Ileana Diaz

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  1. J Starr 4425 Accepted Answer Community Answer

    My sister and brother-in-law are fly-fishing guides in the Reno/Tahoe area; they are licensed guides in both Nevada and California.  They own a fly shop in Carson Valley, and teach folks how to fly fish and tie flies.  They caretake a stretch of river for a rather well-off gentleman who likes things a certain way on his property when he brings his well-off friends in to fish. My sister and brother live on that property and keep things... ready.

    They have guided some pretty big names- especially in the music business; I was surprised at some of them.  The guiding is one price for one day, and they will provide good camping equipment and meals for longer trips and more money, and you will have a good time with knowledgeable people. 

    For a one day, one river/lake trip, they charge around $500 for up to 2 people, equipment included.  A weekend would run about a thousand, and my sister is a damned good camp cook.  An additional angler would be around $175 to $200 according to how much attention must be paid-  if you do not know how to fly fish, you will receive instruction, no charge, but the guide instructing does not then have eyes on everyone else.

    When my husband went on a guided trip near Portland, Or, it was about the same: $180 per person/per 6-8 hour guide day.  It rained, no one caught anything, and it he was altogether miserable.  Thems the breaks, sometimes.

    My sister and brother-in-law have a half dozen float tubes, and at least as many waders, probably a dozen or so rods, tents, sleeping bags, camp-cooking equipment including a few very nice cast iron Dutch ovens I envy greatly.  They have line of all weights, flies of every pattern and color, hooks, nets and can even sell you your Nevada and California waters fishing license.  They also have, as guides, ability to take anglers onto waters not open to the public-  a nice treat, believe you me.  If you need it to fish, they have it, or can get it-  it's what they do.

    And at the end of the trip, the clients usually tip, and, according to my sister, when it's big names, the tips are more than the trip.

    Now, here's the thing: It's difficult to guide year round. "To everything there is a season...."  It's true.  Where Sis and BiL are, you don't do much fishing come late winter (when the water is too cold, even iced over in spots, and the snow is up to the eaves) nor in the Spring (do you know how much water is coming down those streams and rivers as melt?  It's a-rip-roarin'.) So you need another income those months.  They have their shop- where they sell people rods and teach people how to make flies, and stay warm and dry.  

    I wouldn't imagine hunting guides would be much different.  You have to know your terrain, your quarry, your equipment, your customers' abilities- and you have to have access to the best hunting areas.  You will need a license, and insurance to get that license, and you will need a strong marketing plan until, like my sister, you have built up a reputation for what you do within the profession and suddenly, you're booked all season and have no time to hunt or fish yourself.  She complains about that all the time. 

    Start by checking prices for guides in your area, then check how much your licensing will cost, decide what kind of equipment you will provide and what kind the customer must bring along, then plan on getting maybe one guiding trip a month that first year.  Maybe the second, too.  Take a hard look at those figures, and see if it will work.  Consider a partner- especially if you can get in with a small Mom and Pop sporting goods store.  Win-win there.  If you can make it work, it's a great way to earn a living: Doing what you like, for money.

    UTC 2020-08-01 01:21 AM 0 Comments

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