Two questions, first do you tip when you go out with a guide and second,why? im just wondering because when I go out to eat, if the waitress is half way good at what she or he does I tip 20% but I don't tip the guy that changes my oil or rotates my tires.

Tip if he does a good job, either puts you on fish or just works hard trying. But the big spenders will be here soon to tell you they tip $100 or $200 for a good day. Most folks can't afford that and it's sure not necessary. Tip what you can for a good day and don't for a bad one.

If you don't give them a W9 at the end of the year, I would think that would be something they would prefer rather than a tip

Some guides work harder than others. I tend to tip the ones that go above and beyond to put you on fish. Example...I have fished with Lee Livesay on Fork multiple times and each time we were on the water from sun up to dark. I have never been with another guide that worked that many hours or that hard. He deserved more money for the extra effort.

Its all up to you. Do what you feel is right. I normally tip 20-25% if the guide worked hard at trying to put you on fish.

There are some waterheads on here that will say the guy is making enough money already, getting paid to do what he loves, yada yada.

My opinion is that the guide business is a service business. You book a guide to do more than just catch fish. You book a guide to learn something. A good guide will teach you more in one day on the water than you can learn in a year by yourself. At the end of the day, if you feel like you've learned some valuable things and you've had a good time in the process, then tip him.

I've said this before and I'll say it again: It is up to You to interview the guide before you go out with him. There are a bunch of guides. Some are better at deep structure, some are better at shallow cover, some are more versatile.

I have fished with one guide that did NOT allow you to throw a Carolina rig. I fished with one that would not ALLOW a spinning rig in his boat. I fished with one that would not throw a weightless Fluke or Senko at all. DUMB!!

You need to ask those questions ahead of time and find the guide that you feel will meet your needs. If you want to pitch jigs all day on the edge of a creek channel and you book a guide that sits on a roadbed all day hopping a spoon up & down, you should have inquired before hand.

one fiddy is a good tip

Some people just don't get it. Tipping your guide is customary and expected just as is tipping your waiter or waitress at a restaurant. They are providing a service, catering to your needs. From trying on your lures, to getting your lure unhung, providing baits and equipment and many other ammonites. The auto tech that rotates your tires and changes your oil, doesn't let you in his shop while he works because he doesn't want to answer your questions, loan you his tools and teach you how to do his job so that you can come back tomorrow and pot lick his income. If he did, I am sure he would expect a tip also.

The guide tipping subject comes up several times a year and there are definitely two schools of thought.

I've only hired one guide in my life and this was in 1987 on Lake Fork and there were only a half dozen or so back then. Six years later on Labor Day 1993 I caught a 14.19 using the techniques and information I learned from Dreabon Joiner. So what's a fish of a lifetime worth to you ? I don't have enough money to pay for that experience. Like Ken said, interview the guide, seek out reviews and if you happen to catch a fish of a lifetime or just have a great day fishing do the best you can monetarily to reward him and express your gratitude until he blushes. After almost 30 years Dreabon is still a friend ( as well as Facebook ) and remembers that day as well as I do. Thank you Dreabon and all the guides who work tirelessly to make sure their customers have a day to remember.

im not saying I don't get it. I have been with a guide before and I gave him a tip. mostly because I felt it was expected. your waiter and waitress get paid less per hour than the cook does. tips make up the difference in pay. your doctor and insurance agent are in the service business but I don't think you tip them. if the guide wants or needs $500 a trip then why not charge $500 and not $400 and hope for a $100 tip? I was self employed for a long time, I worked hard for my customers not for a tip but for return service and word of mouth advertising. oh and I was a building contrctor,and never got a tip. because it was not expected.

It's always been a weird concept to me to tip someone who is setting their own fees. They are a small business owner and if they want to be paid $600 for a service instead of $450, it seems to me that the fee should be set to what they think their service is worth. Wait staff at a restaurant are not business owners, they haven't set the menu, they have no input as to the fee you are paying for the food--they are employees whose hourly wage is established below minimum wage on the expectation of tip to actually be their wage. If you want to compare the guide industry to the restaurant industry, then I think a better comparison is finding the restaurant owner at the end of the meal and slipping a $20 in his pocket--something I've never done and probably few who will make opposing arguments have.

That being said, I usually tip ~$100 out of guilt created by this forum once a year like Ken said. But it still doesn't make sense to me...

I wrote my post as you were writing yours I guess, and I believe you fully "get it."

I really do see both sides was just wondering why not just charge what you need or want for your trip then everyone is happy. maybe this has been explained before by the guide community and I just missed it.

THey are charging what they want, Years ago went gas was $4 per gallon they all went up on their prices, and once gas went down they kept their prices at the same rate.

A tip is a gratuity. Its NOT required nor to be expected. I personally tip from 20% on up. I know all the reasons. The guide provides equipment,baits,boat, but most of all knowledge of where the fish are & what they are biting. My tip isnt for equipment, 1. I have my own quality equipment. 2. Baits, i have PLENTY if not more than some guides. 3. Boat, I have my own.
My tip is for his knowledge, putting me ON fish, learning techniques, entertainment, how willing he is to work in tough conditions to give a good trip. This is what i base my tip on.
That being said: you can bet if a guide puts me on a PB DD fish & after photos,measurements & info collected, hopefully a safe & survivable release of said fish, THAT guide WILL be rewarded very well on his tip! Just the way it is..