So the typical drill once the day is done is going back to the bar or the lodge and everyone compares their day, which for a lot people means numbers. "Did you wreck 'em?" Nobody ever asks if your dudes had fun and it doesn't seem to matter how experienced your people were or even if they had ever even caught a trout on a fly before; all that matters is how many fish you caught or if you got any two footers. The absolute worst is when you have a client so proud of catching their first trout on the Missouri and the outfitter chimes in with, "Well, we hooked 73 fish today..." or, "we caught a 23 and a 24," when you know it's all B.S. I've seen those 23's and 24's and they're more like 20's and 21's. I took a husband and wife out last week and let me just say, we had a blast and they will definitely be coming back and we only caught 9 fish--none of which were over 20 inches and one might have even been a white fish if I remember right.
When I was introduced to the couple, I was told it would be a challenge. I remembered them from last year and although I couldn't really recall the day, I knew it hadn't gone all that well. As we got to the river my memory started kicking in and it all started coming back. She had never fly fished before that day last year and he had just gone through surgery to slow down the onset of Parkinson's on his nervous system. She hooked a number of fish but couldn't land them and because his reflexes were so slow, he only hooked a few. He did manage to put a couple in the boat but it was tough.
I know I let my frustration dictate the day last year and I may have even wrote about it on this blog. It definitely brought me back to days I spent with my dad after he had a couple of strokes and could no longer effectively take on many of the seemingly simple tasks of fishing. I would bring him down to the river every once in a while and I would get so frustrated seeing him flail around not being able to manage the reel or the line. Maybe it was because I felt bad for him or maybe I felt bad for myself? Maybe I just missed him and hated seeing what his illnesses reduced him to. Whatever it was, this client brought many of these same emotions out and I have to be honest, I had a tough time with it. Recognizing this I told myself I wouldn't let it happen again. These people had payed a lot of money to have a good time and although catching fish is important, getting frustrated and being an asshole wouldn't make her a better angler and definitely wasn't going to cure the Parkinson's.
She hooked a fish about a half-hour into it and partially because it was only about 12 inches and partially because I had put on a leader twice as heavy as normal, she landed it. She hooked a couple more and as they pulled, she reefed back on them and every time, they broke off. Trying to use as much sense of humor as I could this time, I let her know that ripping lip was just an expression and that maybe she should let them run a little before she yanks back on them. At about lunch time, I was watching her husband in the front of the boat when out of the corner of my eye I saw her set the hook on a very nice rainbow and with the rod tip straight up, she played that fish like a fricken pro. She went on to catch seven fish that day, which was more than she caught her entire three day trip last year and she was stoked.
At the end of the day her husband approached me and said, "You made my wife's day. I really appreciate that." As he slipped me $150 he continued, "You know, I didn't like you last year but today was a lot of fun. I'm bringing my boys out this fall. Will you guide us?"
I can't tell you how many times I've fallen into the trap of letting my expectations dictate the day and it doesn't go well. Fortunately, I can usually catch myself doing it and I correct myself before there is too much damage. It's not my trip and the clients could care less about how I look when I go back to the bar and have to brag about how many fish we catch. The problem is, is feeling like you have to play the game or stand in that long line of other guides with their dicks out seeing who has the longest stream. With trips being more scarce and times getting tough, there's more and more pressure to whip it out and brag about what you got. Last week was a good lesson that numbers ain't everything and sometimes being a good guide means being a good guy.
Keep 'em where they live...
I like it.
ReplyDelete