do most folks tip $$$$?

[lispeej]

When fishing out of resorts or when kept on top of fish and on guided trips, do most folks tip $$$ for a great service? What if the fish don't bite but they still keep at it trying to get you on fish?

[that_guy]

No matter how good of a guide you have, I feel there is only so much a guy can do to keep you on the fish. If they are making honest efforts and offering tips on what to try, moving you around and what not. I will give them a tip. we've been known to tip upwards of $100 for two days if the fishing was good and the service was pleasant.

If they aren't very nice, or don't try too hard they obviously don't care, and neither should I.

[mainbutter]

As with above, I always tip guided fishing, regardless of the catch. I base my tip on effort the guide puts in, which is usually a lot, particularly if the fishing is either really tough or really good.

[Down Deep]

When I use a guide or charter I tip based on quality of service, instruction, equipment provided and (this is a big qualifer) how enthusiastic the guide or charter captian is about taking ME fishing. I usually start at 15% of the base charter rate and go up or down from there. I have gone as high as 25%. I expect to catch fish when I charter a boat, but I know some days there is nothing anyone can do.

[harvey lee]

When I use a guide or charter I tip based on quality of service, instruction, equipment provided and (this is a big qualifer) how enthusiastic the guide or charter captian is about taking ME fishing. I usually start at 15% of the base charter rate and go up or down from there. I have gone as high as 25%. I expect to catch fish when I charter a boat, but I know some days there is nothing anyone can do.

+1

[reinhard1]

i have only used a guide one time. we were staying at a resort on White Iron Lake up in Ely. one day we decided to go to Basswood and i talked to the resort owner and he suggested his son. young man just out of high school. we had a great experience with the young man and he was just exited to go just like we were.

he was in a boat with my daughter and her boyfriend at the time and i was with my wife, just the two of us. he put us on fish [we had to make a couple of portages] and kept some for shorelunch. the rest we released [walleys]. came back to the resort and he cleaned the fish we kept for a meal for that night. we gave him $100 bucks and his eye's bulged out in amazement. we told him, we didn't expect to give him that much prior to going but he deserved every penny of it. good luck.

[pushbutton]

What is the rule of etiquette concerning resort/outfitter houses up on LOW, Red, or Mille Lacs?

[Nate McVey]

As the others have stated, I always tip the guides. In fact, my company did an outing in Brainerd last summer and we had a choice to golf, fish or hangout at the lodge so naturally I chose fishing. I was in the boat with 2 of my bosses (neither of them fish) and the guide did a great job teaching them and keeping them on fish. When we pulled into the dock, one of them asked me if we should tip and I asked them the same questions that some of you use as your criteria. Was the equipment good? Did he keep us on fish? Was he helpful and able to tell us about the lake and the houses on the shore (one of the people in the boat was a women and she was fascinated that Kristy Yamaguchi (sp?) lived on the lake)? They both answered yes and tipped him accordingly.

When I fish in the Keys and Mexico I try to bring articles of clothing (hat, fishing shirt, etc.) from a local bait shop or restaurant. They seem to be appreciative of that, especially when you tell them a story to go along with what you brought for them.

[Powerstroke]

AS far as renting a sleeper shack, I don't tip extra on them unless I get excellent service. They place the shacks on the holes and keep them neat and charge accordingly.

I provide tips to people and not accomodations. If the staff checks in frequently, offers advice and/or answers questions for advice I will tip in kind.

As was mentioned with hiring a guide, I expect to find fish. If we don't find fish/game then I try to judge if that is a matter of effort or mother nature. Sometimes you're in the right place and the fish aren't biting or the birds aren't cooperating. NOt the guides fault, but if they make an effort, I reward that. Above the expectation of finding game, you hire a guide for quality service and the depth of their knowledge. A young kid can teach you more than a grizzled veteran sometimes. Reward their enthusiasm and willingness to share information. I try to do 15-20% or more depending on the occasion. That gets hard to do on expensive trips and that's where giving something is still better than nothing.

[Powerstroke]

If you want to give more but don't have it at the time, I have sent a card with cash or a gift card as well as sent a gift after returning home.

I sent a guide a headlamp one time after a trip when he commented that he'd never used one, but thought it might be handy. He sent me a card back with an offer for half off another trip. My $40 headlamp saved me $100 on a trip with a guide who I enjoyed fishing with the first time.

[blackdog1101]

I have also tipped a guide for good service, but I have to admit I dislike the American practice of tipping. I feel like it makes for an awkward end to the day, not matter if it was a good day or not. I wish America would go to the European model of simply paying someone for the service they provide and leave it at that.

[amateurfishing]

my thought process is this from the restaurant business. i have had some decent opportunities to meet, eat, & company with some of the restaurants in the area & world, bottom is this, if you choose to tip well because you had a great time with great people, i guarantee you that you WILL BE REMEMBERED by those people/business. Im not saying go out of your way or make special effort to expect better service, but if you know they did a great job, you reward them, acknowledge them, and let them know their effort was appreciated and you had a great time, they will also reward you in the future because they already know you appreciate great product & service that they can/will provide u. My wife and i have tipped 25-30% (rarely) at times when we had an exceptional time and service is always extremely gratefull, and believe me if you return they WILL REMEMBER U!!!!!!!!!!!!

