Expectations in a Fly-Fishing Experience

By Will Gray

Why Hire a Guide

Before you go out and spend your hard-earned cash, you need to ask yourself what it is that you expect from a guide and why you want to hire one. If you don't have an agenda, then you have nothing to compare against to evaluate if you had positive experience or not.

Do you want to learn to cast to those difficult lays, master reading the water, or learn how to match the hatch. These are all assessments you need to make prior to searching out a guide.

Verbalize to the guide what you want from him/her BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO GO WITH THEM!

Before you take your trip, call the local lodges and outfitters and discuss your priorities. They should know the capabilities of their staff and can hook you up with a guide that is best suited for your needs. Remember these lodges depend on word-of-mouth business and have a vested interest in your satisfaction. They can only do this if they know what it is that you expect. It would be well to call early as the good ones are usually booked well in advance.

Three things a good guide needs to know about you.

• Your skill level.

• Your physical limitations or special needs

• Your gear configuration (unless they are providing)

YOU MUST BE BRUTALLY HONEST ABOUT THESE!

General Expectations - a good guide should:

• Be friendly and personable. No one likes to be around a social depravite, this includes guides.

• Know the waters, stream flows, weather and fishing conditions. Your guide's knowledge not only can determine your fishing success, but your safety as well.

• Be skillful with a fly rod. Last years winner of the Bass Master's Tournament is not going to be of much help to you with a fly rod.

• Clean, respectable, sober, and honest. This guy is not running for president. He's your guide. You need to be able to put your full faith trust in him.

• Know first aid and CPR. Accidents do happen. Your guide must be prepared to come to your assistance.

• Licensed, insured, endorsed, and certified. These are the minimal assurances that your guide is serious about his profession.

• Be ready to cook a good meal for you. This does not mean heater meals. A day on the river will build an appetite larger than usual. It is hard to concentrate on an empty stomach. Twinkies and soda pop just won't cut it. Also your guide should have an ample supply of water for you throughout the day to prevent dehydration...a leading cause of hypothermia and sunstroke.

• Be prepared to teach you. His skill level should be better than what yours are. This is why it is important to establish your abilities up front.

• Concentrate and work hard for you. Cardinal rule is that the guide does not fish! His focus must be 100% on you. He must observe your every motion and be prepared to offer skillful advice.

• Be interested in good customer service. As a businessman, he needs to recognize that he is being paid to serve you. Your satisfaction has to be his number one priority.

• Be happy when you catch fish yet not critical when you don't. Not making hook ups is frustrating enough for the client. He doesn't need disapproval from his guide rather cordial advice is the order of the day.

Guides expectations of his clients

• Be honest about your skills
  
• Follow their advice and suggestions
  
• Respect their judgement when it comes to safety
  
• Respect local customs, traditions, and even superstitions.
  
• Be honest about things that bug you and friendly in way you express them.
  
• Obey the law. Don't make your guide compromise his principles nor his license.
  
• Everyone likes to do a good job. Your having a good time is his way of knowing he has been successful.
  

Suggestions

Before you go, plan ahead. Spend some time and money on phone calls inquiring about guides. Express your expectations and be sure to mention any special food and drink requirements as well as special needs.

The best source of information is from friends and fellow fly fishers. The next best source is from objective reports like the Angling Report. Thirdly, shops, lodges, and outfitters are pretty good because they have reputations to protect. Finally, magazine articles and ads - but only if all else fails.

During the trip, if your guide is awful but tries and works hard to please you in terms of your expectations, it is probably better to take it up with his boss. If the guide is an independent, you know what to do.

If the guide is good, you also know what to do. Hint: tip. A substantial portion of a guide's wages come from tips. A small portion of what you pay the outfitter for the trip goes to the guide so tips are much appreciated.

Will Gray is an Orvis Endorsed guide and a Federation of Fly Fishers Master Certified Fly Casting Instructor.