how much to tip a guide?

[TNFL]

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We'll after reading these post, if I were guiding, I think i'd ask my clients if there members of FM, and if so, I'd consider turning them down. It's unreal how many of you have an issue with tipping. It's part of the service industry. As a bartender, I personally belive EVERYONE should work in the industry for a week so they then can understand how much of a necessity recieving tips are. I firmly believe if someone has the money to go out to eat, drink at a bar, or hire a guide for ANYTHING a tip should be no big deal and should be factored into the budget. I make minimum wage, $6.15/hr, Getting 40hr weeks in the service industry is next to impossible, but if I were to work a 40, I'd make less then $200 after taxes. Tips are what we do the job for. We work our a$$es off, and try to make the customers experiences as nice as possible to insure return service. If no one tipped, there would be no resturants or bars cause no one would put up w/ the

talk

for minimum wage. Or prices would be even higher so servers can make a better wage. I'm sure this is the same for guides. If no one tipped them, and all they were doing was breaking even after a trip, there would be none of them left either, or prices would be even higher. Recieving tips are a perk for doing a job that requires dealing with a public that at times just has no respect.

My $.02 tip for ya'll

TIPS= To Insure Prompt Services

You stiff me, suddenly i'm not refilling your beer so promptly, and hoping you leave so there is a spot freed up for someone else who may tip! Get It!!! ?

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That's half the reason I don't like going to bars. Tenders that expect a $1 tip every time they reach into a cooler and open a beer for you. I think Bars should get a few SODA Machines and fill them with Beer so customers can God Forbid get and open thier own beer, then you would see how much you are appreciated. People pay for the atmosphere, not your exc. service.

As stated before, if you don't like it then why don't you go to college, rack up $20K or $30K in student dept and get a better job.

I tip %15 or more pretty much all the time. But I hate doing it! I don't think you earn it. If the job was so hard you wouldn't see so many gals lined up to be waitresses. Most places have a waiting list to hire new servers. And I know a guy that it took months to find a job as a bartender. WHY???? Because it is easy money! Many servers can pull in $100 cash in a night, and still complain about the one guy that only tipped %7.

And yes, I have worked in the food indusrty. When I was 15 & 16 I worked at a Bar/restaurant washing dishes for 4.25 an hour whilst listening to waitresses whine about only making $65 in tips (alone) that night. And no, not once did any of them offer to share a tip. Now let me ask you, which job do you think is harder/worse washing nasty food off plates from table in the entire building, or carrying food and drinks out to a few table.

I agree with another poster, where does it end?

Do you tip at McDonalds? They work just as hard and offer even more prompt service.

Do you tip at the bait store if he tells you a hot spot?

Should I tip a cop when he writes me a ticket?

[cold one sd]

I worked as a technician for a telephone company for over 36 years. I worked outside when the temp was 108F and when it was -90F. I worked weekends at times, 72 and 84 hour weeks at times and got called out at 4AM because someone's phone wasn't working and come to find out they had three phone numbers in the house and two cell phones. They called because they wanted their phone number working and the wife was an call. I would have called my place of employment and told them to call me on one of my other numbers until I notified them that this number had been fixed. I worked this job because it was my choice and I had a family to support. I never did have anyone offer to tip me after I repaired their service at 4AM and I thought I may have gone a bit above and beyond at times. I did have the satisfaction of not being the one asking "Do you want fries with that?". I think we all have a choice in what we do to earn a living and I wouldn't want to depend on tips. I worked in NYC in 1970 and a beer was $.75. If you didn't tip $.25 per beer the bartender would pretend that you didn't exist. I think that kind of an atitude is bull.

[TroyMcClure]

I am surprised that this has gone on long enough without someone mentioning this. YOU ARE GETTING PAID TO GO FISHING! I would do that kind of work if it paid in sand.

