There are likely quite a few guides, ex-guides, part-time guides, want to quit your desk job and become guides, ... and the rest of us ... here. I think it would be a cool thing to suggest the do's and don'ts for clients during a guided fishing trip. Both serious and not serious tips. Help me out with this one guys. ...

Serious ones:

- Listen to your guide's directions and follow thru.

- Don't start whining if you haven't caught a fish; especially the first half of your trip!

- Don't ask other guide boats "how are you guys doing"? Let the guides take care of that if they feel it appropriate.

- Don't wear strong cologne or bring bananas along. Even though that won't change your luck it does cause some superstitous guides to go bananas.

- Do tip your guide a small amount if you can afford it and they have worked hard and long to get you fish and entertain you. This is especially true if they get you a pile of fish with more market value than the guide's fees.

- Do understand it's most often not the guide's fault if the fish go off the bite during the day you go.

- Do understand that guide's fees are fair. They work very long tough days and have a lot of operating expenses. They also give you years of developed skill that you can learn from. ...

OK, some NOT serious ones:

- Don't ever backlash your guide's level wind reels more than once per day! In WA & OR it's now legal for a guide to kill a client for backlashing more than once!

- Go ahead and bring some bananas along and if your guide gets *n*l about it then with your best Brooklyn accent tell him "hey, I got your banana right here". You paid for the ride.

- Don't give your guide the measles. Don't give anyone the measles. ... Sorry about that, it's late and I couldn't think of a third one .

[ 05-04-2001: Message edited by: RT 1 ]