Doubt I’ll ever hire one…not that I discount their value…just don’t have that kind of cash to spend on fishing.
Anyhow, what does one tip a guide?
Saw this discussed in another thread and got to wondering.
If the split is 50/50 with shop, that leaves a good buck for the guide in general but I suppose they pay their own gas and expenses to the location.
Certain tipping is accepted and common but how much?
I’ve only hired on local guide and tipped him $50 on top of the $350 for a full day with two people. He doesn’t share with a shop, but runs his own guide service. I figured that was all I could afford so that’s all he got.
REE
15-20% sounds good.
A few years ago, my wife and I used a guide for a float trip on the Snake River in Wyoming. We gave him a $50 tip for the day.
I’ve had a couple’a experiences with “guides” & neither have been good. I’ve found them to be arrogant jerks that didn’t give a hoot for the client’s success or satisfaction.
How’d you like to charge $100.00/ hr & get away w/snobery?
I won’t hire another any time soon w/o some SERIOUS proof of qualifications!!!
$127.57
Hey, if you don’t want to know, don’t ask. :rolleyes: :lol:
A tip is just that.
“Thanks, Great trip, get some dinner and flowers for the wife.”
Depends on what you would like to give, and are comfortable giving. If they wanted a $50 tip, they should advertise a $50 higher price up front.
If the guide expects a tip give less than if they are humble. 
Good guys = good tip.
Meat head = meatball tip. $0-10?
Remember, your best defense is to not repeat doing business with them again. (Meat Heads) 
I usually don’t hire guides in an area more than once, and part of their job during the time I’ve hired them is to show me hot spots. If they do, I tip more.
That being said, I tip according to the skill and helpfullness of the guide.
On a good $500 trip a $100 tip is the same 20% I’d tip in a restaurant.
On a trip where we killed them I’ve tipped as much as 33% as long as it went to the guide.
I NEVER tip the shop. Because of that I never tip AT THE SHOP. Cash to the guide.
Bob
I do more guided trips than non-guided trips when I am fishing the rivers of Montana or Washington or Wyoming.
Most guides work for a guide shop and they do get a cut of what you pay the shop, but I suspect more along the lines of a 60/40 split at best, with them getting the 40%.
Think about it for a minute.
They pay for your lunch out of their own pockets, not the shop. Plus they have to have their own lunch so they pay for that as well.
They furnish all the snacks and waters and pops.
Most of my guides furnish all the flies and if needed the leaders as well. However I always keep a good supply of leaders and tippet for them to use. If you loose a lot of flies, it is costing them a lot.
They have to maintain the drift boats (river fishing) and buy their own gas for their trucks.
They have to pay for the shuttle service so their truck and boat trailer will be at the take out.
They have to row hard all day long.
Change your flies.
Net and handle your fish.
Serve your food and sometimes cook it for you.
They don?t get to fish themselves, but get to watch you fish all day long.
They don?t get rich.
Now then, how much would you charge for doing that for other people? I bet you would not work for what they are working for.
I start my tipping at $50 and go up from there.
Over the past 8 years I have gone on hundreds of guided trips and I have yet to have a bad guide. Shops only stay on business if they offer good service and they are very careful about who their guides are. Go only with good reliable shops and you should have no problems.
Listen to your guide. Trust me, you don?t know better then your guide when it comes to that particular piece of water you are fishing.
Listen to your guides, do what they say and you will greatly increase your chances of catching fish.
Larry 
—sagefisher—
I plan on tipping $50.00 minimum. For all the reasons listed in Sagefishers post, I wouldnt dream of tipping less. If I had the resources, I would hire guides more often, and tip them better then I can now. I usually mention that at the end of the day. I’ve never had a bad experience with a guide yet, but I imagine I would let the shop know of any bad experience before stiffing the guide. Guiding is hard work. None of my fishing guide friends are getting rich doing this, and I am glad of their profession and commitment to the sport.
ed
On a recent Colorado trip I tipped the guide $40 for the day, and in all honesty he was reluctant to accept it. As others have noted this was cash to the guide at the end of the trip, not to the shop. I took the time think about the tip ahead of time and brought two $20s with me. Had the guide been a jerk he probably would have only received a $20 tip, but as the guide was excellent he received the full $40.
Like Ed I have friends who are guides and know it can be tough to make a living through guiding, so while the trip was expensive the tip was just a planed part of that expense. To those who complain about guides being jerks, etc. my experience is those types tend to gravitate towards certain shops/outfitters, and avoiding those will generally ensure an excellent guide.
Brian
I generally tip $100 per day.
Lets put it this way when you come to see me:
-I pay for my employees
-I pay for the A/C and heat and lighting
-I pay for the paper you write on
-I pay for the pens you use
-I pay for the telephones to check on YOUR insurance
-I pay for all the equipment in the office
-I pay rent on the office
-I pay if something breaks
-I pay if you get hurt on my property
-I pay for the software to file YOUR INSURANCE CLAIM
-I pay for the computer system to file YOUR INSURANCE CLAIM FOR YOU
-I pay for the insurance in you sue me for professional mistakes(what happens if we catch no fish?)