[The Cranker]

Pat,

I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say. I was trying to point out that the fees where not out of order per the items listed. Sorry, if you thought that should come out of the tip. That isn't what I was trying to say at all. I was trying to spell out the cost of doing business as a guide.

Fish On!!!

[vikingmeatwad]

This is a tough subject but I believe that you can tip if you appreciate someone providing you good service or is going above and beyond.

I hate that people expect at least 15% and I have seen them complain about everything when they are taking a bunch of cash home. Remember too that most tips go to them as untaxed income as most wait staff I have talked to claim 8% of their tips.

We tipped the dudes that took us fishing in the Carribean as we had a great time and they got us on some nice fish.

[BRULEDRIFTER]

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I don't believe anyone one here has said they wouldn't tip waiters/bartenders/etc. Most people have stated they know you make min wage and rely on those tips. Now lets say you were a bartender and could set your own wage would it be min wage? Probably not? Just like a guide can set what ever fee he so chooses. Just like a mechanic. If they are not making a go of it they need to raise their rates. If a bartender isn't making a go of it he can ask for a raise and maybe get it or not. I always tip the bartender but I usually run a tab just because of bartenders with the attitude of T.I.P.S. I should get great service at all times. Not just great service because I gave a tip after every drink.

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Good point about setting a wage, I guess I didn't put it in that perspective.

I roll the same way as far as running a tab. I also DO NOT expect a tip after every beer poured. After a while you know your customers, and occasionally you work your (Contact Us Please) off and get stiffed. It's all part of the game.

[BRULEDRIFTER]

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BRULEDRIFTER, if you are not happy with $6.15 per hour perhaps you should look for another line of work. Do you claim tips on your taxes? (You are required to claim 100% of your tips, of course.) Do you tip McDonalds employees?

Tips are claimed! McDonalds SUCKS! They also make more than minimum wage anyway.

Patrons are not required to tip. You need to earn it. Even if you don't get tipped, your task at hand remains. If servers and waiters didn't worry about tips and just performed their jobs well, the decent tips would follow. There will always be good-tippers, bad-tippers, and non-tippers.

This is something im well aware of, I've been slinging drinks and serving food for over 5 years!

I tip at restaurants and bars & for haircuts (15-20%). If I get bad service I will tell everyone and their boss. If someone were to get upset on the amount I tipped I would be all the more vocal. I don't think your boss or owner of the place is compelled to keep high tippers in the chairs. They get the same amount either way. I do understand your reasoning that if all the servers and waiters quit because they weren't making enough it would affect the business. I don't recall this happening, but it could have.

I have a good friend that tips by doubling the sales tax. Mankato has a .5% tax besides the state tax of 6.5%, so he tips at 14% and doesn't tip on the tax dollars. I don't agree with always tipping the same percentage, but his idea of not tipping on tax dollars is logical.

It REALLY bothered me Las Vegas. Everytime I turned around someone had their hand out. (If it is going to cost me, I can open my own door, thank you very much. And don't expect a tip if you deal me a blackjack.)

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[BRULEDRIFTER]

That's half the reason I don't like going to bars. Tenders that expect a $1 tip every time they reach into a cooler and open a beer for you. I think Bars should get a few SODA Machines and fill them with Beer so customers can God Forbid get and open thier own beer, then you would see how much you are appreciated. People pay for the atmosphere, not your exc. service.

As stated before, if you don't like it then why don't you go to college, rack up $20K or $30K in student dept and get a better job.

I tip %15 or more pretty much all the time. But I hate doing it! I don't think you earn it. If the job was so hard you wouldn't see so many gals lined up to be waitresses. Most places have a waiting list to hire new servers. And I know a guy that it took months to find a job as a bartender. WHY???? Because it is easy money! Many servers can pull in $100 cash in a night, and still complain about the one guy that only tipped %7.

