fishing guide job

[sharkbait]

Ok...got an interesting idea.

I am looking for a good place to guide at this summer. I am semi-retired. I am not looking for something with great pay, I'll even take a job that pays me in-kind by allowing me to fish some portion by myself. I am ultimately looking for a fun well organized lodge that treats their guides well. I am extremely well experienced, have my own boat, etc and just looking to get more fishing time in at a fun place to fish...willing to go just about anywhere, but I only want to work about 1 month or have a situation where I am working 2 weeks on / 2 weeks off for the fishing season.

I just thought I would ask on here because, I have always fished on my own and never through a lodge and thought some of you may have some good thoughts and ideas.

thanks very much,
ryan

sharkbait

 

[Duffer]

Hey Sharkbait,

Im looking for the same thing, lets buy a lodge. LOL

 

[sharkbait]

I would love to buy a portion of a lodge....i just can't afford a whole lodge myself. Sadly, most lodges that are for sale are way overpriced. We should get a sportfishingbc.com lodge started and then we can have 1/1000 ownership and make it very affordable.

oh well, at least i can dream

sharkbait

 

[fishin_magician]

quote:Originally posted by sharkbait

Ok...got an interesting idea.

I am looking for a good place to guide at this summer. I am semi-retired. I am not looking for something with great pay, I'll even take a job that pays me in-kind by allowing me to fish some portion by myself. I am ultimately looking for a fun well organized lodge that treats their guides well. I am extremely well experienced, have my own boat, etc and just looking to get more fishing time in at a fun place to fish...willing to go just about anywhere, but I only want to work about 1 month or have a situation where I am working 2 weeks on / 2 weeks off for the fishing season.

I just thought I would ask on here because, I have always fished on my own and never through a lodge and thought some of you may have some good thoughts and ideas.

thanks very much,
ryan

sharkbait

Ryan, catching fish is ok..but can you deal with people? Also, it's going to be tough to crack into the fraternity of the best lodges as any lodges that offer what you're looking for have a call in list of regular relief guides as long as your arm. Also, depending on the lodge, are you prepared to be paid "on the clock" for 16 hour days? I clearly remember being on the water for 17 hours on many days...those guys were the biggest fish hogs I've EVER met. When I did it fulltime, there were plenty of guests who were Type A personalities who would bust off the best tackle etc and needed to be used as Salmon Shark bait...be prepared to deal with that...

Also, you need a few certifications to guide.

You now need your commercial VHF, SVOP, MedA3, Marine First Aid, and maybe more depending on the boat you want to run....

 

[Cuba Libre]

F-M is right. There is a whole lot more to guiding than sitting in a boat. When I retired my daughter was determined that "the ol fart" wasnt going to sit in a rocking chair and watch the remaining years go by. She was determined to find me a job [V]

"Hey Dadums--- you are a good fisherman .... how about you going guiding? "

"Well" I said... "Its like this..... when I go fishing now, I go out to enjoy myself on the water. If myself or my fishing partner catches a fish or two, thats a bonus!! [^] If we skunk-out , no big deal-- there is always tomorrow. But if I am expected to get novices, know-it-alls, and just plain jerks who figure they own me because they are paying the ticket into fish.... Then that is just plain work, and I have had enough of that!"


And if a guide can produce day after day, even on those days when the fish are reticent to bite, he has my "attaboy" Better him than me!

20ft Alumaweld Intruder

 

[Tofinoguy]

quote:Originally posted by CC Charters

Hey Sharkbait,

Im looking for the same thing, lets buy a lodge. LOL

I'm in the process of relisting mine. Send me a PM if you're thinking in that direction.

 

[Duffer]

quote:Originally posted by sharkbait

I would love to buy a portion of a lodge....i just can't afford a whole lodge myself. Sadly, most lodges that are for sale are way overpriced. We should get a sportfishingbc.com lodge started and then we can have 1/1000 ownership and make it very affordable.

oh well, at least i can dream

sharkbait

Hey Ryan sometimes dreams can come happen I know about the costs involved but you never know if you can get the right group together what might happen. Im semi retired also and looking to break away at 47 still got lots of life left. Its true about the Resorts most have there regular guides and long lists for Contract Guides and prob like you I dont want to go at it 16 hrs a day July and Aug thats for the young guys mind you this summer I'm off for those months. Hopefully will get more work than last yr, but Im just starting in this racket and Im realizing your definately not going to get rich fast LOL. Lots of competition and good fisherman out there its just a matter of getting some regular clientelle like the rest have. Anyhow keep in touch let me know how you make out.

 

[sharkbait]

good advice,

I'm not worried about working lots....i always do when i take out family and friends....they always say going out with me is just like being at a lodge, etc. I realize the people bit thing can be a bit much at time, I'm lucky and get along with most people and others don't mess with me, unless they are bigger than me...which aren't many.

I would love to fish every day...but I live in Courtenay and would rather guide in the charlottes or west coast and don't want to be away from my kids for months....most i can handle is being away for 2 weeks at a time, unless my kids and wife can be at the same place as myself.

Maybe we should get together and chat CC, I am definetly not looking to strike it rich. Ultimately, if I could have a boat and make enough to pay for it, the gas, etc and break even i would be happy. I already have a boat but it's not the type that I want to be slamming around in the swell with. Maybe we could co-op a lodge or guide setup.

I am newly retired from our gov't fish related folks and only 39...(40 this summer), maybe i'm having a mid-life crisis.

sharkbait

 

[Island Fish Lifter]

If your hearts in it you'll do fine. I leave my job every summer to guide for July and August. It is what you make it. The way I see it is this: if someone says guiding is hard work, then they've never had a job where they've had to work hard, or their hearts not in it. Personally, I love it, but by the end of the summer ive had enough and its time to go back to work. The moneys good too, some places dont pay well so I just dont work for those places. Like I said, it is what you make it.

Fill the dam tub!

 

[Dogbreath]

Some friends of mine have relief-guided for a number of different resorts mid-coast.

It seems they make some money/meet some great people/make a bit of dough and always</u> end up jerked around by the lodge, I have seen this time and time and time again.

Lodges promise this and promise that but the nature of the business is "Well you were our friend but now we have better/more important friends" people almost always go away with a bad taste in their mouths.

So choose carefully who you work for and don't believe half of what you're told, in this case a lot of scepticism is a good thing.

Of course this situation speaks volumes about the mediocre Management of many lodges.

 

[Duffer]

On the flip side Dogbreath I know some Contract Guides that have been with the same Lodge forever and are very happy except for when its not as busy like last season, but that is the nature of tourism. Nothing you can do to change the Economy.