Fly fishing guide school

[802flyfish]

Just wanted to reach out to see if anyone has gone to a fly fishing guide school. I'm located in Colorado, but I'd be wiling to travel as far as Alaska. I'm done quite a bit of research and there seems to be a lot of schools out there. My ultimate goal is to complete the guide school and start applying for guide or entry level jobs at a fishing lodge in Alaska.

Thanks !

 

[Ard]

Are you looking to be a fly fish only guide? The only school I attended was the Kenai River Guide Academy but never worked the Kenai. I would think that entry lever at the lodges I'm familiar with is a labors position so you may want to try for an actual guide job rather than entry. Many of the big outfits have clients who spin fish so you must be prepared for that also. The very best thing would be to find an employer who will train you up on their specific river or rivers and teach you what they really need from their staff. I don't know everything about the business but can tell you that most lodges here want to pay guides between 100 and 150 a day for long hours. If you don't have a bunch of debt waiting for you back where you come from it will get you by. I've worked for 3 different lodges and the best one paid 200 a day but I came with everything, boat - gear and experience. I took the jobs to learn other areas of Alaska.

The real money is in the drift boat business on the Kenai. Most boats get 150 per seat and put 4 anglers in the boat 6 days a week. Those guys know the river and they fish everything but flies. They also own their boats and are paying for all their licensing and permits as well as shuttles out of the daily take so it's not all profit. I have a friend who comes every year and works May - October, his annual costs just for permits runs around 1800.00 and then his other expenses go on top of that. Next year he is going to get his Coast Guard certification and start working with me, that will add another 600 per year to his expenses for insurance that he currently doesn't need. Much of the fishing here is with beads and lure with some bait boats out there as well. Finding a genuine fly fishing job............ that's tough.

Look into getting your coast guard licensing squared away because that will make you more employable here. Don't wait until next spring to begin researching this because things book up fast. Once again; look for a lodge that will train you. Look for good communications from any potential employer, the worse the communications the worse the experience will be. I've seen outfits that have a good operation and those that , well, they suck because they have no plan for how to school a guy on a new fishery. This is nothing like fishing your local creeks or rivers, the rivers for the most part are wild and dangerous. The fishing can be unpredictable at best regardless of where you are at. If you really want it, you can get it done but do your homework. When you go to work for a lodge don't get the mindset that they are doing you a favor by hiring you. In reality you are doing them a favor by being willing to give it a try.

Good luck,

Ard

PS. I'm leaving for the cabin as soon as I close the forum so any questions you may have of me (if any) will not be seen until Tuesday or Wednesday..............

 

[huntschool]

As an educator with over 30 years experience in the outdoor hunting and shooting recreational field I am going to come at your post from two directions.....

First: I would inquire of the schools you have found, about a list of graduates and their contact info. Then you should contact them directly to find out if the school provided everything they said they would, at the level they said they would, if the trainee was satisfied with the course content and the cost of what was presented and what the outcome employment was. I would also be very specific to ask what the salary range was.... incl tips as tips can bee your "beer and pizza" money. I have had students tell me they bank their pay check and live on their tips but these situations are different fro fishing guides. Also ask about insurance.... unless you want "Obama Care"

I would also check with the employers of those guides and ask if they showed up with enough training to fit into the operation or was there a retrain time frame required for other than site specific stuff.

OK.... Here is the second of the two things....

You said Alaska.... so what do you do after the three-four months out of the year you work there? Move to the lower 48 and put in perhaps another one or two months in the west? I suspect that will mean you will need your own drift boat which will be an operational expense. That makes lets say 5-7 months of employment with some personal cost. So lets say after the west freezes up you migrate down to the salt.... now you may well need a skiff which could well run you into major bucks and, oh yea, there is that insurance thing again and how about the cost of your truck, trailers and boat motors and their up keep..... I assume you dont have a wife or a girlfriend with you cause that can make it a good bit more tough........

Dont get me wrong.... if this is the free life you want and can get away with it I am all for it. Hell, if you do it let me know where you are working in the lower 48 and the salt and I'll try and get to fish with you.

Just be damn sure you cover your butt all the way around...... And, I was going to say check with ARD, but I see he posted while I was doing this................

Just an old guys thoughts, with some experience.

 

[fredaevans]

Great posts above but one other comment to pass along that I've seen several times over the years. If you're a 'newbie' you want to be working through a Lodge or fly shop(s) to get customer referrals. What the 'split' will be but I don't think close to 50-50 is all that uncommon.

Subject to correction from folks who are Guides, you may also need to take/pass an 'advanced' First Aid course. For the most part you may need a box of Bandaid's but if you really get a trip and fall you could be looking at interesting times.

