There are some days when the weather looks awful and I’m less than excited to get out of bed and brave the elements, but when it comes down to it, I couldn’t ask for a better job. I run my own business. I learn new things and meet new people. I go to breathtaking places and I’m blessed to spend my workdays being part of a painting on one of God’s most grand canvases.
The author had the pleasure of taking fellow guide and best friend Ted Teuful and his whole family on Ted’s birthday. Only fitting Ted nailed a beautiful hatchery springer on the first pass.
I’ll never forget my first official guided fishing trip. Sure, I’d taken a lot of friends on the river with high hopes of catching them a mess of fish, but finally someone was paying me to take them fishing. It was officially happening! I was a professional fishing guide. Licensed, legal and out on the river with paying customers. What a thrill! I got pretty lucky that first day. Frank and Leo caught three hatchery steelhead that morning in the hole right in front of the boat ramp before I ever pulled on the oars. Not a bad start at all, but there’s no way I could have ever dreamt that my love for taking people fishing would one day turn into a full-time career.
What started as summer job guiding in Alaska turned into a business that has moved me all over Oregon from hotel rooms to camp grounds to sleeping in the back seat of my truck. I can tell you guiding isn’t for the faint of heart, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. It’s introduced me to an endless number of new people and experiences. I’ve been part of unimaginable events and exciting moments with laughter and jubilation. Unfortunately, I’ve also been a privy to some butt puckering moments I’d rather never do again. Good or bad, all of them have helped me build character and mold the guide and person I am today.
Above is livestream video of the Winchester Dam Fish Ladder on the North Umpqua River!
That being said, there are a few little pearls of wisdom I’ve learned along the way in my first few decades taking people fishing I’d love to bestow upon you. Some of these tidbits or suggestions or whatever you want to call them might not apply to you or help you in any way. I simply hope you get something out of my rambling useful for your own life on the water.
Whoever Has The Most Fun Wins When
I was 19 years old I took a job guiding for Katmai Lodge on the Alagnak River, Alaska. I was a kid in a candy shop in the heart of Katmai National Park. Avoiding dozens of grizzly bears while wading the braids for some of the biggest trout and Dollies in the world was unfathomable until I saw it for myself. It’s the epitome of wild Alaska perfection. I think about it every day.
The author’s life long friend Tara Renner caught the biggest salmon on her life last summer off the mouth of the Columbia River.
Despite the waves of Chinook, chum, sockeye and coho pouring into the lower river on the tide, the thing that I have taken with me in my guiding career more than anything was something a client George Scholes, a guest at the lodge told me one evening about three days into his trip.
George came alone on his trip and no one wanted just one client because you don’t make as much tip money, so he was assigned to the new guy, me. Little did anyone know George was a very talented fisherman and an all-around great guy. I enjoyed every minute I spent with him on the river and at the lodge.
Because I only had one rod fishing, I had been leaving a little early for the king water on the lower river to make sure George would get the first crack at fresh kings. We did well each day and I know he was pleased with our results thus far. Like any 19 year old who thought his success was stacked up nightly against the other guides and their clients at the dinner table, I wasn’t happy with fewer fish a day. I had one rod fishing and they had two or three. I wasn’t getting the numbers like other guides.
That evening, George and I were talking and I suggested that we get up a little earlier and get down river first before the other boats arrived. George wasn’t having it and I’m summarizing when I say he told me, “Kid, I know you’d run through a wall to get me another fish. No one will doubt your effort. But tomorrow I want to a go out late. I want you to drive me upriver in one of the little jet boats and I want to sit on a gravel bar and maybe take a nap. You should just bring a rod and fish because I know you won’t stop talking to me and I’ll never get to sleep. But stay close so a bear doesn’t eat me.”
Rick caught the steelhead of a lifetime at 76 years old while his son Keegan anxiously cheered him on.
The thought of not catching as many fish as the other guides was like nails on a chalkboard to me and left me gnashing my teeth.
“I’m on vacation,” he explained. “The only measure of success you need to worry about it how much I enjoy my trip. Screw those other guys. I don’t care what they do.”
To this day, George explaining that to me has never left the forefront of my mind when I’m on the river with my customers. Oh, and George if you’re reading this, give me a call.
Each morning I try to assess my guests’ goals for the day, not my own. If they’re new customers, I ask them a few questions. Who’s never caught a salmon or steelhead? Often my clients are sales guys and their customers, who they’d like to catch most of the fish for the day. Maybe I find out of there are some fathers or mothers on board whose only hope is to get a fish for their wife or child. Being willing to find out what my customers purpose of the trip is, instead of worrying about if I’m go-ing to post the biggest limit on social media that night, has changed not just my guiding career. Now I get to sit back and relax. I have fun with my people. It’s my pleasure to spend a little extra time and waste a few practice anchovies on the 11-year-old who wants to rig one themselves and catch a fish on it. Making their priority, my priority takes some of the stress of guiding off my shoulders and makes the day about having the most fun. When that all comes together and you still get a box full of fish, then you won and can go to bed with a smile.
