Guide, Charge Or Comp That Is The Question!

[geo g]

I have thought about this question for sometime. You are a professional guide and you have a group of clients out for a day trip. The clients get skunked, do you charge them for this trip, or do you comp them, and right it off? I think the right thing is to comp them and you might get a return trip.

A moment of thought, what would you do, and what do the professionals do in these situations????????

[OkobojiEagle]

Do you guarantee fish or a safe trip?...  Maybe 1/2 price is a good compromise.

 

 

oe

[roadwarrior]

Keep today's fee and offer a free trip when they can go again.

[Djf3864]

Like hunting, nothing is guaranteed. I would be happy to accept a discount but would not expect anything or demand anything of the guide. As long as he did his best to put us in good positions and the fish weren't biting it's not his fault, he did his job.

It's called fishing not catching.

[flyfisher]

He still worked and did his best (assuming that part of course) to put you on fish and sometimes, it just doesn't happen.  If i was on the client side of that equation, i wouldn't expect a discount or anything.  Now there would be a good chance if i was in the market for a guide again, i would look elsewhere and that may be where a half off next trip or something would entice me enough to go back and give them another try.

[gulfcaptain]

Fishing is a game of chances.  Some days you get them, some days you don't.  If he provided excellent service and tried his best to put you on the fish, that's his job.  Professional Guides/Captains aren't in the buisiness to comp trips when fishing is tough.  Weather or boat isses, yes you comp them and reschedule.  Hard day of fishing, sorry no bueno.  But I bet the guide would have done anything to put their angler/s on fish.  Half off, if the weather ran you off the lake or had a boat/equipment failure causing you to come in earlier then expected and not being able to fish the full time paid for in your charter agreement.  I had an agreement listing all the terms covering the cost of the charter and what it covered.  But some days it doesn't matter how hard you try, you just can't get the fish to cooperate .

[buzzed bait]

yeah i wouldn't expect anything back.  but like flyfisher said any gesture he made toward a discount or a half off next time or whatever would certainly guarantee my business again should i be looking.  

[frogflogger]

No fish no pay was my rule for near 20 yrs.

[flyfisher]

No fish no pay was my rule for near 20 yrs.

just curious, what species were you primarily guiding for?

[gulfcaptain]

I wouldn't expect to be comp'd if I traveled to Baccarac or El Salto and the lake/s had an off day where the fish didn't bite.  That's just fishing. If they gave me great customer service and tried hard, fished hard....even stayed out a little longer to try they would have my repeat business weather I caught fish or not.  And I'd still tip the guide for doing his best.

[frogflogger]

just curious, what species were you primarily guiding for?

bass fishing - primarily in the everglades - I also guided fly fishermen for bonefish and that was not the case, too iffy a fish and very hard work poling a boat all day.

[flyfisher]

bass fishing - primarily in the everglades - I also guided fly fishermen for bonefish and that was not the case, too iffy a fish and very hard work poling a boat all day.

gotcha, i just saw your location said appalachia so it made me wonder what species.  I have seen those shows where people are guiding for bonefish and the guide can only do so much it seems....

[gulfcaptain]

bass fishing - primarily in the everglades - I also guided fly fishermen for bonefish and that was not the case, too iffy a fish and very hard work poling a boat all day.

See you worked hard at trying to get them the fish.  That's the service you pay for is a chance to catch them. Being a guide can be a great job, but there are days it sucks.  Best thing though, every day is a new day. Only thing I can say if you pay someone to take you fishing, weather you caught fish or not and had a good time, the guide tried hard, but it just wasn't the day.......ALWAYS tip to show your gratitude for their hard work and efforts.

[Hi Salenity]

Sorry about your luck but pay the man?

Hopefully you enjoyed the experience. :-/

[Dwight Hottle]

I fished with a very respected guide for three days musky fishing. We were skunked for all three days . The guide offered us a free day the following year which we accepted & I caught a nice 47" 15 minutes from the dock at daybreak . As long as the guide is professional & competent he should still get paid & tipped. It is his choice what concessions he might offer to his customers when the fishing sucks. Some concession will usually be satisfactory to the experienced client.

[Gotfishyfingers?]

NO fish NO pay is the norm in the industry.

[Dwight Hottle]

NO fish NO pay is the norm in the industry.

Not the norm. It depends on the species.

[starcraft1]

No fish no pay was my rule for near 20 yrs.

