| A Guides Work is Never DONE
Its the job of many a man and woman’s dreams. Fishing and getting paid
to do it. Its a tough job,
some joke, but somebody’s got to do it right?
Well folks for those of you who think guiding is a cushie job, let me
fill you in on all the work this
job requires.
Fish - Most guides keep detailed diaries of where and when they catch
fish. This helps the guide to
keep track of fishing patterns and where fish prefer to be at any
given time. Think about this, from
year to year water levels, weather, water temps and other factors
change. Baitfish concentrations,
change from year to year based on the amount of water that any body of
water gets and on the
amount of cover that is available for the bait fry to hide in. When
you consider all of the
possibilities that guides have to deal with it is amazing that from
day to day they can keep track of
where to fish and what to fish for. Even more amazing is knowing HOW
to catch the fish since
there are so many possibilities for any species of fish.
Equipment - Boats, Rods, Reels, Electronics, Motors, Lures, &
Batteries, Oh my.
The boat is probably one of the costliest choices guides have to make,
and the toughest to keep
properly maintained. After each trip it must be cleaned, gasoline must
be reloaded and in
some cases reformulated with oil. Depending on where you fish the
bottom of the boat may
have to be cleaned of water scum, barnacles or other debris that can
be picked up from the
water. Tires for the trailer, daily checks of tire pressure are
necessary to make sure of the safety
of one of the guides biggest investments.
Rods - Most guides have at least 10 of these if not more. Some guides
have over 100 rods
that they have to keep available depending on the type of fishing that
they do. Most buy
moderate cost rods, since quite a few of their customers have actually
never fished before
or only a few times in their lives. Rods get stepped on, nicked, and
damaged. After almost
every trip the guide has to check the rods for damage to prevent the
loss of a fish in the
middle of a fight.
Reels - These run the gammit, from bait casters, to spinning gear to
spincast to Ocean Reels.
Each type of fishing requires a different type of reel. If you are
bait fishing, many guides will
have Bait Casters with bait clicker features to allow the fish to run
with the bait before the
hook is set. Others will use spinning reels for light fishing and
casting since the normal non
fisherman can operate and cast these much easier than a bait caster
which requires some
talent to operate. Spin Casters are almost only used for light fishing
like crappie and bluegill.
The extreme ease of operation is the benefit, and all of these reels
plus the Ocean Reels
require a daily check of the fishing line. Good fishing line is a must
if the guide does not
want to change line daily which is time consuming and expensive even
using inexpensive
line. Nicks on the line will require the guide to strip line and make
a judgement on whether
or not there is enough left to fish properly.
Electronics - That depth finder is not the only piece of equipment any
more. Many guides
will carry GPS, Mapping systems and other types of computers to keep
track of their
successes and failures.These also require time and effort to maintain
and to keep the batteries
charged that operate the electronics.
Motors - Not only the main motor which has to have regular maintenance
and care, but the
trolling motor. The new "Plastic" foot control motors do not hold up
really well fishing 300
days a year. Most guides I know have to get new Foot Controls on a
regular basis because
the darn "Plastic" controllers that companies use now wear out after
about 200 trips. This
means keeping track of that wear and tear. Also each motor has a
propeller and these must
be checked regularly for wear, nicks, more importantly for anything
that could foul the prop
and make it burn up the motor. (Like fishing line that gets in the
motor if someone is not
paying attention and turns on the motor.. or if a fish runs up around
the motor.)
Lures - Lost lures have to be replaced and inventoried. It is sort of
embarrassing for anyone
to get out on the lake and not have the "Lure" that is working. The
trick is knowing which
lures to use, and which to have. There are many millions of lures -
"Old and Knew" that have
produced fish for many people. Knowing the right lure, and how many to
keep on hand is
tougher than you might think. Losing them due to bad casts, big fish,
misplayed fish, is a
hazard guides have to deal with on a daily basis. Time must be spent
acquiring new lures,
requiring travel to and from the store, and wear and tear on the
guides car.
Batteries - Everything in a boat that runs has to have a battery. The
live bait well, the boat motor,
the trolling motor, the depth finder and all other electronics. This
means taking daily care of the
batteries, most of the newer batteries do not require much care other
than making sure that they
stay charged. Still the amount of charge that the batteries is taking
must be monitored to make sure
the batteries are running at their peak performance and not losing
their (for lack of a better word)
potency.
 
Bait - If your guide uses Live Bait, most likely he is catching it,
or buying it in bulk. This
means that with some baits he has to have expensive equipment to keep
the bait alive.
This equipment is going to have to be maintained as well. IF he does
not buy his bait, he
is catching it. Cast Nets and the time to go and get the bait can be
short if he is busy. This
means his personal time is being used to get you the bait needed for
that trophy fish. Cast
nets take time to learn to use, and catching bait may require a guide
to work several hours
the day before a trip with you to get enough bait to do the job
correctly.
 
Weather - Every guide has his clients best interests in his mind.
Guides must keep up with the weather.
Not only because of hazardous weather, but because weather changes can
make a serious change in
the way fish are hitting and where.
Safety Equipment - All safety equipment must be checked on a daily
basis. Fire extinguishers, life
jackets, throwing rings. All has to be checked and kept up.
So the next time you think its a cushie job.. remember, for every 8
hour trip you take you are most
likely going to spend another 4 to 6 hours keeping track of the
equipment that keeps you and your
clients fishing..Not to mention the time spent getting bait. OH and
we have not gotten into the book
keeping and other duties that the guide or his wife, or book keeper
has to take care of., requiring a
computer and other accessories..
Information for this article was obtained from Guppy Guide Service
Many thanks to Ronnie Rowland
for putting up with me on a recent fishing trip while I compiled much
of the information for this article.
Thanks also to
Jesse Duncan of Barren River Lake and to
Bob Coan of Dale Hollow
for their
contributions to this article.
Jim Dicken
Fishing Guides Home Page
http://www.FGHP.com |
