Was looking at some guide services and the thought hit, what is the proper % to tip a guide if he has done a good job? Just curious as I am always very uncomfortable and do not want to be embarrassed or over tip a guide. Anyone have a “rule of thumb” to follow?
If your guide does a good job and you’re paying $350-$400 for the day a tip of $50.00 to $100.00 is pretty standard, more is not unheard of. You shouldn’t tip at all if your guide sucks.
As a guide, I have been tipped everywhere from $5.00 to $100.00 per day. Funny, but we caught more fish and had a better day on the $5.00 day, but it was with two new anglers. I really don’t think they knew a tip was a good thing.
I go just like an eatery… 20% or more if they are VERY good and down from there if they were not.
K
Is that pretty much standard regardless whether the guide is in business for himself, or contracts out of a fly shop?
that’s a good question. If the guide has his own business, and I’m already paying him $50 and hour to take me fishing, I don’t see the need to add another $10 per hour…
From my observations, when a guide works for a fly shop or outfitter, he seldom will get even 50% of the daily fee so a tip of 20% when he’s good certainly isn’t being the big spender.
Snow on the roof with fire in the hearth
Being a retired guide and outfitter I would suggest you make sure that you get a good guide before worrying about tipping one. That is a problem now days. To many people wanting to be instant guides and really don’t know much about it. Not saying they don’t have a right to guide they just need time on a river to be a good guide.
It is getting harder and harder to get a good one. Most of the best ones are booked far in advance. So if you can get in with one do so.
Ask question’s like “How long have you been guiding”? “How long will we be on the water”? Ask for references and make sure you follow through calling them.
If a guide takes you out and is giving you 8 hours and that is it he isn’t much of a guide. I never was off the water until the client said so. That means we were on at between 8:00 and 9:00 Am and got off at dark thirty if that is what they wanted. It is called guiding on a river not on saltwater were a tide comes into effect. And you have a $30,000.00 boat to pay for.
With the cost of gas now days if a guide gives you a good days work then he should get a good tip. If he wants off after 8 hours then his tip would be very small if it were me. Same if he didn’t do his job the way he should.
Before I retired I was an expensive guide I got $350.00 a day plus gas if it was out of my area. That when most guides were getting about $290.00. But I had all the clients that I needed or wanted because I busted my butt working for them. I guided the Missouri for the last 5 years that I guided and avaraged $50.00 a day in tips. We got on at about 8:00 and off at dark. That is the way a good guide should work. I would also get on in the dark in hot weather and get off at about 11:00 then back on after the heat, and off at dark.
I bet I am making some guides mad here but I am sorry, people pay to be guided and should be guided fare. I also bet there is a lady here that knows just what I am saying. I am sure she has been there done that. Ron
[This message has been edited by RonMT (edited 04 May 2005).]
nope not making anyone mad here thats for sure a good guide is priceless
when I mate for a friend we ave $75.00 for a 6 hr charter on the great lakes, on the drift boat ave $50 to $70 for a 1/2 day some days more some less
You may pay a guide $50 per hour. Subtract cost of flies, lines, rods, boat and motor, gas license and insurance… I would not work for that price. Heck it might even cost them money to guide. I think that 20% is a fair tip, plus if they are absolutely fabulous, less if they are less than acceptable.
jed
Thanks to all of you who responded and now I have a better idea of what is appropriate. I was always uncomfortable with my tipping, especially with the good guides. Now I realize what I tipped was the same as most of you.
Also, thanks to RonMT for the information based on his experiences. Sounds like you are the type of guide all of us would want to work with. I appreciate the advise and your willingness to share the information.
RONMT, I’m trying to plan a trip for my husband, his brother and father. Thanks for your input on this forum! Very helpful! Perhaps you would consider coming out of retirement to help three lowly Kentucky trout fishermen make their first venture out west!
Welcome aboard kymom, you’re user name got my attention. I see you are from Lexington, my wife is from Paris, Ky. Just up the road a bit, pretty cool.
Ron,
Very good info, … I’d say you must have been a fine Guide (with a capital “G”) as that’s how to denote a pro.
Christopher Chin
Jonquiere Quebec
[url=http://pages.videotron.com/fcch/:b9a75]http://pages.videotron.com/fcch/[/url:b9a75]
20% might be ok if your on a day trip, but when your at an outfitter on a 5day trip that costs 3-4 thousand a $600-800 tip is a little much, I don’t care how a good a guide he is.
Ron is living in the past. Very few guides in Montana run that 8am to dusk schedule anymore. If you add prep time, you?re looking at 16-hour days, considering it stays light a long time in Montana in the summer. When Montana was more of a third world country, you could find people that would work those long hours for what would amount to just above minimum wage after expenses. Ron as an outfitter would get the entire fee, his guides wouldn?t. Ron as an outfitter would insist that his guides be independent contractors, meaning that he would not contribute to their social security taxes, would not be liable if they were injured on the job or pay any additional benefits such as health insurance. Despite Ron?s recollections of the ?good all days?, you won?t find many good or bad guides that will work those kinds of hours for that amount of money. It?s not good or bad, it is just reality.
I’ve definately met clients at 8:30, been on the water within an hour and rowed off in the dark. Then I went home, got up in the morning and did the same thing all over again. I may not be on the water at the crack of dawn but it’s pretty close. If guides don’t do this for their clients, how come I always run into them at the takeouts after dark?
met clients at 8:30, been on the water within and hour (9:30) and that’s close to the crack of dawn? what time does the sun come up in Montana? Here in Massachusetts the sun has been up for 4 hours by 9:30 
Given any full day of guided fishing, usually part of the day is good and the rest of day is flogging the water. I rather have a guide that would pick me up when the fishing is good and fish a shorter time rather then get picked up at 8:30pm and spend countless hours flogging the water until dark so I can get every dime of time out of him. I like my guides with more then 5 hours of sleep and happy to spend a day with me. If long hours are your criteria of being a good guide, I?m sure you will find more then enough clients that share that idea. It?s just not why I hire a guide.
I was trying to make a point that some of us stay on the water a long time. Being right on the fringe of the western time zone, but still in mountain time helps get an hour of sleep too. Unless there are voluntary closures like “after 12:00 no fishing” I prefer to be on the water late for things like the PMD spinnerfall and other things that don’t happen in the early morning. I just like sleep.
So let me see if I can figure this out. If it’s 9:30 in MA and the sun’s been up for four hours and there is a 3 hour time difference between there and MT. That means that it’s 6:30 am in MT and the sun has either already been up for a hour, or is getting an extra hour or two of sleep. Depending of course which season you’re in. No?
Dave you need to move to MT. You could get up at the crack of dawn and still sleep in until 9:30.