-I pay for the insurance for the property
-I pay for the up keep on equipment
-I pay for continuing education to stay in top of things
-I pay for…
I’m sorry I really don’t feel all that bad for possibly not tipping on top of pretty high fees to begin with.
Sorry, just showing you that the rest of us pay for things out of our pocket when you come to us for services too. It’s a business. YOu have expenses and so do I. Next time a Doctor SAVES YOUR LIFE…Tip him or her!!!
How much do I tip?
How hard does the guide work? That gives me the answer.
Did the guide hold the boat against the current so I could make repeated casts to a good fish? Was the guide polite and helpful? Did I learn from the guide? Did the guide know his (or her) stuff?
It is not up to the guide to make the fish bite. It is not up to the guide to make the fish stay on the hook. It is up to the guide to give me a shot at the fish. If the guide is competent, honorable, and hard-working, I try to tip well. Some jobs have the assumption of tipping built into their pay scale. I think that guiding is one of those things. It provides the customer with a chance to make a very telling comment on the service received.
Ed
The one and only time I used a guide I offered a $40.00 tip and felt bad about it cause he was fabulous. He flat out refused the tip and said save it for your next trip I get tips from guys who make more money in a year then you will make in a lifetime. This is my passion and it was to much fun sharing it with someone who can appreciate that. I will tip him the next time I go. I tip based on my funds and service received.
Some great replies here, and bases are already covered. But having read what others have said, I think I wanted to stress something~IF the service was top notch and the guide tried his/her best to get you into fish and give you a great day, then tip accordingly. If you’re not 100% sure of that, you be the judge. I’ve had really good, and really bad experiences with guides and KNOWING HOW TO SET-UP a trip with them is key. Explain clearly what your expectations are. In my case, I always offer a “wish list.” I learned this the hard way when fishing with a guide on the Indian River in Florida. Big reds on the fly was the goal, and after hours of fruitless attempts to do so, no hook-ups. So, it occurred to me that there must be other species in there that would be more agreeable, and asked if we could explore a bit. The guide had assumed “reds or nothing” when in fact, the day was saved fishing for snapper, snook and ladyfish.
I could say allot more, but will add only one other point. Guides are people, and you’ll run into good ones and bad ones. At the end of the day, you’re paying good money for the guide to be at his best. Even if he is not, there should be little evidence of it. Friendly banter is cool, but I don’t care to hear about all his/her problems or about how every other guide on the river is an idiot. The best guides are as gracious as they are knowledgeable.
I’ve never had a bad experience with a guide, but I have had some really slow days with a guide. I always tip 15 to 20% and don’t know what I’d tip if the guy was a jerk, haven’t run into any of those. I believe the experience you get with a guide is like most things, a two way street, treat them well, try your hardest, have reasonable expectations and let the guide know that. I have never had a guide not try his hardest to make a fun day of fishing and in my opinion earn his tip. I have a good idea ahead of time what the total cost of the trip is including the tip, so I budget and save accordingly before I go.
I find this to be a very curious thread.
A guide is booked ( aka “hired”) to perform a skilled service for a set price. Why should a tip be involved?
I have been to my Doctor many times and have never tipped. Nor have I tipped my mechanic. I am an electrician and have never recieved a tip . My payment for my services rendered is all inclusive. Why not that for a guide. Shouldnt the prearrainged fee be enough? Im not trying to be a smart alec. I am being quite serious. I know that if my Physician does a poor job I wont go back , same too with the mecanic , dry cleaner or whatever.
What am I missing here?
Not trying to hijack or start any bickering.
I really dont have a clue about this subject for a skilled professional recieving a tip.
I do tip wait staff at the restaraunt .Usually quite well for good service (they are paid horribly around here for their hourly wages) as they rely on the tips for their wages. .
In this case do they deserve a tip? I agree with perch on a few points. If they are the owner and get the full 350 for their pocket isn’t that enough? I can see tipping if they work for a shop but I’m not sure about an owner. Like Perch said, I worked as a Remodeler and never had a customer say 'your bills not enough, here,take more.
TB
“I do tip wait staff at the restaraunt .Usually quite well for good service (they are paid horribly around here for their hourly wages) as they rely on the tips for their wages. .”
And who benefits from this…the restaurant owner…they get away with paying help less than they should…of course if they had to pay them according to their worth the food price would go up…
Sorry, to digress from fishing …to go back to fishing…what do you suppose would happen to the system if the fee for guide fishing was paid…
Before the trip…to the fly shop…
After the trip… to the shop…
Before the trip to the self employed guide…
After the trip to the self employed guide…
I just never have quite understood the tipping thing…in most situations???
i tip beauticians. they make me look good.
i tip waitstaff. they put up with my special requests.
i tip tour guides. they teach me about what i’m looking at.
i tip fishing guides. not only do they make me look good, put up with special requests, and teach me about what i’m looking at, they endure my chatter all day long with every appearance of enjoying the experience…priceless!