Tipping a fishing guide

[sotx]

You tip to the restaurant owner/land owner when you show up.

Exactly

[Fishndude]

I was a guide for years. I never "EXPECTED" a tip but it sure was nice to get one.

[sotx]

I was a guide for years. I never "EXPECTED" a tip but it sure was nice to get one.

Now that is something I can understand.

[kyle1974]

why are you guys that are stating BAY guides should be tipped keep making comments like "they don't own their boats" or "they're just working"

I've never met a guide that doesn't own/operate his own business.

Kind of like tipping Paris Hilton's daddy next time you stay in one of their hotels.

[Hafernick]

I would agree if the guide was working for someone. I am specifically talking about owner operators. I have no problem tipping the help. But I do have a problem tipping the owner. I never tip the restaurant owner and I never tip the owner of a hunting consession, I will tip his guides, just not the owner.

I understand your point but I think regardless who takes you fishing you should tip them.

[cosmiccowboy]

One of my best friends is an EXTREMELY good guide out of Aransas Pass. I use him as a reference point on a 1-10 scale as a 10.

I tip proportionately to how the specific guide ranks on that scale and they will get anywhere from 0 to $200 for the day.

I base my decision not on how many fish were caught but the following:

1) Was the guide on time and ready to fish when we got there?
2) Was the guides boat appropriate and organized and clean? (for instance you don't book a 4 man party with an 18' boat...even if you are wading theres no room for all the gear and still be able to get around the boat comfortably)
3) Was the guide personable and knowledgeable?
4) I have all my own equipment but some people obviously don't. Is the guides fishing equipment appropriate and well serviced?
5) Does the guide bring PLENTY of bait and ice? Does he provide anything else? (water, etc.)
6) Does he offer advice and instruction to rookies?
7) Does he know his area? Does he have a plan B, C, D, E, and F if necessary if fish can't be located? Is he willing to pick up and run long distances if necessary?
8) Is he a clock watcher? Does he call the trip early even if limits haven't been caught?

Fishing is fishing. I don't base the tip on quantity/quality of fish caught.

I fished with a guide a couple of years ago ( I didn't book the trip) that was an example of a 1.

We were at the dock 15 minutes before the agreed upon time with all our gear stacked and ready to be loaded. The guide came motoring up 15 minutes late. His gear was just thrown in the boat. He tied up the boat and said "I need some coffee" and walked inside...we were leaving out of Woodies in Port Aransas...We loaded our gear and waited...He came back about 20 minutes later with one skimpy bucket of croaker ( 5 dozen at the most) for 3 fisherman + him and an 8# bag of ice. OK, we are 45 minutes late now...he starts the boat, we cast off, and then he idles out and gets in line at the gas pump...after 20 minutes he buys 10 gallons of gas. Meanwhile, I'm looking at the rods/reels my friends were going to be using and they were totally inappropriate for croaker fishing...short, medium heavy Wal-Mart rods and cheap reels that hadn't been cleaned in a year spooled with mono...

Meanwhile, I am trying to talk to him...he is obviously hung over. I ask him what the plan was and he told me he wasn't sure...he had planned to fish the surf, but it was too windy ( I agreed)

I soon realized that he didn't know the bay. He just set up on the edge of the intercoastal and started soaking croakers. After an hour of wasting bait and catching hardheads I finally told him I knew the bay pretty good and suggested we move...I showed him a couple of spots I knew that were fairly close (he had already said he didn't want to go far) and we finally started getting into some trout until we ran out of croaker, so we had to cast net some mullet and try for redfish.

At 12:30 he looked at his watch, pulled anchor, and said OK, time to go in...

Needless to say, he got ZERO tip, but I asked for a card just so I could remember who NOT to recommend.

[WCI]

Just my opinion.

