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Writer's pictureMichael Dooley

Why Hire a Fly Fishing Guide?

The fly fishing guide fills a unique role in the world of angling, they are a mentor, fishing buddy, therapist, and teacher. Hiring a guide can go much deeper than someone there to tie your knots and row the boat.



Benefits of a Guide

Fly fishing guides can be a gateway to a positive, stress-free, and relaxing day on the river. They are experts in their field and can produce an array of knowledge that can only be obtained by being on the river daily. They are teachers and curators of fly fishing and a day on the water with one can be worth the price.


Teachers

A guide is an angler who has dedicated their professional, and most likely personal life, to the pursuit of fish on the fly and their knowledge can not only bolster your odds of success but also widen your breadth of knowledge when it comes to tactics, reading water, and fly choice. They have years of stored information that they use to make calculated decisions when fishing, rowing, or choosing a fly. You can pick their brain and learn something for yourself during the 4-8 hours you have on a boat with them.

a angler holding a rainbow trout
Client holds a redside caught on a salmonfly pattern

If you are a beginner and can afford to split a guided trip with a friend, then a guide is a great option to expedite your learning and start fishing more efficiently. As a guide, when I take people out who have limited fly fishing experience, it is not their cast that won't catch them fish, it is their inability to read and fish water efficiently that will hamper their day. Fly fishing is much more about where you are fishing than what fly is at the end of your line. Guides can break down the learning curve and give you easy tips and tricks for fishing better.


Guides are Fishing Partners

A guide’s success is also based on how many clients come back season after season to fish with them, even if those clients could go out and fish on their own with success. A guide can be a lifelong fishing partner simply because the client enjoys the energy and attitude the guide has when they are on the water. At the end of the day, a guide wants to fish with people they like and people who enjoy being in their company.

After all, fly fishing is only a piece of the puzzle. The guide needs to be a host and steward of the river for their clients by providing a positive space to enjoy a lunch, boat ride, and walk along the river. They may not be casting right alongside you, but they do function as someone who can have a large impact on your day of fishing. Their encouragement, critiques, and attitude affect everyone in the boat.


New Experiences and Travel

Guides are also trip leaders, they provide the gear, knowledge, and expertise for a perfect day on the water. If you are unsure of the equipment needed for a particular location or species a guide can give you the new experience without the upfront investment of thousands of dollars in rods, reels, and flies. 

Want to try steelhead fishing but don’t want to buy all the gear upfront? Then a guided trip is the answer for an introduction to a brand new target species or way of fly fishing. This will also guarantee an influx of knowledge for the future.

angler standing on boat in front of eagle rock
Floating by Eagle Rock on the McKenzie River

Fly fishing opportunity is close by no matter where you are traveling or vacationing. If fly fishing isn’t the main goal of the trip then leave the gear behind and hire a local guide for a day out on the water. The hassle of researching water and traveling with gear can be eased with the purchase of a half or full-day guided trip.

Guided Trip Expectations

When you book a guided trip you can count on a few luxuries in most cases. You can count on a guide working hard to make sure you have an enjoyable day, a lunch is provided, and do their best to put fish in the boat. Those are the basics, but there are other specific expectations a client may have a guide depending on their goals for the day. A guide is more than happy to help you with casting, reading water, and etymology. You just have to ask and make them aware of your expectations.

Each client wants something slightly different from a day on the water, a beginner may just want to learn the basics and catch a few fish, whereas a veteran angler may want to hone in their dry fly or streamer fishing or simply learn more advanced tactics. 

A good guide should get in contact with you a least a day before your trip and go over trip details. This is a great opportunity to explain why you booked the trip and how the guide can be a service to you during the day on the water. But also come with an open mind, if dry fly fishing has not been hot in the last few days, then temper your expectations when it comes to dry fly fishing and have an open mind to other methods of catching fish. Ultimately, you are paying the guide to use their expert knowledge of the area, and trusting their judgment can pay off. 

The guides come with their expectations as well. They are just as excited to be on the water and want to help ensure you have a good day, so do your best to listen to their advice and apply it to your fishing, even if you are an experienced angler. Everyone has a different perspective when it comes to fly fishing and there is always something to learn. 

These expectations are vital to a cohesive and fun day on the water. The fish are only part of the equation and often it is the relationship clients have with a guide that keeps them returning to the same fly fishing guide.


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