Guide tips

[Millsertime]

shakey wrote:

Only a truly awful person would tip less than 20 %.

Opinions are like buttholes, everyone has one. This statement could be perceived as "one of the most disappointing comments I have ever read" as well.

 

[wbranch]

PennKev wrote;

Is this a walk-and-wade trip or a float? I would be inclined to be a little more generous for a float trip because 1) The guide probably spent $30 or so arranging a shuttle. 2) Managing a boat while aiding the angler takes a heck of a lot more skill and effort than just standing there. Once you have a couple guides who are excellent at positioning the boat you'll realize how bad others are at it. With that said the %20 figure is a pretty safe base for a tip.

It is a float trip. Not to sound flippant but I really don't need casting lessons, line management lessons, or need to use the guides flies. I want someone to row the boat and drop and lift the anchor if we set up on rising fish. The water I will be floating has a very moderate flow rate so positioning it properly is relatively easy if the guide has rowed for couple of years. He told me he will be providing lunch.

Once about thirty years ago on the Big Horn a buddy and I booked a guide for a day. I had already fished the BH a couple of years and knew what flies were effective and had tied dozens. My friend also tied some but when the guide asked him if he wanted to use the guides flies he said yes.

I had words with the guide within a few minutes on the water when he told me I had to use his flies. I told him no and I'd be using my own flies and I'd be fine. After the trip was over and we were driving back to where we were staying he mentioned to my friend that he "owed" the guide $25.00 for the flies he used. That was a big surprise and my friend calculated his tip minus the fly fee. I think guides as well as clients need to be fully forthcoming at the onset of a float.

 

[tabasco_joe]

kbobb wrote:
Folks - i mean this as a legitimate question and not trying to be a smart---. when a restaurant server waits 2 tables and brings one a $10 burger and the other a $50 steak it takes roughly the same effort on the servers part. So based on the percentage theory why should one tip be $2 and the other $10 just cause one person got a more expensive meal, for roughly similar server effort?

thinking along the same lines for a guide - if a 1 person float is $450 the guide tends to 1 sport. with 2 person float for the same price the guide has twice the work but based on percentage get the same $ in tip.

just wondering and i know you can always tip more/less based on your experience and guide effort.

thanks

It can get even more complicated.
I've been on trips run by an outfitter but worked by guides.
Fortunately my experiences were fantastic so I tipped well.
Probably over tipped but I felt great and I'm sure the guides appreciated the tip.

I've done a lot of business travel over the years and I have had times where the service was terrible and I left no tip.
I see no reason to reward complete incompetence.

 

[shakey]

Millsertime wrote:

shakey wrote:

Only a truly awful person would tip less than 20 %.

Opinions are like buttholes, everyone has one. This statement could be perceived as "one of the most disappointing comments I have ever read" as well.

Holy Wowsers!

So glad you guys aren’t my friends in real life.

Tipping less than 20% (it used to be 15%) is like asking someone to work for free . Or worse. They may be losing money due to transportation or childcare.

My customers sometimes tip me 200%.


Don’t be the guy who is too cheap to tip ,but, still wants services.

 

[shakey]

kbobb wrote:
Folks - i mean this as a legitimate question and not trying to be a smart---. when a restaurant server waits 2 tables and brings one a $10 burger and the other a $50 steak it takes roughly the same effort on the servers part. So based on the percentage theory why should one tip be $2 and the other $10 just cause one person got a more expensive meal, for roughly similar server effort?

thinking along the same lines for a guide - if a 1 person float is $450 the guide tends to 1 sport. with 2 person float for the same price the guide has twice the work but based on percentage get the same $ in tip.

just wondering and i know you can always tip more/less based on your experience and guide effort.

thanks

Percentage is just a guide .
You are always free to tip more.
For example , if you get a soda at a bar and they don’t charge you, tip as much as you would for a beer or two.

Or , if a diner has a 99¢ Breakfast special, feel free to tip 500%.

 

[theoriginalnickyp]

Sounds like some posters don't want to tip and are just looking for a good rationalization not to. Even if all you want is someone to row you around, what you will likely get is knowledge on the best section to float, awareness of current conditions and what fish are eating, where the best lies are, plus, they will be making sure you have the best fishing experience possible all while they sacrifice their own opportunity to be on the water catching themselves. Not to mention most guides will hook you up with intel on where else to fish while on your trip. For anyone that has shown up in a new area where they have no experience, those tidbits are invaluable. Especially when dealing with a limited thing such as vacation days.

 

[krayfish2]

Yo Matt,

Over the last couple of years, I've been running guided floats (part-time). I try to make every trip equal and give 100%... Rowing extra to get the client another cast in a fishy looking spot, having all flies for anything we might encounter, teaching knots, explaining rigs, helping with casting, explaining how to think like the fish, how to read water, provide a little history on fishing or the location we are fishing, tell stories/jokes, etc.

