Blog
Practical guides for running a fishing outfit.
October 9, 2026
Managing Fishing Lodge Rooms and Cabins in Fishing Outfitter
Assign anglers to lodge rooms and cabins, see who’s sleeping where night by night, and keep lodging in step when a trip moves. On Solo and up.
Read more →October 9, 2026
See Exactly What Your Anglers and Guides See Before You Invite Them
Preview your client portal and guide app with a sample angler and guide, using your own branding, settings and plan, before you send a single invite.
Read more →October 7, 2026
AnyCreek Alternative for Fishing Guides: An Honest Comparison
AnyCreek charges a subscription and a setup fee plus a percentage on every trip. Here's how it compares with Fishing Outfitter's free plan and capped booking fee, including where AnyCreek wins.
Read more →October 6, 2026
How to Become a Fishing Guide in Utah (2026 Registration Guide)
Utah fishing guides now register with DWR, not DOPL: $175 resident / $500 nonresident, the March 31 deadline, affiliate codes, and the records you have to keep.
Read more →September 26, 2026
Booking an Angler Under 18: Guardian Signing and Consent
Booking an angler under 18? Fishing Outfitter routes the signature to a parent or guardian automatically, with no paper form and no account for the minor.
Read more →September 25, 2026
How Fishing Guides Get Double-Booked (and How to Stop It)
A guide can only run one boat at a time. Here's how Fishing Outfitter's Availability board, still marked Beta, keeps your public calendar honest about which trips, and which half-days, are actually open.
Read more →September 24, 2026
Client Change Requests: Cancel, New Dates, Companions
Clients can now ask to cancel, move their trip or add a non-fishing companion from their portal, and they see your cancellation policy before they ask to cancel.
Read more →September 24, 2026
Should You Offer Cancellation Protection on Guided Fishing Trips?
Cancellation protection isn't trip insurance — it's a fee-waiver policy you set yourself. Here's how Fishing Outfitter lets you sell it as an add-on, price it as a percentage of the trip, and get the client's answer before they sign.
Read more →September 23, 2026
Google Calendar Sync for Fishing Guides: Half-Days That Work
Connect Google Calendar: your trips appear on your phone, and a busy morning blocks morning trips — not the afternoon. Here's how it works for guides.
Read more →September 23, 2026
The End-of-Trip Report: Close Out Every Trip With a Written Record
The trip ends and the details start to fade by the drive home. The End of Trip Report drafts from your guide's fishing reports, works offline, and gives owners one queue to review instead of a pile of memory.
Read more →September 18, 2026
Your Fishing Clients in Your Phone: Caller ID for Guides
Give every regular angler a name when they call. Export your Fishing Outfitter client list straight to your iPhone, Google Contacts, or Outlook — no manual entry required.
Read more →September 7, 2026
The Second Booking Is the One That Builds Your Business
Returning clients book bigger, refer friends, and forgive a slow bite. The moment they rebook is the moment to show them they're known — here's how Fishing Outfitter surfaces every client's history right where you work.
Read more →September 2, 2026
What Your Guides' Trip Reports Already Know About Your Operation
Every trip report your guides log — weather, sightings, outcomes, safety — can now roll up into operation-wide insights. Here's what the patterns tell you, and why your clients feel the difference.
Read more →August 31, 2026
Before You Ask What Fishing Guide Software Costs, Add Up What You're Already Paying
A fishing guide software subscription looks like one more monthly bill — until you add up the e-signature tool, the texting service, the form builder, the mileage app, and the bookkeeping software it quietly replaces. Here's the line-item math, with real August 2026 prices.
Read more →August 27, 2026
Fishing Client Dietary Restrictions: Does Your Cook Actually Know?
Diabetic anglers, food allergies, medical conditions — most outfitters ask. The failure isn't asking, it's making sure the answer reaches the cook, the guide, and the shopping list.
Read more →August 20, 2026
Best Software for Fishing Lodges: What It Takes to Run a Lodge Week
What fishing lodge software actually needs — multi-day stays, meal planning, guide rotation, deposits — and an honest look at where Fishing Outfitter fits.
Read more →August 17, 2026
How to Become a Fishing Guide: Licenses, the Six-Pack & Pay
How to become a fishing guide — when you need a USCG captain's license, state guide licenses, what guides really earn, and how to go independent.
Read more →August 13, 2026
How Much Does a Guided Fishing Trip Cost? Real 2026 Price Ranges
Guided fishing trip and charter prices — half-day, full-day, fly-outs and Alaska lodge weeks — plus per-boat vs per-person pricing and what isn't included.
Read more →August 10, 2026
Fly-Fishing Trip Packing List: What to Bring on a Guided Trip
What to pack for a guided fly-fishing trip — waders, layers, licenses, and what the guide already provides so you don't haul gear you won't use.
Read more →August 6, 2026
Questions to Ask a Fishing Guide Before You Book a Trip
How to vet a fishing guide or charter before you pay a deposit — licensing, what's included, cancellation policy, and the red flags that predict a bad trip.
