FISHINGBOOKER COMMISSION, EXPLAINED
How much does FishingBooker take? Up to 30%.
On FishingBooker, the captain sets the commission — anywhere from 10% to 30% of the trip — and it doubles as the customer's deposit. It comes out of every booking the platform sends, including the repeat customers who'd have come back to you anyway.
Here's how it works, from FishingBooker's own help docs: when you list, you choose a commission rate between 10% and 30%. That percentage is what FishingBooker keeps on each booking, and it's collected as the deposit the customer pays up front. There's no separate booking fee added on top of your listed price — the commission is the model.
The rate is your dial, but even the low end is a recurring cost. A captain at 15% doing $80,000 of trips a year hands over $12,000. At 20% it's $16,000. And it doesn't stop at new customers — the same cut applies every time a regular re-books, year after year.
The reason you can't just move those regulars off-platform is FishingBooker's Platform Bypass Policy: it prohibits asking a customer to book directly, sharing your contact info to dodge the commission, or redirecting them to your own site or socials — and it says it monitors messages and can remove you for it. FishingBooker Direct offers a no-commission option for a 2.65% + $0.03 processing fee, but it's still their platform, not a site and client list you own.
The way to stop paying commission on people who already know you is to give them somewhere else to book: your own site. That's what Timber & Tackle is — a flat monthly fee, $0 commission, and the client is yours.
The cost, side by side
| FishingBooker | Timber & Tackle | |
|---|---|---|
| Commission per booking | 10–30% (captain-set), up to 30% | $0 — flat fee only |
| On repeat customers too | Yes — every time | Free — they're your client |
| Take a client direct | Against their bypass policy | yes — your own site |
| Own your client list | ||
| What you actually own | A listing | Your site, domain & data |
It's every booking
Commission isn't a one-time finder's fee — it recurs on every trip, including the loyal customers who'd book you anyway.
Repeats should be free
Once someone has fished with you, re-booking them shouldn't cost 10–30% again. On your own site it costs nothing.
Keep both if you want
List on FishingBooker for new discovery; send your regulars to your own site so their next ten trips don't carry a cut.
Do the math on your own trips.
Put in your trips a year, your average price, and the commission you're set to. The orange line is what you'd keep on a flat fee instead.
What are you on now?
50 trips= $28,650 a year
FishingBooker at 15%
$4,298
Timber & Tackle flat
$1,200
You keep $3,098 more a year.
Only guide part of the year? Pause the rest.
Run your seasons, then pause your bill in the off-months — $0 while you're off the water, and your site stays live, still booking next season. You only pay the months you're actually fishing.
FishingBooker commission is captain-set between 10–30% per their help center, charged on every trip. We assume your same trips book elsewhere.
Straight answers.
Is the FishingBooker commission negotiable?
You set it yourself between 10% and 30% when you list. A lower rate can mean lower placement, and either way it's a recurring cut on every booking — there's no rate that makes a repeat customer free.
Does FishingBooker add a fee on top of my price?
Per their docs there's no separate booking fee added to your listed price — the commission you set is how they make money, collected as the deposit.
Can I just book my FishingBooker customers directly next time?
Their Platform Bypass Policy prohibits it — asking to book direct, sharing contact info to avoid commission, or redirecting to your own site can get you restricted or removed. The clean answer is to give customers your own site to book on from the start.
How does Timber & Tackle make money if it takes no commission?
A flat monthly subscription — that's it. Trip money goes from the customer straight to your own Stripe account. We never take a percentage.
Stop paying to re-book your own clients.
We build your whole site free and send you a link. Look it over. If the math doesn't move you, you've lost nothing.
Get your site built — free$0 today · keep every listing you have · built before you decide