Salmo g., I am not one to question your reasoning on most fishing-related issues, but I think you are "missing the boat" on this tipping the guide issue. You stated that you don't tip the carpenter, plumber, electrician, and the like, but how often does somebody spend a full day with their plumber exchanging plumbing stories and lauging it up while the plumber is hard at work? "Hey, bubba, that's a pertay funnay story about how ya got that Pee-vee-cee stuck in yer arse underneath that crawl space last time ya worked here. Remember the time th' wife and I hired ya to fix that leaky faucet and we had doubles when you fixed the shower too! That suuurre waz a good day with ya, Bubba."

Please do not categorize fishing guides with service workers. Most guides fish with clients as a labor of love on a part time basis and have other means of income. Guides often specify that clients get 8 hours of guided fishing, but how often do they prorate it when it runs to 9, 10, or even 12 hours. That's where the tip comes in. Full time guides in Washington, like our beloved Bob, have to do more than just the labor on the water in a given day to succeed as full time guides. It takes research and years of experience, skill, and personality to keep clients coming back. There are not many full-time guides left in Washington as there are not many full-time fish.

Herring and eggs are two separate entities. Eggs are not dime-a-dozen like herring or readily available in the marina. How many time have you told the Charter skipper out on the salt "Hey, captain. Would you mind if I keep any herring that you happen to find in the gullet of this big king I got here?".