Tipping a Guide

Can’t comment on day trips as I always had the same guests for 3 or 4 days. I enjoyed it because it gave me an opportunity to actually get to know them, have a beer with them at end of the day etc. There isn’t an “appropriate” amount in my opinion. Take into consideration how your guide treated you, talked to you, was he putting in an effort? Was he too lazy to run bait when fishing was slow? Was he late getting to the boat because he was piling beers the night before? Did he encourage you to get involved and show you how to bait and run the gear?Guided on and off up north for better part of 10 years and can count on one hand the amount of times I was “disappointed” by what I received. Did have plenty of guests that were surprised I didn’t yell at them when they lost a fish which always blew my mind. Other guests who were surprised I let them set the hook. Who yells at their guests though... don’t get it. Nothing more rewarding in my opinion than teaching someone thats new to fishing how to cut and rig a cut plug, set their own gear and then play their own fish from start to finish. Guiding in my opinion is 25% skill and 75% people skills and interacting with your guests in a positive way. Many lodges do “underpay” their guides though if you weren’t to receive any gratuities. Most of the guides that I worked with that bitched about their gratuities just weren’t great at their job and didn’t enjoy interacting with their guests and it becomes pretty apparent to their guests. Your interaction with them on the water and being professional and prepared(example: guides calling the lodge for extra bait at 10am because they didn’t bother preparing enough the night before) for the day in many cases is what matters.

just my 0.02

I was taken to a lodge up in the Rupert area last summer as part of a work trip. The tips were handled by my host, but I did give each guide that I fished with some swag including a Maglite flashlight which the guides graciously accepted.

Hippa's comments are great. My first afternoon fishing was with the lodge owner's son...I adjusted the drag on the reel without asking and quickly got scolded. Sheesh! Later I asked him if he ever got any jerks out on the boat and he quickly replied "two assholes every trip". Maybe it was a good line but it was a little tone-deaf for the situation, at least in my eyes.

The rest of my trip was with the rookie guide....he hustled and busted his butt to keep the gear in the water and keep the conversation flowing. He was awesome! He taught me how to cut and rig herring cutplugs. He taught me how to rig for halibut. He let me run "my" rigger and rod. He was stoked when I released fish. It made the trip so memorable and awesome! I'd love to find him and fish with him again.
 
Tip what ever feels good to you, it's a token of appreciation for a good time. You will know what feels right at end of trip whether it's none due to the guide putting in no effort, or just poor manners, middle of the road or has you excited to book the following year :) Tipping a bad experience due to the guide is positive reinforcement to continue doing what they are doing or not doing, no tip is a motivator to clean up their act lol. Keep in mind it is fishing and not everyday is a banner day with fish lockers stuffed some things are out of ones control, if the efforts there and the guides pleasant with some laughs and good convo that's still a great day.
 
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I worked as a ski instructor for many years including supervisor and manager roles. The attributes we looked for in new and veteran hires were much more about communications and interpersonal skills than skiing prowess, certifications or physical appearance. It was well understood that a good lesson was an essential part of the experience, but far from the only thing customers were looking for - safety, fun and entertainment were important too. The first time I went on a fishing charter experience, I was struck by how similar the roles of fishing guide and ski instructor were - strongly technical, highly variable and sometimes risky environment, people skills critical too.

Yes, the guide must have solid fishing and boat handling skills, but you'll be spending 8-10 hours with this person, possibly for multiple days. I've had guides who were excellent fishermen but didn't have even entry level people skills - no safety briefing, showed up hung over, dressed down clients for losing fish, didn't explain the basic process of downrigger fishing, lazed around on the boat, pushed their own political opinions, didn't try different tactics when things were slow, etc. Conversely, some of the biggest tips our group has given were on days when the fishing was less than stellar, but we could see how hard the guide worked to put us onto fish, yet kept the tone light and lively with interesting conversation.

Same when I go to a good restaurant, I tip the person rather than the meal. Anyone can carry those plates out to the table, what did the server add to the experience? Good recommendations that made the meal better than if you'd just winged it yourself? That is surely what I expect on a charter. I already own a boat and can catch salmon on my own - what are you adding to the experience?
 
I know you're being humorous, but there's truth in there. If someone is providing a service you could do yourself, they have to be adding value to that, making it even better. Hence why I tip guides and wait staff more on personality and professionalism than solely on pure technical performance.
 
I was taken to a lodge up in the Rupert area last summer as part of a work trip. The tips were handled by my host, but I did give each guide that I fished with some swag including a Maglite flashlight which the guides graciously accepted.

Hippa's comments are great. My first afternoon fishing was with the lodge owner's son...I adjusted the drag on the reel without asking and quickly got scolded. Sheesh! Later I asked him if he ever got any jerks out on the boat and he quickly replied "two assholes every trip". Maybe it was a good line but it was a little tone-deaf for the situation, at least in my eyes.

The rest of my trip was with the rookie guide....he hustled and busted his butt to keep the gear in the water and keep the conversation flowing. He was awesome! He taught me how to cut and rig herring cutplugs. He taught me how to rig for halibut. He let me run "my" rigger and rod. He was stoked when I released fish. It made the trip so memorable and awesome! I'd love to find him and fish with him again.
Love that story about the rookie guide putting in the work... that’s what it’s about. Actually learned a lot of unique techniques from guests over the years too! I think what a lot of guides forget is that some “guests” actually know how to fish too! When I first started guiding I actually learned a lot from some very “fishy” guests... there’s always something new to learn, other ways to rig bait etc. Soak it all in and have fun, there’s no “right” way to fish, do what works for you.(and is legal :p)
 
Slight deviation from original question, but I'd like to ask how guides feel about guests proposing to use personal gear on the boat. We like the guide we fish with at Winter Harbour, knowledgeable and personable and all that. But he insists on using MR3s with all mono on them and we often fish quite deep out on the highway, 166 or 200. With that much stretch the strikes are very soft and subtle and just getting the line out of the clip can sometimes be a challenge. I would prefer to use my own Islanders loaded with 30 lb braid and a 30 ft topshot of mono. Thoughts?
 
Slight deviation from original question, but I'd like to ask how guides feel about guests proposing to use personal gear on the boat. We like the guide we fish with at Winter Harbour, knowledgeable and personable and all that. But he insists on using MR3s with all mono on them and we often fish quite deep out on the highway, 166 or 200. With that much stretch the strikes are very soft and subtle and just getting the line out of the clip can sometimes be a challenge. I would prefer to use my own Islanders loaded with 30 lb braid and a 30 ft topshot of mono. Thoughts?
I used to always allow guests to use their own gear. Why not? It's their trip
 
Call me crazy but I let my guests use my TR3s. Only lost one overboard so far! (got it back)

Ive had guests bring longstones, levelwinds, flyrods, all kinds of weird teaser heads, flashers, bucktails, swimbaits, you name it. Its their trip, and if it makes the experience more enjoyable for them youd be rude not to allow it.
 
My own gear on a guide boat. Just love the sound it makes when a Spring takes a long run. I'd also like to think it's a little tougher to use than those new fancy pants, set the drag once and leave it reels. Try adjusting the drag on this puppy when on a fish : ) upload_2020-7-5_9-15-44.png
 
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