Tipping guides, what is standard???

[jaxxman]

Say you and your buddy hire a guide and you catch a limit of fish, you pay $300 plus bait for the trip, what is appropiatte amount to tip..
or what is standard if there is one.. I have booked a trip and if all goes well another buddy of mine wants to go , so I may use the guide again.. so I want him to be happy..;-).. but not too happy...

Of course if you dont catch a limit what would you do? say less than half a limit?

Thanks

[RTJ214]

Pay for his meals plus some extra cash if he burns a lot of fuel looking for fish,would be my thoughts.He has set his price for the service.To me a guided trip would be more about learning how to better use your electronics or tactics for bigger fish than loading the boat with a limit.ON the other hand .... if you tip him $500 bucks ... he'll make sure he has a day open for you anytime you call.

[chaunc]

Pay for his meals plus some extra cash if he burns a lot of fuel looking for fish,would be my thoughts.He has set his price for the service.To me a guided trip would be more about learning how to better use your electronics or tactics for bigger fish than loading the boat with a limit.ON the other hand .... if you tip him $500 bucks ... he'll make sure he has a day open for you anytime you call.

Come on man. $800 for a guided trip? No way. If each guy adds 10% of the charge, that should be enough. Specially if you have to buy the bait too. If you're going just to catch a limit, you're going for the wrong reason. Have him teach you while you fish with him. Learn what to look for, like areas that hold fish at that time of year. What baits they prefer in a certain area of the lake as they will change from area to area. Ask a lot of questions and pay close attention to his answers. A quality guide will teach as well as show you how to catch them. But like i said, if you're only going for limits, then you'll just be buying fish. Either way, i hope you have a great time.

[Crappie Reaper]

I'm wondering why you would tip him in the first place? It's his business and he sets his prices he needs. His job is to put you on fish and if he doesn't, he'll not be in business long. If one uses a guide on a regular basis, I could understand a tip with the understanding you would appreciate some preferential treatment in booking him. Chatt, please don't hate me....

[river slabs are better]

if its a great trip, 50 bucks, if not 25 buckss....and if its terrible...dig thru your console for a wendys coupon. im sure you can find one somewhere....

[jaxxman]

if its a great trip, 50 bucks, if not 25 buckss....and if its terrible...dig thru your console for a wendys coupon. im sure you can find one somewhere....

Thanks for the info.. Oh I plan on learning all I can, that is the main reason I am going with a guide.. I can catch those crappie in shallow water, but have no ideal about deep water fishing and thats what I want to learn about. But I didnt want the guide to feel shafted.. I was thinning for a good trip around the $50 mark, but wanted to ask others opinion..
Yeah I understand the one guys , you pay $325 plus bait and ice, The guide has made pretty good that day even if you dont tip..yeah I know gas is high and you are paying for knowledge as much as catching.. I am sure the guide wouldnt be out over $25 for gas, but he would have wear and tear on his boat and tackle..
But he is in the service industry and you usually tip those in the service industry.. If I have a good trip I will tip.. just not too much.lol.

[M R Dux]

chaunc is 100% correct in his reply. Limits of fish are few and far between for even the best fishermen or guides. If that is your only criteria on how you are going to gauge your trip, you are probably going to be disappointed and not the kind of client the guide wants as a repeat. If the guide works his tail off and there are conditions out of his control, are you still going to blame him if you don't catch a limit? Weather, high water, etc are not things he can do one iota about. Your consideration of a tip should be based on his equipment and how he uses it to make the trip successful, what kind of person he is and how he communicates his knowledge to you and your buddy, and his overall effort to put on a good trip.

[joejv4]

Charters around here are big boats for salmon on Lake Ontario or the Finger Lakes. Generally there will be a licensed (USCG six-pack) captain and a mate running the charter. The Captain is generally the charter owner/guide, and he's the one who get's the check for the service. Generally, we tip the mate $5 or $10 per person (depending on how many of us go) so that he ends up with $40 or $50.

Now here's the reasoning... In most cases, the "mate" is either not getting paid, or going on minimum wage - doing this to log hours for his own captain's license. The captain get's his check, which is the rate he's set for his service, and the Mate gets a tip and maybe a small paycheck.

[2KanZam]

A guy I know guides for smallmouth on the New River in WV. Typically these are rafts with a single oarsman (guide) and 1 or 2 fisherman. When asked the same question he said "$100 will make sure I take you as a client in the future....$50, well, I'll entertain you again only if I have no other clients (even first time customers) scheduled and need the money." Granted it is a specialized trip with whitewater, and they have more clients than time.

None-the-less I was a little surprised at that high of a figure. Thought to myself, "well good thing I don't need a guide then......"

[deathb4disco]

I tip 20%.