Tougher Days

Oh no, not tougher days fishing; tougher days finding work. And it only seems to be getting worse. When I first started guiding, there weren't enough of us. Now, there are too many of us and not enough clients. So the relationships one develops with an outfitter are pretty important. And not just any outfitter but the right outfitters.

So what's the right outfitter? I think that's different for every guide and client for that matter. Personally, I like to work for guys that have enough business sense to keep clients happy, treat their guides fairly, and when appropriate, stand up for their guys to help resolve difficult situations. I worked for about ten different outfitters this year with a variety of perspectives on how to handle the business end of the relationship and the more personal side as it pertains to concepts of support and loyalty. A couple situations have come to light in the past week that have gotten me questioning whether it's even worth putting myself out there anymore. I feel what I do best is get people to catch fish and have fun; especially the newcomers to the sport. Where I lack is dealing with the politics and right now I'm pretty disenfranchised with the the process.

For example; I fished with a group at one of the lodges for my first 3 seasons. I was doing about 15 days for this particular outfitter and was requested by this group the last couple years. I got to know them fairly well and looked forward to guiding them. They came out this week and instead of getting the call, the trip went to a first year guide. I've only done a few days for this outfitter this year without any explanation of why. However, when he's in a bind and needs someone short notice, who do you think he calls? Last year, the only guys that ever stiffed me were from this particular outfitter. One group even told me they were going to leave the tip with him and I never saw it. When I addressed it with him I was told that, that's just what happens sometimes and he has no control over it. And again, my trips for this outfitter dropped significantly.

Recently another situation came up that also brings into question of whether it's even worth staying in this business. I took a local guy out and his buddy from NC for two days. I had guided him and his dad last year a few days and him and his buddy a couple more. This was the seventh time I guided him. His buddy wanted to do something different like learn how to dry fly fish and throw streamers and he worked hard and eventually started catching fish. The local guy didn't do so well and kind of copped an attitude. I did everything I could to accommodate both but at some point the guy just gave up. At the end of the day, the buddy tipped me $120. The other guy told me his tip for me would to be less of an asshole to my clients. This led to a heated exchange of words and needless to say, a lost client.

Every outfitter I've talked to that's been doing this for a while has a similar story. You do your best and sometimes the personalities are just not a good fit. When the incident got back to the shop, the guy was awarded a free trip for the next year. I was asked to forfeit a portion of my guide fees for the trips I did for these guys. I offered to comp a trip for the outfitter for next year but that wasn't enough.

The problem here is this concept of loyalty and who the outfitter should be loyal to; the guide or the customer. I think the immediate response would be to the customer and I get that. Without the customer, none of us have jobs. However, these guys took a trip last year for the first time on a whim. They got me and because of the day they had, they took 4 more trips last year and booked 2 this year--every time requesting me. Over half the trips I did for this outfitter this year were people requesting me or clients I brought to them.

In this particular case, I realize the difficulty of the situation, which is why I offered to help out with a trip for next year. I don't think the outfitter is a bad guy we just have a different perspective of the business. In an ideal situation, we would all align ourselves with those outfitters who we think treat us the way we want to be treated. Unfortunately, with the amount of trips available by any one outfitter, we have to bend over and take it from anyone willing to give it or we won't be getting work. A couple years ago it wasn't so much like that. The guides were on demand and outfitters were scrambling more to hire good ones.

One thing I'm very confident of is that nobody works harder than I do to satisfy the expectations of their clients. That's not to say that I'm a better guide than this guy or that guy but I do work incredibly hard and I think those that know me understand that. The question is, is that enough? It doesn't feel like it. Don't get me wrong, there are those that have rewarded the hard work. Headhunter's have been great and I've done a bunch of days for them. CrossCurrents and Pete Cardinal have also come through and Joe Bloomquist has always treated me right. And the best thing is I don't feel like I get punished from them when I bring up concerns. The problem is, those relationships only amount to about 65 days and I can't live on that. Adding 15 or so more days from random outfitters and I'm close but still not there.

I love guiding but I also have to eat. I don't have another day booked this year and although that could change due to incredible weather and great fishing, it's looking a little bleak. There are still a lot of guides looking for work. The last few years the guides were typically either hunting or heading South by this time. We will see. Right now my focus is starting to shift to trying to find work for the winter. That and birds. Chase rocks.

Keep 'em where they live...