SO YOU WANT TO BE A GUIDE?

When I was around six years old, I was introduced to fishing at a local farm pond close to my parents’ house. I remember catching bluegill and bass, and at the time, that was the greatest thing ever. I couldn’t get enough! As I grew older, any chance I got to wet a line, it was on. Maybe that is when my addiction started that eventually became the obsession I have with fishing today. At that young age I was happier with fishing-related birthday presents than Lego's.

When it came time for me to go to college, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. My dream has always been to show people around in the outdoors either fishing or hunting. It did not matter, as long as I was outside, but fishing and hunting took precedent for me. Now, years later, I have grown up and own a fishing and hunting lodge in Alaska. I would say I have reached my life goal. It took a while to get here, and I have learned so much along the way and continue to learn as we grow. As of right now, I would say the best experience I have is that of which I can pass on.

Every winter I get applications from young guys and gals that want to become guides for me at the lodge. It seems with every application I receive; a little smile appears on my face because I understand where they are coming from. I am forty-five years old now and as I look at these resumes and the younger generation that is applying, I can almost remember my own youth at that time. I really admire those that are looking to test the waters at such a young age. Leaving the comforts of home to spend the summer in an unforgiving place like the Alaskan bush, it can be scary sometimes. Learning a new trade far from home can be an even scarier endeavor. Going to a place far from family and friends for three to five months can be terrifying.

Every year I hire a couple of the younger generation that wish to become guides. I feel it is important to attempt to grow the next generation of guides, especially if they are going to work with us. Everyone I hire has gone through an interviewing process. And in my process, I am looking for people that not only have a passion for the outdoors, but also have a real joy for working with people and are able bodied individuals willing to work hard. Guiding isn’t just about taking people fishing, especially at an Alaskan Lodge.

At Alaskan Adventures lodge the role of a guide is probably a little different than you might think. Guiding and taking people fishing is a small percent of what the actual job is. Looking at the “Alaskan Adventures Guide Position” I would say that it encompasses a broad spectrum of titles enrolled into one. As a guide at our lodge, and many others, you are not just a guide. An ideal ‘guide’ is a carpenter, mechanic, chef, gardener, artist, housekeeper, psychologist, therapist, friend, fisherman knowing both fly gear and conventional gear, able to run a boat and overall able to adapt to anyone you might have on the boat. Just as in many roles in any career, your title might be one thing but include much more when help is needed in any other area. You might be asked to help out to ensure goals are met and the company drives forward.

As an example, I am currently at the lodge as I write this. It is May 12th, and we are not guiding guests out on the water and probably will not be taking fisherman out for close to a month. Until then we are here milling lumber to update cabins, fixing any damage caused by the harsh winters, changing oil in all boats and any machinery, preparing meals for staff as needed, planting the garden and flowers, cleaning cabins from top to bottom and so much more! So as a guide here at our lodge, before any guests show up there is a LOT that goes into preparing before any guiding can happen. Now once the guests show up, everyone will most likely be guiding daily; however, we will also all have chores to do on top of that. Chores might include mowing the lawn, weeding the garden, doing the dishes and laundry. Sometimes it may seem as if a guide’s job is never done. And in a lot of cases that is the truth, however if you look at it from the back seat, it is almost no different than if you were at home. For example, if you were to take four days off to go fishing yourself, you would have a lot of the same chores to complete once you got home. Sure, you are fishing during the day but at the end of the day you are still responsible for cooking your own food, cleaning your own house, taking out your trash and mowing your own lawn. Welcome to being a fishing guide!

Yes, we do get to take people fishing every day. Yes, our office is the vast back country of Alaska. It’s an amazing place and I would not trade it for the world. As guides our job is to take people to fish and to show them a good time. As guides we are not there to fish! The fishing pole does not go in our hands. However, the way I see it is that we do get to fish through our clients. I take people to where I personally would fish on a daily basis. I provide the proper gear and lure or fly selection to catch the fish. Usually when a client makes a cast it is to a location I have selected where I suspect a fish to be holding. When a client hooks a fish, it is almost as I if I was the one to hook the fish. And that is the magic of being a guide, loving what you are doing but never actually doing it!

In so many ways fishing is a challenge. In so many ways working with different people poses its own sets of challenges. Blending these two together poses the largest challenge of all. So, looking at it from that perspective, guiding has little to do with catching fish. As a guide, catching fish should be the easy part. We must be able to keep the clients happy catching fish on one end and in the back end we must concentrate on the MANY other facets of guiding like showing a client how to cast, how to work the lure or fly, and how to position the rod for proper hook setting, etcetera… However, it doesn’t end there. Once a client hooks a fish, coaching them on bringing this fish to the boat and landing it. Most of all doing all the above in a stress-free and fun manner because none of the above can be at all stressful when it is not going perfect HAHA!

So, you want to be a fishing guide? As I mentioned earlier, I get asked this every year by the younger generation. It can be a great career IF you love what you do. It is a lot of work and often for little pay. Most guide jobs are seasonal. Most guides need to be diversified to make it in this career path. A guide can stay busy in Alaska for the summer, but they are going to have to find somewhere else to guide for the rest of the year. Although it can be an amazing and fun career, having a love life or home life will take its toll. A guides’ home is where they are, and it is often in the outdoors.

Society and most parents will frown upon this type of lifestyle. Most of the younger generation in there 20’s are still trying to figure out who they are and what they want to do with their life. Although the guide life sounds like an amazing life choice it can be filled with many ups and downs. Most of what I have explained above I explain in the interviewing process. However, most of these first-time guides do not learn what it takes to be in this line of work and learn through the firsthand experience at the lodge and choose to never guide again. There are the few exceptions to the rule that have made this lifestyle a way of life for themselves. And for those that do, you can see the passion for what they do in their actions, you can see in their eyes and in their drive. Waking up early to spend days in the freezing rain, wind, and nasty weather, all with a smile on their face to take a client to that trophy they are seeking. It is not an easy life, but if you love the outdoors and I mean truly love it to your core, then it is the best life one could have.