All the work is in the lead up.

It’s not the 8-12 hours we spend together on the water.

It’s not the thousands invested in boats and equipment, fuel, time or travel.

It’s all the time, logistics, research, emails, bookings, texts, phone calls, Insurance, networking, licensing, permits, maintenance, boat registration, menu planning, scouting, pre-fishing.

In my case, Once I get you in the boat, it’s easy. Provided all the lead-up stuff was done. Yes, the lead-up stuff sometimes involves casting and catching fish, but more often it’s not spent where you know you will catch fish. It’s in all the grey area places.

All the lead up to guiding is what makes it a lifestyle. You must love tinkering with boat motors, organizing fly boxes and on some strange level, you must even enjoy trailer light wiring and wheel bearings.

In a perfect world, I would be able to guide 200 days a year. I’d love to do it all in one place, have a permanent address, sleep in my own bed every night, but in Canada, that is extremely difficult. For now, I’ll keep enjoying shuffling around from fishery to fishery, sleeping in my camper, cooking on a camp stove and living a life that many others dream of.