Guide tipping ?

[simplefish]

Guide tipping: not akin to cow tipping... I have a question on the subject: how much?
I haven't been on a guided trip before and I am headed to sw florida the day after tomorrow and will be doing some inshore fishing off of a charter I've hired. If the guide does a good job and everything goes well, how much is appropriate for a tip? what is the etiquet for such things? When should I give him the tip, who should initiate the transaction? Well, I've wasted enough of your time. I appreciate any advice someone is willing to share. Thanx.

[traveler]

Just slip /hand him the tip at the end of the charter. The tip goes to the captain if there is a crew of more than one. 10-15% of the charter is pretty universal, but I've tipped a little more on occason, and much less (nothing) once or twice when conditions warrent. That's rare though, most guides/charters I've used work pretty hard for thier money. Of course the quality of the day and the effort are what should be rewarded, actually catching target species can't be the only measure of success. I've had more than one outing saved by being open to targeting something other then the intended quarry. Finding a guide who can roll with things and keep a good atttude is key. That's where recommendations and reserch can help a lot.

[Aquaman01]

I've hired a guide here in MN, and each time I went 20% or so.

[AaronM]

I agree with both Aquaman and Traveler, 10% to 20% is almost a standard unless service is really poor.

[End of the Line]

I have found as a captain that my better tips were on days of less fishing success than the best days. Most people understand its still fishing and that a positive attitude and working even harder on poor fishing days is still worth a tip. They'll come back and chances are they're next trip will be fantastic. When I go get charters personally now, I usually go twice. Once the afternoon followed by the next morning. This is because if one day is poor the next day can only get better and vice versa. So if I have 2 poor trips in a row, captain may be at fault, unless weather plays an intergral part. Good way to judge their ability in my opinion. And 2 decent successful trips is just fine with me! Then a tip is deserved.

Just another note. A TIP came about as "To Insure Performance" T-I-P. It was the standard by the rich to pay it in advance to show how they wanted to be treated. But service over the years hasnt mesured up to the tip, so it came to be that it was only paid afterwards for excellent service. And was never intended to be paid as an understood part of your overall experience such as some resturants charge automatically as their normal service now which ticks me off because the service is usaully poor. Just my 2 cents, I'm done now!

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End of the Line Charters
Lake Superior
1-888-U-HOOK-EM
www.fishontheline.com

[IrishZit]

E.O.T.L, I'm with you on all points. The whole orginination of tips has been skewed.

A good guide will work hard and deserves to be rewarded. It's a hard job! Tip yours guides and tip them well.

[Brother Bro]

Tips.... I really don't have any issues tipping a fishing guide... These people work for every $$
as for the service industry where the waiters EXPECT a Tip for there poor service! Then I tip accordingly

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Brother Bro

Work Less Play More

[jiggy8974]

"It's a hard job! Tip yours guides and tip them well. "

HAHAHAHAHAHA....are you jokin me?? it's a hard job?? they're fishin for a livin, i don't consider that to be to tough (just kiddin)

i've never taken a guided fishing or hunting trip so i don't no the rules about tipping. actually i'm suprised that a guide would expect a tip.....isn't that what your payin em to do??

[Guest]

Jiggy.....
Have you ever guided?

As a guide you are expected to produce day-in day-out regardless of the conditions.

It's not all that you apparently think it's cracked up to be.

Try fishing for 8 hours straight in 90-100 degree weather, dead calm and sunny, or for that matter, 40-60 degrees, windy and rainy. Clients throwing up in your boat, etc, etc.

Try dealing with clients that hook themselves, constantly baiting hooks, screaming kids and clients that have to go to shore every 20 minutes to relieve themselves.

Try trying to teach someone how to hold a rod correctly that even after 4 hours of instruction they still don't get it.

Before you think or say that guides do not work hard, ask any guide or even someone that has more of a clue than you about what we go through. You'll see your assumptions are dead wrong....or better yet, try guiding for a year and see how "easy" it really is.

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>"////=<
[email protected]
N.P.A.A. # 841
www.marcum.com

[Guest]

EOTL,
I agree, some of the best tips I ever got were on days we were blanked.

If your guide is doing everything they possibly can to get you on fish, even if you come up empty, then they deserve whatever you are willing to give.

Now if a guide takes you to one spot, you fish it all day without a bite, and he just sits back, relaxed and does not try, then he deserves absolutely zilch.

Good luck!

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>"////=<
[email protected]
N.P.A.A. # 841
www.marcum.com

[guideman]

I agree with End of the Line,
Most of my really big tips have come on days, when the fishing was not really that good. As any guide will tell you they work alot harder on those "tough"
days than the easy ones.
Most people tip you because of the good service, not the fishing it's self.

As for the comments about how easy it is to guide, we have the same on the job stress as anyone else does. People
expect results not excuses and you have to put them on fish, no matter what the conditions are. If making a living as a guide was soooo easy, everyone would be doing it.

