Professional Or Not Professional? That is the question.....

[skipper3245]

I agree with TT. It totally depends on the water. When I am guiding on small creeks or the gallatin, I would hope none of my buddies would be fishing it that week. Its not just when you are there. You are banking on that hole being fresh. On a float trip, it doesnt really matter since you are not spending a lot of time on sections for the most part. Also, it goes the other way too. You cant be taking clients to secret water (channels, braids, the glory hole etc.)

[Trouser Trout]

Perry Mason I am not, but I think we can safely assume this is not a "hypothetical situation".

[trico mike]

You should be able to fish were you want and when you want. If you beat them to a stretch of water because they were to lazy to get out of bed on time then tough sh!t. If they were good guides they would be able to move and find fish elsewere. They shouldn't ask you not to fish a piece of water because they need to put there clients on fish. First man to the spot gets it.

[CTobias]

If they were good guides they would be able to move and find fish elsewere. They shouldn't ask you not to fish a piece of water because they need to put there clients on fish.

Exactly. One of the big reasons that kept me from getting my guide's license was the stupid political b.s. that happens on certain bodies of water. Just childish.

---------- Post added at 12:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:06 PM ----------

Perry Mason I am not, but I think we can safely assume this is not a "hypothetical situation".

Haha.....maybe it is....maybe it isn't.......

[jcstikfish]

In my opinion I feel the truth is in the middle. Neither working guide or non working guide should feel 100% entitled. Assume honorable intentions and help each other out.

If you are fishing a run on your day off and hammering fish, why not let your peer get a shot in it with his clients. Wouldn't you want the same in return on your work day???

On the same note, If you are a working guide worth your salt, shouldn't you have a b,c,d, and e plan to go to no matter who is in the spot you were planning to fish at that time. Getting all bent out of shape about it shows your true colors and obviously lack of versatility. Maybe the non-working guide can tip you off to something else happening on the river that day as you drift past. I can guarantee you (the working guide) won't get that courtesy info if you start barking at other guides telling them not to fish an area. That's is nothing more than plain old bullying.

So....it comes down to having nothing to do with fishing, or guiding, or state regulations. It's about finding a middle ground, being reasonable, and following the golden rule.

~James

[strike proof]

Okay, I'll jump in as a minimally experienced angler and with only a couple of guided trips to recall. I am sure there are some subtle internal rules in the guiding community that I don't understand.

I love the idea that a guide is fishing on his/her day off, especially in home water where he can collect experience and sharpen technique that will help me have a more productive and fun day when I employ that guide. On his day off, that guide is just another licensed angler trying to catch fish, with the same rights as everyone else has. On my guided trip, all the better if he knows every holding spot in that run, knows what size and pattern is hot on that stretch, has seen how the fish redistribute under different conditions, and can put me on fish. In other industries, that's just research and field work and it's applauded.

Having said that, I expect the guide to be more courteous than the average clumsy schmuck who stomps through the brush, intrudes on others, muddies the water, and makes more noise than necessary (could be me, btw, so say hi). A guide should still represent the sport and profession well, even when off the clock, just as we all should with our own professions. What better way to attract clients than to set a good example? Should probably carry some cards!

Did I mention, good on him if he is out just fishing for fun or to hook a trophy that a client missed to stay sharp?

[WBDluver]

So if Im a guide on my day off and I happen to be at the hole first i should leave??? If im not a guide and a guide shows up with clients he dosent expect me to leave so what is the difference?. If I see a guide or just a group already in the hole I want to fish i dont mooch in, guide or not. So to me it is who gets there first, guide or not. One thing I have noticed about guides on the Salmon River is there is a 180 degree difference. Some are very professional and even though I was not fishing with them but by them. Its just good business, and good advertising. Others are classless rude jerks, like the one when I was fishing the south side of the sportsmans and he anchored 20 ft in front of me. He was to ignorant to know that too was advertising, negative advertising.

[thrashers.wheat]

Look, that guide is asking you, as a citizen, to stay away from the public resource. The guide, is looking to extract, or take, from that public resource, in this case the fishing experience and the fish. These guides do not have to give back to the resource, but if licensed, are free to take from it. They get to take from OUR resource and act like they own it. So now, this guide, wants a citizen to stay away from a public resource so that he can continue to extract from OUR resource.

I think it is totally inappriopriate, or unprofessional, for that guide to have said that to you. If you care to develop a repoire with these guides, if you feel that these guides, in turn, have something to offer you, then you might want to abide. If they have nothing to offer you, tell him to get lost.

[CTobias]

Look, that guide is asking you, as a citizen, to stay away from the public resource. The guide, is looking to extract, or take, from that public resource, in this case the fishing experience and the fish. These guides do not have to give back to the resource, but if licensed, are free to take from it. They get to take from OUR resource and act like they own it. So now, this guide, wants a citizen to stay away from a public resource so that he can continue to extract from OUR resource.

I think it is totally inappriopriate, or unprofessional, for that guide to have said that to you. If you care to develop a repoire with these guides, if you feel that these guides, in turn, have something to offer you, then you might want to abide. If they have nothing to offer you, tell him to get lost.

Nothing was said to me lately as I am not up there right now, but when I was up there every day, there were grumblings amongst many of the guides. They were more than upset that I was out there fishing every day while they were working. Not all of them, but a good handful. I'd like to say I have good repoire with many of them up there, but like I said, there are a select few that told me I couldn't fish in certain areas or had to leave them open for them and their clients. I left them room, but still fished where I wanted to.

[Joe D]

Am I missing something? Did the question change from "for a guide to tell another guide" to a guide telling a non-guide?

[Trouser Trout]

Nothing was said to me lately as I am not up there right now, but when I was up there every day, there were grumblings amongst many of the guides. They were more than upset that I was out there fishing every day while they were working. Not all of them, but a good handful. I'd like to say I have good repoire with many of them up there, but like I said, there are a select few that told me I couldn't fish in certain areas or had to leave them open for them and their clients. I left them room, but still fished where I wanted to.

Ahh, yet another clue that this is not a "hypothetical" question.... I think we can safely assume there is nothing hypothetical about this whatsoever........

[thrashers.wheat]

If I were you, I would have been offended. Sounds like the guide is bullying you. There have been very recent cases of this going on, which have attempted to be addressed in court. If you do not plan on acquiring skill, clientelle, or friendship from the guide (s) that are telling you to stay off certain water then I would tell them to get lost.

The Salmon River's resources are public resources. If you possess a fishing license, nobody other than the DEC or a Judge can keep you from fishing a public fishing stream. No guide, or guiding agency, is responsible to authorize such measures. Guides are authorized to extract from our public resources to make profit. Keeping this in mind, fishing guides still believe that a public resource is theirs because they depend upon that resource to make ends meat. They lobby for the public's tax dollars to be spent on improving the resources which they extract from. So, they are specially authorized to extract from our resources without being required to give back to the resource, are able to lobby for the public's tax dollars to improve the resource they are taking from and act like they own the resource. That's a pretty sweet deal if you ask me.

Guide asking another guide to steer clear of certain water while angling does not make sense to me. When not guiding, that off-duty guide is just as entitled to the water as I am. I, personally, would be OUTRAGED if a guide asked me to stay away from certain water.