Let us all remember what a tip or gratuity is actually. It is not a guarantee but an additional gift for the individual or folks that made a "big" impact on your experience. Money is the customary gift but all are fine. Well.... I have a charter business and I get this all the time. The main thing to remember is that this "tip" should NEVER be given just because whatever or not given just because or not catching or harvesting the monster. This is an opportunity for the client to have the say in what has happened. You have paid good money for a good trip and you deserve the very best for that hard earned monies. Now the charter Captain or guide or whatever we are now also helps you out in areas as well. We are able to get you a license, in or out of state, for a greatly reduced amount just for fishing with us. We handle everything mostly. I hate this well we have limited out so lets head home crap. This is all hogwash. You can only retain a legal creel limit. You may catch and release as many as you choose. Remember that and discuss it with your guide as some may disagree. I say you have rented me and my boat for 6 or 8 hrs or whatever so lets use that time. Many Captains can fill a limit very quickly, hell that is what we do and should be able to do it most everyday but sometimes things can go amiss. I cannot remember a single time we have not caught way more that most wanted but I am sure it happens. If the guide is "really" trying and not just putting on a show then thank him. If he is not fulfilling your fair expectations tell him. Money is not the only way to thank someone but it is an option. An honest handshake and a repeat trip may be in order. I try to take as many pictures as possible and get a email for distrubition. I have received many "tips" three weeks after the trip. No matter but it is still heartfelt. I have actually had a gentlemen that called at the last minute for a trout trip for his two grand boys and himself. The entire time he was asking about the cost and fuel usage etc. When we got back to the dock. I told him the trip was on me and cost him nothing but maybe he could come back sometime. This gentlemen has since been back several times and I have hunted at his place in Mississippi. I am not saying I nor any other guide can afford this often but it does happen. Prices are way high but it still is darn fun to fish with a good guide.

[Sackett]

Can you guys write a little more information in the posts, my War And Peace is getting old and I need some more crapper reading material to print off

[Fishndude]

I've never met a guide that doesn't own/operate his own business.

Many of them exist!!

[ReelTime]

As a charter captain, (OFFSHORE) it seems to be customary to tip at the end of the trip. Some of the captains run the trip by themselves (without a deckhand) and I agree, there is no reason for a tip. If you have a deckhand on the boat, he usually works his but off all day and only gets around $50.00
The deckhand works for tips. What sucks is when it is a bad day fishing the deckhand gets screwed and it wasn't his fault.

[Kdub]

I was a guide for a few yrs. myself. I have a full time job, and did this on the side. You can't always catch full limits of fish, no matter how hard you try. I would stay on the water until my party hollered calf rope. I also charged 1/2 of my daily fee several times when I couldn't put my party on fish. I always cleaned the fish, and didn't mind showing people some of my spots. I laugh at the guy's who think they have "secret spots" in the bays these days. I took lots of kids too, and I always loved to see them catch their first fish or their biggest fish.
I had a few bad experiances with customers being rude, or being a jerk that I quickly figured out that I value my time on the water enough that now a days I just take my family or friends, or simply fish by myself.
Back to the subject of tips; I usually got tips. I tried my best to make sure my customers had a good time. Since this was a recreational hobby ( thats what my book keeper called my bus. ) I didn't worry as much about the profit margin. I wanted to have a good time while I was out there too.
I haven't chartered my boat in 5 yrs. now and I still have old customers call me now and then wanting to go fishing, so I guess I was doing things right.

[bigun]

Cosmic, you can't even count him as a guide and I would have had some serious issues even paying this guy. I hope you let him know how you felt about the trip and what you expected after it was over. But you definitely got the right guidelines in my book.

Basically tips are for the customer service. If the guide supplies everything and takes off your fish, baits your line, shows you a good time and knowledgeable, a tip is appropriate. You can't always base a good day based on what you catch. A good guide should be able to tell you based on the weather it will be rough and give you the option to fish or not. If this is the case, once the boat leaves the dock the trip is payable. If they sit on the front of the boat and fish and does nothing for you, a tip is not appropriate.

SOTX, I can't talk for Tx guides expectations but I know several I work with here that expect a tip and if they feel they did what they could do for you and no tip recieved, they will more than likely be booked everytime you call afterwards. They will have enough customers to not worry about booking you again. On the other note, these same guides also understand why they did not get tipped on the days they did not deserve it.

[cosmiccowboy]

As an example of a 10, a trpical trip with my friend is:

Get to his place at 4:30

Everything is backed out and ready. It's a 25' rig with all the bells and whistles...nav system, remote control power pole, trolling motor, oxygen live well, etc. For 4 fishermen he has 24 dozen healthy croaker and about 100# of ice, bait buckets, floating creel nets and top quality belts with back support. Load and store our gear and 5 minutes later we are in his 4 door 4X4 headed for Bird Island with a bag of breakfast tacos.