And yes, I have worked in the food indusrty. When I was 15 & 16 I worked at a Bar/restaurant washing dishes for 4.25 an hour whilst listening to waitresses whine about only making $65 in tips (alone) that night. And no, not once did any of them offer to share a tip. Now let me ask you, which job do you think is harder/worse washing nasty food off plates from table in the entire building, or carrying food and drinks out to a few table.

I agree with another poster, where does it end?

Do you tip at McDonalds? They work just as hard and offer even more prompt service.

Do you tip at the bait store if he tells you a hot spot?

Should I tip a cop when he writes me a ticket?

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Wow man!

FYI - YOU ALL KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME!

How did I pay my way through 5 years of college, HMMMMM. Living on tips, working late, dealing with drunks and A$$hol3s!

Why is bartending only a part time gig for me now.... Yea 6.15 stinks, and so do a lot of cheap patrons that don't GET IT! WE WORK HARD! It may look easy to a casual patron, but like I said try it for a week. Also... think of the MENTAL angle of the job, cause thats where the REAL work comes out!

I have a full time gig too, but I am in debt from college, still need a supplemental income to make ends meet!

Dish doggin is what it is. Some establishments require servers to tip out all other staff. I appreciate a job well done as much as the next guy, and I compensate for it.

The point of my post was just to emphasize the need for tips. yeah, we make big money sometimes, but we also make nada, its part of the job. It evens out most of the time.

Anyway, to get back on track........

How much to tip a guide........ yup, its all up to the person and their expectaitons, at the very least don't give the guy gruff if it wasn't all you had expected, unless he was a total slacker! (This goes for all jobs)

[mnvikingsfreak]

BRULEDRIFTER......you said "TIPS= To Insure Prompt Services

You stiff me, suddenly i'm not refilling your beer so promptly, and hoping you leave so there is a spot freed up for someone else who may tip! Get It!!!?" what is this about? so you really do expect a $1.00 tip after twisting off a bottle cap for someone? you dont make any sence

[kaz2611]

It should be left up to the indivual wether they feel they need to tip or not! A tip is given in appreciation for the service that you've been given. If I was a guide and had a couple clients out and we caught fish and I gave them excellent service I still wouldn't EXPECT a tip if I got one that would be a nice gesture on their part showing me that they had a great time. On the other hand if I was unable to put them on fish or if they failed to catch fish I certainly would failed to do my job and this could reflect future business so I would give them a cheaper rate or a another guided trip at a discounted rate. In this case of a failed to produce situation if offered a tip I would turn it down. Now if you go to a restaraunt and the food is terrible do you stiff the waitor or waitress? They didnt cook your meal they just served it to you. Service personel wether be wait staff or bartenders have to listen and put up with alot of B/S.

[TNFL]

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Service personel wether be wait staff or bartenders have to listen and put up with alot of B/S.

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Give an example of the talk they have to put up with. If I don't give them talk should I tip them less?

[palisade1kid]

C'mon guys,this thread has nothing to do with anyhting but how much to tip a guide.Kaz2611 said it pretty good.

A guide can not make fish bite.Not even I can make a fish bite ,but having a vast knowledge of how different lakes react at different times of the year and how each lake has a different bite would send us to up to 4 different lakes in a day until we scored on a good bite.

You know that would be a lot of work but as long as we caught fish and had a good time ,then the goal has been achived. Tip or not, I did not fail & in the end I can feel good about the day.

Nothing worthwhile comes easily.

To be honest it's hard to take money for something I love to do,but the extra doe does keep the lions at bay come bill paying time.

[eyebjim]

I have been reading this post and it has gotten a bit off the question. Here's how I see it. If the guide is the owner operator he can set his price as needed so he should not get a tip unless he provided more service than agreed apon. This would be staying longer than agreed apon or somthing like this. If the guide is working out of a resort and the resort is the boat owner and he just makes a wage from the resort then I can see tipping as long as the guide is helpful freindly and knowledgeable, sharing some of that knowledge with you. In that case I can see a 15% tip being appropriate. If he/she is less than helpful, freindly and knowledgeable then something between 0 and 15%. It is really up to you and how you feel the service was. I don't think anyone should expect a tip period. That is very rude.

