Fly Fishing

mardog123 · Location: camden, maine

hey, im 14 years old live in maine, and really dont want to get stuck later in life with a job that I hate and i thought "hey, why not get paid for something i really enjoy?". A guide was the answer. I'm wondering what the process to becoming a guide is and if there is any important information I should know.
Thanks, Henry

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

you hit the nail right on the head ... read this sentence carefully ..

""hey, why *NOT* get paid for something i really enjoy?". Very Happy

just kidding bro --- i am not a guide but there are many that i am sure could help you out.....

KodiakCommando · Location: Kodiak, Alaska

Well although I have only guided one year I will tell you what I have learned. First thing you must decide is whether you want to go to a guide school. IMO at least for guiding in alaska these are not a MUST but there is no doubt they will teach you a lot. They can be pretty expensive so it's up to you to decide if you want to do it. If you do do one do it where you will guide, so if you want to guide in say montana take a school in montana and fishing techniques vary in different locations. However in many cases such as mine a solid resume and a good interview may be all you need.

As far as important information goes, first off Guiding is not all fun and games it's long hours of guiding plust boat maintanance, cleaning fish and lots of other chores that are not as fun as the guiding itself. For some it's not a big deal for others it's too much to bear. You have to go through it to figure out if you like it a lot. I"m not saying you won't but many have gone to guide thinking it would be great since they love fishing but find out they don't like it at all. The other thing about guiding is ther is not much money in it so you must do it year round and even then don't expect to make much. Obviously money may not be important to some and for those guiding is great, however if money is important to you or you want to raise a family someday guiding is probably not the best move. For many like myself Guiding is a 5 or 6 year thing during the summer between college or the like.

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

actually bro .. i am just kidding ... makes sense to do somethin' ya love .. and you live in the right state for it ... we (maine) has a junior guide program that sounds like a good place to start .... check it out ..

http://www.mainecamps.org/JMG/index.htm

Steelie · Location: Erie, PA

Hey mardog im 14 also and have been looking down that road myself. I just do whatever I can to go fishing. I am a mate in lake erie in the summer and do some dock work. I think it'll kinda take its own path but i'll just have to see.

Mike

Boz · Location: Portland

Mike,

I think it is great that you show interest in becoming a guide. It is a great job if you are a patient peroson who loves teaching, a spending time with all sorts of people in challanging circumstances and environs.

First off, realize that lots of folks enjoy fishing. But guiding is not fishing it is hard work, and seldom when folks guide do they actually fish..other than to teach, or demonstrate a concept.

As far as enrolling in a guide school...if you are 14 I'd suggest not going to a school but instead spend every moment possible learning the waters you want to guide on, meeting an fishing with people who know those waters best. Read everything you can get your hands involving your sport and the species you seek. Learn to tie flies that immitate the aquatic insects on your waters, and local baitfish. Knothing will teach you more about the water you want to work on, than getting out on that water everyday in all seasons. Maybe you could get a summer job at a sporting camp just to get a better idea of what a guides life really is...It will show you what guiding really is about, then the decision is up to you.

Kodiak- I'm not busting on guide schools. I just feel that learning the water you intend to guide on should be the first priority. Then maybe learn more about the business... Just my 2 cents.

KodiakCommando · Location: Kodiak, Alaska

mardog123 · Location: camden, maine

alrighty, thanks for the info guys, I'm glad i now know that guding isnt all that i thought it was

Shaq · Location: Adirondacks

Boz, i think your point about learning water is very valid but as a 14 year old I think he''d be more likely to get a ride to a guide school and not all over God's creation to get to remote fishing destinations. I suggest the school as a youngster and heading to the spots when he gets his lisence. Especially if they teach boat handling, surviving skills, camping and first aid. Then he'd be ahead of the game when he gets the chance to explore or apply to AK or somewhere. If he was 20, then I'd give him your advise.

Boz · Location: Portland

Could a 14 yr old afford a "guideschool"? Kodiak said they are expensive...For the price he could save his cash for a car... And he can drive when he turns 16.

mardog123 · Location: camden, maine

im afraid i couldnt afford guide school, the prices range from around 4-7 thousand dollars Sad

and i think its best not to get to hopped up on being a guide at this age because who knows if ill really want to do it

mardog123 · Location: camden, maine

but of course I'll try to get as much fishing in as i can

kory_k · Location: New York, NY

waterwhippa · Location: Upstate, NY

All good and valid points here. Guiding is NOT fishing...actually the complete polar opposite. Above all else you need a positive attitude and a willingness to serve. All is fine and dandy when your guest is lighting fish up left and right, but when the bite is off and you have a guest who is paying long dollar, this is when you have to shift the focus from the fish to the fishing. You need to be part teacher, entertainer and psychologist. As I do more trips I have begun to see that Guiding is muli-faceted and has many different layers and this is what makes it so challenging, exhillarating and exhausting at the same time. The best thing about guiding on a personal level is that I have learned a TON about myself in the process of taking people fishing and that is very gratifying.