Guiding: More Than Just A Fisherman

The ultimate goal of anyone going on a guided fishing trip is to catch fish. With that being said, there are many instances where this goal will not be met, especially in regard to trophy fish. This poses a conundrum for any fishing guide, it is easy to be a great guide when all the elements conspire in the “perfect storm” when conditions are ideal, fish are greedy and luck is on your side. What happens when the elements and fish Gods are not on your side, the fishing is tough and things are not going as planned? Moral has a tendency to deteriorate rapidly. This is when the guide has to be more than a fisherman, keeping his guest entertained, touching on the history of the watershed, the knots and flies that are used, behavior of the quarry you are pursuing and so on. After all, the guide is being compensated for a service and when the fishing is tough and things are not going as planned, the guide is forced to work harder, both mentally and physically. There are many layers to the onion and at the core is the desire to have a successful trip, however success is relative and one can measure this by a number of factors. Success from the angler’s standpoint may begin before they even have a fly rod in hand. For some, simply escaping the shackles of their desk and that pile of oppressive manila folders that is the bane of their existence equivocates to success. For others, success will only be measured by inches or pounds. The bottom line is that a skillful guide will do whatever it takes to put their guest over fish, educate, entertain and be open to suggestion.