Becoming a Guide

Just wanted to get the boards thoughts on becoming a guide.... have talked to several people about the pros and cons, looking for some more advice and finding the best way to go about it.......Thanks

Some random thoughts -

~If you really like to fish, becoming a guide can be tough, because all you really get to do is watch other people fish, and many times they will fish "wrong" no matter what you show or tell them

~The hours are long. During the "season" you will often work 7 days a week and some times more than 12 hours a day. You won't have much time to do anything else, so it helps to have someone around to help you take care of the basics, like laundry, house cleaning etc.

~If you have a family, during the guide season you won't have much time for them

~The business can be unstable. Fishing is a luxury, and if the economy goes south, certain parts of the business can go south with it.

~As you get older the days grow longer and the phyical nature of the job can take a toll, especially if you don't keep yourself in good physical condition.

So those are some of the "cons". The great part about guiding is you spend a ton of time on the river and learn things about fishing that you might not be motivated to spend time figuring out. And who else's office looks anything like the places fish are found in?

As far as getting started, probably the easiest way is to go work for an outfitter for a year or two to get a handle on the business. It helps a lot if you know somebody who can give you a reccomendation. Working in a fly shop and getting the owner to give you a recommnedation is a good short-cut, that's how I did it. Once you start working for outfitters, you can switch up "seasons" to stay busy most of the year - guide in chile in our winter, for example, and Alaska or Montana in the summer. Once you've got a few seasons under your belt, and enough capital to buy a truck, boat or whatever, then you can go on your own if you think you'll be able to market yourself successfully - not an easy task, and probably the biggest hurdle to success.

I guided for 8 years while working on my undergrad and masters. It was a lot of fun and I'll always look back on those days fondly. Now I've got a career and I realize that long-term guiding wasn't for me. But maybe you have what it takes and I wish you the best luck finding out.

-John

[mantis]

John, That is an excellent post! Straight forward comments and advise. Since K3's didn't mention how much experience on stream or salt , where he has fished nor what 'ins' he may have I don't think it could have been better said...Come to think of it even if he had mentioned the above ......

[Copper Dropper]

I've always dreamt of doing this myself, but the area I live in just is not popular enough to make a living at it. I even talked to a few guides, salt and fresh water, and surprisingly they all said in a nut shell "become a plumber or something else. And if you have a day job, stick with it."

My other problem was that i found out quickly you can't just up and decide to become a guide. You have to have some fairly extensive (and time consuming) medical training, and guide insurance is ridiculousy outrageous. I would never, cover the cost around here. But still I dream...maybe someday.



[This message has been edited by Copper Dropper (edited 18 October 2005).]

Also remember....

As a guide, you will get 50% of the price the outfitter charges. Some places may be more, but I have found that to be the guideline. In some cases, when you are just starting, it will be less than that. You may have to do a couple of trips for free just to prove you can do it.

Out of that 50%, you will have to pay for gas, food, leaders and general supplies at a minimum. In some cases, you will have to pay the cost of the flies also.

One BIG thing you need to remember is to pick your outfitter carefully!!! If the are not honest with folks, it will only make you look bad.

If you are really good, you may get a good tip that makes up for the lack of real money, but don't count on that. I remmeber one trip where I took 3 people that had never fished before. I taught them how to cast from scratch. By the end of the day, they had all caught several fish and told me what a great day they had. I got a $10.00 tip. They just did not know any better.

All in all, I love doing it. I also have a real job that pays the bills and I just guide for the fun of it (yes, really).

Good luck if you decide to go into the business.

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Ken

"The memory of a fisherman is more like fiction than journalism, that is, it doesn't ignore the facts, but it is not entirely bound by them, either."

John Gierach

Mantis-- Good point....
My background:
Fly fishing for 6 years....self taught from scratch....(grew up in midwest in middle of cornfields and walleye water)
My experience:
20 days in Alaska over the past 2 years, mostly fishing on the Kenai Peninsula(Russian River, Kenai River, Quartz and Ptarmigan Creeks)
15-20 days per year the last 5 years in Wyoming (Big Horns-Tongue, Platte River, Middle Fork of the Powder etc) Colorado (Various spots) and the Black Hills (Rapid, Castle Creeks)
And as many days per year as possible locally for largemouth, smallmouth, carp or anything else i can convince to take a fly.....

No particular "in's"....was considering the Sweetwater guide school in Livingston to gain some experience, especially with drift boating...wondering if that might be a worthwhile investment for those serious about the undertaking....

Thanks to all for replies...very thoughtful and informative!!!

[MR.JML]

From the info I've received, Sweetwater is an excllent guide school. I have considered the same thing !!!!!
With the years of experience, plus I spend more time tying flies & fly fishing anyway,
it's a perfect way to do what I love !!!!!
Besides, I'm a burned out music teacher !!!!!

[Gnu Bee Flyer]

I know absolutly nothing about being a guide but Al Campbell sure did . Click the following link to His Get rich quick be a Guide here on FAOL. [url=http://www.flyanglersonline.com/alcampbell/ac112601.html:c4882]http://www.flyanglersonline.com/alcampbell/ac112601.html[/url:c4882]

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I could be wrong , It seems unlikely , but I suppose it could happen.

K3's

Given your experience, I think the advice I gave is about right - you will probably need to work for an outfitter, and start from ground zero. Guys that grew up fishing rivers their whole lives and have a reputation for knowing the river are they types that dive right into their own business successfully. Somebody with your level of experience could benefit a lot with some time in retail getting to know the people in the business and customer service and/or working for an outfitter. With your experience in Alaska, working for a lodge would be a good possible start. If you are really serious and thinking about guiding somewhere, and willing to move to someplace to do it during the season (i.e. Alaska or Montana), I might be able to at least give you some names to talk to if you tell me where you want to work. E-mail me jrupp@watermc.com. Please think it over carefully, it's a huge decision.

[Grizzly Wulff]

Here's something else that hasn't been mentioned; to guide on state and federal lands you need to have a permit; permits are very hard to obtain and are normally held and controlled by local shops and outfitters. You can't just walk in to your local state forestry office and say, "I need a permit to guide on state lands." Get caught guiding on state/federal lands without a permit, lose your gear and vehicle.

In the West if you want to earn a living as a guide you need to have a drift boat or raft ($2,000 - $6,000) complete a coast guard approved boater safety course and have river experience. Rowing for fishing is a lot different than running white water, or pleasure boating, it takes major skill sets to do it properly.



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Dan S
The poster formerly known as Outrider