We have all our own gear, but if we didn't, he has long medium/fast Loomis rods and good reels with braid for his fishermen to use (along with the caveat of DON'T dunk the reel! LOL),

Launch in the dark. Flip on the flood lights and use the nav system to head South. We are belly deep in Baffin Bay when the sun comes up.

If we aren't on big fish we move until we find them even if it means running to the other side of the bay. We pretty much catch and release only keeping kill hooked or big trout.

We fish until we are too hot or tired to go anymore. There are times we haven't gotten back to Bird Island till after 5pm. I personally think this type of service can justify a tip above and beyond the "basic rate" which is compared to other guides rates.

[Junebug]

My 2cents worth.

I am not a fulltime guide, though I hope to make the move in the near future.

Here's a quick breakdown of a days fishing with bait for 4 people.

ice for fish box and drink box. at least 80 pounds worth at 2 bucks a bag for 10lbs.
fuel for the 70 gallon tank. I keep mine full and on most days only burn 15 gallons or so. However you're still looking at a minimum of 60 ducks in fuel.
A gallon of premium oil every two days or roughly 5 hours of run time. 20bux
Croaker for four men will setyou back 80-100, piggies 50-70, and shrimp 20-40
fuel in the truck to get the boat there and back is another 50 at least.
Hard to put a price on these items:
line
jighead/hooks
8 rods and reels in good working order and the tackle to go with them.
general upkeep on boat/motor and all the things that do go wrong with them.
even when throwing bait, still have on board enough atrificials to take an inch out of my draft

On a normal 4 person day trip about 20 dollars worth of lures, hooks, whathaveyou's are lost.

For the idependent guide most trips for half day are 400, and full day 500.
For those working from under lodges you'll see most making 250-300 per day with some type of fuel recharge.

Most guides will start the day 3 hours before sunrise, and will fish until you say the word, when back at the dock fish will be cleaned and bagged.
I say most because there are the clock-watchers, the scrapers, posers, and the "weekend" or "summer" guides. I usually fish at least 200 days per year in some form or fashion on the coast. Many of the "summer" guides will show up in mid-may run trips for two months and be gone by the dog days in August. The above are the ones that give good guides a bad name.

To the original question. Not one guide I have ever worked with, booked for, or have hired myself expected a tip, but at the end of the day it is very nice to see someone award your work with something extra.

[cosmiccowboy]

My 2cents worth.

I am not a fulltime guide, though I hope to make the move in the near future.

Here's a quick breakdown of a days fishing with bait for 4 people.

ice for fish box and drink box. at least 80 pounds worth at 2 bucks a bag for 10lbs.
fuel for the 70 gallon tank. I keep mine full and on most days only burn 15 gallons or so. However you're still looking at a minimum of 60 ducks in fuel.
A gallon of premium oil every two days or roughly 5 hours of run time. 20bux
Croaker for four men will setyou back 80-100, piggies 50-70, and shrimp 20-40
fuel in the truck to get the boat there and back is another 50 at least.
Hard to put a price on these items:
line
jighead/hooks
8 rods and reels in good working order and the tackle to go with them.
general upkeep on boat/motor and all the things that do go wrong with them.
even when throwing bait, still have on board enough atrificials to take an inch out of my draft

On a normal 4 person day trip about 20 dollars worth of lures, hooks, whathaveyou's are lost.

For the idependent guide most trips for half day are 400, and full day 500.
For those working from under lodges you'll see most making 250-300 per day with some type of fuel recharge.

Most guides will start the day 3 hours before sunrise, and will fish until you say the word, when back at the dock fish will be cleaned and bagged.
I say most because there are the clock-watchers, the scrapers, posers, and the "weekend" or "summer" guides. I usually fish at least 200 days per year in some form or fashion on the coast. Many of the "summer" guides will show up in mid-may run trips for two months and be gone by the dog days in August. The above are the ones that give good guides a bad name.

To the original question. Not one guide I have ever worked with, booked for, or have hired myself expected a tip, but at the end of the day it is very nice to see someone award your work with something extra.

Exacly. My friend runs the numbers and his average overhead cost for a $500 trip is $275.