Getting Started on Guiding

[EJ's FIshing]

We are ages 13 and 15 and are very interested in becoming guides. We were wondering how we could go about doing this. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

EJ's Fishing: http://outdoors.at/ejfishing

tight lines to ya!

Ethan and Jordan

[jumbojim]

find a body of water that is of interest to you and other anglers
fish it for many years and get aquainted of where fish are at every time of the year
save money and buy quality equipment
go to college so you can have enough money to support your guiding at first
learn good people skills
if it becomes too much like a job give it up because fishing has to be fun for you to make it fun for them
prepare hours ahead of time for trips
keep everything neat and tidy
never get married
remember every day is not going to be a day when the fish cooperate so be open minded to change tactics
try to be different
when your having a rotten day remember that you could be driving shot gun on the garbage truck
believe in yourself
jumbo

[jbird]

I agree with the above. Dont get married. LOL Once your involved in a women you spend more money on them than you do fishing. You need a good job to support your new business. Not to many people want to fish in second rate junk, remember you are providing them a service. (I didnt mean junk in a bad way)
jbird

PS like said before if it becomes to much like work quit. Good luck and Good fishing

[River_eye]

You could start your own business. These guys suggest going to college so you can support your business, actually, it's the other way around for me. I guide so I can afford college. Plus I plan on getting married some day. You don't have to make it your own business right away, actually I'd suggest starting out at a lodge, then if you feel confident enough to start your own business, you can go for it.

[Doc_wi]

Getting to know a body of water and having a real love for that fishery is an important part of guiding for me. Others learn many bodies of water and travel in order to work as many days as possible. A good knowledge of fishing is as important as your people skills. Some guides, like me, also do some writing so keeping your head in school is important as sponsors want people who can communicate. Public speaking, creative writing and getting involved in a play or two can only help if you choose the more public route as seminars, TV apperances and the such all help to promote a guiding business.

Others get hooked up with a resort and start by cleaning boats and other jobs around the resort. Other people attain a reputation for catching fish in a certain area, get a guides license and work through a bait shop etc. Working under an established guide as an apprentice of sorts is another way to get going.

As far as the getting married thing. Personally my wife is such an important part of my being able to function it's astounding. I have the luxury of a solid rep job after 20+ years in packaging. That being the basis for my income allows me to guide due to the low demand on my time. Still, guiding is hard work and can be VERY frustrating. The little things she does help so much. Sometimes it's just the candy bar I find with my towels.

Good Luck!
Doc

[jumbojim]

doc you got me tearing up :'(
lol :-)
good point must be supportive wife

[Mac]

Ethan and Jordan,

If you are thinking of guiding as a way to fish a lot, I have another suggestion that worked for me in my life.
You need to find careers that allow you to work for yourselves so you can set your own hours. As you already know the fish don't always bite and why not fish when they do and work when they don't?
I've checked out you web page and you must be above average young men(possibly with two great parents) to have come up with the ideas there at your ages.
Check your high school counselors, parents, relatives, friends of your parents and anyone out there on the web to find a career that fits your talents. Choose a career that is fun AND pays well and allows you to set your own work schedule. You are lucky to be born at the time you are, when there is that type of flexibility in the workplace. Then work, study, practice to be the best that you can be. With that approach the results will allow you not only to fish for walleyes, but salmon, bonefish, tarpon, tuna, etc and all over the world.
One more thing, don't smoke! The average smoker has burned up the equilivant of the dream boat that is described on this board and has nothing to show for it but a shorter life and medical bills down the road that would have paid for 3 or 4 more "dream boats" that will probably need to have oxygen on board so he can breathe.

[The Great Guide]

A great way to get into guiding is to get on the staff of resorts or bait shops in northern Minnesoata. They provide room, food and pay. The resorts are all crying for help in the summer. The lakes on the Gunflint Trail are easiliy learned, and you can use the resort boats. The city slickers want to do one thing and that's wet a line and catch a fish.

In the Ely, MN area week-long canoe camping trips are are common and you use the outfitter's equipment. Day trips are made to Basswood and surrounding lakes. You can get by with a small 16 foot boat and a 25 HP motor, because of the BWCA motor restrictions on some lakes. A lot of guides in this area use the resort boats.

Rainy Lake would require a larger personal boat, but some resorts have their own boats. Specialize in smally fishing in Rainy and you would be booked solid. Those HAWG chasers are flocking north in June and July.

There are also nearby community colleges in Ely and I-Falls that you could get your higher education started if that is the track you want to take.

Nice web page.....TGG

[Gilligan]

I work (part time) as a flyfishing guide for trout and work under an Orvis Endorsed Lodge. I would as several other posts said go the route of jobbing your services out thru a resort or lodge. A good lodge will take care of the details for you and let you stick to the guiding. As for your ages, they have a very competent 18 yr old with 10 years of flyfishing experience guiding there and are currently replacing their lady guide that just moved away,(Juls, Ness or any of WC ladies looking for a job?)so don't allow things like age or gender to stand in your way, most clients come to catch fish, they don't seem to worry who the guide is as long as they know their stuff and are willing to work hard to make their fishing experience a sucess.

[gardenhackle]

It's not an easy task to establish a clientele to support your fishing habit. You need to work with the area resorts, motels, diners, bait shops and the chamber of commerce. Posters, internet home page, business cards and fishing seminars are good ways to drum up customers. Once you get some customers in the boat and how they rate their experience with you will determine your future success.

Catching a limit of fish each time out would ensure success, creating a reputation that would bring request bookings. These customers would also have high expectations and create some serious pressure for you to produce. You can lower a customers expectations so that even one fish can be a successful outing.

Repeat customers are the key to long term success. Focus on each individual customer and what it takes to bring them back to you. Could be as simple as baiting their hook or cleaning their fish. Some people like it quiet in the boat where others would come back just to hear some more of your fishing stories and jokes. You need to show a professionalism in all aspects of your trade, not just catching fish.

The highest priority is to the safety of your customers. Are you aware of incoming weather systems that could be a danger? Do you have a plan to address a medical emergency or accident? Help them in to and out of the boat. If you look out for their safety, they can enjoy the experience.

The best advice I can give is for you to look at this as starting an entertainment career, not guiding. There is going to be a lot of slow hours on the water that need to be filled with some entertaining options to get the customers to ask for you the next time the are on vacation.

Best guide quote I've heard is "I've never been skunked, I just ran out of time."