Tipping a Guide?

[Stratocat_Joe]

For Father's Day, my wife purchased a gift certificate for a guided trip on Lake Eufaula (AL/GA).  I am guessing that tips are generally expected at the end of guided trips, correct?  If so, how does one usually determine the tip amount?  Is it the standard 15-20% used when tipping at a restaurant?

[Deleted account]

Yes.

[gim]

I've been on a guided fishing trip 4 times.  All of them were in saltwater in Florida.  All four days of guided fishing turned out to be on the category of spectacular to extraordinarily spectacular so the guide was tipped very handsomely every time.  Maybe my sample size is not very big, but they go out of their way to try and make sure you enjoy every minute of your time out there.

[Mike L]

Always tip

The amount of course is up to you. 
Most will tip 20% but if your Capt works exceedingly hard and goes out of his way for you, which most will try to do, the expectations increase exponentially. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[flechero]

A crisp new, $100 bill is appropriate for a good guide.  The heartfelt thank you and handshake are also very important!

[gim]

1 minute ago, flechero said:

A crisp new, $100 bill is appropriate for a good guide. 

 

I paid for my guided trips ahead of time with a credit card but my tips were always cash.  I think that is better than just adding a tip to the credit card.

[J Francho]

18 minutes ago, flechero said:

A crisp new, $100 bill is appropriate for a good guide.  The heartfelt thank you and handshake are also very important!

Dude?!? Where you been?

 

OP: 15-20% is my starting place.  It's never less than 15, even if it wasn't a good time.  Often it can be 25 or more, for a really great day.

[TOXIC]

As a guide, I never expected a tip.  If I couldn’t make it obvious that I was doing everything in my power to make your day enjoyable and put you on fish, then I feel like I didn’t do something right or no matter what I did the client wasn’t going to tip anyway.  Some of my best tips came from clients when the fishing was super tough.  All that being said, most clients did tip.  Note: I guided for catch and release only unless it is for panfish and crappie.  I did not clean fish.  

[Scott804]

I start at 20%, but usually end up at a little higher just because I have had so many great guides who have gone the extra mile. I have had guides who have extended the session by a couple hours free of charge just because they did not feel right with how many fish were caught or what had been accomplished. Always make sure to leave a good review for a good guide, it is far more valuable to them than anything else in the modern online world. The only time I have been tempted to not tip was in Florida when the only fish caught were catfish, whiting, and the tiniest snook I have ever seen in my life. But even then I ended up giving him 12%, despite him showing up late and generally just being a terrible guide. 

[flechero]

2 hours ago, J Francho said:

Dude?!? Where you been?

Honestly, I let myself stay busy doing other things to keep my mind off fishing....  My lifelong best friend and fishing buddy died several years ago (terrible story- young guy, 2 kids and wife, horrific battle with cancer) and I just wasn't been able to spend time on the water peacefully since then.  Just over the last month or so, it's starting to feel like it used to.

 

I also pulled out a 75% built 9 wt fly rod that was put away during his demise.  Determined to finish it and use it for the intended purpose.  We were supposed to go to Argentina that spring for Golden Dorado... but he was gone a few months before. 

 

Easing back into it...  Thanks for asking.

[Captain Phil]

1 hour ago, TOXIC said:

As a guide, I never expected a tip.  If I couldn’t make it obvious that I was doing everything in my power to make your day enjoyable and put you on fish, then I feel like I didn’t do something right or no matter what I did the client wasn’t going to tip anyway.  Some of my best tips came from clients when the fishing was super tough.  All that being said, most clients did tip.  Note: I guided for catch and release only unless it is for panfish and crappie.  I did not clean fish.  

 

Tipping a guide is greatly appreciated.  It's not mandatory.  If your reason for booking a guide was entertainment and you got what you paid for, you should tip whatever you are comfortable with.  Some of my paying customers were tournament fisherman looking for local knowledge.   I considered them a business to business transaction and never expected a tip.  If they did well in their tournament, I was happy for them.  At the time, a full day bass fishing trip ran about $350 a day.  $50 tips were common.  If the customer told me up front we were fishing for a trophy and he caught one, I got $100 or more.  Here's a photo of one happy angler below.  If we had a bad day, which happened sometimes, I refused to accept a tip.  The life of a fishing guide is tough work.  There are much easier ways to make a living.

 

 

[J Francho]

40 minutes ago, flechero said:

Easing back into it...  Thanks for asking.

Good to see you posting.  I'm so sorry for your loss.  

[Glenn]

2 hours ago, flechero said:

Honestly, I let myself stay busy doing other things to keep my mind off fishing....  My lifelong best friend and fishing buddy died several years ago (terrible story- young guy, 2 kids and wife, horrific battle with cancer) and I just wasn't been able to spend time on the water peacefully since then.  Just over the last month or so, it's starting to feel like it used to.

