Going Rate for an Observer

[Fbodine]

Question:  What is the going rate for an observer? 

[flashpoint]

Generally $100/day is the minimum

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[Jeffrey Meyer]

Anyone need an observer?

[fishman08]

75/ day is the standard for the past 10 years

[Erskin]

Most pay $100.00 a day

[Silver Fox]

Yeah, $100/day isn't happening. I'll start observing then.

[Mortigan]

Yeah, $100/day isn't happening. I'll start observing then.

[Erskin]

Yeah, $100/day isn't happening. I'll start observing then.

It's happening.  Read some of the post from this year and last year.

[Silver Fox]

Its not happening on MY boat. Too many people want to do it now.

[motoman]

I've done it for free and had to paid 50 for them and i also took them fishing all depends,so with that said i think its safe to say 0-100 and or trip is going rate, personally i like the guys who like too learn. 

[JakeyBaby]

I agree I have done it in the past just for the experience and to learn and that's it, not a paycheck. I think the biggest reason to pay is to help them out with there fuel to get back and forth from an event.

[motoman]

experience is everything even if ya think ya know it all one little trick i learned 5-6 years ago (observing) helped me slide into the money this weekend at the pro am and an observer that was on my boat from another team picked up on it this weekend even with how fast stuff was coming in and out of the boat and this guy had been a capt for years on the west end and never saw it before.

[Legacy]

I think $50-75 per day plus the observer is offered to prefish on friday if they would like is pretty fair.

[Yankee Troller]

We've paid $100/day on 1 day events, and $75/day on 2 day events for years. It's the going rate. When the other teams observer is on board we tell them we pay our guy $250 just to start crap and have them go back looking for a raise.       

 

 

Yeah, $100/day isn't happening. I'll start observing then.

 

Cheap Cheap.....Cheap Cheap.....

[Silver Fox]

I pay more than you and I'm cheap? Heck, jerry still pays the 1990's rate!......lol

[Yankee Troller]

Hahahahahaha

[fshnwmn]

I have been an observer many times. Always paid $75 for the day. And learned a lot. Some people do it just to learn new tricks.there were times I did not take the money just enjoyed the guys and the day

[shadster]

I observed for a few years and it cost me more than I earned in the long run. Cash wise anyway. I got to fish a lot of days and travel the Western swing with a pro team. Learned quite a bit and observed on some winning boats which was a plus. The experience is priceless. I just wish I could have kept up with it.

Edited June 4, 2014 by shadster

[MIKEY SEA]

He might pay the 90s rate..But..Spending the weekend with Jerry,Rob,Larry and Paul is priceless ...Especially the stories about his rot pulling fish out of sandy or putting out Garys fire.....LMAO...... The money just covers fuel....Time well spent...

[stoutner]

If I had to do it on a 24' or smaller boat I would charge $150. 25'-29' boat it would be $100 and 30' plus would be $75. My reasoning is that you can have a pretty comfortable day on a larger boat and are more likely to be observing and learning from a pro team. If you are coming from out of town it will cost you at least $100 a day for car/truck fuel and/or lodging so it's not really a good way to actually make money. If you can get your costs covered and get to ride on a larger more comfortable boat with a pro team it is well worth it to be an observer. Last year (or the year before) in the Oswego Pro Am my observer got to observe Top Gun and Son of a Gun. Pretty nice days for him and he enjoyed it immensely. 

[Pike Hunter]

An observer should pay for their way to learn from the gang, not the other way around.

 

Obviously,  the experience of observing and learning from the best (fun) guys far exceeds the value of money that you get paid as an observer. This is just like going to good college and learn from a smart professor who has been in the business for a very long time.

[Fishtails]

 

 

If I had to do it on a 24' or smaller boat I would charge $150. 25'-29' boat it would be $100 and 30' plus would be $75. My reasoning is that you can have a pretty comfortable day on a larger boat and are more likely to be observing and learning from a pro team. If you are coming from out of town it will cost you at least $100 a day for car/truck fuel and/or lodging so it's not really a good way to actually make money. If you can get your costs covered and get to ride on a larger more comfortable boat with a pro team it is well worth it to be an observer. Last year (or the year before) in the Oswego Pro Am my observer got to observe Top Gun and Son of a Gun. Pretty nice days for him and he enjoyed it immensely. 

 

I'm sorry Wayne, but to be strait up I think this comment is ridiculous !  Some of the best fishermen on this lake are running smaller boats due to gas savings. Thrillseeker now uses a 25  I think for tournies - so he should pay more for an observer than you by your standards?  People are smart enough to know if comfort of a large vessel is more important than learning - than that's the route to go. However, the size of the boat by no way will determine the skill level of the team.  You have a 36, right?   How'd you do at the Oak tourney this past weekend?  Just sayin, as a owner of a 24 foot boat,  your formula is ridiculous.  Sorry - not looking to be offensive but just couldn't look the other way on this one.

[Mortigan]

I observed for the first time this weekend.  I did it both for the experience and to help out a buddy who has given me some great fishing opportunities.  My pay was perfectly acceptable, covering my gas and expenses for the weekend with enough left over to pay my share for the upcoming Sandy Creek Shootout, grab some BBQ on the way home Sunday and have a little extra spending cash.  You will not get rich doing this.

 

What was invaluable was getting to meet a great bunch of guys, watch them fish together as a team and compare with my previous (and limited) personal tournament experience.  I've fished last year's Shootout with Jolly, this year's Wilson Harbor Invitational with Silver Fox and I observed Make the Turn at this weekend's Oak Orchard Open.  I've learned quite a bit from each of them and appreciate having been given the chance.

[John E Powell]

I appreciate the $75 a day I get because it helps to offset my expenses. Sometimes if it's a local tournament, I make a little money. This past weekend I probably broke even as gas for three trips back and forth from Niagara Falls where I live to the Oak certainly adds up. Gas, meals, and traveling to Sodus from the Falls and booking a budget room for two nights costs me about $100. All in all, over the tournament season, I loose a few bucks. This is not the reason I observe.

 

Now like the familiar credit card ads on TV say, the fishing friends I make as an observer are priceless. It's not so much what I can learn or take away from the experience (that is part of it), it's the friends I make along the way - and it always will be the main reason I observe.

[ray koziatek]

On the other side ....back in the days of missing plugs,stuck horns, and pink towels,I have heard some stories of sick observers and the mess they leave behind...he he ..so the guys with nice boats and big money on the line want someone who is reliable and has sea legs....Kinda like to oll" ya get what ya pay for"...but most teams will let observers pre fish if they have tight lips so yer fishing on a boat that might cost ya 600.00 plus for a charter,,, so maybe the observers should pay..........just kidding ....a lot can be learned in a weekend..