scott craven
Well-Known Member
Wow, you must have deep pockets !
Charter tipping
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TheBigGuy
Well-Known Member
Many people have unrealistic expectations. Unless you booked six months or more in advance to get the prime time with a top guide on the best tide, moon phase, etc , etc, you really can't expect to fill the tub. If you booked a short time charter also can't expect too much, travel to the fishing grounds can take an hour or more one way depending on the location. When I book a tropical charter I'm mostly only expecting a nice sunny boat ride. Booking a charter does not guarantee fish by any stretch of the imagination. If you booked a charter in most places on the west coast this year and didn't go offshore you were probably lucky if you got into decent numbers if Salmon. The weather is totally beyond the guides control and winds limited many offshore trips this summer. If you booked a trip with a guide and got into fish this summer you probably did better than most. Even the guides were having a hard time getting into fish on many locations on the coast. Guided fishing may not be cheap, but most guides survive off their tips. Over head for the boat, moorage, fuel, maintenance and repairs, insurance, and many other things eat away at any profit margin on most trips. Not giving a guide a tip is very poor form, and should only happen under rare circumstances. Don't be a cheapskate, if you can afford to do a charter, you should factor a tip into the overall expense as part of the day on the water.
Not deep pockets Scott, comes down to priorities, wise financial decisions while younger, no booze, drugs, smoking, built not bought my truck once and kept now for 16 yrs, and listened to a few close friends, now paying off. That trip was $50 000 US so only 10% tip, pics are awesome and mounts fill my trophy room. I am one of a very few who have done many of my bucket list items, comes down to decisions, do you buy a $50 000 new Dodge with all extras, and pay $$$ monthly for a few years or go make lifelong memories and live with your built Toyota while paying monthly for the memories.
Its the experience and memories that count, not amounts, numbers or size. At least for me and my family trips. As the Big Guy stated. I add tip as an expense because I expect to pay, all but a couple of my guides (fishing or hunting) have gone above and beyond to provide me an outstanding experience and that is worldwide. I have no ill words for their profession, hard working bunch of great guys/gals has been my experience. So I say tip them accordingly on performance and hard work.
HM
Its the experience and memories that count, not amounts, numbers or size. At least for me and my family trips. As the Big Guy stated. I add tip as an expense because I expect to pay, all but a couple of my guides (fishing or hunting) have gone above and beyond to provide me an outstanding experience and that is worldwide. I have no ill words for their profession, hard working bunch of great guys/gals has been my experience. So I say tip them accordingly on performance and hard work.
HM
Canso
Well-Known Member
Not my comments, but I like his thinking lol
"15 to 20%? As a "normal" gratuity? Give me a break. If it's expected, it's by definition no longer a gratuity, it's a FEE.
Pay the people a decent wage. Do that and let it be reflected in the price of the goods and services consumed, be that a restaurant meal, shoe shine or fishing guide.
Why should my guide be turned into a tax avoider and beggar just to get along in life? Why should I as a patron have to be guilted into coughing up an extra few dollars? It's gotten ridiculous."
"15 to 20%? As a "normal" gratuity? Give me a break. If it's expected, it's by definition no longer a gratuity, it's a FEE.
Pay the people a decent wage. Do that and let it be reflected in the price of the goods and services consumed, be that a restaurant meal, shoe shine or fishing guide.
Why should my guide be turned into a tax avoider and beggar just to get along in life? Why should I as a patron have to be guilted into coughing up an extra few dollars? It's gotten ridiculous."
Cuba Libre
Well-Known Member
I and my partners make a point of tipping $100 for each billfish or exceptional fish to the boat when down south. Otherwise its 10%.
Tipping keeps guides sharp and on point even after 90 days consecutive on the water. If money was the main objective of guiding then fishing guides would not exist. Also tips are taxable, used to get about 10k a summer in credit card tips and had to pay pay pay taxes on them. I fished with a lot of different guides some awesome some not so much ......more like boat ride specialists. From my point of view 100$/day is a good place to be if your guide put in the effort. For the boat ride specialist who puts in zero effort they should receive nothing. If the establishment paid the guides more then you would pay more without any choice. at least you have some discretion when you tip......just my thoughts
Chasin' Dreams
Well-Known Member
I think it's also easier for a fisherman to know if his guide has done a good job at trying his best to get the guests into fish. Whereas guests who are not avid fishermen may find it harder to know if the guide was working hard for them. I'm sure most guides out there take pride in their jobs and do the best they can to give the best experience to their guests but like any line of work I'm sure there are ones that may not try as hard as others but over time I'm sure those ones don't end up lasting too long.
