River Wire Blog

Thanksgiving…Thanksguiding

TG, unless you are a real Hardcore, usually means that bows, scatterguns, and rifles have replaced fly rods for outdoor adventure. Numb feet, frozen guides, and dwindling hatches are enough for most anglers to hang up the gear for awhile. Eventually cabin fever and the hope of a decent midge hatch will bring a few folks to the river but for most fishing is done with for the season. It is time to refill fly boxes, clean out gear bags, and evaluate what new toys will be required for next years Pursuit of Happiness. If you are fortunate enough a dull bleak winter will be interrupted with a trip to the flats to cast to bones and permit while wading in 80 degree water and ending the day with local ales and rums. A years worth of fishing for trout will most likely mean that the first few eats will result with a high rod tip, a slack line, and if you are lucky a mild scolding from a guide that views you as just another over paid tourist with a fly rod as the biggest bone he has seen in 2 weeks slithers away after you farmed him with trout set. But who gives a shit because you are there and not surrounded by 3 feet of the white stuff. Eventually you will get your Mojo and he will have to climb down off the platform to release another 368.00 bonefish…at least that is what your first calculation shows when you get home and look at the Visa bill and try to think about how many fish you did land and divide it by the balance. Of course if he had to climb down just once to tail a permit for ya the bill, interest you will have to pay for the next year, and any nagging from a non-angling spouse won’t mean squat.

TG is also a time to reminisce about the past season and tell tales over deep fried turkey too many beers in which that 20 incher is now a 22 and mediocre days become epic. Plans for future trips are laid down and that river or piece of water that you have committed to fish for the past 5 years and failed to do so once again becomes to topic of conversation. If you fished to Mo for any length of time last year you will of course have to give Thanks to lots of water, bugs, and the healthiest population of trout that tend to look upward for food often enough to make it arguably the best dry fly river in the country. The fishing here is kind enough to let beginners have enough of a taste to keep them coming back and tough enough to keep those challenge-demanding DFO’s perplexed at times. The River is of course the epicenter of those magical miles between Holter and Cascade. The fly shops, bars, restaurants, places to stay, other services and people that keep them going all depend on the River and those that make the pilgrimage to cast in the shadows of landforms that Lewis and Clark noted a century earlier.

Of the eclectic group that makes the local economy tick fly fishing guides may be perhaps the most interesting but often the least thanked. While many understand them and what they do for many naive urbanites that fish for one week of the year the guide life may seem of life of privilege and the dream job. Yes they don’t punch a clock, spend the day on the river, and appear not to have a worry in the world. That is the outward persona. The reality is that they are up and working well before you meet them at the shop or boat ramp and that they are busy tying flies, making lunches, cleaning the boat, doing paperwork, and returning calls to cancelled trips or perspective clients long after dropping their sports off. All that and finding time to eat and gulp a few cocktails to keep from going off the deep end after 23 straight days on the river…never mind maybe trying to find and keep a relationship or marriage. Don’t get me wrong…they love what they do but they work hard for average pay, no benefits, and no company pension. It is also the folks that hire them that make life great. Most guides genuinely enjoy their sports and the company they provide during the day. For every nightmare trip there are countless good ones. I know one guide that guided over a 100 days and never had an ill word about any trip.

Bad guides quickly weed themselves out. Especially on a river where hardcore Trout Bums have congregated to make a living helping others optimize a day or week on the river. Every good guide I know can outright fish. That alone doesn’t make a good guide but it is the cornerstone of the industry. Personality, a sense of humor, packing a good lunch, and knowing when to offer advice and making a poor fishing day fun are all the qualities that when mixed together with the prowess of someone Fishy make someone a great guide. Those qualities and not having a deep understanding of casting, reading water, boatmanship (even though the Mo is placid boat and anchoring skills are still key), entomology, flies, and techniques will quickly put you on the B list.

If you fish with guides you get it. If you haven’t it is worth trying. All those boats that float by you with visible red and white tagged are manned by working guides. Those that use guides aren’t cheating or trying to make things easy. They are maximizing their experience and using professional knowledge to experience the Mo or any body of water where guides ply their trade. If you have a few days or a week to fish then why spend a majority of that time trying to figure things out?