My best friend out here is a guide and his is the same. To my knowledge he's never had to give a free trip, but this is Oroville. If you can't catch bass on Oroville you shouldn't be wasting your $$$ on bass fishing. Maybe quilting would be your best bet.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Googled- no fish no pay

 

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&es_th=1&ie=UTF-8#q=fishing%20guide%20no%20fish%20no%20pay

 

Sounds like an issue that should be known before trip/ booking

[Driftb]

I have heard people talk about no fish no pay, but I don't see it very often. Fishing is about skill and to a certain extent, luck.  I try to cut down on all of the variables, but to be realistic, a guide wants to work and there are only so many days in a season.  Take away days lost to variables like weather, high water, unfishable conditions, and you are asking a hard working man to give up a day's pay because you couldn't catch a fish.  I take guys fishing that have all the answers.  They show up with a twenty five year old rod that was sh@t when they found it in the garbage, then  won't use my tackle, lures, or flies. They won't wear a brimmed hat and polarized glasses, and then they won't even cast to a fish even when I point it out to them. Sometimes I will take one cast and catch a fish, just to prove that I have them on fish.  It happens more than you can imagine. They don't bring rain gear, and then don't want to fish in the rain.  Should I give them a free day if they don't catch a fish? Maybe bass fishing in Florida where the guide casts the bait for the client and then sets the hook and hands the rod to the client to reel the fish in, or trolling where the guide sets up the rods and downriggers then sets the hook and hands the rod to the client to reel the fish in.  I still don't know where the guide is supposed to get a free day from.

[Bluebasser86]

Unless it's something that the guide could have been able to control, like his boat doesn't start so you have to use the trolling motor and just fish around the launch, then they should be paid. 

 

Last guide trip I went on was on the White River in Arkansas for brown trout. It poured the entire time and out of the 3 of us we only caught 1 brown trout. On the way back up river, our guide's motor hit a rock and jumped off the back of the boat and sank. I retrieved it for him (he was well into his 70's, no way he was hauling that waterlogged 25hp motor back into the boat). They were generating so there was a pretty strong current and about a mile to go to the launch. My buddy and I had our waders on so we both jumped in and walked his boat against the current for a hour and a half before we were in deep enough water that I could get my boat to where we were and towed it the rest of the way. 

 

I'm sure a lot of guys wouldn't have paid him, but it's fishing, stuff happens. He was trying to put us on fish, they just wouldn't bite for us. We still had fun and had we seen him stranded after his motor popped off we would have helped him just the same. Our time was up at that point anyways. When we tried to pay him he just asked us to cover his expenses for the day and thanked up profusely for hauling his boat back. He still did his job, he took us to where the fish were and tried. We caught a ton of fish later that day at one of his spots on jerkbaits, so it was well worth the money and effort to me. 

[K_Mac]

I would agree that with rare exceptions the guide should be paid. What the policy is should be settled before the trip. Dwight's example is one where the guide went the extra mile after 3 days of paid service. It made a loyal customer, and is good business.

[frogflogger]

It was very hard work, but rewarding in many ways. When I had a website it stipulated no fish (bass) no pay - many of my clients weren't very proficient fishermen - I carried a few good quality spin cast rigs and with the aid of senkos (actually bps stik-os) even the most inept were able to catch a few. After a short instructional session I never had to resort to casting or setting the hook for them. If they could use a baitcaster it was great fun to introduce them to the thrills of frog fishing. I watched many anglers from all over catch their pb on a frog. Many good friends and memories from those days - but I don't miss the long hot days and hours of prep and maintenance.

[Driftb]

About half of my trips are flyfiishing on the Upper Delaware river for trout. These are wild trout, not easy fish to catch and there is so much a guide can do for a client.  Every one needs to bring their "A" game. It's not a beginners river and if you can't cast, you won't catch fish. I can teach someone to cast, and sometimes they will catchfish the first day out, but you reallly need practice to be able to do what it takes to catch fish on a big river.  It is one of the most heavily pressured streams in the country.  Even the experienced guys have  some tough days, but I can usually get them some fish on even a tough day.  Expecting a comp day fly fishing is unrealistic, and I don't  think that any guide around here will comp trips.  The other half of my guiding is spin fishing for smallies and walleye.  I would be hard pressed to want to offer someone a comp if they couldn't catch at least one fish in this river. In the past 16 years, I have offered a few  half day comp trips after a tough day or two, none the less.  I have never had a client take me up on one though.  They have always insisted on a full day and paying full price.

[slonezp]

No fish no pay is standard for Lake Michigan salmonoids. This I can understand because the captain and first mate do all the work besides reeling in the fish. The captains are also working with other captains to keep customers on the bite If I was to go out with a guide I would expect to pay, fish or no fish. I would have hoped the guide has done his research, uses my/our time well, and has a number of spots to go to and alternative baits, depending on the bite.