 

I also pulled out a 75% built 9 wt fly rod that was put away during his demise.  Determined to finish it and use it for the intended purpose.  We were supposed to go to Argentina that spring for Golden Dorado... but he was gone a few months before. 

 

Easing back into it...  Thanks for asking.

Geeze Keith, that's a heavy burden.  Sorry for your loss.

[Stratocat_Joe]

Thanks for the insight, everyone!

[Deleted account]

20 hours ago, flechero said:

A crisp new, $100 bill is appropriate for a good guide.  The heartfelt thank you and handshake are also very important!

Slimy, fish blood soaked cheddar spends just as well. Some of the biggest tips I've gotten were from the pool money I handed the winner. On the other hand, I've had guys try to hand me a $5 after a full day trip for the group.

[flechero]

40 minutes ago, BassWhole! said:

Slimy, fish blood soaked cheddar spends just as well. Some of the biggest tips I've gotten were from the pool money I handed the winner.

For sure, but a crisp C-note shows that the tip wasn't an afterthought or a lucky reward...  if the day had been tough or that one bite missed, your winner wouldn't have had everyone else's money to give you. 

[Dwight Hottle]

A Benny makes a good tip especially for the typical $400-500 charge for a days trip. Another $100 is not out of the question for a new PB in the trophy class. 

[Sphynx]

I think that the sentiment expressed by a couple of the guides here is in line with my views on the subject, a tip is a gratuity, not an expectation, in my line of work I know exactly what the standard is, and my standard is always set to exceed the industry's standards because I consider it a point of professional pride, I want to do the best job for the best price because it makes me feel like I have given the customer what they paid for, and because word of mouth has been, is, and will likely always be the most effective form of advertising around, a gratuity is nothing more than an extra expression of gratitude, the work I put in is already covered in my fees, and some of the best tips I have ever gotten were referrals and follow on business worth tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to the business, which unless I'm working for Oprah or something probably is more valuable than any tip a person could ever give me.

[Deleted account]

2 hours ago, Dwight Hottle said:

A Benny makes a good tip especially for the typical $400-500 charge for a days trip. Another $100 is not out of the question for a new PB in the trophy class. 

Over night tuna canyon run is 10 times that, Cha Ching! 

[Sphynx]

1 minute ago, BassWhole! said:

Over night tuna canyon run is 10 times that, Cha Ching! 

Maybe...but what expense does the guide get put to? Out of that 5k or so I would be shocked if the "income" part is much over $1000 or $1500

[Deleted account]

1 minute ago, Sphynx said:

Maybe...but what expense does the guide get put to? Out of that 5k or so I would be shocked if the "income" part is much over $1000 or $1500

I can break it down to the penny, I'm on the supply side of the equation. Overhead is high for sure. That's why I work the deck and not run the boat.

[Sphynx]

1 minute ago, BassWhole! said:

I can break it down to the penny, I'm on the supply side of the equation. Overhead is high for sure. That's why I work the deck and not run the boat.

It's all relative, lots of things work like that and it's amazing these days how many people do not think about the costs a business comes up with in the course of operation,  doesn't stop them demanding lower prices of course, but it's nice when folks DO have an appreciation for that side of the equation 

[haggard]

On 7/16/2021 at 11:28 AM, flechero said:

A crisp new, $100 bill is appropriate for a good guide.  The heartfelt thank you and handshake are also very important!

 

^ This right here.

 

I did most of my growing up in the 80s and early 90s when the normal tip for dinner out was strictly 15% and was surprised to hear, recently, from a co-worker who also works as a server, that nowadays 20 or 25% isn't uncommon if not the norm. I was a little shocked but decided what the hey, try it.

 

Assuming the workers actually worked hard, then for one-offs such as fishing guides, wedding photographers or moving/storage company's crews, a crisp $100 bill, cash (to each worker) - if you can afford it - goes a very long way. Most recipients will never forget and will always appreciate. I like to think the reward reminds them of the value of good work and encourages them to work hard for the next client. It's important that it's a Benji, and a new/crisp one, not a few $20s that have been passed around.

 

[Sphynx]

I may be in the minority for the position, but I am not afraid to make sure that a gratuity is commensurate with the services provided, and have several times in typical tipping situations not tipped if I felt the service rendered was subpar or undeserving of the reward, most frequently this comes in dining scenarios where servers consider a gratuity a requirement, then proceed to ignore at least half of the jobs responsibilities, by that same token, I am also not afraid of tipping in excess of typical standards if I feel that the service rendered warrants such a reward, I vastly prefer being able to do the latter and avoid the former if at all possible, but occasionally there are situations that demand an uncomfortable display and they are just as important to the individual in question as the exceedingly generous rewards.

[Bass_Fanatic]

I never expect a tip, but it is always appreciated.  I’m working to earn my rate pay and treat everyone the same whether you tip $500 or not at all.  For us,  we know that if we work hard, put our clients on fish, teach them different techniques, and make new friends, we have a customer that will come back over and over.  That is more important than a tip.