Top 10 Reasons A Fishing Guide Could Be The Best Job On The Planet!

Is there any job in the world better than being a fishing guide?

If your #1 passion in life is fishing, then being a fishing guide is certainly the ultimate occupation for any serious angler.

However, being a full-time fishing guide is no joke, and it certainly isn’t easy to put people on fish day in and day out regardless of the weather, access to bait, time of year, etc.

Just like any other profession, being a fishing guide entails mastery of the skill, years of experience, countless hours on the water refining their skills, along with a burning passion and commitment in everything fishing guides do.

The job can also test their patience, shed tons of sweat and tears, and even get patches of sunburns and frostbites (depending on where they guide).

But what keeps them motivated is the fulfillment they feel when seeing a client land a fish they will never forget…

With that, here are the top 10 reasons fishing guides have the most amazing job in the world.

10. Fishing Guides Make Anglers Dreams Come True.

When an angler is trying to get a record fish or target a species of fish they have never caught before, rarely do they go out by themselves and just try to “wing it”.

Instead, they hire a fishing guide or charter captain to get them on the fish and make their dreams come true.

“Making dreams come true” is exactly how fishing guide Steve Huff describes his job in this great interview he did with Garden & Gun.

For a fishing guide, it is pretty amazing to know they are essentially catching these record fish with their clients. A true partnership in its finest sense.

9. Fishing Guides Get To Work Outdoors.

The job of a fishing guide is ideal for adventurous and outgoing people – those who like to explore new things, venture into new water, travel, and enjoy appreciating nature’s gifts and life’s simple joys.

Ask most fishing guides why they enjoy spending time in the outdoors and you’re likely to hear the word, “Freedom.”

Most fishing guides generally work independently, and this is why they enjoy the flexibility of their working hours and the freedom to decide and strategize their day on their own – making things favorable not just to themselves but most importantly, to their clients.

8. Their Job Teaches Genuine Patience, Discipline, & Conservation.

Fishing guides are constantly faced with testing their patience.

Regardless if they are helping a brand new angler learn how to cast, catching a fish with their “big money” clients, or going hours with no bites in their “honey hole”, patience is something all fishing guides must have.

They have acquired their discipline over the years of fishing, and being the morning person that most pro anglers are, they manage to take the “early bird catches the worm” cliché to reality.

Studies show that this can be a valuable skill that can help them be more productive and become healthier over the course of their lives as well.

Another trait they owe to fishing is becoming socially responsible by heart – heightened concern for other people and a passionate love for the environment. Fishing guides all work harder to promote the preservation and conservation of our surroundings, natural communities, and valuable habitat.

Related Post: Find Out How These 15 Famous Fishing Guides Are Working Together To Save Florida Fishing

Likewise, most fishing guides and enthusiasts have vested interest in and support many efforts to protect all species and the environment while helping to increase biodiversity.

7. They Bring Families And Friends Closer Together.

It’s a fact… fishing guides bring families and friends closer together.

Back when I was in the financial services industry, one of my favorite things to do was charter a private boat with a fishing guide and take out my top clients.

Spending 6-8 hours on a boat with someone is how you really get to know a person, and years later I still keep in touch with most of the clients that I took out fishing.

Same goes for families… families that fish together, stay together… and the fishing guide is the person behing the scenes making it all happen.

6. They Create New Relationships Every Single Day

Many of us with normal desk jobs are surrounded by the same people almost every single day.

I can still recall my first job in a cubicle where I was with the same small group of people every single day for many years.

But fishing guides get to spend anywhere from 4 to 48 hours (or more depending on what kinds of charters they run) on a boat with new people every single day on the job.

And since life it all about relationships, this is a really special perk that sets fishing guides apart from most other occupations.

5. They Learn From Each & Every Person They Meet.

Meeting different people every day is either a blessing or a lesson, or both.

And since fishing drives you closer to the people you are around, they eventually build strong fishing networks, win new friends, and get to learn about all kinds of new things from the people they fish with.

In fishing, they don’t just “teach and preach” but also learn a lot from their guests and colleagues – whether it’s about fishing essentials, tips, hacks, other job skills, new places to travel and fish, or even some life lessons, too.

4. Every Day Is A New Adventure & Memorable Experience.

For fishing guides, beginners, and seasoned anglers alike, every fishing outing is a new learning experience that’s worth keeping a lifetime.

There is actually no room for monotony and boredom with fishing as there’s always something new that they can look forward to, and new places to fish. Nothing is ever routine in fishing.

Fishing guides are unique in that they are always ready to take risks, beat the odds and try new spots in case all else fails, and they know that whatever they do, they’d either be proud of it or learn from it.

3. They Get To Influence The Next Generation Of Anglers

In a day and age when technology and video games get much more attention than being outdoors, it is good to know that there is an industry teaching the next generation how to fish.

Not to mention that nothing makes a fishing guide smile more than seeing a kid’s face light up with excitement after catching their first fish… something they will remember forever.

I think all fishing guides can agree on this, “More Tackle Boxes and Fewer Xboxes!”

Related Post: “Why America Needs More Tackle Boxes & Fewer Xboxes” (see it here now)

2. They Make A Living Doing What They Love.

Earning enough money to make a living by simply doing what you love is such a blessing.

And when anglers can turn their passion into a career means enjoying what they do and not needing to work a day in their life.

Nothing compares to being able to get the “best of both worlds” – getting paid while just enjoying the “show”.

What else could you ask for?

SEE, This guy has all the best F’s in the world… One lucky man!

It’s been an adventurous three weeks on the road.

Family, friends, fishing, forests! I love my family!!!

— Todd Falcone (@todd_falcone) July 24, 2016

1. Other People’s Happiness Is Their Business.

Most fishing guides would agree that seeing someone enjoying fishing, learning how to fish, beginning to love fishing and of course, catching a fish for the first time, is the ultimate achievement for them.

They get motivation and inspiration from their “students,” particularly when they see them smile when catching a lunker.

Kirk Deeter, the editor of Angling Trade, Field & Stream magazine and the editor-in-chief of TROUT magazine, once said that being a fishing guide is one of the best jobs he could ever imagine.

“Despite being baked in the sun, frozen in the wind or dealing with uncooperative fish,” fishing is, no doubt, a fulfilling and stable job.”

According to him, “One can make a lot more money as an orthopedic surgeon or a trial lawyer earns, but the thing is, when people come to see me on the river, they’re always in a good mood. When people go to see the doctor or the lawyer, they’re usually not in a good mood,” Deeter shared.

Happiness brought to anyone by fishing can really be contagious. More so, sharing a fishing experience with either their clients, families, friends or colleagues has always been a pleasurable mentoring experience.

Kudos to all fishing guides out there!

Conclusion

All in all, fishing guides have a pretty amazing job.

But of course, being a fishing guide is not for everyone…

It takes a special skill to effectively teach fishing techniques (tips and tricks, too), you must have amazing patience, and you must be able to consistently create memorable experiences out on the water for other people.

And just like any rewarding job, it takes a lot of love and passion to do it well.

So what do you think?

Do fishing guides have the most amazing job on the planet?

Share your thoughts in the comments as we’d really love to hear from you.

P.S. – If you think your angler friends or fishing networks would like to see this, please TAG them or SHARE this to them.

Keep Calm and Fish Strong!