Some say that the cost of hiring a guide is too much. While it isn’t exactly cheap if you look at closely it may be one of the best values in sport. Tickets to a major sporting event where you get a couple hours entertainment (you don’t even participate) are 100-500.00 a piece. I golfed a TPC course and paid 300.00. I got no lesson, no lunch, nobody carried my bag, drove my cart, read my putts, gave me yardage, and I was expected to finish in 4 hours. Sure I got to sit in a dressing room where Tiger and Jack changed…they had plaques to announce it, but 300.00 for that? The course was okay, not great, and lined with an 8 foot wall that provided cover from the million dollar homes that lined the fairways. Plus I was expected to tip the valet who parked my car 50 feet away and tip the attendant that took my clubs from my trunk and placed them on a cart parked a foot from my bumper. And when you suck at golf like I do it seems like a poor place to pop 300.00 bills for 4 hours of frustration.

On the other hand a guide trip for two with tip, and yes you should tip…more on that later. Will run ya 275.00-300.00 each. For that you get a ride to and from the river, a wonderful row down the river, personalized instruction if you want it and ask, they land your fish, change tippet and flies (and on the Mo flies are gratis), give you lunch and refreshments (you should bring the beer), tell you lies, and listen to your lies for 8-10 hours… and you get to fish the entire time.

Success on the river isn’t always governed by the size and amount of fish. The Mo offers both if you can handle a stick and heed your guide’s advice. Some days however the fish, bugs, and Mother Nature don’t cooperate. If fishing wasn’t up to par but your guide did all he could to try and get you into fish and make your day enjoyable let them know you appreciate it. A Thank You is nice but this is a service industry and gratuities should be apart of any guided trip unless your guide has done something to nullify that. The fee you pay doesn’t go directly into his or her pocket. There is an outfitter fee, lunch, shuttle, flies, ice, and gas right off the top. Never mind insurance, boat storage, vehicle maintenance, and any other associated costs. The money left over after the expenses will put some food in the fridge, pay rent, and put clothes on the back but the tip money is the gravy at the end of each day that lets a guide do something for themselves. 15-20%, just like good restaurant service is an industry standard. Less for substandard service (remember your guide can’t control everything) and more for outstanding service or a particularly good day on the river. Good guides know a tip is to be earned and strive to provide you with a quality experience.

If you want a beer on the river bring a case and leave what’s left. You should also offer him one at the end of the day. If you enjoyed the guides company and want to invite him for dinner you can do that but don’t think that it covers a tip. Tip him as well. If he says no to supper don’t take it personal as he may have to rush home to prepare for tomorrow or spent time with friends and family who rarely see him during summer months.

If a guide offers advice take it. He wants you to catch his just as bad as you do. Ask him to give advice on your casting and presentation. These two things can make the difference between failure and success. If you still can’t get the hang of it offer to let him show you. Sometimes seeing a reach cast executed to perfection is all it takes to “get it” That fly that worked back home for 10 inch brookies might not fool an educated giant brown that sits on the bank sipping emergers. If your guide suggests a fly change he is the resident expert and that knowledge is fudged into the price of the trip. If you have had a great day and landed lots of decent fish on offer letting your guide have a crack. He will of course say no but be persistent. The odds are he hasn’t had a chance to fish much and watching him cast and present the fly will most likely be a learning experience. You will also get a sense of just how human he is when a fish eats his bug….this is especially true with dry flies.

A guide’s life can be thankless, one day runs into the next and weeks turn into months. Many times we fail to recognize just how enjoyable a day on the river was until we are able to digest it with retrospect. If you have a favorite guide, took a guide trip with a new guide and had fun let them know. Do it right after the trip and thank them with a thanksgiving phone call, a Xmas card, and if you really want to show them appreciation call their outfitter and book them early, even right after you get in. Guides like to know that they will be busy and nothing does that like a filling schedule. Good guides also book fast so it is in your best interest to book early.

If you are considering taking your first guide trip make arrangements. Often just booking something and committing is the difference between actually doing it and talking about piece of water again and again and never doing it. Call around and do some research to find a good guide. Luckily Craig has lots of them.

So the next time you are in Craig and you see a gang of sunburned and tired dudes sipping gin or chugging beer in well worn river wear remember that they are probably guides and workin folks like you and me. Buy them a beer and I’ll bet if you ask them for some advice you will get it.

Remember to Thank your guides as they earn it.

The author isn’t a working guide but has guided in the past. He now tries to spend his hard earned money hiring guides but understands the sometimes thankless nature of guide work.