Experience - You should choose a guide for his experience of the rivers and the species of fish you are looking to catch. They should be willing to teach you so that you can take what you have learned while on the guided trip and use it on your own. Besides wanting to catch fish on your guided trip you might want to learn the river's holes, type of water that holds fish, and the different techniques used to catch these fish. Remember, ask plenty of questions!

Personality - Your guide should be a people person. We have to be, since we are always dealing with new people with different levels of fishing ability and attitudes. One thing you must remember is that you are there to have a good time. Catching fish should be a bonus. A good personality can make those slow days on the water much more enjoyable. No matter what guide you ask, they all have those slow fishing days!

Success - You are using a guide to increase your chance of catching fish as well as having a great time. Ask your guide if he ever gets skunked. He should be able to admit to it, because it happens even to the best of us. It might not happen very often, but it does happen. Make sure the guide is more interested in putting you into fish than just putting your money into his or her pocket. Poor water conditions, unfavorable weather, or low numbers of fish in the river, all can contribute to a possible slow day fishing. Your guide should recognize these "crow-eating conditions," as we like to call it, (no fish catching) and call to give you a chance to reschedule or go ahead as planned and fish.

Safety - Safety is one of the most important issues to keep in mind while searching for a guide. There is only a few ways that you as a client can check to be sure the guide you are considering is a safe one or not. It all has to do with his licenses. Ask to see his guide licenses and proof of insurance. Most of the rivers in the state of Washington require fishing guides to have a US Coast Guard license. Guides fishing these waters without the required license void their insurance, leaving you and your family unprotected in case of an accident. US Coast Guard Licenses also requires the holder to be on a random drug-testing program and hold current First Aid & CPR card. Make sure he or she goes over all of the safety equipment on his boat and shows you where everything is located. He must have these items on hand every trip. Not all of the guides in the state of Washington will be able to come up with all of these items. Your safety should come first among all considerations!

Equipment - High end equipment is important! Good guides will use only the best equipment which insures that you won't loose a fish to a bad reel or broken pole. It will also provide you the opportunity to try out some new equipment which you might want to later purchase for your own fishing excursions. A guide who does not maintain adequate equipment is not interested in helping you catch fish.

References - Most of the guides today have some sponsors. Don't hesitate to call these sponsors for a good reference. To get sponsors, usually must provide a trip to allow companies to evaluate who they are sponsoring. Probably the best reference for any guide is word of mouth. Talk to your fellow fishermen and ask them about the guide you are thinking of using. Get more than one opinion, because one bad trip for a guide goes a long way on the riverbanks, but a good report will go even farther.

Costs - There is no standard as to what a guide must charge for his or her services. One thing to remember is you definitely get what you pay for. You can figure that for 8 Hours on the river fishing, your guide spends another 2-3 hours driving and 2-3 hours preparing and cleaning up his boat and equipment. That is a 12-14 hour day your guide puts into ensuring his clients' success. He puts a lot of time and effort in being well informed and knowing where the fish are and how to catch them. So, if you have a good trip don't forget to tip the skip. Your guide appreciates it and the next time you use them, they will remember you for it.

These are just some suggestion to assist you the next time you are considering a guide. Hopefully, when you choose a guide service for your next fishing adventure, these tips will help you pick a guide to ensure a safe and great experience.

Reasons For Choosing A Guide

Here is something that one of my clients wrote after a season on the water, with his own boat and who now fishes with me again. Just a little something to think about...

Boat Vs. Guide
I decided this river fishing looks easy and I will get my own boat and save a lot of money over hiring a guide. I did the math. Consider that you might go 2 times a month realistically on average (probably less) .
Per month:
Boat payment $270.00
Insurance $30.00
Bait & Tackle $30.00
Gas for Boat and Truck $50.00 per trip
1 trip a month @ $380.00 = $4560.00 per year for 1 trip a month
2 trips a month @$460.00 = $5520.00 a year for 2 trip a month

That's not including all the poles and fishing gear and maintenance! That doesn't include all the $$$ spent on bait and tackle for your buddies who don't have the right equipment and don't pitch in for gas. That doesn?t include my psychiatric bill for the stress & hair loss. Oh don?t forget the repair charges for the hole I put in my boat.

I have since sold my boat and fish once a month with Curt. I spend $1800.00 a year and catch twice as many fish with a fraction of operator's stress. I was spent close to $5000.00 that year and not having near the fun. I blame the guide for making it look so easy to catch all those fish!!!!

Reasons to Hire A Guide:
2 Springers = 30lbs times $8.00 per/lbs = $240.00 that trip paid for itself.
2 Steelhead = 20lbs times $6.00 per pound = $ 120.00 It cost me $30.00 to fish with Curt.

I wanted to catch a fish.
You will catch more fish with a guide. A lot more!!!!

I wanted to relax.
I didn't want to run my boat and try to fish at the same time.

I didn't want to fish from shore.
I'm tired of combat fishing and limited success.

I didn't know where or how to fish a specific river.
I wanted to learn from a professional, the river and techniques for catching fish.

<<BACK