Calling all guides and like-educated

stevehalupka

stevehalupka

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Joined
Jan 21, 2010
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772
One of my fly buddies is off to guide school come March. He is due west to Montana, where I believe I saw a post after a quick search where a contributing member is an active guide there.

I think it's crossed a lot of our minds if you truly have passion for the sport, I mean, who wouldn't want to fish 24/7??

A few ?'s

Those that have been to the school, how long was your course, and what were you tested on to graduate?

I've noticed the schools aren't long at all, so I guess you should be well prepared before going.

To those of you that do guide, have you lost passion now that your paycheck relies on the sport? Regrets?
 
This is an interesting question and I'd be curious to hear the opinions of some of those who are currently (or have in the past) working as fishing guides. There are a handful of fishing guides that post on this site that I'm aware of but not many. Also, I'm not sure attending a school or course of instruction (other than CPR) is necessarily required to get into this line of work. Whatever the case, any answers from the "pros' ought to be interesting.
 
"fish 24/7"

Yeah right. A good guide will get to fish in the off-seasons, or under horrendous conditions. It's, perhaps, the largest myth about guiding.

Guiding is a rigorous vocation. You must love the lifestyle and not the fantasy-or stay well away.
 
I have heard from many guides that agree with Loren. In fact, unless insisted upon by the sport, a guide should not fish with any rod other than the sport's rod, upon request, to physically demonstrate something he may be teaching. Then again, unfortunately, a guide is not employed necessarily every day or all hours of the day and before and after "shift," will usually be close to prime water and can steal moments. A busy guide like Loren may be a different story altogether.

Adding: if I ever hired a guide, I would insist that he or she bring their own equipment as I expect to watch them fish as much as possible. I would ask that they fish when I invite them and that they keep advice to a minimum and only where I might ask or be executing mechanics of cast or presentation or water reading in such a consistent and incorrect way that it would not be thought an insult to be given that advice.

I would expect the guide to earn a tip if he assisted me with my fishing even if he outfishes me, but my advice to a beginner guide would be that if your sport insists you fish-- do not outfish him if at all possible.

Why are we the neophites refered to as a "sport?"
 
Flybop worked a few days that we fished out in MT. There was enough time to float the most trout filled three miles of river in the world. Some guides definitely have time to fish.
 
An author friend of mine was a guide with a lodge for many years. He wrote a book once and in it he had a sentence that went something like this:
"A good guide will only pick up the rod with the purpose of instruction. If a fish should come to the fly during this time, a good guide will pull the fly away, thus saving the fish for the paying client."
That quote always stuck in my head for some reason.

Ofcourse Jay and flybop is probably a much different scenario.
 
There is and should be a difference in fishing with someone who is a guide as opposed to being guided in fishing. Unfortunately, Maurice does not know the difference. :cool: Zing! :cool:
 
I would consider Maurice to be one of the best "guides" I have met on this board.
 
No doubt, if you can get in the water;
1002.jpg
 
of course I know you don't fish "24/7"... didn't mean that in a literal sense, and I'm surely not in a "fantasy" world. The impression I was making was, being in the essence of fly fishing all the time would be great, of course this is all subjective.
 
Then again it might be like working in a candy factory- The free candy is good for the first week - then you don't want to pick it up.

Guiding is a job and like any job there have to be good days and bad ones.
 
The west loves young guys. Most guides go all out for a few years and get burnt out and then never pick up a fly rod again.
 
I have seen guides who should be awarded the medal of honor!


BTW in the pic

why are all the belts headed south?

smiley icon
 
I love it. I do around 150-175 trips per year. I have had the pleasure of fishing with some of the best in the world-both fishing and tying flies with. I feel like I have traveled the world becasue I have guided fly fisherman from all across the US states to Japan.
Mush easier out West since I have done so out there and Alaska. You may not get out as much, nor hit some hatches/fishing when "prime-time" is here. There is much more work involved than many think. I don't fish, most times only carry a rod for a quick switch up. I will cast when I instruct or the occassional "hey fish with me".

Mike Heck
Author of, "Spring Creek Strategies"
 
One of the old saws about guiding is that you are ready to be a guide when you get to the point where you would rather watch people catch fish than actually catch fish yourself. If you watch people fish and wish it was you then you may not be a guide very long.
 
Some thoughts..

A guides day starts long before you meet up at the spot. Usually there is gear/flies to be checked, lunches and drinks to be picked up. Boats to hauled etc...(some guys drive a couple hours sometimes to different waters). Not to mention the day does'nt end as soon pull into the takeout- hauling,cleaning etc... That turns out to be a very long day.

Also- alot of times guides are'nt getting the fee that you pay. If your taking a $400 float trip- guide might only get half that. Just saying..

Could not handle a client that could understand a(bad conditions) terrible day or one that would blame a guide for is his own lack of prowess. This is wholey different than being a bad guide- not saying there are some that probably should'nt be guides.

Have been out with 3 guides (all 3 were floats) and they were all very different from each other. They were all very knowledgable but had markedly different approaches and styles.

I dont consider myself "knowledgable or skilled" enough to be a guide- but guiding is something I would never want to do.


I could hear me now....

Mend you idiot!
No, over there!
Dude wtf, I just untangled that line 4 times and it's not even windy!
You told me you were intermediate!
What, you dont like roast beef? You told me you were not a picky eater!

etc....
 
This is a very interesting topic. I have never used a guide, and consider paflyfish the best guide I have so far in my fly fishing career. If I were to hire one it would be on an actual trip... so lets say I go to Alaska or New Zealand then I would rather pay the extra money to get in on the secrets than possibly waste the trip in trying to figure it out on my own. In the times I have met up with people on this site I have learned something every time from every person, even if I was the one teaching. I have never had a thought of being a guide, but wouldn't mind having some property or making an annual trip out west!

I will second the Maurice comment... that guy knows his stuff!


Ryan
 
the handfull of times that i`ve been to mont, i`ve used the same guides, they said that they would get together with other guides and fish on their days off to explore different water, also one guide said that only about 10% of his clients knew how to cast and fish
 
jrcll wrote: also one guide said that only about 10% of his clients knew how to cast and fish
Click to expand...

I feel that way at my job sometimes......
 
if anyones thinking of a trip to missoula mont, i recommend this guide.......classicjourneyoutfitters.com..... joe is a native of missoula , played a few yrs in the NFL as a linebacker, his stories about the NFL are very entertaining
 
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