As fishermen we all know the fish just aren't there at times or aren't biting at times. That's just the way it is. If the guide does a good job trying they should still get a tip. If they are showing obvious signs of not giving a crap then that's a different story for sure.
Having to leave early for an emergency is a touchy subject. Some effort on the guides part to show he feels bad about it would be fitting but also if it was a legit emergency then some understanding is also due from the guests. Hard to give judgement on a situation none of us was involved in but the OP.
I've only been guided a couple times personally but on both occasions we tipped well because the guides were great. 17 years ago my buddies took me to Tyee Lodge in Bamfield for my stag. We got a bit carried away with drinks the night before our first day out on the guide. We were all hung over and a few of my buddies ate a big greasy heavy breakfast before going to the warf for pick up. We were about 15 minutes late getting to the warf for pick up too. The guide warned us the day before to not eat heavy in the morning also. A couple of my friends got sick on the boat and were too sea sick to fight fish even for a few hours. But they didn't want to go back in to have the trip end short so we stayed out. The guide worked hard and we all got our limits of Springs and Hali's. And he put up with us being late, being hung over and my friends puking up the big breakfast he told us not to eat.
We all pitched in and gave him a $400 tip. It made him and us feel good cause we felt bad for not being the greatest of customers for him and I think he felt like it was worth while being patient with us and having understanding that we got carried away with the drinking cause it was a stag trip. He was a great guy and guide.
The other time was on the Stamp and our guide was great. He took us all over the river to his hot spots and we got into a lot of Steelies. Even after we already had been into a lot of fish he continued to let us pound the river and he didn't have to burn more fuel if he didn't want to but he kept moving us around and let us pick spots we wanted him to stop at for us to try. We pumped bugs for the trip prior to getting there and had a bunch of nice roe and roe sacks with us. At the end of our guide we tipped Matt with money and gave him all our bugs and a bunch of roe and roe sacks we had left. He had his own sacks too but was happy with us giving him ours too. It was a great memorable experience which the guide made possible by how hard he worked for us and he was genuinely happy watching us get into fish.
As fishermen we all know the fish just aren't there at times or aren't biting at times. That's just the way it is. If the guide does a good job trying they should still get a tip. If they are showing obvious signs of not giving a crap then that's a different story for sure.
Having to leave early for an emergency is a touchy subject. Some effort on the guides part to show he feels bad about it would be fitting but also if it was a legit emergency then some understanding is also due from the guests. Hard to give judgement on a situation none of us was involved in but the OP.
I've only been guided a couple times personally but on both occasions we tipped well because the guides were great. 17 years ago my buddies took me to Tyee Lodge in Bamfield for my stag. We got a bit carried away with drinks the night before our first day out on the guide. We were all hung over and a few of my buddies ate a big greasy heavy breakfast before going to the warf for pick up. We were about 15 minutes late getting to the warf for pick up too. The guide warned us the day before to not eat heavy in the morning also. A couple of my friends got sick on the boat and were too sea sick to fight fish even for a few hours. But they didn't want to go back in to have the trip end short so we stayed out. The guide worked hard and we all got our limits of Springs and Hali's. And he put up with us being late, being hung over and my friends puking up the big breakfast he told us not to eat.
We all pitched in and gave him a $400 tip. It made him and us feel good cause we felt bad for not being the greatest of customers for him and I think he felt like it was worth while being patient with us and having understanding that we got carried away with the drinking cause it was a stag trip. He was a great guy and guide.
The other time was on the Stamp and our guide was great. He took us all over the river to his hot spots and we got into a lot of Steelies. Even after we already had been into a lot of fish he continued to let us pound the river and he didn't have to burn more fuel if he didn't want to but he kept moving us around and let us pick spots we wanted him to stop at for us to try. We pumped bugs for the trip prior to getting there and had a bunch of nice roe and roe sacks with us. At the end of our guide we tipped Matt with money and gave him all our bugs and a bunch of roe and roe sacks we had left. He had his own sacks too but was happy with us giving him ours too. It was a great memorable experience which the guide made possible by how hard he worked for us and he was genuinely happy watching us get into fish.
sly_karma
Crew Member
Tipping is always a sore spot in the service industries, but it doesn't have to be all about money. Non-cash gifts can be just as effective, if not more meaningful. Something to consider is your guide is usually living and working in a fairly remote location without the easy access to goods and services most of us are used to. In particular, good quality fruit and veges are usually not to be had. Being from the Okanagan, our annual WCVI trip always includes bringing a couple of flats of cherries (or whatever is freshest and best at the time) as a gift to the guide and/or lodge. We usually self-cater and fish with independent guides, so we call ahead and offer to pick up fresh veges or bread on our drive in. A short stop for maybe $50 of produce is very easy to do and will generally earn you gratitude well in excess of its dollar value.
