Calling all Guides! A Question?
- This topic has 14 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated Sep 10, 2008 at 7:57 am by
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Nope, my amount of fishing time has been cut back a little, but I still love it as much as I did before guiding, if not more.
just remember when guiding most of you clients will not be able to cast past the oar tips, must have lots of patience ,be able to teach a little of casting ,know your river well and be able to put your client into fish no matter what their skill level might be. it can be fun and flustrating at the same time i guide part time not so much for the money < don't get me wrong i enjoy the money> but i like being on the water. i enjoy f.f as much today as i did 30 yrs ago and most guides l know still enjoy f,f as much as
Let me add, Billy, if you really need to do it to help support the farm, then I suppose there are worse things you could.
Billy, fishing is a service industry and more about people than fishing.
I’m fishing all the time. A lot of those fish my customers catch are really fish I caught. They just don’t know it. I enjoy my customers and teaching. In my boat, I’m in charge (mostly), get to bark commands, micro-manage, entertain, teach folks about techniques they often know little about, and look out after them as if they are family.
Many of these customers have returned, improved and become quite good fly-fishermen but also friends. That’s worth more to me than fishing more days a year by myself. I’ve shared incredible experiences with my customers. Those are memories I cherish.
My dad was a barber. His best piece of advice to me was, “Son, don’t become a barber if you don’t like people.” I didn’t become a barber, but guess I found myself in the same line of work–more or less. You just don’t want me cutting your hair.
Scott has nailed it… 20% fishing knowledge, 80% people skills is my opinion.
I guided in NZ, 99% US Anglers for 26 years… yes you can burn out. 120-140 days pers summer season (oviously creeping into spring and fall as well) for a lot of that time.
Did I get burned out? Yes I did. I retired in May ’08… only from guiding, I still needed a job….
My “outlet” was discovering saltwater fly… My trout streams didn’t have the appeal anymore. But the salt stuff really got me going. I guided two seasons on that and decided my salt stuff was just for me.
After a winter of little fishing (but an obscene amount of pheasant hunting) I am keen to hit the salt again, but even more keen to hit my trout streams again.
I doubt it can completely burn you out. If the amount I did doesn’t do it, then I doubt it can be done.
You’ll get 5 clients, out of 50, a season that really pee you off… but they shouldn’t be the ones you dwell on. People that don’t want to be happy are unlikely to be made so by anything you do… but that old guy who can’t fish without you… the kid that just nailed his first stalked, spotted and dryflied fish… mate, they go a long, long way to making it a brilliant way to make a living.
It becomes a job, like anything, but I always used to remind myself that somewhere in the world is a guy whose job it is to clean sewers with a toothbrush… how bad can it be?
Just when that guy thinks it’s bad, he meets a guy with the same job… but he has to use his own toothbrush…
Guiding is very close to fihsing, and as Scott says, you know so many of those captures are actually yours…
Live it, love it… fish it… just keep your eye on what is important and it will do you no harm. I only got burned because I forgot how good I had it! ;D
You can judge a man by the size of things which annoy him.
Billy, fishing is a service industry and more about people than fishing.
I’m fishing all the time. A lot of those fish my customers catch are really fish I caught. They just don’t know it. I enjoy my customers and teaching. In my boat, I’m in charge (mostly), get to bark commands, micro-manage, entertain, teach folks about techniques they often know little about, and look out after them as if they are family.
Many of these customers have returned, improved and become quite good fly-fishermen but also friends. That’s worth more to me than fishing more days a year by myself. I’ve shared incredible experiences with my customers. Those are memories I cherish.
My dad was a barber. His best piece of advice to me was, “Son, don’t become a barber if you don’t like people.” I didn’t become a barber, but guess I found myself in the same line of work–more or less. You just don’t want me cutting your hair.
As for me.
Im enjoying the hell out of it..
I enjoy being on the water so if im standing helping someone get into a few fish (like Scott says).. Its almost like catching them yourselves..
Leonard
Billy if you are thinking about getting into guiding because you don’t want to get a “real” job then you should rethink it as guiding is very much a real job. I think Scott nailed it though with his post. It is all about people skills and communication skills. Some of the best fisherman I know would make terrible guides because they lack the people skills needed. You have to have something to fall back on when the fishing is slow so being a good conversationalist is very important. There will be days you will have to work your ass off just getting someone on a fish and then there are days that you will never have to change a fly because the bite is on.
I think I enjoy fishing more now then before I was a guide. I appreciate every good cast, every good drift, and every single fish I catch because I know that not everyone is capable of doing that.
Just my thoughts….
Joel
Here is my problem, I used to guide duck hunters with a friend of mine in a business we had, and now i have not even taken my gun out of the safe in 3 years. Guiding turned something i loved into a job that i ended up hating everything about and everyone involved. We had a lot of good clients, but we had a few that basically wish i could have shot before they accidentally shot me. I live in Arkansas and was thinking of maybe guiding and helping another friend of mine who doesnt guide but should.
sounds to me like you already know the answer to the question.
I am not a guide and dont think I could ever consider it as my primary means of vocation.
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