[fishinrush]

I had the chance to deck hand on a charter boat a few weeks ago out of Sitka, Alaska. Every client that we took out gave us a tip. Did we expect it, not at all, was it appreciated, absolutely.

I had no idea how much "behind the scenes" work is required to make a day on the water enjoyable, safe and entertaining. Yeah, it's their job and they choose the work they do, say what you want about that. I tip my waitress, bartender, barber and I will tip my guide.

One of the best tips we received was from group of guys who just had a great time on the water. We didn't even land a fish. They simply had a good time and gave us a tip as an additional "thanks"

[311Hemi]

This post reminds me of a movie.......

JOE:

"Okay ramblers, let's get to

rambling. Wait a minute, who

didn't throw in?"

MR. ORANGE:

"Mr. White."

JOE:

(to Mr. Orange)

"Mr. White?"

(to Mr. White)

"Why?"

MR. ORANGE:

"He don't tip."

JOE

(to Mr. Orange)

"He don't tip?"

(to Mr. White)

"You don't tip? Why?"

MR. ORANGE

"He don't believe in it."

JOE

(to Mr. Orange)

"He don't believe in it?"

(to Mr. White)

"You don't believe in it?"

MR. ORANGE

"Nope."

JOE

(to Mr. Orange)

"Shut up!"

(to Mr. White)

"Cough up the buck, ya cheap

SOB, I paid for your dang

breakfast."

with the last line being edited of course!!

[Kidd]

Reservoir Dogs. One of my favorite movies.

[walldoggie]

I have maybe two to three issues with some of this..

I guess first off I never thought to tip a guide as i thought his prices were set by him. So would the tip not be included in the price? Now that being said I am well know for being a good tipper So if i did use a guide and he showed me some new tricks and maybe caught a few fish yes i probably would tip him 10-20%, but for most blue collar familes $325 for a half day trip is kind of a steep price for some one who makes $400 a week. So to then turn around after giving him $325 and giving him another $60-75 might be a little steep for a family that might have scraped up enough just to take a guide. Now I also have never used a guide as i have a boat that works perfectly fine with a really nice electronics set up. And all of that was paid with money from Bartending. As for the guy who said go to college and get a better job!!! Why? I know bartenders that make over 100K a year and they have college degrees. But that being said that is still know reason for being a cheap A$$. I do not expect a dollar tip on every beer that served but maybe a Quarter would be nice. A dollar on 2-3 beers is even ok. As far as claiming tips the government requires you to claim atleast 10% and if you do this this is taken from your 6.15 and hour so a 40 hour work check of 240 after claiming your tips can be like 10 bucks. I know many servers and bartenders that get checks for 0 after claiming tips. When is the last time a guide got a check for Zero after claiming all his tips. I would have to say never. I also do tip my plumber, electrician, carpet layer, and any other person that might come to my house and do me a service. I also tipped the delivery guy that just dropped off my new plasma tv 10 bucks and told him to buy him self some lunch.

Rob

[Sportland_Bait]

It always baffles me when I see folks that are so tight and refuse tipping. I am not in a business where I receive tips on a regular basis, but once in a while I get one. It is a nice surprise. I try to tip service workers whenever possible because most of these folks are hard working and usually underpaid for their efforts. Many occupations restrict employees from taking tips, it isn't that they wouldn't love a tip or deserve to get one. When we meet with our fishing guides each spring for a meeting we talk about rates. The topic of tipping is usually part of the rate setting process. Most of the time the guides don't like to to raise their rates. They usually settle on a lessor rate and hope for some sort of a tip. I know that most busy fishing guides work their butts off and they aren't making a lot of money doing it and have zero job security. I don't know if the guides expect a tip but they are surprised sometimes when they don't receive one. When I've hired guides I've always thought 10-20 percent seems fair.

