About Your Guide

Derek Marlin

Independent Guide

Talkative

Laid-back

Instructional

Beginner Oriented

Adventurous

Quantity

About Your Guide

Derek Marlin

Independent Guide

My name is Derek, and we operate our fishing guide out of Southwest Missouri. I live near Springfield Missouri, a geographical oddity that puts me 1 hour from 7 different lakes. We cover everything south by the Arkansas state line around Branson, all the way north to Lake of the Ozarks. I run small business with me as the only captain and my wife and one of my good friends help me with deck and duties for large groups. Our boat is a G3 Bowfish 20 and is rated to hold 8 people comfortably ( 6 customers, 2 crew). If you ever look into bowfishing boat Tracker pretty much owns the market with there raised deck boats. Back around 2018 G3 came out with there own turnkey model and oddly enough it was 90% identical to the custom boat I had drawn up and was looking to get made. Needless to say, we bought the first one off the show room floor and fell in love with it. The front deck is flush so you can easily hold all 8 people on it and fish 6 people no issue. With the flush deck you get a much more stable boat, and the tall sides make you feel like you’re on a raised deck. The boat can get into about 6 inches of water fully loaded so some fish can still hide from us but not many. Unfortunately, G3 pulled the plug on this tank of a boat so good luck finding one for yourself after you fall in love with it like we did. Outside of my business I have built a very reputable team of like-minded guides that frequently help me out on large groups. We have a hand full of other boats available so if you need to book a bigger group we can accommodate, just remember the logistics of putting together those types of trips takes a lot of pieces so the more time you give us to plan for you the better your trip will be. Our business prioritizes customer service above all else as mentioned in our mission statement “we put you on the fish while providing unbeatable customer service” This is deprived from many years of public service as a firefighter always going the extra mile to make sure someone is taken care of. I took my hobby of fishing and turned it into a full time job. I still love to fish on my own every now and then when I can find time but my life pretty much revolves around my family and the love of the outdoors (fishing, deer hunting, and duck hunting) I currently work full time as a firefighter and have been once since I was 14 years old. Our schedule gives us 4 days off a week to go fishing and the seniority I’ve built up over the years helps for the busy season when you have take vacation to keep the fishing business running 7 nights a week. So when you book with us I promise this is not like your typical fishing guide trip that sends you home feeling disappointed or like you didn’t get your money’s worth. I’ve been on a bunch over the years, and everyone has taught me something different about how not to run our business. We pride ourselves on unbeatable customer service. We will do our best to over communicate and paint you a picture of what your trip will look like before you book so you can make sure it fits your needs. We are not into tourist traps and one-time customers just here to take your money. We care more about making lifetime customers and lasting memories and will do whatever we can to help you accomplish that goal with us.

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Rapid Fire Guide Q & A

What’s the biggest fish you’ve caught?

Biggest would probably be a spoonbill just based off the size but the 2 that I care about are both 30 pound common carp that won us big fish in the US open 2 years in a row.

If you were cooking for all your friends what would you cook?

Goose Tacos

What’s your favorite band?

Treaty Oak Revival

What’s your favorite sports team?

KC chiefs

What’s your drink of choice?

Monster

What was your last halloween costume?

Bow hunting for deer

How did you get started guiding?

Grew up fishing my whole life and spent around 10 years working on a paddle wheeler that got me all my requirements for coat guard licensing

What makes you different from other guides?

I've been a firefighter since I turned 14 working in a public service back ground has taught me a lot about customer service. We pride ourselves on providing you unbeatable customer service while putting you on the fish.

Rapid Fire Guide Q & A

What’s the biggest fish you’ve caught?

Biggest would probably be a spoonbill just based off the size but the 2 that I care about are both 30 pound common carp that won us big fish in the US open 2 years in a row.

If you were cooking for all your friends what would you cook?

Goose Tacos

What’s your favorite band?

Treaty Oak Revival

What’s your favorite sports team?

KC chiefs

What’s your drink of choice?

Monster

What was your last halloween costume?

Bow hunting for deer

How did you get started guiding?

Grew up fishing my whole life and spent around 10 years working on a paddle wheeler that got me all my requirements for coat guard licensing

What makes you different from other guides?

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Missouri Bowfishing

NEW Springfield, MO 1 - 12 People 4 Hours From $460

Reserve Your Trip

Missouri Bowfishing

River, Lake Fishing in Springfield

NEW Guided by Derek

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Pricing Matrix

	4 Hours
1 Person	$460.00
2 People	$460.00
3 People	$575.00
4 People	$690.00
5 People	$805.00
6 People	$920.00
7 People	$1,380.00
8 People	$1,380.00
9 People	$1,610.00
10 People	$1,610.00
11 People	$1,840.00
12 People	$1,840.00

Pay $200 as a deposit today, with the balance due on the day of the trip.

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About Your Trip

Water Type

River, Lake

Skill Levels

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Weather

You won’t lose your deposit if the trip is canceled due to weather

About Your Trip

Bowfishing all water ways in Southern Missouri from Branson to Lake of the Ozarks. This is a fun fast-growing sport that uses archery equipment to target invasive fish species. We have taken people of all ages and backgrounds bowfishing from experts to first timers. Bowfishing is a great option for birthdays, anniversary, bachelor or bachelorette parties.

Most trips start at sunset, but we have some daytime trips available throughout the season. Bowfishing trips last approximately 4 hours. We set bows up to fit each person and allow you time to practice before starting. Bowfishing is offered year round, as long as the air temperature is above 32 degrees we will go fishing. The best times going from around April when the water starts warming up to around October when we get our first freeze.

Amenities

Water Type

River, Lake

Skill Levels

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Tackle

All rods, reels, and tackle are included.

Fish Cleaning

This guide will clean your catch for you.

Beer

Feel free to enjoy responsibly, but please no glass.

Music

You can play your own bluetooth music.

Location

This guide can be flexible with the departure location.

Weather

You won’t lose your deposit if the trip is canceled due to weather

Federal Permit

This boat is federally permitted to go deep offshore.

Kid Friendly

This trip can cater to kids.

Disability Friendly

This trip can accommodate those with disabilities.

Flexible Cancelation

This trip can be canceled for a refund up to 14 days before the trip.

Boat Restroom

No, this boat does not have a bathroom on board.

Live Bait

Live bait is not used on this trip.

Lunch

Please provide your own food / snacks.

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About Your Boat

Boat Type: Center Console
Boat Manufacturer: G3
Year Built: 2018
Boat Length: 20'

About Your Boat

Boat Type: Center Console
Boat Manufacturer: G3
Year Built: 2018
Boat Length: 20'
Engine Manufacturer: Yamaha
Total Horsepower: 115
Number of Engines: 1
Additional Amenities: boat is rated to hold 8 people and can easily accommodate 6 clients fishing off the front deck at the same time.

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Potential Target Species

Color-coded seasonality below is based on .

	January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December
Bluegill	Good	Good	Great	Great	Great	Good	Good	Good	Great	Great	Good	Good
Carp	Good	Good	Great	Great	Great	Good	Good	Good	Great	Great	Good	Good
Freshwater Drum	Not Ideal	Not Ideal	Good	Good	Great	Great	Great	Great	Good	Good	Not Ideal	Not Ideal
Longnose Gar	Not Ideal	Not Ideal	Not Ideal	Good	Great	Great	Great	Great	Good	Good	Not Ideal	Not Ideal
Spotted Gar	Not Ideal	Not Ideal	Not Ideal	Good	Great	Great	Great	Great	Good	Good	Not Ideal	Not Ideal