We usually invite our guide/s for a meal or two. As everyone has noted, those guys work hard at a physically taxing job, with 12 hour days being common. They're often living away from family for the fishing season so after work they still have to fix themselves a meal. Inviting the guide for a home-cooked meal and that couple of beers he was too professional to consume on the boat is a nice, human gesture as well as filling a simple physical need. A good steak or moose roast with fresh salad will make the crustiest fish camp curmudgeon smile. However, if the guide declines your offer, let it slide. It's emotionally tiring to be 'on' for your guests all day, for some guys more time with them may not be desirable.
Remote fishing locations like Haida Gwaii or WCVI don't have much in the way of supplies and tackle, and what there is can be quite expensive. I phoned ahead to my guide in Haida Gwaii and asked if there was anything he could use from 'down south', and he immediately replied "Quicksilver 2 stroke oil." So my checked bag on the flight up carried two jugs of oil for his Optimax 250, it was half the price he would have paid. Before I head to Mexico, I email the guide I've chartered and ask if there are lures or other tackle he'd like brought down. They pay big bucks for that sort of stuff there, so he's happy to give me a small list to pick up and it doesn't take up much room in my suitcase.
Having said all that, we still bring some cash and tip with that too, extra well if the fishing and/or effort was spectacular.
We usually invite our guide/s for a meal or two. As everyone has noted, those guys work hard at a physically taxing job, with 12 hour days being common. They're often living away from family for the fishing season so after work they still have to fix themselves a meal. Inviting the guide for a home-cooked meal and that couple of beers he was too professional to consume on the boat is a nice, human gesture as well as filling a simple physical need. A good steak or moose roast with fresh salad will make the crustiest fish camp curmudgeon smile. However, if the guide declines your offer, let it slide. It's emotionally tiring to be 'on' for your guests all day, for some guys more time with them may not be desirable.
Remote fishing locations like Haida Gwaii or WCVI don't have much in the way of supplies and tackle, and what there is can be quite expensive. I phoned ahead to my guide in Haida Gwaii and asked if there was anything he could use from 'down south', and he immediately replied "Quicksilver 2 stroke oil." So my checked bag on the flight up carried two jugs of oil for his Optimax 250, it was half the price he would have paid. Before I head to Mexico, I email the guide I've chartered and ask if there are lures or other tackle he'd like brought down. They pay big bucks for that sort of stuff there, so he's happy to give me a small list to pick up and it doesn't take up much room in my suitcase.
Having said all that, we still bring some cash and tip with that too, extra well if the fishing and/or effort was spectacular.
Agree 100%
Given I grew up in a non tipping country my view is that tipping here in Canada can just be a way for owners to to offload labor costs onto consumers. The meals here aren't any cheaper on the menu, but at home the server is generally paid well over $20/hr and OT in some cases.
Either way, it is the system. My general tip is 20% good/great service, 10% for "I couldn't give a rats.." service.
Seafever
Well-Known Member
Since when did tipping become a mandatory public wage subsidy?
If you are guaranteed a tip in any service job, you aren't necessarily going to do any thing special for the customer because you get the the tip regardless.
Nowadays it's a form of self -entitlement....or corporate entitlement:- they get you to pay part of the employees wages automatically. (eg: the "built-in' tip that appears on many invoices).
My actual experience with charters works out overall to a 50/50 catch rate. 50 % of the time we caught nothing.
They didn't guarantee me fish....but fishing by myself I do 100% way better.
(I go on charters for a "busman's holiday").
I too am from the old school where you tipped if you felt like it as a gesture of appreciation for any number of reasons.
If you don't want to work for the particular wages of a particular service or industry then find a job elsewhere.
I was on a tropical boat once where, as you get off the boat, there is a crew member standing there with a bucket and a sign that said something to the effect of " please tip...we need beer money too".
Sorry...I'm not paying your bar bill.
Tourist fleecing is big business in many parts of the world.
If you are guaranteed a tip in any service job, you aren't necessarily going to do any thing special for the customer because you get the the tip regardless.
Nowadays it's a form of self -entitlement....or corporate entitlement:- they get you to pay part of the employees wages automatically. (eg: the "built-in' tip that appears on many invoices).
My actual experience with charters works out overall to a 50/50 catch rate. 50 % of the time we caught nothing.
They didn't guarantee me fish....but fishing by myself I do 100% way better.
(I go on charters for a "busman's holiday").
I too am from the old school where you tipped if you felt like it as a gesture of appreciation for any number of reasons.
If you don't want to work for the particular wages of a particular service or industry then find a job elsewhere.
