A Guides Work is Never DONE
A Guides Work is Never DONE
It's the job of many a man and woman’s dreams. Fishing and getting paid to do it. Its a tough job, some joke, but somebody’s got to do it right?
Well folks for those of you who think guiding is a cushie job, let me fill you in on all the work this job requires.
Fish - Most guides keep detailed diaries of where and when they catch fish. This helps the guide to keep track of fishing patterns and where fish prefer to be at any given time. Think about this, from year to year water levels, weather, water temps and other factors change. Baitfish concentrations, change from year to year based on the amount of water that any body of water gets and on the amount of cover that is available for the bait fry to hide in. When you consider all of the possibilities that guides have to deal with it is amazing that from day to day they can keep track of where to fish and what to fish for. Even more amazing is knowing HOW to catch the fish since there are so many possibilities for any species of fish.
Equipment - Boats, Rods, Reels, Electronics, Motors, Lures, & Batteries, Oh my.
The boat is probably one of the costliest choices guides have to make, and the toughest to keep properly maintained. After each trip it must be cleaned, gasoline must be reloaded and in some cases reformulated with oil. Depending on where you fish the bottom of the boat may have to be cleaned of water scum, barnacles or other debris that can be picked up from the water. Tires for the trailer, daily checks of tire pressure are necessary to make sure of the safety of one of the guides biggest investments.
Rods - Most guides have at least 10 of these if not more. Some guides have over 100 rods that they have to keep available depending on the type of fishing that they do. Most buy moderate cost rods, since quite a few of their customers have actually never fished before or only a few times in their lives. Rods get stepped on, nicked, and damaged. After almost every trip the guide has to check the rods for damage to prevent the loss of a fish in the middle of a fight.
Reels - These run the gammit, from bait casters, to spinning gear to spincast to Ocean Reels and Fly Fishing Reels. Each type of fishing requires a different type of reel. If you are bait fishing, many guides will have Bait Casters with bait clicker features to allow the fish to run with the bait before the hook is set. Others will use spinning reels for light fishing and casting since the normal non fisherman can operate and cast these much easier than a bait caster which requires some talent to operate. Spin Casters are almost only used for light fishing like crappie and bluegill.
The extreme ease of operation is the benefit, and all of these reels plus the Ocean Reels require a daily check of the fishing line. Good fishing line is a must if the guide does not want to change line daily which is time consuming and expensive even using inexpensive line. Nicks on the line will require the guide to strip line and make a judgement on whether or not there is enough left to fish properly.
Electronics - That depth finder is not the only piece of equipment any more. Many guides will carry GPS, Mapping systems and other types of computers to keep track of their successes and failures.These also require time and effort to maintain and to keep the batteries charged that operate the electronics.
Motors - Not only the main motor which has to have regular maintenance and care, but the trolling motor. The new "Plastic" foot control motors do not hold up really well fishing 300 days a year. Most guides I know have to get new Foot Controls on a regular basis because the darn "Plastic" controllers that companies use now, wear out after about 200 trips. This means keeping track of that wear and tear. Also each motor has a propeller and these must be checked regularly for wear, nicks, more importantly for anything that could foul the prop and make it burn up the motor. (Like fishing line that gets in the motor if someone is not paying attention and turns on the motor.. or if a fish runs up around the motor.)
Lures - Lost lures have to be replaced and inventoried. It is sort of embarrassing for anyone to get out on the lake and not have the "Lure" that is working. The trick is knowing which lures to use, and which to have. There are many millions of lures - "Old and Knew" that have produced fish for many people. Knowing the right lure, and how many to keep on hand is tougher than you might think. Losing them due to bad casts, big fish, misplayed fish, is a hazard guides have to deal with on a daily basis. Time must be spent acquiring new lures, requiring travel to and from the store, and wear and tear on the guides car.
Batteries - Everything in a boat that runs has to have a battery. The live bait well, the boat motor, the trolling motor, the depth finder and all other electronics. This means taking daily care of the batteries, most of the newer batteries do not require much care other than making sure that they stay charged. Still the amount of charge that the batteries is taking must be monitored to make sure the batteries are running at their peak performance and not losing their (for lack of a better word) potency.
Bait - If your guide uses Live Bait, most likely he is catching it, or buying it in bulk. This means that with some baits he has to have expensive equipment to keep the bait alive.
This equipment is going to have to be maintained as well. IF he does not buy his bait, he
is catching it. Cast Nets and the time to go and get the bait can be short if he is busy. This
means his personal time is being used to get you the bait needed for that trophy fish. Cast
nets take time to learn to use, and catching bait may require a guide to work several hours
the day before a trip with you to get enough bait to do the job correctly.
Weather - Every guide has his clients best interests in his mind. Guides must keep up with the weather. Not only because of hazardous weather, but because weather changes can make a serious change in the way fish are hitting and where.
Safety Equipment - All safety equipment must be checked on a daily basis. Fire extinguishers, life jackets, throwing rings. All has to be checked and kept up.
Captains License - Many guides now have to have a Captains License. This requires the guide to belong to a Drug Testing coop, which can call him for a random drug test at any time. Also everyother year the guide must pass a Coast Guard Required Physical.
Tipping - Ok folks, lets not forget the extra work these guys do. When you take a fishing trip and have an extra good time remember to tip the guide. 10% is good, but 20% is better. The guides do a ton of work JUST to get you out on the water. You should reward them for the work and for the skill in getting you to the fish.
So the next time you think its a cushie job.. remember, for every 8 hour trip you take you are most likely going to spend another 4 to 6 hours keeping track of the equipment that keeps you and your clients fishing..Not to mention the time spent getting bait. OH and we have not gotten into the book keeping and other duties that the guide or his wife, or book keeper has to take care of., requiring a computer and other accessories..
Information for this article was obtained from Guppy Guide Service Many thanks to Ronnie Rowland for putting up with me on a recent fishing trip while I compiled much of the information for this article. Thanks also to Jesse Duncan of Barren River Lake and to Bob Coan of Dale Hollow for their contributions to this article.
Jim Dicken
Fishing Guides Home Page
http://www.FGHP.com
Jim Dickins
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