Guiding: Do It Yourself With A Guide

The very nature of fly fishing is a solo activity. The accomplishments are a personal journey and offer a great sense of satisfaction. A guided trip can certainly infringe on any anglers sense of pride and ego, although utilizing a guide service is part of the evolution of an angler and can significantly contribute to the personal journey. When you are out of your element, having an additional set of eyes and ears only increases your probability of a quality experience. Often some of the best money spent is observing the subtleties of the environment you are in, instead of flailing away like a madman you might be better served by honing your senses, making fewer casts but making them count. If you are a keen observer the residual effects from one guided trip will last a lifetime. Why would I want to take a guide? Local knowledge. There is no substitute for real-time information from someone who has an intimate understanding of the area. The bottom line is that ultimately you are still the one who has to “get it done”. You will be the one casting; stripping, setting the hook and doing battle and no one can take that away from you, so it is indeed a very personal journey, even with the assistance of a guide. In that regard you will still attain a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. When you are out of your element in an unfamiliar atmosphere the assistance of a guide can be paramount. Could you figure it out and put the pieces together by yourself? Absolutely. Would it take you an extraordinary amount of time? Undoubtedly. If you place a high value on your time, and who doesn’t these days? The services of a guide will most likely be a wise invest