Tipping Guides

[209er]

Wildfly and David,
I apologize. I think what I really meant was 'get a better paying job'? In any event I'm sorry. There's nothing worst than dealing with the public, well, maybe an alcoholic. 209er

[STMFlyGuide]

No problem 209er.. you seem like a unique character... I would share water with you anytime...

[209er]

Now wait a minute, I never said I had no respect for guides. You're putting words in my mouth, no? I get along with guides just like the next person. What I said to lucfish was I didn't want to hear what they have to do, his buddy chose to be a guide. Sheesh. I guess I should read and not respond. 209er

[duckdog]

i have been flyfishing since 1966 and had never hired a guide untill a month ago. it's not that i didn't think they worth hiring, it's just a lifetime of low budget trips.there were five of us being guided over two day's and our guide worked his butt of for us. we fished from 8 am till dark. i know a few guides and it can be a great job, it can be a thankless job.every day you are responsible for the care and feeding of the people that hire you. good guide's really want you to have the fishing experience of a lifetime, and take it hard if it turns out to be one of those tuff day's that happen from time to time.they are people, not GOD, they can't just speak fish into biting, so we can't expect the fishing to be on-fire just because we are there, and we have hired a guide.but you can expect your guide to care, and to give you his best.if he does that then he ,or she , deserves your respect and as good a tip as you can afford . if you think that he was worth 20 percent but you only have enough to give him 10 , then get him the other 10 when you can.guide's are people, tryin to earn a living doing what they love. listen to them , and treat them with respect and it will be a good experience for everyone.

[209er]

Hello lucfish,
Did you get the pm? Like I said I'm harmless. 209er

[fflutterffly]

Tipping is like all tipping... what you don't see is all the background work an excellent job guild will do. What I expect from my guide is not fish, but the effort to make my experience the best it can be. If I am not catching fish than I expect to be learning... a lot. I've been with guides, who just the week before, had clients catching large monsters one right after the next... all I get is small or one large. Is that a reason not to tip? Not for me. My base tip may not be as much as a person with money to burn, but I might make it up with a few flies. When I am guided by David I always have something special I give him, usually some flies. They might not be the best tied or the prettiest, but he know that it comes from my heart. I gave Guy a water thermometer, Beryl baked goods... Sometimes you can't give money, give what you can. Most of all I give them referrals. Guides work very hard, there is a lot of pressure, people expect to catch and when they don't it is blamed on the guide. Guiding is not 'by the hour', for me it is by the experience. Tip what you can, give what you need to. I've never met a guide who is 9-5 (Bob, I take this to mean start with a set hour and stop exactly at the set time) As for Dawn to dusk...If you are willing to pay they are willing to do.

[BirdDog]

Tip whatever you want.... I stay for a month each summer (on the floor) with four guides from SW Montana (West Yellowstone), so I get to hear alot of thier side to the story. They feel good with with a tip around $100 for a full day float. You're not tipping a waiter so I dont think the 15-20% rule applies, not everyone can be a good guide. Feel free to tip less if you had a <oops> day or the guide wasnt trying....just kept on pushing through all the runs and has you off the river at 3pm. But if they are stopping and trying everything......you may want to tip them well.

Flyfishing is expensive....if you want to do it cheap...build your own drift boat...trailer the boat out there....spend 200+ days on the river..... and we will see how expensive $450 sounds then!!!

[midger]

Flyfishing is expensive....if you want to do it cheap...build your own drift boat...trailer the boat out there....spend 200+ days on the river..... and we will see how expensive $450 sounds then!!!

I'll not argue the point of flyfishing being expensive, but come on, how many guides build their own boats? And for that matter, many don't spend 200 days a year on the water they guide. Probably lucky to get 100 days in many cases, and often, they aren't even that familiar with the waters they are fishing if we're talking of waters like in the Yellowstone area. Granted, there are those who have worked an area for years, but they are becoming more the exception rather than the rule today.

This doesn't mean many aren't worth the price of the guide trip or the tip, but I'll never believe that tipping is ever obligatory just because they are a guide, and that being a flyguide doesn't pay a living wage (in some eyes). I've even had some charge for flies, by the fly, and want to keep changing flies ( bumping?). Others that have not wanted me to use my flies, etc.

Interesting thread, and I enjoy seeing all the differing views on the amount to tip.

For me it will always remain situationally-dependent on the service I receive. No set amount.

[BirdDog]

To be fair I have never hired a guide. I do agree there are lots of kids who fished the area for a season and are hired by shops in need. I guess I would be * off too if I showed up to the ramp and had to listen to some idiot yahoo all day. So if I needed a guide I would hire one from the most reputable shop and ask some questions about the guide staff, or go off referals. Another important part of the equation is going back to the same guide if you had a good experience. At least 50% of my buddies guide seasons are made up from guys like us who block up periods of time each year.

[Papasequoia]

Wow, and all this time I thought that "tipping guides" was like cow tipping. Kids who grew up around cattle know what I mean; you sneak out in the middle of the night when the cows are sleeping and give them a shove. So, I thought it was the same and I kept trying to catch Dave unawares and tip him into the river the last time I went out with him. I never realized that tipping guides meant money. No wonder Dave kept peering at me strangely, he probably would have been happier with some cash, or at least a brownie, eh?

[rayfound]

Wow, and all this time I thought that "tipping guides" was like cow tipping. Kids who grew up around cattle know what I mean; you sneak out in the middle of the night when the cows are sleeping and give them a shove. So, I thought it was the same and I kept trying to catch Dave unawares and tip him into the river the last time I went out with him. I never realized that tipping guides meant money.

I saw your name as the last reply to the thread, in my mind I thought "I bet Jon will use a "tipping" in a play on words about pushing them over like cows..."

Sure enough!

[Papasequoia]

Heheheh. Funny thing is that I grew up in New England and have never tipped a cow. Sounds like fun.