Read more →August 4, 2026
How Much to Tip a Fishing Guide, Charter Crew, or Lodge
What to tip your fishing guide — the 15-20% standard, half-day math, deckhand splits, and how week-long lodge tipping actually works.
Read more →July 30, 2026
Bringing Your Catch Home from Alaska: The Fish Box Guide
Fish boxes, checked-bag math, ice rules, processors that hold your catch until your flight — how to get Alaska salmon and halibut home in perfect shape.
Read more →July 29, 2026
Fishing Outfitter's Booking Fee, Explained: Who Pays, How Much, What's Exempt
Fishing Outfitter's booking fee is paid by your client at checkout — 4% capped at $35 on the free plan, down to 1%/$15. What's exempt, and how it compares.
Read more →July 27, 2026
How to Price Fishing Guide Trips: A Day-Rate Strategy for Charter & Guide Operators
How to price fishing guide trips — cost-plus vs market vs value pricing, building your day rate, per-person vs per-boat, deposits, and when to raise.
Read more →July 25, 2026
Fraser River Fly Fishing Guides: Running a Compliant, Professional Operation
What it takes to run a compliant Fraser River fly fishing guide operation in BC — licensing, DFO tidal rules, sturgeon, insurance, bookings.
Read more →July 20, 2026
Your Software Should Work Where You Fish: How Offline Mode Actually Works
How Fishing Outfitter works with zero cell service — fishing reports, shopping lists, documents — plus the honest limits of offline, and how you know you're ready.
Read more →July 14, 2026
DFO Catch Reporting for Fishing Guides: A Practical Walkthrough
How BC fishing guides handle DFO catch reporting: iREC, immediate catch records, tidal vs freshwater, timelines, and why record-keeping matters.
Read more →July 10, 2026
How to Create a Fishing Guide Liability Waiver (With Template)
What a fishing guide or charter liability waiver must include, why each clause matters, plus an adaptable sample template you can start from.
Read more →July 9, 2026
Fly Shop Booking Software: What Independent Fly Shops Need to Manage Guide Trips
What booking software an independent fly shop needs to run guide trips across multiple guides — scheduling, deposits, waivers, and honest pricing.
Read more →July 3, 2026
FishingBooker Alternative: When to Run Your Own Booking System
FishingBooker charges 10–30% commission per trip. An honest look at when the marketplace earns it, when it doesn't, and how guides pair it with their own booking system.
Read more →July 3, 2026
Vally vs Fishing Outfitter: Is 'Free' Fishing Guide Software Actually Free?
Vally is free to guides, but your clients pay an unpublished service fee. See how that compares to Fishing Outfitter's published, capped booking fee.
Read more →June 29, 2026
Fly Fishing Guide Software: What Actually Matters for Running a Guide Operation
Fly fishing guides need booking, payment schedules, guide assignment, and client communication — not fishing apps. Here's what to look for.
Read more →June 23, 2026
The Flybook Alternative: Fishing Outfitter vs The Flybook vs Vally
Comparing Fishing Outfitter, The Flybook, and Vally for fishing guides — pricing, the guide portal, and the trial model. An honest look.
Read more →June 22, 2026
The Fishing Outfitter's Pre-Season Setup Checklist
Everything to lock down before opening day: confirmed trips, updated waivers, collected deposits, angler prep packets, guide assignments, and a test booking.
Read more →June 21, 2026
Taking Deposits for Guided Fishing Trips Online: A Step-by-Step Guide
How to structure deposits for guided fishing trips — amounts, timing, cancellation policies, and automatic payment reminders so you stop chasing anyone.
Read more →June 20, 2026
Free Fishing Outfitter Software: What You Actually Get on the Starter Plan
Fishing Outfitter's free Starter plan includes unlimited clients, online bookings, e-signing, and a client portal — no monthly fee, just a per-booking fee.
Read more →June 19, 2026
What Spreadsheets Can't Do for a Fishing Outfit
Spreadsheets run most guide operations — until they don't. Six things fishing outfitters need that no spreadsheet can handle.
Read more →June 19, 2026
BC Fishing Guide Licence Requirements: Everything You Need to Know in 2026
The complete guide to BC angling guide licensing: provincial requirements, the Angling Guide Exam, AGOP, classified waters, Transport Canada certifications, and the 2026 WILD system change.
Read more →June 18, 2026
Switching from Spreadsheets to Outfitter Software (Without Losing Your Data)
How to import your client list, guide roster, and leads into Fishing Outfitter — and what to do with historical booking records that can't import automatically.
Read more →June 16, 2026
The Best Fly Fishing Guide Software in 2026: An Honest Comparison
The best fly fishing guide software compared — Fishing Outfitter, Vally, Guide Pointer, The Flybook, FareHarbor, LodgeRunner, AnyCreek, and GoFish.Rocks on features, pricing, and which fits your guide operation.
Read more →June 15, 2026
How Fishing Outfitters Lose Money to No-Shows — and How to Stop It
No-shows and late cancellations quietly cost fishing outfitters thousands a season. Here's how deposits, signed policies, and automatic reminders stop the bleed.
Read more →