Fishing Guides Can be Blessed

The older you get the more you realize that just having something to do that is fun and offers you an income can have great rewards. I certainly don抰 have much in the way of money or income to keep paying my bills so keeping an income and enjoying what you do is a blessing; at least it is for me.


Every year folks ask me how long I am going to continue to keep guiding; I know they are just being nice and trying to create a conversation so my answer has been pretty standard; as long as it is fun! The thing about it is without making a day fun on the water it wouldn抰 be worth being out there; yes the fun is in catching but it抯 also in the relationship you have with the customers in your boat, the smiles the interaction and the thrills all add to what it is all about for me.


Fishermen are by nature just good folks, they go to the water for a way to pass off pressures, or interact with their children or a friend and make fishing something special in their lives and it makes my day all worth it. This for me is what being on the water watching the sun rise or set is all about, catching fish is the goal but the secondary goals and accomplishments, the friendships, the conversation and the time together are the rewards and for me it makes some of the tough days the reason I get my solace being a fishing guide.


I also believe that when you抮e working with the public day after day and year after year in a service industry like guiding can take the fun out of anything if you let it; so being up beat, making the best out of cold weather, intolerable winds or the fish not acting right and getting lock jaw gives you a reason to live. As we all learn getting older is tough, keeping a reason to exist everyday through fishing changes it all and becomes your silver lining!