Craig , sorry this turned into a totally ridiculous thread for you . This is why so many don't post any more . 50 bucks would probs be plenty , if your on vacation and you have your son along and the guide hits a home run for you , 100 bucks wouldn't be out of the question if your feeling it . What would you pay to get your son hooked on fishing for life ? If you have fun 25-50 is no insult for sure .if you have a lemon , no need to tip . There are a million guides out there . 75 percent of them probably shouldn't be Hope you have a good time ! Do your research on your choice before hand and you will have fun ! Good luck
I've hired a few different guides over the years. Usually it was to get a little "bump in knowledge" of that particular body of of water and/or recent patterns etc. I do tip them, usually around 50$ per day.I have actually had guides reduce their daily rates when I've been a repeat customer. I'd rather have that and allow me to tip them extra, than have the industry just add it to the up front costs. There have been times when (a) my boat was unavailable to me (b) had multiple people on a trip(needed another boat-experience) etc and most guides are instructive,friendly people.
I think it's a common courtesy to tip people that are providing me services. And yes I have tipped auto mechanics,a plumer,and a few other people before, that don't usually see any. Those instances were for what I perceived as special work/effort etc. If an individual doesn't feel the need to do so, well that's his perogative. I also have not tipped a guide once. He didn't do a good job IMO and didn't deserve one. He also shorted me over 2 hours of fishing time. I don't use his service anymore.
I also had a guide(who posts on the WI fishing reports) not even show up to the dock. Called him to find out he thought we had canceled but realized it was probably the "next days" client. Said he'd be there in 20....after 1/2 hour I left and didn't bother calling again. I haven't singled him out(in public) but I tell my friends(and other potential clients) to avoid him. I've heard similiar things about him from other sources also. I imagine he won't have a very successful service. Thankfully it was a last minute trip and I didn't pay him.
Might as well eliminate trapping licenses while you're at it. They run a business based off the public resources with the exception that there is no CPR in their business model.
Oil, timber companies, mining, etc are not comparable to a guide's work.
Those companies business model do nothing but remove from the resource.
Guides teach and provide access to nature that a lot of parties would
not otherwise have.
"deducting expenses for tax purposes" sounds like you've never run a business and think you get everything back you expense.
Time to get rid of driving schools also - can you believe the gall of these companies that use our public roads to make money teaching people to drive? And then on top of that deducting their business expenses! They're just raping our public roads.
I fished with a guide out of Tampa Bay about 15 years ago. We were there with the tackle company worked for at the time. We were only allowed to use the soft plastic bait we sold and all the guides said flat out that the bite was on live bait but they would do their best to get us on fish.
The bite was very hard and not many fish were caught by any of the 30 or so boats with us but that was to be expected due to the limitations on the guides. Most guides said flat out that it was going to be tough but they went all over fishing from the boat, wading on the mangro areas, showing us the Tampa area by boat and in general showing us a good time even though the fishing was poor. Except our guide who did the same 400 yd drift for 8 hours so he didn't have to burn up anymore gas than required. Not only did we not tip him we made sure that we used every piece of the 2000 or so soft plastics we took along with us so he didn't have any of it for free. You don't always have to catch a lot of fish to have a good trip.
For the guy who says they're raping the resources - you're an idiot! Every person going with them has their own license.
Most first mate on great lakes trips and many of those assisting big name ice operations don't get paid other than tips so you need to understand each situation and treat it appropriately. Fished one time with a very well known guide in NE WI and even though we caught fish felt he didn't earn a tip from us. We corresponded with him several times before the trip and specifically requested that he show us as much of the river as possible and explain the seasonal trends and techniques. The day of the trip we met him and he took us to what I would consider an obvious community spot and we stayed in that 100 yards of the river using one technique. At the landing at the end of the day we settled up and he was obviously upset that we didn't tip him which I thought was appropriate as he did not do what we had asked him to. The next day we went exploring ourselves and duplicated the success of the previous day in several areas using multiple techniques. I believe you pay a guide to learn and go on a charter boat to take a bunch of fish home. Very different situations and types of experiences. Know what to expect and make sure your guide is clear about that. Tip anyone that provides you with exceptional service and a great experience. They will appreciate it and will remember you the next time as well.
I hope some of these people arent reproducing. I have a 17' boat that I use inland, and do alot of inland fishing, but when I want to go out on lake MI for salomon for example I'm not going to buy all the gear down riggers and such to do it 1 time a year.I hire a guide. I always let my concious be the guide for the tip. I have never felt like I had too as the guids I have been with never even asked.I think its just good ediquit.
I agree, if no fish are caught, tipping can be challenging.... Fishing is fishing, but not providing fish to clients is unacceptable! We have had slow days like anyone else, but fortunate for us, we have never had a "skunkola" trip on our books. Tight Lines,
JH
