Growing as a Guide

I remember my first year of guiding, making it through the multiple 100 degree days, shriveling up, punching more holes in my belt loop to keep my pants on. I think back on the days I hustled to keep from getting skunked, taking clients out longer hours to produce a day, my brain was melted, I was always in survival mode. Anxiety filled my life back then, I was always nervous about my trips and how I was going to put clients on fish when I could barely find them for myself. Standards were set high then, produce big numbers, and re-book. It didn't matter how hard you worked or how “fishy” you were, if I couldn't match clients with the right stretch of water designed for their skill set my day was going to be brutal. I was told that it takes three years to make a “good” guide. Year two was similar, fake it till you make it. I learned a few more stretches of water, learned to have more confidence in my bugs, learned to be first to the boat ramp and pick my best stretches at the right time of a trip to “close” clients. Year three I got my June calendar, it had a lot of empty dates. If I remember correctly I had 8 days set for the busiest month of guiding in Missoula. I was crushed, so I called my outfitter “Bill”. Bill was a strong competitor, he didn't like to lose. Bill informed me that in the past two years I had not re-booked enough trips and that every trip on my calendar in June was created by him. If I wanted more trips in the future I needed to re-book 80% of my clients and recruit new clients on my own to continue to guide, it was a real awakening. I had just become a new dad, my first born son. I was told “I know you just had a kid and I'm sorry but this is how the guide industry works”.  I remember putting the phone down and telling my wife that I was failing. I had the dreams of being a great guide and living the outdoor-industry life with the best office in the world. I was crushed. My wife is strong, she is a survivor, she is my rock, she is my biggest fan. “Well I guess you better get out on the water and get better” she told me. She sacrificed a lot to help me, while I was out “fun” fishing, learning more stretches and techniques and boat skills, she stayed home with our child. She always supported me, and told me I was going to make it. I was chasing a dream, not money, not success either. Just the dream of living the guide life. I worked hard on my days off, I worked harder on my work days. It paid off, clients noticed the difference, confidence in my spots, confidence in myself. Numbers came in, camaraderie with clients increased, the phone calls increased and now the re-books were there. I had made it through my third season and I had won “best fishing guide” from local voters for our Missoulian News. Not that I have ever thought I was the best, I believe it was more a popularity contest and having been in the bartender scene for 10 years probably helped people notice my name and vote for me. It worked, that's all that matters to me. Bill decided to keep me around, “best fishing guide” looks great on a website and that was enough to keep me on the roster for another year. As I continued down the guide-road I kept upping my game and my clients and my re-book list. Towards the end of my tenure with that outfitter I was looking at a 90% return clientele rate. Bill had lit a fire inside me, I have never been naturally the most talented person, I do have a great work ethic and was blessed with good people skills. Spending almost 20 years in the bartending industry has led me to acquire the gift of gab and also the ability to multi-task under pressure. I may not be the fishiest or most talented guide in our area but I have a unique ability to deliver a story to clients and create a narrative to get people to believe in me and what we are trying to accomplish on their fishing trip. It has taken me a long time to get good at it, and every client is different and they all have different expectations, personalities and skill sets. Once I figured out how to manage those expectations and personalities and combine that with choosing the right fishery designed for their skill set, my life got a lot easier. The stress and anxiety had dissipated, my confidence went up, I feel like I can take any person and deliver a quality fun adventure on a daily basis. Fishing is different than it used to be for myself as well. I don't need to catch 30 fish to make a great day, I don't need to be the first one at the boat ramp or the guy who catches the biggest fish. All of those things have faded into the past for me and now my main focus is to build and create friendships and relationships with people. I look at myself as a fish sherpa these days, passing on fishing skills and ideology to clients so they can enjoy some of Montana's finest rivers while exploring and adventuring to new places. This business isn’t about conquering, it's about balance. Finding that balance between having fun and catching fish and teaching people and providing people with experiences and memories to last a lifetime. Finding balance in working and making money and raising family and being there for your partner. I have trained lots of young guides and I have worked with some of the best guides in Montana, they are all different, they have a vast variety of approaches to guiding and doing their jobs. There is more than one way to skin a cat, they say, and we are all out here trying to be the best we can. Now that August has ended we are seeing the water temps cool, the nights are longer and the fish are happier. I have spent the past two weeks all over the board chasing pike, bass, and trout. I see clouds in our future and cool mornings with dew on the grass and elk bugling in the mountains. Trico fishing is still great and the hopper fishing has been excellent especially in the afternoons with a little breeze helping to move them from grass to water. In the early mornings the nocturnals are still around and the dry fly bite can be a day long adventure. Big fish have still been on the prowl and one of my good clients saw another 2 foot fish this past week. Brown trout will start to move around to do their spawn soon and they will start to chase streamers and color up like the leaves of fall. My season is tapering off, I have a great September filled with enough days to pay the bills along with a handful of days off to try and fill my freezer with elk. One of the best parts of being my own boss now is that I don’t have to beg for days off to hunt. You will find me wandering the woods around the 10th through the 20th searching for the elusive wapiti, and if I don't find one that's fine because the time spent with good friends and family somewhere in the middle of nowhere Montana is worth more than anything money can buy.