I've run a 2 person trip (working hard for 9 hours in the oars) and got a $30 tip. I've also run a single angler trip which ended up in a $120 tip.

I didn't think one trip was any better than the other but the clients viewed it differently. The 2 man trip were first timers that moved almost 30 trout on streamers but landed only 1. The single client landed 3 fish the entire day but 2 of them were basically personal bests. I've had one person tell me.....before we even met...that my job was to row, keep them in casting distance of the target and keep my mouth shut. I did what they asked and didn't really say much the entire day but kept them on fish. Now that I think about it, I also had a trip where the guy wanted to do a little bit of fishing and have his dog go for a boat ride. We stopped several times for the dog to play and swim. I'm a dog lover so I thought it was great and we caught a couple fish in the process.

Communicate with the guide you're hiring and set realistic expectations. Is a good day... catching X number of fish, catching big fish or making the day the best it can possibly be. I know that you're a very seasoned angler but remember that guide may have special tricks or techniques that are exceptionally effective on the water you are fishing. Can't hurt to listen and give it a try. I would encourage you to tip based on the effort you see your guy put forth. If he is a turd, tip accordingly. If you got skunked and tough conditions but the guy busted his ***, tip accordingly. Like mentioned in the article, there is gas licensing insurance food gear and the cut that the outfitter takes. The guide is out of pocket pretty deep before running the first trip.

 

[larkmark]

100 dollars. Everytime no matter what. Unless they did something horrible.

 

[Swattie87]

I used a guide once. In Colorado. It was horrible, for both him and I. He wasn’t a good guide, but admittedly, I’m not a good client either. I didn’t come close to catching a fish all day. In part, because he didn’t listen to me...I wanted to fish unpressured, hard to get to small, high elevation streams. And then in part, because I didn’t listen to him...Once on the big, easy to get to, popular valley stream in the area where we spent all day, I didn’t try techniques that he was recommending and may have worked better than whatever it was I was trying to do.

We ended the day early, and I’m sure were both glad to be rid of each other’s company. I went to a nearby bar and got a really good pizza. I tipped him $100. Lesson learned. Never will use a guide again. Both myself and the guide industry will be better for it.

 

[wbranch]

Landmark wrote;

100 dollars. Every time no matter what. Unless they did something horrible.

Based on that a $500 trip is 20% which sounds fair but if the float is $400 a tip of 25% sounds a bit much especially if the client knows how to cast, change flies, tie knots, doesn't act like an ***, doesn't fallout of the boat, and accurately hits targets of rising fish.

I have no qualms tipping anyone who provides good or services to me. My wife and I just returned from five days in the Middle Keys and I spent at least $250 on wait staff, valet parking, and other providers.

 

[RLeep2]

I've never been guided, but back when I was mostly living on peanut butter, industrial strength diner chili and Kent Golden Lights, I guided 7 or 8 times. It wasn't a fit for me, although I never had a bad client or bad day and always got a decent tip. The best tip I got wasn't cash, but a hat. I guided a Desert Storm vet on Oil Creek during the Mother's Day/little green caddis and got him into a lot of fish. I coveted his full brimmed desert camo hat and told him so. So he gave it to me. I dunked it in forest green Rit and it came out pretty good. He gave it to me in 1993 or 94 and it is still my main hat in cooler weather. All the same, I wouldn't take another guiding gig for a pick up load of desert storm hats. I don't have the patience for it.

 

[poopdeck]

Holy Wowsers!

So glad you guys aren’t my friends in real life.

Tipping less than 20% (it used to be 15%) is like asking someone to work for free . Or worse. They may be losing money due to transportation or childcare.

My customers sometimes tip me 200%.


Don’t be the guy who is too cheap to tip ,but, still wants services.

Shakey I have a hard time understanding your logic. So I'm to tip you handsomely just because you MAY have childcare or transportation issues? That makes no sense.

Here's how I think...... if I have childcare or transportation problems I'm going to make sure I offer you service at the highest level so I can reap the highest reward (Tip).

For everybody in a tip based career there is a lesson to be learned here. You can make less money and name call those you seek tips from or you can make more money by working harder for larger tips. The fact that people who rely on tips need to be told this pretty much exemplifies the sorry state of customer service. Very disheartening.

 

[Swattie87]

Additional point of clarification to my above post. When I originally booked my trip months before, I had explained to the outfitter what I wanted to do, and they said they’d pair me with their “small stream/alpine” junkie. When I got there, I learned that he had tore up his knee a week or so earlier and wouldn’t be able to do the trip. He was working the counter in the store. Really nice guy and I suspect we would have gotten along well.

They should have called me when that happened, and explained the situation, and that they didn’t have another guide to do that type of trip with. I could have then cancelled and/or rebooked with someone else. I explained what I wanted to do to the substitute guide, but he tried to “convince” me of why it was better to fish the popular valley stream. In hindsight, I’m sure it was his preference because it was easier to get around on, less of a drive to get to, and required less effort. And I was disappointed by that.

