5 Essential Qualities of a Good Fishing Guide
Indulging in your favorite outdoor activities is one of the best ways to have loads of fun. If fishing is one of them, you can have some moments of relaxation as well. To make your fishing trip worthwhile, it’s necessary that you end up with a good catch of fish. Depending on your experience, you might have a certain level of confidence to catch fish by yourself.
However, you’ll never be disappointed with your fishing trip if you hire a reliable and experienced fishing guide. Here are some of the essential qualities of a good fishing guide you must consider before hiring one:
1. Good knowledge of local waterways
A fishing guide must know the local waterways inside out. This knowledge would be extremely useful if you’re visiting a water body for the first time. In certain situations, a fishing guide can also be of great help even if you’re a seasoned angler. Besides having a good knowledge of the local waterways, a fishing guide will have the best plan for attack.
This is helpful when the fish are most active. It would give you plenty of opportunities to have a good catch of fish. If your fishing guide has a good knowledge about fish found in other regions, it would be a bonus.
2. A sound knowledge of fishing gear
You might not know the most efficient way to utilize your fishing gear. Even if you have a checklist of everything needed for your fishing trip, it might not help. An experienced guide would know what gear you need to bring for your fishing trip. Having a guide would be helpful in taking the most economical decisions.
You’ll also get to learn some valuable lessons and tips. Learning from the best guide and experiencing things firsthand would be an advantage. This would be particularly helpful in preparing for your next excursion.
3. The ability to take quick decisions
One important fact worth considering is that you can’t control the actions of the fish. So, there’s always a possibility of having a slower day. This is why it’s always good to have a fishing guide. Experienced guides have the ability to think on their feet and would even have a backup plan.
Such backup plans involve changing the bait or trying a different location. No matter what challenges a particular situation may present, an expert guide always come up with the best solutions.
4. A positive attitude
It’s important to have someone who is not overtly negative as your fishing guide. A guide who believes in the power of positivity can maintain a good mood throughout your fishing trip. On the other hand, if your fishing guide is overtly negative, it can easily spoil your mood.
Having someone with a positive demeanor is extremely important during such trips where there’s no guarantee of rewards. There are some exceptional fishing guides who can lighten up the trip to a great extent. They’re usually the ones who provide some comedic relief, swap stories, and are quite cheerful.
5. Passionate about fishing
You’ll truly enjoy your trip if you have someone who is extremely passionate about fishing. Besides, the guide must also have the necessary skills in fishing to be able to guide you properly. The last thing you’d want is having someone who’s assisting you only to get compensated for it.