AS SEEN IN THE SEPT/OCT 2006 ISSUE 

The busy life of an inshore fishing guide.
 A panel of experts swears it’s far from only fun and games.
 
Professional fishing guides have a passion for fishing! Really good fishing guides have a passion for educating others and watching them catch fish. That’s the number one reason anglers turn professional- to teach and help others enjoy our wonderful resources.

In preparation for the awesome trip that a guide strives for his or her clients to experience, the average professional will invest many additional hours in the process than only the time spent on the water.

Regardless of marketing, booking, pro-staff appearances, and everything else that’s involved in running a successful small business, most work days for the professional for-hire inshore guide start way before each trip. It all begins with checking and maintaining a boat load of equipment that is subjected to the rigors of saltwater fishing on a daily basis. Pre-game duties include everything from making sure that the appropriate safety measures are taken for the number of passengers aboard to making sure there is plenty of cold water and ice on board to avoid dehydration. It all sounds simple enough, but it all takes time- time that most professional guides don’t even consider when discussing the cost of a charter trip.

I asked a panel of experts a few questions regarding what’s really important to them about each trip and the preparations they make for each. Summarized below are some of their responses.

To get an overview of how a professional inshore guide spends his or her time, I asked the question, “How do you prepare for a trip and what is the main objective for each of your charters?”

As you can imagine, the answers ran the gamut from preparing the boat and tackle, to putting the anglers on fish, to returning safely to port. However, as you will see, they all had a general theme in common.

Captain Chris Myers explained his objective for every charter is to put the client(s) in the best position to catch the targeted species. “My goal is, at the very least, to prove to the clients that the species they’re after are present, and to provide them with the proper education and tools for catching those fish” he said.†

Captain Chris O’Neil mentioned he likes to ensure that each client fully understands what type of fishing he/she would like to partake in, and make sure they clearly understand everything that goes along with it. The evening before the trip, Chris discusses the potential bite, the sought-after species’ characteristics, weather patterns, and what to bring along on the trip. The rest, he says, is easy. “It’s fishing!”

Other responses to the question of preparation included finding out who will be on the boat, girlfriends, kids, etc. to determine the experience level of the individual or group; instructing clients on how to select the correct bait or lure, and the proper use of all tackle and accessories; discussing the environment, the surrounding habitat, and how it relates to the fish they’re seeking and finally- the main objective is for clients to just relax, enjoy the surrounding natural beauty, and catch fish.

Anyone who fishes much knows all too well that fish don’t always bite. Captain Gary Miserlian prefers to contact clients the day before the trip to verify time and place of departure. He updates them on the last couple of day’s fishing success and what they can expect for their charter. “If recent conditions have been extremely unfavorable and no major changes are expected, I let the customers decide if they would like to reschedule.” 

Captain Vic Tyson summed it up for all the guides in his response to the question. Tyson said he wanted his clients to thoroughly enjoy themselves. In his words, he said, “I want my anglers to have real fun. I want them to forget about the hustle and bustle of their busy lives and see and do things they normally miss-out on every other day.”

So, you get the idea. Professional fishing guides think carefully about every trip way before the first bait or lure ever hits the water. Mapping out a strategy for each potential client is obviously a big part of their overall game plan. When you put all of this together, it comes down to two important words – fishing success!

The following question related directly to the preparation that guides make before each trip. Specifically, I asked, “What actions do you take the day or night before a charter to prepare for the following day?”

I have revealed a couple of specific answers below, but please realize that the vast majority of shallow water guides conduct these same pre-game rituals.

Captain Troy Mell starts his preparation by checking the weather, tides, and moon phase, and then formulates a strategy based on past information for similar patterns. He then considers recent trends, and combines the information with the client’s preferences.

Captain Ray Markham says that preparation doesn’t start the day before, but multiple days before a scheduled trip. Markham believes a guide has to be on the water at least three or four days a week to stay on top of the fish’s movements and feeding patterns. For Captain Ray, consistent scouting provides the knowledge of where the fish are likely to be feeding during each tidal phase. This is vital knowledge that is an important aspect of preparation. “First and foremost, you need to put your clients on fish.†You can't guarantee they’ll bite, but the fish have to be there for the clients to even stand a chance of catching them.”†

He, like most guides I spoke with, also reviews online fishing reports and calls fellow guides to compare notes on what is biting and where the bulk of the action is taking place. 

Captain Rick Burns makes sure all of his rods and gear are fully inspected and maintained, checking and replacing line and/or leader material as necessary. He rigs all his rods consistent with the next day’s targets and matches safety equipment to the expected clients. Finally, like almost every other guide, he takes another look at the weather, tide tables, and moon phases.

