Getting started in the business

Question
I am currently a student attending school in the central United States. My passion has always been fishing and for the last few years my dream has been to work on a charter boat as a deckhand and eventually captain my own boat.  I have been out deep sea fishing many times in many different parts of the U.S., but I have never had any formal training or first hand experience working on a boat. I would like to know what steps i need to take to get started in the business and how to find job oppurtunities?  

Answer
Understand that this is a very complicated issue, one which really deserves more time than we can expend, as a practical matter, at least.

That said ... I don't know of any "formal" training available for charter or guide work, although I've run across a few con games over the years that profess to be that.  One thing that would help is to get a captain's license, even if it's only a six-pack.  Although you are apparently a long way from being ready to take clients fishing, what you will learn from this course will be useful immediately, and you'll need it for the long term, anyway.

As with any occupation for which there is no formal schooling (except for that license), the only way to learn it is to do it.  This will be a bit difficult, given that you prefer deep sea and are currently a long way from same, geographically speaking.  However, there are some common points to all guiding, so if you can hook up (excuse the pun) with someone who currently needs a first mate, it will be a good first step.  Don't try to bs the person, tell him (or her) exactly what you have in mind, how much you already know, and what your experience is.

Without knowing exactly where you are, I can't make specific suggestions, but just as one example, some lake trout fishing is as close as you can get to deep sea fishing without the salt.  Much of the gear is similar -- downriggers, for example -- as are many of the tactics.

You don't say what your school is -- college, high school, graduate school, trade school -- nor what you are currently studying, but if you can get in some courses that will improve your communication skills, do it.  People who hire guides want more than a full fish box.  They want to be informed and entertained, and a captain who answers questions with grunts or monosyllables won't get many word-of-mouth references from clients.

If you're out with a charter and see a frigate bird, for example, talk about it.  Tell him how long they can soar without flapping their wings, how many hours they can spend aloft, what they're looking for, what they eat, and so on.  You get the point.  Even if you can't fish deep sea now because of where you are, you can still learn about deep sea fish species, as well as other life forms you may come across during a day on the ocean.

You can still learn, and practice, the various knots you will need, as well as how to take care of gear.  In other words, learn all you can now, so when the opportunity arises for you to mate on a boat you will already have the "book learning" out of the way, and it will be a simple matter of putting what you've learned to practice.  Read all you can on the subject.  There are so many magazines which cover this type of fishing to one degree or another that subscribing to them all will put you in the poor house, but there are always libraries.

Never mind Outdoor Life and Sports Afield, both of which have only a few deep-sea articles per year.  Instead, read Salt Water Sportsman, Sport Fishing, Florida Sportsman (don't let "Florida" mislead you, this magazine covers all types of fishing, all over the world, and it's mostly salt water), and other magazines of that genre.

I hope there's something useful in this answer to your question.  Please feel free to ask more, and I'll be happy to expand on or explain anything you may not understand.

Good luck, and let me know if I can be of further help.

RG