I was on a tropical boat once where, as you get off the boat, there is a crew member standing there with a bucket and a sign that said something to the effect of " please tip...we need beer money too".
Sorry...I'm not paying your bar bill.
Tourist fleecing is big business in many parts of the world.
Just one more thing. I know this thread is about charter tipping, which is a whole different ball game, but I love when you get your bill at a restaurant and they have already put the tip on. My standard response is "Oh, you've already added the tip? I was actually going to give you more than that" just love seeing their faces.
fishin solo
Crew Member
Hey Eastmon just wondering what country are you from?
Dogbreath
Well-Known Member
Adding a tip is standard now for 6 or more people and if it's mentioned on the menu then you must pay it.
From Australia.
Dogbreath, I realize that. But I've had it done many times when I've had a party of 2-3. Downtown Vancouver doesn't really see a tip as an appreciation of service, it's just an added surcharge.
I'm not against the system, it is what it is, I just find it a little weird when a server who couldn't care less gets pissed at a 5-10% tip. Anyway this is a bit removed from charter tipping, prob should have just kept my mouth shut.
Dogbreath, I realize that. But I've had it done many times when I've had a party of 2-3. Downtown Vancouver doesn't really see a tip as an appreciation of service, it's just an added surcharge.
I'm not against the system, it is what it is, I just find it a little weird when a server who couldn't care less gets pissed at a 5-10% tip. Anyway this is a bit removed from charter tipping, prob should have just kept my mouth shut.
fishin solo
Crew Member
Yup have seen the same thing no matter what size of party. It's pretty pathetic that it's included when a tip is supposed to be based on service etc.
To be honest, I think when they do that they hope you haven't checked the bill and want to double dip.
scott craven
Well-Known Member
Nope, was out with a group and they added it to our bill.
I complained and they removed it.
I tipped the waiter in cash.
SpringVelocity
Crew Member
Tips aren't standard they are based on providing good service. If you get good service you can add a tip but its totally your choice. It goes for anyone in service industry and everyone knows that. Tip if feel its necessary. But I wont tip if I get crappy service doesn't matter what the service is. In this case its not just about the fish. If you had a bad time I dont think you should tip someone.
You really aren't doing the person a favor just to tip for no reason. If someone doesn't get tipped a lot they may ask question what did I do wrong? Gives them the chance to improve and doesn't screw next person.
As for percentage on your vacation you need to figure out that yourself. There is no set amount I find especially tropical locations.
You really aren't doing the person a favor just to tip for no reason. If someone doesn't get tipped a lot they may ask question what did I do wrong? Gives them the chance to improve and doesn't screw next person.
As for percentage on your vacation you need to figure out that yourself. There is no set amount I find especially tropical locations.
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sly_karma
Crew Member
Grrr it irks me when I have to tip servers who do little more than just carry the plates (or take an order for food runners to deliver). There's more to restaurant service than that! Good servers add value to the dining experience - wine pairing suggestions, menu choice recommendations, anticipating needs before they arise. I waited tables for some years so I recognise a pro server when I see one, and believe me there aren't very many out there. Lack of attention to detail shows immediately, like having to ask, "who had the medium T Bone?" when it only takes moments to draw a table plan as the order is taken.
The same is evident on fishing trips sometimes - lack of attention to detail, "mailing it in", call it what you will. A lot of us charter once a year and it's the highlight of our year. We expect a satisfying experience, to be entertained. That entertainment could and should come in the form of fish in the boat, but a personable and interested guide can make the difference when fishing is slow. Details though: a short but thorough safety briefing before casting off in the morning, a quick quiz of clients to see what experience there is in the group, and some tips or instructions for newbies before there's a fish on. A discussion of the group's desires/expectations regarding species to be targeted. Are those expectations reasonable? If not, explanation why not and discussion about working toward compromise goals. Sitting on a boat all day with an uncommunicative guide sucks, and it's little different from being asked again what you ordered only five minutes after the original order.
The same is evident on fishing trips sometimes - lack of attention to detail, "mailing it in", call it what you will. A lot of us charter once a year and it's the highlight of our year. We expect a satisfying experience, to be entertained. That entertainment could and should come in the form of fish in the boat, but a personable and interested guide can make the difference when fishing is slow. Details though: a short but thorough safety briefing before casting off in the morning, a quick quiz of clients to see what experience there is in the group, and some tips or instructions for newbies before there's a fish on. A discussion of the group's desires/expectations regarding species to be targeted. Are those expectations reasonable? If not, explanation why not and discussion about working toward compromise goals. Sitting on a boat all day with an uncommunicative guide sucks, and it's little different from being asked again what you ordered only five minutes after the original order.