[HookEmHard84]

I've tipped all the guides that I've gone out with. I have done so, because as others have mentioned, I've gone out with great guides who seem to make the effort to keep us on fish and provide their professional advice and knowledge.

I may be the minority on this topic, but every time I have given a tip, I think to myself, why is tipping the norm in this business? Isn't catching fish and/or getting advice exactly what you pay all that money for when you go out with a guide? I can go out and not catch anything and B S with my buddies for a lot less that $100 - $200 a day. I understand that nature doesn't cooperate sometimes, and that's when I expect to get my moneys worth of some helpful advice from people that do this for a living. If I got neither of those, i would be very upset. I don't mean to pick on fishing guides, because I often question today's tipping practices in many industries. It just especially bugs me with fishing guiding because you are paying the rates THEY came up with to be able to cover their costs and make a profit. So what are we paying tips for? I can see if you had an awesome day where you had great fishing, maybe throw in some tips as a bonus for doing an exceptional job. (Even still I don't how 20-25% makes sense, If I got 25% bonus I would be living large!)

For any Guides who read this, don't take it personally. Its about the industry norms, not you. I don't doubt that you do plenty to earn the money you make. And after all, you re the ones that get to fish for a living while I'm stuck at a desk!

[Down Deep]

When I fish in the Keys and Mexico I try to bring articles of clothing (hat, fishing shirt, etc.) from a local bait shop or restaurant. They seem to be appreciative of that, especially when you tell them a story to go along with what you brought for them.

This is a good idea. When we charter boats in Alaska they all have teenagers or young 20's as mates. I'm sure they don't get paid much so we either tip or provide something of value. My fishing buddy is retired military and we always stop at the AF base in Anchorage before we head out. We buy a couple cartons of cigarettes. Cigs sell for about $7-$8 per pack up there and we get them for about 1/2 of that. When we hand over 3 or 4 packs of cigs at the end of the day we always get big smile and expression of gratitude.

[Scupper]

What if the fish don't bite but they still keep at it trying to get you on fish?

I've always tipped in a monetary fashion. Of course one's service and attitude provided is going to dictate the amount. I've never thought in terms of percentages of said costs. Effort and attitude is my gauge.

Years back, 15 or 20, we were experiencing a warm October. I called up to a border lake outfitter to see if someone would guide me for some fall walleye's. After several contacts with several answer's of no, I found someone that would pull his winterized boat out of it's resting spot and take us fishing. It was 87 degrees the day we left Minneapolis.

As we launched out the next morning the temperature was in the low 40's. We were prepared with proper attire. As the day progressed and the weather changed for the worse, the fishing continued to be above average. My partner had had enough by mid afternoon and suggested we head in. I and the guide resisted his plea's and finished the day.

Next morning brought temp's in the high teens and blustery conditions. It might of warmed into the low 30's by mid afternoon but one wouldn't know as the wind was bellowing. My partner rarely peered out from under the blanket that he had draped over his head as the snow started to accumulate. We fished and fished and moved from spot to spot with hardly a bite. I did feel bad for the guide as when I peered back his hood was layered with snow and his face was very red.

At days end while driving back to the cabin, I handed the guide a hundred dollar bill. He asked what that was for. I told him his efforts. He told me because of the lack of fish he could not accept the money and handed it back to me. After a minute or two of praising his efforts, he insisted that if I was going to give him anything that half of the hundred would be more then enough. I tore the hundred in half and his eye's bugged out of his head as I handed him half of it. He exclaimed "what am I going to do with that?".

I told him if he's lucky, he may find the other half and he can tape them together and buy his wife a nice dinner. He smiled as I stuffed the other half in his ash tray.

[BartmanMN]

Good story Scupper. Made me chuckle.

[uptracker]

This topic came up somewhere else and it seems that for most guides 20% is expected.

It doesn't make sense to me since a hunting guide tip is usually 5-10%...go figure.

[Al.Wichman]

I will tip if I did better than advertised, otherwise if I am paying 500 dollars for 1 day I feel that that is plenty. Now when I go on Lake Michigan charters for salmon I will tip the first mate if its a young kid (teens) because having been that kid I know that they only get like 20 bucks for an all day trip.

[traveler]

Vikingman brings up a pivotal point; tipping a worker who obviously is overworked and underpaid goes down much easier than an owner who at least has the opportunity to set his price to cover his costs and build in a reasonable profit (like most businesses do!)

Not that I'm against tipping a guide who, say, runs his own boat. But it does seem a little odd that tipping is fairly expected in that case as well.

I might add, I'm in an industry where I'm sometimes a worker bee (and yes, I get tipped on a rare occasion) and I also sell and install product, where I do set my price as if I will never recieve a tip.