Becoming a better fishing guide comes down to five things, spending intentional time on the water, communicating well, committing to professionalism, staying healthy, and reading widely so you are a great companion on the boat. Guiding is a noble profession built on respecting your clients' time. In this How 2 Tuesday, prompted by an email from a young guide named Nick out of Tampa Bay, I lay out the five habits I watched the very best guides live by and that helped me work nearly every single day. Press play above and follow along.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
I break it down into five things. First, spend as much intentional time on the water as you can and keep a journal, because nothing replaces experience. Second, be the best communicator possible, before, during, and after the trip, so you understand and deliver what the client actually wants. Third, commit to professionalism, showing up early with perfect gear and a plan A through F. Fourth, maintain your health and fitness so you can work hard every day. Fifth, find time to read so you are a great conversationalist who can talk with anyone on the boat. Do those five and you will be the best guide you can be.
Because it lets you replicate success. The two most important pieces of information are the date and the time. If you know the date, you can look back through tide books or apps and see exactly what the tide was doing, and if you know the time you caught a fish, you can see it was, say, the first of the outgoing tide on that spot. Combine the spot, date, time, and a description of what you saw, and you can recreate that situation again. The more detailed and disciplined your journal, the better your plan B, just do not make it so burdensome that you stop keeping it.
Communication is how you manage expectations, and there is a difference between what you would have a great day doing and what the client wants. If you understand what they think an amazing day is and deliver it, you are a superstar. Sometimes an experienced angler's real goal is for his daughter to catch anything, and the best day is one where she catches and he does not. It is your responsibility to ask the right questions up front, like whether it is more important to catch a big fish or to catch a lot of fish, so you are both on the same page and you are not chasing the wrong goal.
It starts with showing up early, about fifteen minutes, so your client is not watching three guides leave wondering which one is you. Keep your gear in perfect condition, rods, reels, rigging, fresh lines, plenty of tackle, the boat and the truck. Have a plan A through F, because the weather goes bad or someone is on your spot, and you always need another way to show someone a great day. Mind your appearance and your language, feel the situation out before you let it fly, because you never know who might be offended.
It sounds odd for a fishing guide, but reading gives you a lot to talk about on the boat and keeps you from being one-dimensional. A great guide is a great conversationalist who can connect with anyone, a CEO or a blue-collar guy from the Midwest, because they know a little about history, nature, geology, geography, birds, and wildlife. Reading expands your mind and keeps it in shape, and on a long day on the water, being good company matters more than people think.
Not really. Comparison is the thief of joy, so the goal is to be the best guide you can be, not better than the next guy. The outstanding guides I have watched are excellent communicators who spend more time on the water than anyone, work really hard, are dedicated to professionalism, are never late, never stand someone up, stay in good shape, and find time to read. Focus on living those habits and your reputation takes care of itself.
This one came straight from a great email from Nick, a 22-year-old guide out of the Tampa Bay area, asking how to be a better guide than the next guy and the steps to get there. I reframed it, because comparison is the thief of joy, into how to be the best guide you can be. Guiding is a noble profession, and I always thought of it as dealing with someone's time, people often have plenty of money but not much of it, so I was very respectful of theirs. I get into the whole framework in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Here are the five habits I lay out for Nick and any guide who wants to get better. I tell the stories behind each one in the episode.
I go deeper on each of these in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Of all five, the one that compounds the most is the journal. The date and the time unlock the tide, and the tide is the key to replicating a great day on a specific spot. You will be surprised how much epic stuff slips your mind if you do not write it down. I explain exactly what I record and how I use it to build a plan B in the episode, so press play in the player above.
The example I keep coming back to is the experienced angler who brings his daughter. It would be easy to cater to him, but the goal might be getting her to catch anything, and the best day is one where he does not catch a fish and she does. Asking the right questions up front is how you find that out. I dig into how to have that conversation in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Nick, I hope that helps. The outstanding guides I have watched are excellent communicators who spend more time on the water than anyone, work really hard, are dedicated to professionalism, never late, never stand anyone up, stay in good shape, and find time to read.
This whole episode happened because Nick sent me an email, so if you have a question, send me one too. Press play in the player above.
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
Nick · Tampa Bay · fishing guides · tide journals · NOAA forecasts · buoy data · tarpon · bonefish · permit · grand slam · client communication · professionalism · How 2 Tuesday · Saltwater Experience
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's How 2 Tuesday series I break down one practical skill or lesson at a time, from fishing technique and gear to the habits that make you a better angler, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
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