Florida
$300.00 plus bait for a full day
$200.00 plus bait for a half day
"Lake caught" large wild shiners range $16-20 per dozen (plan 3 dozen minimum)
New York
$250.00 plus bait for a full day
$150.00 plus bait for a half day (or weather shortened day)
Live crayfish...$4.00 per dozen (plan at least 3 dozen)
Domestic shiners (hatchery raised)...$9.00 per dozen (plan at least 3 dozen)
Live bait versus artificials...
I highly recommend the use of live bait for relaxation and effectiveness especially with less experienced anglers on board. This works well with women and children. They will catch more and bigger fish.
Artificial only casting trips can be productive if you have good casting skills. My New York trips are better for producing good results with just artificials. Wild shiners are always your best bet for a trophy bass in Florida.
Full day versus half day...
You will see some guide services advertise pricing for 4 or 6 or 8 hour trips. I don't monitor your day with a stop watch. It is either a full day or half day. A full day with me is all day. A half day is typically between 4 and 6 hours.
Sometimes the weather will dictate the duration of our fishing time. Especially in New York. If there is the threat of afternoon storms or it is just getting very windy, we can call it a half day if you'd like and quit early. In Florida, it is almost always dry in the morning with any threat of storms happening in the afternoon. In New York, it might be pouring down rain in the morning and clearing in the afternoon. We could go out in the afternoon for a half day, reschedule the trip for another day, or just fish in the rain. If you would like to fish in the rain, be sure to bring good rain gear with you.
A full day will give you the best opportunity for a trophy bass in Florida and bigger numbers in New York.