Generally, all the guides poled try to cover every aspect of the next day’s trip as part of their ‘pre-combat’ activities.

So, the plans are made and the trip takes place. Hopefully it was a successful one, but good day or bad, the trip may have ended for the client, but the guide is far from done. The panel of pros went on to tell me what they do after the client has left for the day.

Captain Becky Campbell says she tries to relax a little as she cleans the boat and replaces tackle or accessories as needed. She makes notes in her log book about the trip, carefully noting any adjustments she made in her game plan. Then she says, “I begin to prepare for the following day’s charter.”

A number of post-game activities begin right at the dock. Before heading for home, Tyson mentioned he has a habit of cleaning out the live wells. Captain O’Neil says,”I inspect my vessel for debris and trash while I am still at the dock and remove it as quickly as possible.”

Other post-game duties mentioned by the panel of experts included washing the boat, flushing the engine, washing and inspecting all equipment, hooking up battery chargers, and checking vital fluid levels. A couple of the guides complete their evening chores by processing digital photos and sending them via email to the client along with a brief thank-you note. One guide even sends a recipe on how to prepare the fish caught.

After all this is said and done, a couple more hours have been added to the length of the trip. That half-day trip becomes a æ day for the guide- the æ day trip becomes a full day trip- and a full day trip becomes twelve hours long.

So, after all the preparation that goes into a charter, and all the post-trip work is completed, how does a guide determine if the trip was successful?
To find out, I asked, “How do you gauge each trip’s success?”

This question was the toughest of all. Why? Because every client is different. Some clients measure success by the quantity of fish they caught. Some, by the quality of the fish they caught, and still others by the sheer variety of fish they caught. A number of clients just enjoy being on the water where they have a chance to relax far away from their daily rat race, while some just want to learn as much about fishing as possible. Lastly, for most clients, success depends heavily on whether they liked the guide or not. So, with all these possibilities, how do the professionals measure their own success?

Captain Markham said, “I want to provide the best day possible on the water, in terms of comfort, locating fish, and entertainment value. If my clients are happy, I’m happy.”

One thing that makes Markham really happy is to put his clients on a Grand Slam or maybe a trophy fish they have never caught before. In his words he tries to provide them, “…something they wouldn’t likely accomplish on their own.”†

Captain Tyson and Captain Burns emphasized the notion of having fun. All guides like to hear their clients laughing and cheering about the fish they caught and how hard they pulled. Tyson feels he has had a successful trip if the clients enjoyed the experience while viewing the beautiful scenery and wonderful wildlife, while Captain Burns says a trip is successful when the clients return safely to port and head home with a bag of fresh fillets for the dinner table.

For Captain Chris O’Neil, it’s all about expectations. “If the clients fully understood what their intent was for the trip, and you managed to make that happen for them, the trip was successful.”

Captain Myers says he is sometimes disappointed at the overall number of fish his clients catch, but he wants them to know that they were taken to a place where the targeted species were present, and they were provided the proper tools and instruction to catch them “My goal is for the client to walk away feeling like I gave a full 100 percent effort from beginning to end!”

Miserlian detailed a common thread among guides with respect to a great day on the water. “My measure of success is if the customers come back and/or refer friends and family to me. The first time you see a client means almost nothing. They could very well have selected your business randomly. It’s the referrals and repeat business that make a professional fishing guide a success.”

Most of the captains agreed that the majority of their clients enjoy just spending time on the water and are happy to catch, and usually release, whatever species is biting. Nevertheless, the guide’s preparations are almost always focused on a particular target with a particular game plan aimed at achieving the client’s direct wishes. If attempts to fulfill the client’s wishes are not fulfilled, then a switch of strategy is in order.

It’s very obvious that at the end of the day when all is said and done, professional fishing guides have worked extremely hard well in advance, during, and after each trip to provide their clients a productive and pleasurable day on the water. Most agree that it’s hard to be perfect and make everyone happy all of the time, but as Captain Becky Campbell says, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how about a 9.5?”

Capt. Rick Burns        Homosassa, Crystal River        reelburns2001@yahoo.com
Capt. Becky Campbell    Everglades City            CaptainBecky709@aol.com
Capt. Ray Markham    Terra Ceia            flatback@tampabay.rr.com
Capt. Gary Miserlian    Boca Grande - Charlotte Harbor    miserlian@jackpine.com
Capt. Troy Mell        Islamorada            reelmello@bellsouth.net
Capt. Chris Myers    Mosquito Lagoon            cmyers@floridafishinglessons.com
Capt. Chris O’Neil    Englewood            chris@tailchaserfishgear.com
Capt. Vic Tison        Jacksonville            vic2fish@aol.com

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