. But, even experienced and well-equipped boaters can
encounter unforeseen hazards or have unusual accidents. In cases such
as these, having a life preserver on at the time of the incident is
crucial. Of the nearly 600 boaters who drowned in boating incidents
last year, almost 500 of those were not wearing any personal
floatation device. Most or all of these people could have survived
long enough to be rescued if they had simply been wearing a life
jacket at the time they found themselves in the water. Nobody plans to
fall or get knocked overboard!
Finally, avoid alcohol until you've returned to shore. The
environmental demands of being at sea are great enough without the
added effects of alcohol. By the way, your guide should certainly not
be drinking. The standard of intoxication for operators of other than
recreational vessels is a blood alcohol content of .04. Guides fall
into this category. If an emergency situation arises, how strong and
alert you are may mean the difference between a great day of fishing
and a tragedy. There are numerous credible guides in the Coastal Bend
that can help to make your fishing experience enjoyable and safe.
Information supplied
with permission from the U.S. Coast Guard, Corpus Christi Auxiliary.
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PLEASE VISIT OUR PAGE SPONSORS!
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 Please
visit our "How to Select A Guide" Page Sponsor:
Ace in the Hole Guide Service
Capt. Brent Hopkins
USCG Licensed. Fulltime professional
fishing & hunting guide with over 15 years of experience in the
guiding industry.
Novice
to Expert ~ Tournament Fishing ~
Families Welcome
Multiple-Boat
Groups Available!
Call:
361-729-6911 or 361-534-4007
Visit My Website |
 A
rich combination of vast oyster reefs, bay systems, grass flats,
and the exchange of water from the Gulf of Mexico through the
jetties makes the fishing down here in the Rockport/Aransas Pass
area an experience that will be the memory of a lifetime.
Randy Hoyt
grew up fishing the waters all the way from Aransas
Bay, Copano Bay, and San Antonio Bay down to Laguna Madre.
Having years of knowledge and experience, he started his fishing
guide business in 1982, offering all types of fishing including
wading, lures, bait, drifting, and fly.
Call Capt. Hoyt: 361.563.1447
SPECIALIZING IN:
TROPHY
REDFISH SPECKLED TROUT BLACK DRUM |
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