If you're coming out to Montana for the fishing, there are a couple philosophies anglers employ to maximize the time they have out here. Some people are the, "do it yourselfers," in that they like to explore and try to figure things out for themselves. I respect that, for sure. I am one of those guys but I also have the time and freedom to do that. There are definite benefits to achieving success on your own that go beyond the numbers. Part of fly fishing to a lot of us, is being able to read the surroundings and figuring things out and if you're able to do it on your own, it's a pretty cool feeling. However, it can also be pretty deflating when it doesn't work out and then you've spent all this time and effort and money and you go back to your nine-to-five with a bagel.
I guided a couple guys a few years ago, who were tired of such episodes and finally decided to bite the bullet and hire a guide. They were the guys that would rent a boat for a number of days and spend all their time arguing about how and where to fish and at the end of the day--goose eggs. So they walked into the shop dragging their tails between their legs and I just happened to be the next man up.
We fished that day and at the end of it, they decided to hire me again for that week. I've been guiding them for seven years now; only fishing a couple of days during their week out here and the rest of the time they explore the area because they say that in one day of fishing with me, they caught more than they had in all the time they've fished out here on their own and they might as well spend the money to fish two days that are successful than five days of not catching a thing.
Even for the "do-it-yourselfers," getting a guide for the first day out here can get you back into fish quicker and help jumpstart the "catching" for the next few days. The river is always changing and we're on it all the time figuring it out. There's absolutely nothing wrong with getting guided and being able to ask a bunch of questions so that the next days are more productive. It's money well spent in my opinion.
So let's say you've decided to hire a guide. How it works out here in Montana, is that the vast majority of guides are independent contractors much like in the construction business. The difference is, is that the guides don't set their price so you don't have to worry so much about outfitters just contracting with the lowest bid. What does happen however, is that if you wait for the last minute to call an outfitter, you're going to end up in a situation where the outfitter or shop is scrambling to find anyone available. You're best bet is to plan early and really develop a relationship with an outfitter and that outfitter will hopefully put you with the appropriate guide for what you want to accomplish with your day.
This is an incredibly important concept that I don't think many folks really consider when planning a trip. You really have to figure out what you want in a fishing trip and then tell your outfitter. I can't tell you how many times I've taken people out after being guided buy someone else that say, "Yeah, (so and so) was a great guy and we caught a lot of fish but can we please see more of the river than just the first two miles?" Or maybe that's all they care about is numbers and they only want to fish where they have the best chance to catch the most fish. Either way, your outfitter should know that. The bottom line is if you leave it up to chance, you're going to get what you get and the money you spend might feel like it was wasted.
The other point I would make is that you will be in the boat with your guide for a long time and some personalities just don't mesh well. It's not necessarily the guide or the client; their personalities or their beliefs just might not be in alignment. Usually, if you develop a relationship with an outfitter, you can get a good idea of who they hire and they will often hire guides that reflect their philosophies in both fishing and in other areas and when you spend 8 or 10 hours with them, that might be important to you.
I don't like talking politics in the boat and I NEVER bring it up because I know my experiences and my education are probably different than my clients'. Besides, it almost never goes well unless you just side with the person's opinion that's holding the rod. However, every once in a while you actually get someone that can talk politics without getting offended and they actually enjoy hearing other perspectives as well as getting the chance to give their own.
There was a guy I guided a few years back who would bring up politics in the boat and I would just ignore it and say, "Ok, throw it left..."
He finally assured me he really did want to hear my opinion and he wouldn't get offended so I told him what I thought. Of course we didn't agree but were able to spend a while debating and fishing and we actually had a really good time.
The next year, I was hired by another outfitter and was standing there waiting for our sports to show up. The white Suburban rolls in and stops and this same guy steps out. He looks right at me and says, "Oh Russy boy! How the hell are you? I'm fishing with you today!"
The point is, guides are human and have personalities and clients have expectations. If you want the best bang for your buck, get to know your outfitter, establish a good relationship with them and be honest about what you want out of your day. If you just want to rope a hundred fish, tell them that. If you want to learn about fishing or about the river, tell them that too; and if you want to see different things and get away from the crowds, it's really important to find those outfitters and guides that will go the extra mile to do that for you too.
Just remember, fishing is fishing and there are many ways of finding success through the process whether that's catching a bunch of fish or learning more about the sport but there are no guarantees. Hiring a guide helps eliminate some of the guess-work but doesn't come with guarantees either. Hopefully, by establishing a relationship and being placed with the appropriate guide, at least if the fishing isn't great, the day on the water still is.
Keep 'em where they live...
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