Guide Tipping

[Stimey]

What are your opinions on how much to tip a guide for 2 people in drift boat for a full day? I'm heading to MT tomorrow and have 3 days guided. Will probably be on the Beaverhead as it looks like the Big Hole and other rivers are too warm (wish I could have gone a different time of year but that's the way it goes). Both of us in the boat are average anglers. Any thoughts would be appreciated.... I just never know how much to give assuming I was satisfied with the guide. Understanding that "satisfied" has very little to do with how many fish I actually catch vs. how hard the guide worked. If it matters I think the cost of the float is $425

Thanks

 

[PennKev]

Plan on $50 per man. Add or subtract from there based on effort.

 

[hendeylathe]

I know this will tick some people off, but here it goes. Why a tip period. I mean, your paying $425 for the trip, correct? Its not exactly cheap but if someones willing to pay God bless ya. Do you tip the mechanic who repairs your car, the guy that cuts your lawn, do you tip your lawyer(oops!)we could go on and on. Your paying what the service provider is asking. If the guide is an employee, the employer should provide the proper wage.

 

[afishinado]

PennKev wrote:
Plan on $50 per man. Add or subtract from there based on effort.

+1 right on the "money" PK. That's pretty much what I do.

 

[DJBerg]

I would say, if they are an hourly employee give them a nice tip, if they are a private guide, maybe a bit less. and of course depends on the service they give you as well. they may not be able to get you a fish, based on how the fish are feeding that day, bt if the person is giving you loads and loads of helpful info even on a skuk day i'd still say it's worth it to tip.

and back to the private guide, i think a better tip would be a good recommendation to anyone who wants to know. as is said you give a guy good service, he may tell a friend, but bad service and everyone hears about it.

 

[Stimey]

Thanks guys, I'm glad I asked cause I was thinking like $40 per guy if we were happy..... these guides work hard (at least the one I've had) don't want to be cheap!

As for not tipping at all... maybe a comment to stir the pot, but it's the accepted business model, just like tipping wait staff...

When you figure in gas, time, shuttle, flies, gear, boat maintenance I'm surprised these guys even do it for what they charge

 

[slumdumb]

hendeylathe wrote:
I know this will tick some people off, but here it goes. Why a tip period. I mean, your paying $425 for the trip, correct? Its not exactly cheap but if someones willing to pay God bless ya. Do you tip the mechanic who repairs your car, the guy that cuts your lawn, do you tip your lawyer(oops!)we could go on and on. Your paying what the service provider is asking. If the guide is an employee, the employer should provide the proper wage.

Its the same as the service industry...do you tip waiters/waitresses?

independent guide?
through an outfitter/shop?


tips are expected and how people make their (slim) living
$50 is a good baseline tip
but also go over that for a great job

and don't be a d*ck... pay cash

 

[wsender]

hendeylathe wrote:
I know this will tick some people off, but here it goes. Why a tip period. I mean, your paying $425 for the trip, correct? Its not exactly cheap but if someones willing to pay God bless ya. Do you tip the mechanic who repairs your car, the guy that cuts your lawn, do you tip your lawyer(oops!)we could go on and on. Your paying what the service provider is asking. If the guide is an employee, the employer should provide the proper wage.

Because you're not a cheap ***. Unless the guide is absolutely awful, you should probably tip.

Some people don't tip their mechanics, or lawn service people, but a few do, and why not? I bring my mechanic some homebrew every now and then because the value that he contributes, IMO, is more then he charges. Plus he's a cool dude, who makes sure I don't die when I'm pilot over a thousand pounds of steel, plastic, and fat down the highway at 70+ mph.

Dudes work hard. Rowing a boat isn't easy. The days a long; they're most likely before, or shortly after, dawn and are up past dark preparing for the next day. They most likely don't have traditional 'benefits'. Plus they only work for part of the year.

So don't be a cheap ***. If you can't afford the rate plus an acceptable tip, 15%-20% IMO, you can't afford a guide.

 

[krayfish]

If a guide shows you an awesome time on a river that you aren't familiar with, shares stories, works hard to get you on fish, teaches you something and/or helps you with your casting, tip the guy.

If he sits there like a turd, doesn't talk and is miserable, you still toss him a few bucks.

The harder they work for the client, the better tip should be. This is coming from a person that all but refuses to hire a guide. If I can't figure it out some day, I might have to get a guide.

 

[krayfish]

Also, know any guides? I do. How would you like your day to be filled with helping a guy catch a fish when he can't cast 20' ?? Tip him and say "thanks for untangling my knots all day".

 

[gulfgreyhound]

A 20% tip should suffice. GG

 

[gfoledc]

As a retired fishing guide and still working Grouse Hunting guide I agree with what krayfish said. You are providing a service and the quality of the experience is best relflected by the tip. How you treat a guide also determines if he ever wants to guide you again.