Tara Renner battles a huge king salmon off the mouth of the Columbia River.
Good Customers Are Worth Their Weight In Gold
Something I never thought about when starting my guide business was the people I’d meet and the relationships I’d build along the way. I suppose I thought I’d simply take people fishing every day and didn’t think about it much past that. Little did I know that these hopeful fishermen would become a lot more than a paycheck. Some of these relationships would become about so much more than fishing. Some of these friends I’m lucky enough to have out of the boat are some of the best people I know and I look forward to the day their name is on the schedule.
Obviously, the point of owning a business is to make money, but when that becomes secondary to spending time with friends who happen to pay you, guide life becomes incredible. Without running through a list of customers I love, let me just say that being part of an 8-year old’s first salmon and taking him fishing as part of his high school graduation present is pretty cool. I’ve watched kids grow up into responsible adults. Witnessed friend’s businesses develop and flourish over time and watched them sell it to set up the rest of their retirement. I’ve lent an ear to listen in times of need when life gets hard and been the one who needed a someone to lean on in one of life’s many storms. The fact that people get to escape the stresses of their everyday life and enjoy the great outdoors while you work together connect them with a fish, bonds you in a different way than anything I’ve been a part of. It’s a very special career and the people I get to share it with make me look forward getting on the water.
Keep Your Circle Small
This one I’ve learned the hard way. It’s great to have a million friends on the river and off. Being polite and likable are awesome qualities to have for anyone, especially a fishing guide. But, being friends with everyone and trusting everyone is not the same thing. There are the people you share reports with when they call. There’re guys you look forward to hearing from when you see them on the water. It’s nice to compare notes and maintain friend-ships, but that doesn’t mean you should give just anyone keys to the castle. It takes a lot of effort to know what stretch of river the fish are in or have a little trick that’s really helping you succeed. I can tell you first hand, that giving someone a little too much information to be a nice guy is one of those good deeds that you think will eventually come around in your favor and it seldom does. People are inherently self-serving and just because you’re helpful to someone one day doesn’t mean you’ll get that in return.
Aaron and the author ventured to Waterfall Resort near Ketchican and fished with Oregon guide Nick Fernandez. This fish won King of the Day for the resort.
When you spend your entire life fishing, learning, seeing what’s happening on the water, adjusting, moving, relearning, re-adjusting and constantly trying to perfect your craft, people will want know what you know. That knowledge you’ve accumulated is worth a lot. You’ve spent hours of your life pursuing your passion. It costs money, time, energy, frustration, all of it. So giving away too much to the wrong people is something I’d strongly caution against. A retired guide and good friend of mine told me a long time ago, “Make them pay you for what you know, not what you can do.”
That being said, everyone needs that small circle of other people you really trust. The people you can really dive into the details with and make each other better fishermen. Knowing who you can trust and who you can’t is the hardest part, but keeping your circle small and not sharing too much with anyone is a good place to start.
Social Media Isn’t The Devil
So many people get frustrated with social media. All the little nuances and quirks about a river or other small fishery specifics used to take years to learn and now are a few keystrokes away. Heck I’m doing it right now as I write this, but here’s the thing. If you use social medial to your advantage, it’s an awesome tool.
I’ve had days where a group of 6 clients bailed on me for the next day at 2 p.m. the day before. Of course, I was frustrated and angry, but a Facebook and Instagram post later and I was back in business with 6 new fishermen who were stoked to get a last second seat. If used carefully, social is the cheapest and easiest tool for advertising a small business could ever ask for. You can filter what information you release, you can make friends, you can promote your business, you can promote your friends’ businesses. You can literally get your face and your brand right in front of people whether they’re in their living room, on the river or on the other side of the world. You just have to be smart about it and especially remember, social media doesn’t have to be live. Just because something happened right now doesn’t mean it has to go online right away. Saving things for later takes a little discipline when you want to share your latest catch with the masses, but you’ll find it’s often worth the wait. Lastly and absolutely most importantly, don’t drink and post. Ask me how I know…
Lachlan McIntosh and his twin sons, James (left) and Quinn, came all the way from Taiwan to fish Astoria with the author. Their close friend Samuel Matthias handled the net while the boy’s grandfather Alex Zukowski ran the camera. Great day boys!
I have enjoyed my journey into this guiding career. As I write this article, I’m looking forward to my next winter steelhead trip with a few of my favorite clients in the morning.
There are some days when the weather looks awful and I’m less than excited to get out of bed and brave the elements, but when it comes down to it, I couldn’t ask for a better job. I run my own business. I learn new things and meet new people. I go to breathtaking places and I’m blessed to spend my workdays being part of a painting on one of God’s most grand canvases. There’s not much more in life I could ask for except for maybe more of the same. I just hope as new things come my way, I can enjoy the ride and I’m smart enough to learn from events that unfold.
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