Jason Erlandson

[Nate McVey]

Trying to compare bartenders, servers and guides is not exactly the same thing. From experience in restaurants in (CO, MT, MI, WI and MN) the tip scale is drastically different. In CO & MT 20% is the norm. In MN, WI and MI 18% is nice, 15% is typical, 20% is something you brag about to the other staff. By saying 20% is the norm, did I expect to get that everytime, no of course not. It just happened more times than not.

On the two guided trips that I have had the pleasure of going on, one was a duck hunting trip on Walpole Island in Canada and one was a fly fishing trip to Mexico. The guides on the duck hunting trip deserved a tip, not because they got us on ducks, but because they spent a lot of time and energy cleaning ducks, calling ducks, making and packing a lunch and by meeting us every morning with coffee and a good boat. I am sure they figured all these things into their price, but it was still nice to have had. In Mexico, we were after permit, bones and tarpon. I had a $20 in my pocket for a bone, a $50 for a permit and $100 for a tarpon. My guide ended up getting $90 on the first day since he put me on a bone and my partner on a bone and a permit. The guy I was fishing with for the week told our guide that he had $100 in his pocket for him if he put him on a tarpon, and guess what.......he caught his tarpon. Did he expect it, no, but when he handed him the $100 he sure had a big smile on his face. I also have learned that guides love clothes. I bring hats, shirts and sweatshirts from the place I work any time I go somewhere new just to give to bartenders, guides or patrons at the bar. Not only is it advertising, but they seem to like it.

Just my $.02..............sorry to bring the server bartender back into it.

[bwtrout]

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What is expected as a tip for a day of guided fishing? Does it vary from walleye fishing to muskie fishing? I am headed up to LOW next week and am just wondering what the guides up there typically get for tips from their clients.

Thanks.

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I would set aside an extra 20% of the guides fee. At the end of the trip use your judgment and go with 0,5%,10%,15%,or 20% based on how it went.

Seems pretty simple to me...

[slotlimit]

I used to be a teacher. I stayed after school many times and went to school earily many times to help troubled youth or students with school work. I coach little league baseball FOR FREE. Where are my tips? I have never heard of a coach getting a tip or a teacher. I also never expected one. I guess I should have after reading some of these posts. Maybe after the next game I'll stand by the fence opening with my hand out. I'll probably just get "five".

[magnumthunder]

WOW! Guess I wont be hiring a guide. Hope I didn’t make a mistake by not tipping the guy at the bait shop for selling me what works on the lake right now and for putting new line on the combo I bought from him. I also forgot to tip the guy at the service station for giving me the key to the restroom after the $70 of gas I just paid for. Goosh when I did some goose hunt guiding 20 years ago I would of never thought of taking a tip for it. I was outdoors, did it when I WANTED to, and loved it!

$250 for 4 hours, they better earn that. Word of mouth goes a long ways in my neck of the woods. If they are no good I'll tell people to avoid them. I never tip the owner of a bar either but have no problem tipping the staff. Ps. I thought if a client lost lures or broke something they had to pay for it. A hole in the boat? They better have insurance. As far as gas and maintenance it's all a write off. Yes I'm a tight wad!!!

[Random guy]

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$250 for 4 hours, they better earn that.

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A hole in the boat? They better have insurance. As far as gas and maintenance it's all a write off.

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Just to step in and put a guides point of view on the comment about earning the money along with they better have insurance and writing off fuel in the same statement.

Yes most guides do carry insurance, three policies. The boat insurance, the liability insurance and the rider. Fuel is a write off, non-oxy fuel is at $3.50 a gallon each run on big water burns about 40 clams in fuel. Someone has to go potty, thats $10 just to run them to shore and back when the bite is way out. How did you hear about the guide he has to advertise. Lets not forget busted gear, lost lures and general wear and tear on the boat. Just think how your boat would look if it was used everyday all summer long. When you do the math guides price accordinly, any guide that is charging drasticly less is either working as part of a resort or some package where the money is made elsewhere or said cheap guide will not be around long. All in all the profit margin is slim.

