How much would you tip a guide?

[wellpastcold]

We just recently got back from a guided trip. $100 per day was the tip. The guide busted his tail for us. He provided a quality experience.

[pjshorthorn]

[QUOTE=Agronomist_at_ia;5426162]Agree with you 100% REW. So if I understand this people are purchasing the guide SERVICE, and then adding an additional tip for service they purchased? I guess maybe I'm looking at it wrong. I dont tip fast food places, hair cuts, or a lot of the other B.S. places that have the option to tip when they never added any service. My feeling has always been that you tip when someone adds a service value to a good you purchase. I can see giving a tip to a guide if they did something above and beyond the guide services you purchased, or if they worked for a guide service instead of running it themseves.....so I can't say I wouldn't tip.....but I dont think it is an automatic deal to tip either. Seems like doubble dipping to me when you sell a service & then expect to get tipped for the service you sold.[/QUOTE]

You have a very interesting perspective. Have you ever employed a guide or a charter service ? If so, how did you handle the trip transaction...tip or no tip ? Just curious.

PjShorthorn :rock-on:

[Juls]

[QUOTE=Montana husker;5425914]Do captains use first mates in Great Lakes area? I know along west coast, I always tip first mate, also. Try and give them $50 for a days fishing.[/QUOTE]

The larger 6 pack boats usually do. The smaller 1-3 man charters do not.

[Bobby Winds]

There are sooooo many different ways to look at tipping . . . . basically it was customary to tip anyone who worked a minimum wage job, like a waitress or bartender. However, that has grown to just about anyone who does anything for the customer. You see tip jars at fast food places all the time now. Wonder if that will go away when they get the $15 per hour they are demanding.

Since I work one day a week where I occasionally receive tips for my personal services, I look at tipping from a different prospective then others do.

Now as far as guides/charters on Lake Erie or other similar lakes that have captains/first mates working hard to find and catch fish, I would recommend tipping them because they have priced the charter as low as can be and just stay in business believe it or not. Those tips they receive is their pay for the day. Running multiple line sets with multiple baits and changing said rigs until the right combo is found is WORK believe it or not and even more work when it's rough out there.

Now if you were to take out a head boat and there are 35 other anglers on said vessel, then I might not tip a captain who just runs you out there and drifts over the same areas over and over again until it's time to head back to port.

Bop

[Golden Eagle]

Do IRS folks visit this forum?

[minkman]

Juls and others commenting: When you say 50-100 per day ,is that for each person on board ? We fish 3 in the boat . Are you saying 50-100 total or 150-300 total each day for us? We go 3 days . Thanks

[Mojo-NC]

When deep sea chartering, the standard practice is to tip the mate but not the captain. For these smaller guided fishing tips, the guide does everything so yes, tip accordingly - we usually give 15% for good service and 20% or more of the total charter amount for excellent service, just like tipping the waiters/waitresses in restaurants. These fishing trips are hopefully for the experience of a lifetime, not a time to be cheap to try to save a few bucks. Just my 2 cents...

[REW]

I look at a guide in the same way that I look at building a custom rod for someone.

I do the client a service by taking in all of their wishes and desires and then do my very best to build the rod to be the best that they can buy.

When I make the deal with the client, we agree on a price of the rod, plus the actual cost of shipping and shipping supplies.

I figure the price to be one that pays for my goods and times and gives me a reasonable profit on the transaction.

Once in a blue moon, someone will give me a tip on the transaction, but the vast majority of time, - I receive payment in full for the amount that was negotiated at the placement of the order.

But, I work long hours to provide the best product by spending my time and effort to supply the product. But, I certainly do not expect to be paid anything extra for the product.

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I really put a guided fishing trip in the same category. Everyone that is working the boat is there to provide the best fishing trip possible for the clients on board the boat. But, I have always expected that the payment for the trip to be appropriate for the services rendered when the deal is made to take the charter. Thus, most of the time, no extra money is required to be spent. Having said that - I have made numerous exceptions to this rule when I find something especially rewarding to me by one or more members of the boat's crew.

Each outing is a separate event and will be judged accordingly.

Be safe

[Shellback]

I don't do any charters, so I'm not familiar how they operate. My normal tipping is to employees, not the business owner. If you are a business owner, your rates should cover your expenses and profit. If someone tips you, that's great, but you shouldn't expect it or base your profit on it.

[Agronomist_at_ia]

[QUOTE=pjshorthorn;5426274]You have a very interesting perspective. Have you ever employed a guide or a charter service ? If so, how did you handle the trip transaction...tip or no tip ? Just curious.

PjShorthorn :rock-on:[/QUOTE]

Yea. There was no tip. paid him in full and left. Ice fishing I have rented a sleeper, the rental guy did grab us some beer coming onto the lake the next day, and we tipped him for going above and beyond.