 

[Chaz]

I just don't get the tipping part of the guiding business, who's the nut that started that? I guess if a guy’s working for a shop then tipping might be ok, but if he's working for himself I think the tip part is built in to the cost. But what do I know.
This whole thing about paying restaurant workers less than minimum wage and counting on the customer to pay them in the form of tips is just wrong. Pay them what they are worth, the whole country's gone mad with this idea of tipping.
I used to have a shop in Philly and every year the trash collectors would come in with their hand out, crap they made more than me, I shoulda had my hand out for giving them trash to pick up so they could keep their jobs.

 

[JackM]

I once received a tip from a client because I charged too little. He gave me a $100 Bill, but after he left, I noticed that two bills were stuck together. This created an ethical dilemma for me-- do I tell my partner about the other bill?

 

[shortrod]

JackM wrote:
.. do I tell my partner about the other bill?

Thanks, that hit my funny bone.

 

[PatrickC]

krayfish wrote:
Also, know any guides? I do. How would you like your day to be filled with helping a guy catch a fish when he can't cast 20' ?? Tip him and say "thanks for untangling my knots all day".

^^^That right there ;-)

 

[PatrickC]

Anyway, I was out with another guide on Lake St. Clair yesterday. Took my daughter (9y/o) out for a day of smallie fishing. She's a little too small to cast larger fly gear. He worked with her with a spinning rod while I hammered smallies on fly gear. I tipped him $75 for his extra effort in helping out. We had a blast. I'm sure it will be a day she and I remember for ever. Not only that, I was able to pick his brain all day on muskies on the fly. If your guide is that bad, I guess don't tip him/her, but I've never been on the water with another guide that didn't teach me something new and give me an experience where I wanted to show a little extra gratitude. And that is what a tip (or gratuity) is for...an extra thank you!

Heck, I tipped a guide $100 for the day when I landed 2 50" muskie in the same morning. The guy worked his butt off and put me in a position to catch the fish. I knew how to catch them, but I don't have a boat and don't know the lake. Don't take for granted how much work went into making a day successful for you...years of work usually.

 

[tomitrout]

From what I've picked up reading The Drake, a case of PBR and a nice fat joint should suffice.

 

[OldLefty]

As a not-yet-retired guide I can't let this one go. I've had 3 trips so far this season with clients who didn't tip; yet, all of these folks let me know repeatedly that they had their best days on the water ever and they learned a lot. I took photos and they reminded me they looked forward to my emailing them said photos. I've chalked these up to this being their first time with a guide. If I find that I am in error I would not be a happy camper. One thing is obvious: these folks didn't do their homework.

Regardless how someone feels about tipping, as it has been said before, tipping is the accepted/expected practice. Don't think for a minute that a guide who is told he or she has provided the client a great experience doesn't look for that tip. The client who doesn't tip is definitely "marked." When I loan equipment or hand out leaders, flies and other accessories - everything the client may need to be able to fish as effectively as he or she can - in addition to all of the other "stuff" mentioned in other posts, there's far more invested by the guide, whether in a boat or wade fishing, than many realize.

I would offer these suggestions to anyone who is going on a guided trip. First, if this is the first experience with a guide, do as much research as you can. Determine all that is expected/required of you, the client. Second, communicate very clearly with your guide to determine what the guide expects of you (excluding the tipping issue if you plan to tip). Third, make sure you fully understand what the guide will provide. This includes whether the guide will provide transportation, equipment, accessories, etc. Don't put either of you in a position to assume anything.

If someone is planning on hiring a guide and doesn't believe tipping is appropriate I can't urge you strongly enough to communicate to the guide that there will be no tip. At this point the guide can decide whether or not to accept to move forward or decline the trip.

A guide has invested a lot of time and effort in developing the skills necessary to provide clients the best possible experience. I believe this also includes equipping the client with additional skills to fish more effectively in the future.

Compare what a guide charges to what others charge in various technical or professional fields. I believe you'll find a guide is inexpensive in comparison.

 

[PennypackFlyer]

Sorry if I bust on you Patrick, You did not tip him, you paid for the extra service he was providing called child care. You are fortunate that this worked out as well as it did for YOU, and that the guide had that kinda patience. My praise goes to the guide. As for you, you did not talk about the fish your daughter caught. Your post above is about ME..ME...ME...read it again if you don't believe me. She may remember that day as "the day dad dumped me onto some guide" so he could catch fish. I KNOW I'VE BEEN THERE...AND MY DAUGHTER HATES ALL FISHING. I was to blind to see what was important to her in an outing. If I could turn back time...if only.....


This does however bring up an important question of how old should a child be before they share in the experience of guided trips?



JackM: I would be proud to go fishing with you, just because of your ethical delemma.