My name is Capt. Kip Plaisance, or “T-Kip”, as I’m known to friends and family. I was born and raised in Golden Meadow Louisiana, a small coastal town in the heart of Cajun country. At the age of two I caught my first Speckled Trout with my father and from that moment on I was hooked.
I grew up Tarpon and bottom fishing in the summer and catching Reds and Specks in the fall and winter. I have turned my childhood passion into a career for the past 23 years now.
At the age of 13 my father asked me if I wanted to go to our camp in the marsh for the weekend to help out. He had invited a couple of guest to come fishing for the day, which was nothing unusual. My father owned an oil field, utility boat business, and shipyard repair facility and we took customers fishing and hunting all the time. But, this time he would not tell me who we were taking out… not until that morning when we were on our way to pick them up at our boat shed. They were New Orleans Saints running back Hokie Gajian and quarter back Dave Wilson, both on injured reserve.
At the time, my father had lung cancer and told me he would stay back and cook lunch and I would take them fishing. After my nerves finally settled, I figured, “why not?”. I had my own boat since I was seven and fished with my friends practically every weekend or break we had from school. I knew what I was doing out there on the water, even at such a young age.
Those were the days before limits. We caught ice chest full of reds and specks and I had Hokie and Dave back at the camp for lunch. They watched football on T.V. and I cleaned fish.
From that day on, I knew what I wanted to do become a fishing guide. All though there are times I can still here my father telling me, “you can’t make a living doing that. After all what do a large pizza and a guide have in common they both have trouble feeding a family of four.” I guess that is why my wife Mary and I only have one son, Max.
Fishing is all I have ever done. I’ve never had a 9-5 job. After I finished school I started my business, Tidewater Charters. To me there is nothing better than seeing the smiles on my clients faces after a day on the water or having a family out for the day enjoying their time together like I did with my dad.
And now with my son Capt. Max Plaisance joining the family business, he will be a second generation guide. He is 23 and has been a licensed Capt. since the age of 18. He has been my deck hand (mate) for the past 11 years now and he grew up fishing just like I did; and maybe even has more passion for it then I do.
After max finished school and a career in diesel mechanics I finally gave into him wanting to become a guide. We will be running two boats now which gives us the ability to cover more water, find the best fishing for our clients, and to make their time on the water with us a safe and enjoyable experience
