Bill RiversGuides & Guided TripsWhat Great Guides Do | ||
| Immediately, an experienced guide will put his angling guests at ease, set reasonable expectations for their outing together, review safety guidelines for "his boat", and check to see that all fishing gear is in good working order. Most guides unselfishly share their tackle, even at the risk of losing it. Putting the success of clients ahead of his own interests is the difference between a good guide and a great one. Generally tackle is quite expensive at more remote sites, so should you borrow the guide's, make a point of returning it. Many satisfied anglers donate the day's most successful lures to acknowledge their guide's efforts. |  | |
| High on any guide's list of duties is the outfitting of the boat - including fuel, safety equipment, a shore lunch kit, food & beverages for all, and special tackle needs. Anglers must be responsible for their own fishing gear on most trips, but most charters provide all such tackle for their clientele. Don't forget other outdoor gear, including quality rain gear, a camera & film, and personal items such as medicines, prescription glasses, sunscreen, and insect repellent. | |
 | Early on, the guide should ask about angling preferences - i.e. how and where would you like to fish (trolling, drifting, casting, fly casting, etc.), preferred gamefish species, lunch arrangements, etc. Some guides tend to do things their own way unless they are otherwise directed, and most anglers are content to let them. A great guide not only puts his guests on fish, but lets them fish according to their preferences and levels of expertise. |
| The question as to whether or not the guide fishes is a contentious one, but it should be the client's decision whether or not the guide fishes, - all or part of the time. Some guides wouldn't agree, but who is working for whom ? However, since most guides are die-hard anglers, it is tough to see them sit idly by, fidgeting with tackle, waiting for a chance to land / handle a fish. Having an extra line in the water can sometimes mean the difference between a shore lunch feast or a sandwich, and on more than a few occasions, a guide has gone without lunch so that his party could enjoy a shore lunch. |  |
| Of course, baiting hooks, landing fish, and carrying the canoe are everyday chores for a guide. Finding fish, insuring the safety of clients and entertaining them are also part of the job description. Beyond the basic routines and requirements of guiding, the most important thing to many anglers - perhaps moreso than catching a trophy or a limit - is a hearty shore lunch built around fresh-caught fish. Pulling up on an isolated beach to stretch the legs and fill up on a plateful of piping hot grub is oftentimes the highlight of a guided day. | |
| One of the greatest challenges for a guide comes after shore lunch - motivating overfed, dog-tired, weather beaten anglers, even at the world's best fishing hole. A few guides have an uncanny sense of when to do lunch, when to fish, and when to go for a boat ride. Since it is a maxim of guiding that the hotspot farthest from camp is always the best place to start, working back to the lodge generally kills the rest of the afternoon. |  What You Can Learn From A Guide |