 

[huntschool]

Fred is right. My students came out with Red Cross Advanced First Aid certification. Many went on to basic ERT/EMT certification. The Lodges or "places" they worked for demanded it.

I could go on about functional work requirements but Ill leave that up to you.

If you want to ask lets take it off board. PM me.

 

[fredaevans]

Fred is right. My students came out with Red Cross Advanced First Aid certification. Many went on to basic ERT/EMT certification. The Lodges or "places" they worked for demanded it.

I could go on about functional work requirements but Ill leave that up to you.

If you want to ask lets take it off board. PM me.

Thank you for the kind nod HS. One thing I've learned over 70+ years is 'plan ahead' for these kinds of situations. You have to use what's at hand to get control of the situation, if that means 'get inventive, get inventive.'

'Whistling/waving, I need help!!'

Fishing wise it was a Sr. Citizen (he/wife in a Guide boat, I in mine with a good friend) got his foot caught between two rocks and went down like 'a tonne of bricks.' Damned if he didn't break one of the bones in his lower leg.

'Now what?' Use what's at hand and that was fishing rods. Three of us took off our shirts, I cut the sleeves off then up the middle with a pocket knife. Now we had 6 long four inch wide bandages. Two rod butts, a cork up and a cork down, and 'lashed' (for a lack of a better word) them to his leg (over a wrapped up heavy shirt!) with a cut up 8wt fly line. His pain was obvious, a "Green Stick" fracture (think that's what its called) has really got to hurt.

Getting him back into a drift boat took thinking/some doing,* but in he went and off we went for the boat ramp. (Rowing like the Devil was chasing us!) Finally got back into cell phone range and a '911,' the EMT's were waiting for us.

End game of all this is the 6** of us (included our sig-other) were invited to Thanksgiving dinner. Lady was a hell of a good cook so the 'We'd love too!' was a total no-brainer. Dinner finished and we're sitting there (finishing off a few bottles of wine?) and she excused herself: 'I'll be right back.'

Presented each of us with a beautifully wrapped gift box, three sets of eyes 'flicking' at each other, 'What's this about?'

Each box had a new shirt!

fae

* First two to hoist him up on to the rail, one in the boat to 'steady,' then two in the boat to carry the weight as one lifted his legs.

** Guide/wife were invited but he had scheduled clients.

 

[dragon11]

Thank you for the kind nod HS. One thing I've learned over 70+ years is 'plan ahead' for these kinds of situations. You have to use what's at hand to get control of the situation, if that means 'get inventive, get inventive.'

'Whistling/waving, I need help!!'

Fishing wise it was a Sr. Citizen (he/wife in a Guide boat, I in mine with a good friend) got his foot caught between two rocks and went down like 'a tonne of bricks.' Damned if he didn't break one of the bones in his lower leg.

'Now what?' Use what's at hand and that was fishing rods. Three of us took off our shirts, I cut the sleeves off then up the middle with a pocket knife. Now we had 6 long four inch wide bandages. Two rod butts, a cork up and a cork down, and 'lashed' (for a lack of a better word) them to his leg (over a wrapped up heavy shirt!) with a cut up 8wt fly line. His pain was obvious, a "Green Stick" fracture (think that's what its called) has really got to hurt.

Getting him back into a drift boat took thinking/some doing,* but in he went and off we went for the boat ramp. (Rowing like the Devil was chasing us!) Finally got back into cell phone range and a '911,' the EMT's were waiting for us.

End game of all this is the 6** of us (included our sig-other) were invited to Thanksgiving dinner. Lady was a hell of a good cook so the 'We'd love too!' was a total no-brainer. Dinner finished and we're sitting there (finishing off a few bottles of wine?) and she excused herself: 'I'll be right back.'

Presented each of us with a beautifully wrapped gift box, three sets of eyes 'flicking' at each other, 'What's this about?' Each box had a new shirt!

fae

* First two to hoist him up on to the rail, one in the boat to 'steady,' then two in the boat to carry the weight as one lifted his legs.

** Guide/wife were invited but he had scheduled clients.

I feel compelled to say.....that right there is an awesome story!

 

[802flyfish]

Thanks for all the info so far. I currently have my advanced first aid certification and I will be competing my wilderness first responder course this fall. Just wrapped up school and luckiy to have no doubt. I was curious if anyone has attended one so I could get some feed back. Sweet water in Montana and cutthroat anglers In Colorado are my first choice, both running roughly 2k. I was thinking worse case scenario I could apply for a labor or fly shop position and try to work myself In. I've seen few up scale lodges with housing/meals plus 1,800 a month for pay. Not looking to make money, just trying to be a flyfishing bum for the next few summers. I've got almost 8 years under my belt and hopefully with the competition of guide school I'll have a greater shot of landing a job. I plan on applying to jobs in Alaska and Argentina.

