Guiding: Choosing Your Guide And Choosing Your Customer

When choosing a guide, or guest there are several factors to consider. One of the most important factors is the need for both people to communicate their expectations to one another. Some valid questions from a prospective guest would be how many hours (on the water) is your full day trip? Half day? How long have you been fishing the waters where you guide? Do you supply rods, reels and terminal tackle? Another important variable to consider when choosing a guide is the guide’s reputation. Word of mouth is a top referrer in the outdoor industry, chances are if your guide is respected within the local fly fishing community this will be a good indication that they are responsible and professional. Whenever I am researching a guided trip I always contact friends and ask them if they or anyone they know has been out with xyz guide. This type of recon is essential and the information you gather could make the all the difference on the day of your outing .From the guides point of view it is essential to learn as much as possible about his guest over the phone or via e-mail. A responsible guide should ask questions also to familiarize himself with the prospective guest. Some appropriate questions for the guide to ask would be about ones physical fitness level or any related health conditions so if a situation were to arise they would be well prepared to deal appropriately. Are they fit enough to do an all day walk and wade trip? Likewise if you are doing a float trip you might want to ask if they are strong swimmers. Another question might be about your fly fishing skills, the answer to this question is very significant because this could help shift the guides mindset to more of a skills based outing focused on the technical side of fly fishing such as casting, mending, line management, nymphing, hook sets and how to read water and identify insects as opposed to an all out numbers game. Any fisherman that has used guide services has inevitably encountered an unfulfilling experience in every sense of the word. When both parties involved do a little research, it often contributes to a cohesive environment where both fisherman and guide are aware each other’s expectations and consciously working toward a common goal and that is not always landing a trophy.