Capt_Ed
Crew Member
What the Hells going on here, I resemble that remark too. Well not anymore but I used too.I'd say it's a good retirement gig. Work for a few months. Old and grumpy makes the best fishing guides
guides for upcoming season
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Aces
Well-Known Member
Wish I could be away for that long but can’t. I also like to think I’m not that grumpy especially when I’m out fishingI'd say it's a good retirement gig. Work for a few months. Old and grumpy makes the best fishing guides
ExFlyGuy
Well-Known Member
Relief guide! Quick in and out trips. I'm sure most places would take your info and call you. Like a free fishing trip!
Aces
Well-Known Member
When I read the original post it didn’t seem like there was much relief
wildthing
Well-Known Member
well deffo qualify for the old and grumpy part but would like a bit more comfort and a covered cabin and at least one down day a week ...I'd say it's a good retirement gig. Work for a few months. Old and grumpy makes the best fishing guides
fishin_magician
Well-Known Member
Much the same it did 20-25 years ago-so basically minimum type wage. Tips better come in fat or you’re basically scraping by given the hours you are logging. If you have real bills to pay back where you live it’s not great pay. You’re not doing it for the money-let’s put it that way.
Unreel
Well-Known Member
With the lack of people in the work force right now there is huge competition for guides and other workers at lodges. I saw some outfits running adds for jobs before the end of last season for this season. Yes some lodges like ol qcl still offering terrible wages and expect clients to make up for it. From what I’ve seen from other places though 250-300+ for a day rate which is definitely higher than it used to be. I’d gladly pay 30+/hr for someone experienced and good with guests, but it’s slim pickings these days.
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Spot on. On the island many guys are $350/ 8 hour shift now. I had a hard time finding guys at $300/day 3-4 years ago.
Different deal than the charlottes as you still have to pay to live and feed yourself. Good guides you can count on to treat your guests and equipment right are not easy to come by.
It's tough because it's seasonal work. Who wants to give a guy a shot at a quality career when they take off for four months in the summer? Being a guide can be limiting in your other pursuits.
mgreen5228
Member
For me, I fish because I love it. If I want to experiment with something different, my only pressure to produce is from myself. I can refuse to fish with folks I don't enjoy. I fear that turning it into a job would spoil it for me.
The Outpost is Great I guided there 2009-2011. It really should be on every pro guides list of places to work.....if you can handle big water. That place is hard on your body and probably not the best place for retirement hehe. You will gain a lot of appreciation for the 22 whaler guardians after working there. I have the best memories of that place....Oh yeah, you better like halibut because they are everywhere and huge up there.
Aces
Well-Known Member
Guiding isn’t for everyone
scott craven
Well-Known Member
Yep, got to be a people person with lot's of patience.
Capt_Ed
Crew Member
I can't remember which years it was but a couple of times the Outpost boats got held up down by us, CQA , at Hippa because it was blowing NW too hard to pound back up. One time your helicopter came and got the guests and the guides took the boats back . The other they waited on board and had lunch with us and went later that day when the tide turned and it calmed down abit. If I remember right it was about a 14 mile pound back up the hill , not a fun ride in any boat
sly_karma
Crew Member
My buddy that guides in the Charlottes keeps bugging me to take SVOP so I can come up there and do 1 or 2 week relief guide stints. I love fishing up there but I'm still running a construction business. If I'm taking 2 weeks off in the busiest part of the year, it'll be at the Sunshine Coast cabin fishing and prawning and swimming with my grandkids. Not the same all time fishing experience as Haida Gwaii, but at least I get to actually catch fish at the cabin.
I used to be a ski instructor, there are some similarities: responsibility for clients in challenging outdoor environments, vast array of personalities and group dynamics, physically demanding work, strong technical knowledge required, customer-facing for multiple hours every day. And likewise, the remuneration is poor for the combination of skills, certification and personality needed to do the job well. On top of all that, rarely did we get to ski at our own level or in the places we liked best, because it wasn't appropriate or productive for clients.
I've done a WCVI charter trip once or twice a season for many years now, and have come to greatly respect the good guides, and have seen a few bad ones as well. It's a demanding job and should in no way be thought of as "paid to go fishing". Some of the tasks are boat skipper, risk manager, first aid attendant, entertainer, storyteller, basic fishing technique instructor, fish wrangler, net handler, weather forecast interpreter. Is "paid to watch others catch trophy fish" worth it?
Hats off to the guys that say yes to all that, and do it safely and well.
I used to be a ski instructor, there are some similarities: responsibility for clients in challenging outdoor environments, vast array of personalities and group dynamics, physically demanding work, strong technical knowledge required, customer-facing for multiple hours every day. And likewise, the remuneration is poor for the combination of skills, certification and personality needed to do the job well. On top of all that, rarely did we get to ski at our own level or in the places we liked best, because it wasn't appropriate or productive for clients.
I've done a WCVI charter trip once or twice a season for many years now, and have come to greatly respect the good guides, and have seen a few bad ones as well. It's a demanding job and should in no way be thought of as "paid to go fishing". Some of the tasks are boat skipper, risk manager, first aid attendant, entertainer, storyteller, basic fishing technique instructor, fish wrangler, net handler, weather forecast interpreter. Is "paid to watch others catch trophy fish" worth it?
Hats off to the guys that say yes to all that, and do it safely and well.
We had to fly guests back up from Rennell sound, it was a planned event. I think the same trip we flew some back from the pass too. Gross NW for the entire trip, high profile clients that needed to fish some flat water. The ride down the hill was easy back up was a tough go, my body still hurts from that trip. I think it was something like 3 or 4 hours back with a little relief in the pass. 27 miles that day, the whalers took it but I wouldn't do it again. Hippa is a nice area, can fish it in a lot of conditions, usually somewhere to hide.
If my wife ever ditches me, that is where I would go.
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The MED A3 certificate is still valid. The new course is SDV-BS, Small Domestic Vessel, Basic Safety. You are now required to demonstrate donning lifejackets and immersion suits. The First Aid is Marine Basic First Aid, a two day course.