Now as far as tipping and how much as the first post was asking;

I hire guides on new waters or when I am going for a new species of fish. When I started catfishing I hired a good catfish guide to take me out so I could learn the ropes and yes I tipped him. We only caught a few fish although I cut years off of the learning curve from what he taught me in a few nights of catfishing. That is value to me not to mention he worked his but off. The boat and gear was clean, in good shape and he was very knowledgeable in his field so I tipped him.

Now if you get into a guide boat and the carpet is a mess, rods look like they haven't bean cleaned up in years, he goes right out to a crowd and hunkers along side while blaming the lake and everything but himself for poor fishing and just has a bad attitude I would rethink the tip.

Now I try my best to make sure clients have a good time even when I know the fishing is tough. The boat is cleaned/carpet scrubbed twice a week, every rod is wiped down, line checked along with all tackle after each group. When I have days off with no clients I am on the lake looking for new areas and new patterns to bring the next group of clients to so they can have a good trip also. I work hard at my job and I know I will never make alot of money at it but I can't charge to heavens or the next guide down the road will get all the business and it won't matter how good I am or how hard I work. So limits are set as in any business. Now at the end of the day when I am cleaning fish or digging out crushed soda cans and cigarette buts then the client walks up and hands me a tip a few things happen; One I am reminded why I do this, I made someone happy enough to give me a tip. TWO, I now have a little money to spare for baits or better gear maybe even put it towards replacing the boat as it is only going to make two seasons. THIRD I will remember that client. You can say what you want about tipping, customer service and whether tipping is right or wrong but guides remember who tips and who does not. Just as your career, who are you going to work for the guy paying more or the guy paying less? It is America after all.

So if you are happy with the service and feel you want to tip the guide 10% is plenty. If you don't want to tip don't tip, the day is all about you and if you had a good time or not, that is how you decide how much to tip.

[MuleShack]

Jon,

That pretty much sums it up in a nut shell.

If you would have posted this right away, we could have avoided the previous 80 posts....

If you do hire a guide for new water, your going to learn the new water or tactics for a new species a lot quicker than trial and error on your own. Think of the guide fee as a small tuition for fishing school, as you should be learning as well as having fun.

People only think about the 4 hours that they are with the Guide that the $300 covers. Running most businesses there are lots of hours and costs (working toward the big picture) behind the scenes that get factored into the big picture that people dont realize...and they add up quickly. As a business owner myself, i can relate to the costs. We charge roughly $50 per hour, but that has to cover labor, gas, Vehichle insurance, Contractors policy for liability and to insure equipment, repairs and Maintenance, Taxes, workers comp insurance Etc...at the end there isn't a lot left over. If you raise prices, the next guy gets the business cause most people go for the "bargan" (not sure if that relates to guides, but for a lot of other services)

None of this relates to the tipping, but like Jon said it is totally up to the individual relating to if you enjoyed your self, learned something and felt that the guide was out there to make your day. If so, follow your gut and tip accordingly.

[slotlimit]

You can say what you want about tipping, customer service and whether tipping is right or wrong but guides remember who tips and who does not. Just as your career, who are you going to work for the guy paying more or the guy paying less? It is America after all.

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So if I don't tip you the first time and hire you again your not going to do as good of job for me?

So if you don't tip your kids teacher every day after school should they just teach them what is required or still go above and beyond every day? Should I have just given the students in my classroom extra time and knowledge tha I have for the parents who tip?

Being a coach who works for Free should I just give my knowledge of baseball to youngsters who know very little about the game (just like someone who knows little about a lake or fishing for a certain species) to the parents who tip me?