Should have just cancelled the trip, cut bait, and bought some flies and a t-shirt in exchange for a couple tips from the banged up guide on where to go, and fished by myself.

I don’t mean to imply that all guides are like this. I just had a bad experience, and have made up my mind to do it all on my own.

 

[shakey]

poopdeck wrote:

Holy Wowsers!

So glad you guys aren’t my friends in real life.

Tipping less than 20% (it used to be 15%) is like asking someone to work for free . Or worse. They may be losing money due to transportation or childcare.

My customers sometimes tip me 200%.


Don’t be the guy who is too cheap to tip ,but, still wants services.

Shakey I have a hard time understanding your logic. So I'm to tip you handsomely just because you MAY have childcare or transportation issues? That makes no sense.

Here's how I think...... if I have childcare or transportation problems I'm going to make sure I offer you service at the highest level so I can reap the highest reward (Tip).



For everybody in a tip based career there is a lesson to be learned here. You can make less money and name call those you seek tips from or you can make more money by working harder for larger tips. The fact that people who rely on tips need to be told this pretty much exemplifies the sorry state of customer service. Very disheartening.

I think you have made it abundantly clear what kind of person you are, and I am very glad that I don’t hang out with you.

Good day to you.

 

[allthingsfishing]

Swattie, look at it this way, you are the customer. Without customers, the shop doesn't exist. If you wanted to fish small streams you should be able to fish small streams and not be brow beat into fishing a spot because it's easier for the guide.

A good guide will know how to fish all type of moving and still waters.

 

[theoriginalnickyp]

poopdeck wrote:

Holy Wowsers!

So glad you guys aren’t my friends in real life.

Tipping less than 20% (it used to be 15%) is like asking someone to work for free . Or worse. They may be losing money due to transportation or childcare.

My customers sometimes tip me 200%.


Don’t be the guy who is too cheap to tip ,but, still wants services.

Shakey I have a hard time understanding your logic. So I'm to tip you handsomely just because you MAY have childcare or transportation issues? That makes no sense.

Here's how I think...... if I have childcare or transportation problems I'm going to make sure I offer you service at the highest level so I can reap the highest reward (Tip).

For everybody in a tip based career there is a lesson to be learned here. You can make less money and name call those you seek tips from or you can make more money by working harder for larger tips. The fact that people who rely on tips need to be told this pretty much exemplifies the sorry state of customer service. Very disheartening.

Seems like most people assume the guide will work hard and wait for them to prove otherwise. Your point of view seems to be that guides don't work hard and need to prove otherwise. Half empty, half full I guess.

 

[Paraleptalata]

This topic comes up every year and it is always funny and quite entertaining.

 

[maxima12]

LUCKY, I KNEW A MAN, A GOOD ONE! FIRST BOAT ON DELEWARE. TRIED TO REACH AGAIN, WITHOUT SUCCESS.

WE TALKED FOR YEARS, HE NOW IN CALIFORNIA, ME PA. SUDDENLY, SILENT! WELL HE IS GONE! LIKE THE BREEZE THAT BLOWS MY HAIR, STRONG, THEN GONE!

YOU KNOW, WE TALKED LIKE KIDS IN A CANDY STORE!

50 BUCKS! NO MATTER! NOW, I HAVE A PAL, THREE RIVERS LODGE, LABRADOR, 6500.00 BUCKS EACH. TOOK HIM, WIFE AND 3 DAUGHTERS. DAUGHTER CAUGHT A 9 1/2LB. BROOKIE ON MY FLY AND LEADER! BET, HE GAVE A GOOD ONE THERE! fUNNY, HOW IT NEVER ENDED IN MY POCKET.

OH WELL, I AM HAPPY, FOR THE GIFT OF LIFETIME! TRUE!


MANY TRUE LIFE EVENTS NEVER REACH EARS!

mAXIMA12

 

[maxima12]

THE SMALL M, WHY NOT? would it make a difference! mAXIMA12, you aint me and i aint you! Me, i like me,

You can't do it. i understand! I could not do it, also, untill i tried! For me! Wow, I did it by me!

never could figure, why you pay, for all my father and brothers fought for!

Hey. long understanding of blind! Covid, just put the shades on factory fishing. Governments, lacking in lustre, permitted the flaw.

Pay, **** bird, i choose to fish as free bird!

Maxima12

 

[hooker-of-men]

What if, just maybe, tipping isn't the way that you show other people how keenly you can judge how hard they are working or if they are jumping through enough hoops to please you, but, instead, it's a way to show that you are a gracious, civil person who is willing to pay in appreciation for things that make life more enjoyable? Tip high and be a f**cking giving person.

Even if you get bad service, tipping low or stiffing someone reflects much worse on you than on them. In that situation, the best thing in my mind is to have some balls, be vocal about what didn't go well, and to also tip adequately for the service you elected to use.