|
SO YOU WANT TO BE A GUIDE, HUH?
By: Greg
Brush
A successful Alaskan fishing trip is made up of
many critical components, some seemingly
unimportant and very obvious. But there is arguably
nothing as paramount to creating a great Alaskan
memory as a good guide. Sure, one can "get lucky,"
but what wise angler relies solely on luck? A
knowledgeable and courteous professional can impact
a person's Alaska trip more than any other factor,
and the bottom line is that the right guide can
literally make or break your trip!
Initially, like so many other professional
guides, the lure of "getting paid to fish" is what
drew me to guiding. After all, what could be
sweeter? I quickly learned that what you see is not
always what you get. Like so many things in life,
the grass always seems greener on the other side.
You see, guides rarely get to fish; in fact, on
many Alaskan waters it is actually illegal. But a
true professional has little time to hold a rod
anyway. Instead, their hands and minds are full
virtually every moment. We get to get up at 4:00 am
every day, grab a quick cup of coffee, throw a warm
smile on our weary face, and spend the day with
total strangers. We untangle lines, downplay missed
opportunities, console dejected anglers and often
times put up with grumbling and griping. We teach
our guests a thing or two about fishing, keep
spirits up on slow days, entertain bored customers
between strikes, and locate eagles and moose for
visitors who may not have been fortunate to see
such special creatures. At the end of a long,
tiring day we return home to hours of chores that
simply must be done to prepare for the next day or
next group. Fun stuff, like cleaning fish,
scrubbing boats, retying rods, preparing bait, and
filling out logbooks. It is no wonder that Alaskan
fishing guides experience such a high turnover, as
new guides suddenly realize that this is not the
rosy lifestyle they originally envisioned and
quickly drop out. Ultimately I came to the
realization that my chosen profession is really not
about fish, it's about people! Sure, a good guide
must consistently produce fish, but this element is
actually a surprisingly small piece of the
puzzle.
Hiring a 'guide' who puts too much emphasis on
catching a silly fish will almost surely create an
uncomfortable atmosphere where it is virtually
impossible for the guests to relax and enjoy the
time spent in the great outdoors. Thus, a true
professional fishing guide strikes a delicate
balance between serious fishing and light-hearted
conversation, joking and telling story's, in effect
building the camaraderie that is a big part of why
we all fish. The fact is, good guides often want
their clients to catch fish even more than the
clients do, and this desire creates stress faster
than a foul hooked sockeye in a nine-knot current.
Ironically, the stress of wanting to be a great
guide every day for every guest is what creates an
uptight, intense and overall poor guide. We've all
heard stories of short and grouchy operators;
otherwise skilled and knowledgeable fishing guides
who quickly ruined a potentially successful trip by
snapping at a guest. It took me many years to
realize the secret to being a great guide is
containing this never-ending pressure to produce,
not allowing it to creep into the guests, taint the
atmosphere and ruin the overall experience.
One can identify a truly good guide by
determining if they really CARE about the fish, the
resource, and the satisfaction of their guests? Is
their heart really in it? What's their primary
motivation for guiding-obsession with fishing,
desire to meet new people, introducing beginners to
our great sport…or is it simply about the
money? Are they in it for the long haul, or is it
just a part time job? Do they see the big picture?
That fishing is meant to be fun, and a major part
of their job is to make it so while consistently
putting their customers on fish day in and day out,
regardless of the conditions or skill level of
their clients.
Combine this pressure to produce with the fact
that Alaska's fishing season is short (albeit
sweet!) and very intense. Open water and
cooperative weather dictate a six-month season at
best, and salmon run timing and tourist season
often narrows it to four or five. This means that a
full-time professional guide must put his nose to
the grindstone, making his income while he can.
There is no time for days off or breaks. Simply
put, one's fishing business will never see 'the
black' if they don't literally fish "till they
drop!"
Now I've painted a picture of a fellow who makes
a modest living, must work every day possible, gets
little sleep, must bite his lip repeatedly when
faced with difficult or impatient guests, yet
somehow summon a positive attitude every moment of
every day. So, the question remains: why would
anybody want to be an Alaskan fishing guide?
It comes back to whether ones heart is really in
it. Do they really, truly LOVE fishing? The time
spent outdoors, being close to the creature we hold
so dear, must somehow offset all inconveniences and
hardships. And the final reward that pushes the
professional fishing guide over the top,
reaffirming that he has quite possibly the ultimate
job? Watching an ear-to-ear grin grow on the face
of little Johnny after you helped him land his
first Pink salmon. The hug from Grandma Betty that
she gives you once she realizes that she's still
young enough to conquer a feisty silver. The
high-five that you get from an experienced angler
who finally caught the trophy King of his dreams!
These are indeed the proverbial "icing on the
cake!"
[ Back to
Fishing Articles ]
|
