Hiring A Fly Fishing Guide

[fish_in_a_lund]

Is it normal to "tip" a guide for their services? Last guide I hired didn't deserve the 200 bucks I gave him.

[Justin Spencer]

It is normal to tip, but just like at a restaurant if they don't deserve it don't give it to them, but don't base it on the number of fish caught, base it on professionalism and how hard they try to put you on fish. We all know some days you just don't catch them.

[Al Agnew]

Yes, I use the same "formula" for tipping guides as for tipping in restaurants. Average service rates somewhere around 15%, good service rates closer to 20%, terrific service rates better than 20%. Poor service gets no tip. And like Justin said, base it on how hard they work, not how many fish you catch...and how much they seem to know about their jobs. I've had a lot of guides over the years. Most were good, a few were great, a few were poor. It isn't an easy job...I did a little of it myself one summer.

[Greasy B]

Taking guide trips is expensive, especially in the acclaimed angling tourist areas. The only way I can really justify the cost is by limiting myself to one or two trips a year. When a guides primary focus is just to get through the day and be home in time for dinner they usually don't show you the best a trip has to offer. When a guide works his butt off to make a day as successful as possible he deserves to be compensated well, 20%.

[fish_in_a_lund]

Thanks for the replys. I think I'll try one for a half day first. I just can't decide whether I want to go to Taneycome or the White River in Ar. Any suggestions there?

[patfish]

I once hired a fly fishing guide based on no other criteria than I read on the interewebs that he was formerly the starting hockey goalie for the University of Montana Missoula. Great guy, great guide, me and Mrs had a blast and I think he did too. He was well compensated.

[MattTucker]

Is it normal to "tip" a guide for their services? Last guide I hired didn't deserve the 200 bucks I gave him.

Tips are rather customary when hiring a fly fishing guide. But using a restaurant criteria is rather normal. If a guide goes above and beyond and i have a great day on the water and don't feel rushed (for me that is key), then i tip well. If i feel rushed at all......then not so much. In the case of guides that work out of a lodge, or shop, a significant portion of the money you pay for your trip is going to the lodge and not the guide.

Guided fly fishing trips cost money......sometimes alot of money. Money that you worked hard for, and you want the most for this money. Be sure to check a guide’s references and referrals of those that have been on trips with the guide you are going to hire, or those that have fished with him. Remember to talk over the phone, or in person, with a guide prior to booking him for a trip. You definitely want to try and match personalities when booking a guide, as one guys knowledge is another man’s bore. Communication is key when booking a guide. An effective guide will ask you during the trip planning phase what it is you want most out of the trip, your experience level, and how you rate a successful trip. A good guide will also ask for any health limitations or special diet considerations if they will be providing lunch. If you want the most of your trip with your guide, BE HONEST when setting up your trip. If you want to spend the day chasing trophy fish, or you want to try and catch a number of fish, if you don’t tell your guide he may never know.

A good guide is an invaluable resource when getting started in fly fishing or traveling to new waters. A guide knows the water and where the fish are during a given time of the year, and will save you countless hours of fishing nonproductive water. A good guide will teach you more in a day than you could learn in several trips to the same river. When traveling to new waters, a good guide will show you differect access points to the river you are fishing and when to fish them (for your return trips). The reason for hiring a guide isn’t always for catching the fish of a lifetime or the most fish, but for shortening the learning curve.

We are fortunate in the Ozarks to have several good guides. But always remember to check references and be honest.

--MattTucker

[Jack Jones]

All of this is good wisdom, and with it said, does anyone know anything about Chartered Waters out of Hollister?

At some point, likely in the fall, I may be wanting to hire a guide for half a day for wading on Taneycomo with a focus on learning the spots below the dam, and techniques such as nymph and midge fishing. Im fairly proficient on cracklebacks and buggers now.

In the alternative, I'd certainly welcome charity either on Taneycomo or Roaring River for learning nymphing/jiging . Maybe someone who could point out what I should be seeing, but am aparently not. Someone who could watch my technique and advise me on how incompetent is and how to fix that.