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Hiring a Guide
Hiring a guide for a day or two in
the area you plan to go Trout Bumming in, can really
help. You’ve invested a lot in time, money, travel,
research and more, so now consider how it may
benefit you to have a local knowledgeable person
showing you around for a couple of days. I’ve done
this and it has definitively benefited me in
catching more fish during the guided trip and
afterward.
The best reason to hire a guide is to
learn new skills, new fishing methods for that
particular location, and learn new water. Locally
here in Wyoming I see people decide to go fishing
places that they have never been before, thinking
they won't need help fishing these waters
successfully. Unfortunately, they usually end up not
having nearly as good a time as they could have, had
they hired a guide. You also learn more about the
fishery, flies before striking out on your own for
the rest of the trip. Simply observing which flies
the guide uses and how the guide directs you to use
each one will teach you a bunch about a particular
fishing location. You can later apply these
techniques or skills to other places you fish.
If a guide likes you in my experience
he is usually willing to help you with the rest of
your trip, by providing other fishing information on
the area. Don’t expect them to give up their
personal secrete places though.
Hiring a guide can be an interesting
process. You never know what your going to get. They
may be hung over from a late party the night before,
driving a beat up, loud, bald tired truck that you
will now be going out in. On the other hand a guide
never knows what he or she is in for also. I'm a
fly-fishing guide so I've experienced this on both
ends.
I can offer my advice here on what I
do when hiring a guide.
I personally stay away from one man
website guides and stick with independent guides
operating out of local fly shops. Guides that make
out- outlandish claims and overly brag about
themselves, I don’t hire. I’ve found older guides to
be more knowledgeable. They are usually not relying
on guide income for a living but often times guiding
because they enjoy it. Several guides I work with
save their summer guiding monies for hiring a guide
themselves in new locations. Also older guides for
me are simply more experienced at life and been
fishing longer. But this is not always the case and
I've had some good young guides on Trout Bumming
adventures.
Consider the following questions when
hiring a guide.
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How long have they been fishing
the area?
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What kinds of rods and reels do
they provide?
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What kind of vehicle do they use
and year?
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How long have they been
fly-fishing?
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How old are they?
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Why are you a guide?
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What do you like about guiding?
In the same respect tell the guide a
bit about yourself, your expectations, fly fishing
experience and physical condition. Be honest as I’ve
chatted with clients before their trips, who were
supposed to be very experienced at fly fishing, that
could barely cast a fly. As a guide, once I have the
clients experience level and expectations,
determines where I will take them. Also if you have
physical limitations tell your guide and this can
help them choose fitting topography.
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