 

[huntschool]

802:

I wish you the best of luck in this endevor. I worked for an outfitter in MT back in the day and the experience was great. Not much money in it but great none the less.

Can I ask what you major was in school?

 

[Bigfly]

I've been to two guide schools, and can say they are not all the same.
It's worth shopping and asking around.
(In addition to school cost, you will need to tip guides who teach, for their time.)
Sweet Water, would be my 1st choice. (I'm not alumni, and no connection.)
Rowing instruction, jet boat too.....
Auxiliary Coast guard Capt comes in to lecture/test for lic.
And they have the travel side covered for connections.
As Ard said......not much money, and LONG hours.
A nice office, and a good handshake if you row every day.....are the benefits.
That and you get better at fishing.........and peopling......
Wherever you end up, you will be low man on the seniority list....
Fewer jobs maybe the first year or two.....till you have return clients.
There are more "guides" than jobs, so only the best will find a good place to work.
You sound like you are after it though, as opposed to just wishing.....
Good luck.

PM me if need be.

Jim

 

[802flyfish]

sweet water is currently my number one choice. I believe the next session is in April. I really wanted to find one in Alaska but oh well. I worked in GTNP this summer and managed to hit some water in Montanna. Criminal Justice was my major.

 

[fredaevans]

sweet water is currently my number one choice. I believe the next session is in April. I really wanted to find one in Alaska but oh well. I worked in GTNP this summer and managed to hit some water in Montanna. Criminal Justice was my major.

0439, had to sit back and think about that one. End game was 'How appropriate can you get?' Well done Sir, well done.

fae

 

[mcnerney]

802: I'm fishing on the Bighorn by Thermopolis, WY with a guy that is going to Sweetwater guide school next month. I will get his phone number and pass it to you so you can talk to a recent grad of their program. Yesterday was his first time rowing a drift boat, he is picking up the basics pretty quickly and will row again today so that should give him a leg up when he gets to school.
Best of luck!

 

[dmiller385]

0439, had to sit back and think about that one. End game was 'How appropriate can you get?' Well done Sir, well done.

Not sure I understand what is going on here.

 

[802flyfish]

Just Bought a new fishing rig, 2016 Subaru Forester. Hoping I can get a light trailer and a Rocky Mountain raft, Storm 10.5 to tow. Get some practice with it before April. Few shops around here do float in the winter. Maybe I should send my girlfriend , so I can spend more time fishing and less time rowing. :icon_razz

 

[Ard]

If you want a guide course here in AK. this is the only one I know of; Kenai River Guide Academy -

If you take that course you may very well find work right on the Kenai River, many of the lodges and drift businesses hire every season.

Ard

PS. I should add that without the KRGA certificate you cannot guide from boats on the river. I don't live down there but took the course a couple years ago just to obtain the certificate. If you really end up working AK. then having the papers to work that river are a good thing. The course is only offered in March & April with registration on January 2nd and fills up quickly. If you take that course try for April and you may be able to steelhead fish after the class ends. Let me know if you were to do it and I would come down and take you fishing for those steelies.

 

[fredaevans]

Not sure I understand what is going on here.

Chetco River.

Seriously beautiful young lady next at the meat counter with her two boys looking at price tags on Hamburger.

Brain clicked: 'OK you two, what do you want for dinner?' I had no idea who she was, but I know the look of hungry young men and a young Mother with no money. "My motor home is in space # xyz, dinner will be at 7PM. 'Breakfast will be at 0600, Pancake's and eggs,be there or be square.'

Dinner was a big cast iron pan with pork chops bubbling in Cream of Mushroom Soup, baked red potato's in the oven.

Young men, drift boat, learning how to run oars. She asked me the '64 dollar question:' Why me?'

My answer was 'Why not?'

And no I never made a 'move' on her. Legs, (Take a deeeep breath Fred!) Dear God she had the best set of legs I've ever seen on a Female. Turned out she was, or hand been, an Olympic level gymnast.

End game of that was 'She met' a young fellow who had a small commercial fishing boat. Hosted their Wedding; Last I heard they were still married.

Some times, some times?, you just get it right.

 

[wolfglen]

For many years I taught special classes for guides who wanted to transition from regular fishing to guiding for fly fishermen, I'll be happy to help any one out.

Jack
Wolfglen Fly Fishing Schools
Punta Gorda, Fla.

 

[802flyfish]

Just signed up for guide school through Colorado Anglers in Silverthorne, co. It's week long course and will be spending the majority of the time on the Colorado River. I was luckily enough to snag the last spot.