How To Become A Fly Fishing Guide In Michigan

There are a number of different things you must do to learn how to become a fly fishing guide in Michigan. However, this can be a very enjoyable and lucrative profession if you are a good fisherman and know how to find both clients to take on fishing trips and almost guarantee they will catch fish while on those trips. A number of different types of materials and information must be gathered before you can lead a successful fly fishing expedition in the Great Lakes state.

1. Learn the places to fly fish in Michigan. This entails learning what types of fish can be caught in each place around the state, what times of year are best for catching these fishes and what types of flies they usually bite. Much of this information can be learned by fishing yourself and hanging out around fisherman from Michigan.
2. Know how to fly fish and teach people to fly fish. To be a successful fly fishing guide in any state, you should know how to fly fish as well as anyone. You should also know how to teach people the basics of how to cast and reel-in flies and set a hook when a fish bites.
3. Obtain a Michigan fishing license every year, so that you are never fishing without a license. You will also have to make sure each of your clients has a fishing license before you take them fly fishing. This can be lumped in to the cost of the overall trip.
4. Have spare equipment, like fishing rods, reels, line and flies. This will be one of the most expensive parts of your investment as a fly fishing guide in Michigan but should be provided for your customers, along with back-ups in case they break a piece of equipment while fishing, so that their entire trip is not ruined.
5. Purchase a truck that can haul equipment, a boat trailer and clients. This is much more convenient if you already have this truck for transporting yourself, your clients and everything you will need to fly fish from pace to place in Michigan.
6. Purchase a boat and boat trailer. Having these pieces of equipment will extend the number of places you can fly fish around the state of Michigan and where you can lead guided fly fishing tours. This can be a small boat with an outboard motor but should be large enough for people to stand up in and cast from the boat itself.