Remember; The smartest guy in the world is the guy that figured a way to go out fishing every day and get paid for it.

I'd have to agree with that..

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Terry "Ace" Sjoberg
Ace guide service.
aceguideservice.com
NPAA #278
[email protected]

[Guest]

Hey Tom, you forgot about the $40,000 in gear we need too.Not to mention gas,oil,insurance,bait and tackle.

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Mille Lacs Guide Service
651-271-5459
www.millelacsguideservice.com

[This message has been edited by Derek Johnston (edited 11-27-2003).]

[Wayne Ek]

Derek, you hit it, and the jump on gas and insurance this year did not help. But still it ain't bad to fish almost everyday. I've had worse jobs...

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Wayne
Agape Fishing Guides
www.agapefishingguides.com

[Dennis Steele]

I personally would not be upset if I did not get a tip.It has only happened once,on an OK day.
Most of my tips have been between $20 and $100.I appreciate them.
Guiding is not just going out fishing with your buds.Heck most of the time I am guiding I am not even fishing.If I have a line in the water its either for my clients or I am demonstrating how to work a specific lure or technique,And should I catch a fish I immediatley hand over my rod.
Most guides have top of the line gear and spend hours on the water to insure that your going to get the best fishing experience that you can under the conditions.Not all those hours are logged while they are being paid by other clients either.They get out on their own time to make sure that you will be happy.
A lot of guides also spend hours prepping for a trip.Checking tackle,maintenace on gear and keeping the boat spotless.
Yes its a fun job,but it is a service related job.

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Minnesota River Guided Fishing
www.mnriverguidedfishing.com
NPAA #863

[FoolNFish]

Just wondering if any of you guides tip your auto/boat mechanics, appliance(washer/dryer,furnace/ac,etc) repairmen, or even your paper boy?
I checked out your web sites and figured out that you make anywhere from $37.50-$43.75 per hr. for a half day(4 hrs.) and $25.00-$37.50 for a full day(8 hrs.) for your services. Sorry if I offend anyone but I'll be dipped in minnow pee if I'm going to tip anyone who makes over twice what I do an hour.

[garytheguide]

I was amazed when I first started my guide service, that I still got tips, as comparedto being a guide for a resort...it is usually well earned..and appreciated...as far as breaking down what we make an hour...we have overhead...weown a bussiness...wich is a grind that is like no other...not many months of open water...so try to cram asmuch in as possible...and I for one am agood tipper...dock boys, mechanics...etc.....so go ahead and dip yourself in any kind of pee you want...or forsure dont slight what we do untilyou have done it!!!!....

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garysguideservice
garytheguide.com
[email protected]
Phone: 218-744-3158

[traveler]

Foolnfish, I'm not a guide, but I am a self employed tradesman. If you think the actual hours spent on the job are all we (self employed guys) do, you're way, way off base. There's prep work, cleanup and maitenence, paperwork, advertising, etc...we do all this ourselves, no "company" to take care of all the "little" things guys who just show up for a paycheck take for granted. Sorry if I sound put out, but I get the same thing from customers who see me spend 2 hours actually IN thier home and then complain that I'm making 75 bucks an hour. Yeah, right, I wish...

[Guest]

If I had guide trips 5 days a week, I could see your point. People dont show up,weather gets bad and the economy can impact your overall earnings. I'm a HVAC tech by trade, I need that work to make a living fulltime. Being on the water for 8 hours is alot more work than fixing furnaces. One of the top guides in the state of Minnesota who guides fulltime for a living only makes $30,000 a year and thats with tips.

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Mille Lacs Guide Service
651-271-5459
www.millelacsguideservice.com

[kupcho]

Tom- you said it right about guiding being a lot of work!!! Its not all fun and games.

Kupcho

[soldoncass]

Tipping a guide is something I've never thought of. I only took 1 guided trip and it never occurred to me that that was practiced at all. It wasn't because he didn't do a great job and put some effort into the trip, he went way beyond what I expected to put some fish on our line . I work in construction, and do service calls often, but I don't remember a single tip in all those years. I've wanted to do a guided trip many times, but budget restrictions has prevented that. If I had to allow another 20% for the cost, I probably wouldn't have gone that one time. If guides really need the tips to make it, they probably should include that in their fees, and give tips back to their good clients so the jerks are the ones that pay for the broken tackle,boat clean-ups, and aggrevation of the trip. What do you think of that idea? I use to think it would be fun to own a resort so I could fish anytime, BUT seeing how owners work to keep customers happy, I've changed my mind. (when would I fish) I have a feeling guiding is like that, a lot more work than fun. It is hard for rest of us to not envy you ,who get to do what we dream about ,and get paid for it. HERES TO ALL YOU QUALITY GUIDES OUT THERE WORKING HARD AT YOUR JOB!!!!!