There is a change I’ve watched countless times over thirty years of teaching fly fishing. A child arrives full of movement and questions, hurrying along the bank, throwing sticks into the water and wanting to know how many fish we’re going to catch before the rod is even assembled. There is plenty of enthusiasm, although not all of it is immediately useful to the fishing. Everything needs to happen now.
Then something catches their attention. It might be a trout holding beneath an undercut bank or the small disturbance left by a fish taking an insect. Sometimes it happens while we’re sorting out another tangle and they notice something in the water beside us. The child who has been moving constantly begins standing still. They watch a little longer before making the next cast. The questions continue, but now they are about what is happening in front of them.
It rarely happens all at once, and there is no reliable timetable. Some children settle into it quickly. Others need most of the day. But I’ve seen that change often enough to recognise it when it begins. Their attention has found something to fix on.
We’ve taught hundreds of children over the years, through family outings, beginner workshops and afternoons on the Goulburn. Some arrive already obsessed with fishing. Others have clearly been brought along by a parent who is considerably more enthusiastic about the idea than they are. They may be impatient, shy or unsure what they are supposed to enjoy about standing beside water while somebody explains a fly rod. That is a perfectly reasonable starting point. Most of us have been taken somewhere we weren’t convinced we wanted to go.
What interests me is how often that reluctance gives way to curiosity. A teenager who would rather have been elsewhere starts asking about insects. A child who has spent half an hour complaining about casting becomes difficult to persuade away from the river once fish begin rising. Nothing particularly dramatic has happened. They have simply found something worth paying attention to, and the next question follows from the last thing they noticed.
It is easy to turn a discussion like this into a complaint about phones. I don’t think that gets us very far. Children haven’t chosen the world they are growing up in, and blaming them for being interested in what is constantly offered to them seems unfair. Phones, games and social media are part of their lives. What I think matters is giving them other experiences as well, particularly ones that require them to be involved rather than simply watch.
Fishing certainly requires involvement. The wind changes while you are casting. A trout refuses the fly you thought was right. Rain arrives before you are ready for it, and a knot that looked straightforward when somebody demonstrated it becomes surprisingly difficult in your own fingers. You have to deal with what is happening, often with cold hands and a piece of grass caught somewhere in the leader. The satisfaction comes when you finally make something work.
There is useful feedback in all of that. A rushed cast can leave the line tangled. A careless approach sends a visible fish away. Slow down, look properly and make a better attempt, and sometimes the result changes. Children begin making those adjustments because they want another chance at a fish. You can tell somebody to be patient as often as you like, but it means considerably more when they discover a reason to wait.
I wouldn’t suggest children have a monopoly on impatience. I’ve spent enough time with adults holding fly rods to know better. Experience doesn’t prevent us from rushing a cast, striking too early or deciding that the trout ought to have eaten by now. One of the pleasures of teaching children is being reminded how much concentration the things we now do automatically once required.
One of the unexpected privileges of staying in this job for so long is seeing former junior clients return with children of their own. I remember some of them learning to cast on the lawns outside the lodge, or trying to work out where a fish might sit in a piece of moving water. Years later, they are standing beside the same river as parents, helping another beginner get started. The children I once taught are now doing the encouraging and untangling.
Those visits mean a great deal to me. Whatever else they remember from their early fishing, enough of it stayed with them that they wanted to bring their own children back. The fish were part of it, of course. They still are. But the return suggests that something about the whole experience was worth passing on.
Confidence is another thing I notice developing through the small tasks of a fishing day. A child ties a knot without needing help, spots a trout before anyone points it out or gets a cast into the right place after several failed attempts. None of those achievements needs to look impressive to an experienced angler. The person doing it knows what was difficult and knows they have just managed it.
I’ve watched quiet children become more assured over the course of an afternoon. They begin making decisions rather than waiting for every instruction. They look at the water, choose somewhere to cast and have a go. The change is often modest, but it is theirs. There is a difference between being told you are doing well and realising that you can do something you couldn’t manage earlier.
The difficult parts belong to the day too. There are tangles, missed fish and periods when very little happens. Nobody enjoys all of it. But a child can be frustrated by a cast, work out what went wrong and try again without the whole afternoon becoming a failure. Sometimes the next attempt works. Sometimes we put the rod down for a while and look at something else. There is more to a river, and fly fishing, than the next trout.
That wider interest often develops as the day goes on. At first, every question concerns catching a fish. Later, a dragonfly hovering over the slow water becomes worth watching. So does a caddis drifting past, the mist lifting or a change in the sound of the current against the boat. They begin noticing things they walked past earlier. The river hasn’t suddenly acquired more life; they are seeing more of what was already there.
I like that part of teaching. You don’t have to explain everything or supply a name for every insect before it can be interesting. Sometimes it is enough to stop and watch together. A mayfly drifting down a seam gives a child something to follow, and a trout rising beneath it connects two things they might previously have considered separately. The questions then come quite naturally.
Looking through old photographs, I find plenty of evidence of those absorbed afternoons. There are boys of twelve standing in the Goulburn with rods in their hands, concentrating on the water in front of them. One happens to be my son. Others belong to families I’ve known for years. Their attention is fixed somewhere beyond the photograph, on a fly, a current or a fish that the camera has not recorded.
What strikes me now is the look on their faces. They are busy with something that matters to them at that moment. There is no need to explain the value of being outdoors or ask them to appreciate the setting. They are already involved.
The photographs also remind me how much of a fishing day happens around the actual fishing. There is lunch beside the river, someone helping with a tangle, wet boots at the end of the afternoon and the quiet stretches when the boat carries everybody downstream. A cup of soup on a cold day can remain in the memory long after the fly pattern has disappeared. So can the person who sat beside you while you worked something out.
Those are ordinary moments while they are happening. Nobody announces that a family memory is being made. You are trying to get the line free, keep everyone comfortable or decide whether there is time to fish another bend. Only later do some of those details become important. The person helping, the sound of the oars, the size the river seemed when you were small: all can stay with you.
I don’t expect every child I teach to become a committed fly fisher. They don’t need to. Some will return regularly; others will find different interests. A few hours outdoors do not have to become a lifelong pursuit to have been worthwhile. There is value in learning something awkward, becoming interested in an unfamiliar place and spending a day with people who have time to help.
As I get older, I find myself thinking more about that last part. Taking children fishing makes room for time together that can be difficult to find in an ordinary week. There is a shared task, but also room for conversation, questions and stretches when nobody needs to say much. You can concentrate on the same patch of water without having to make the afternoon into a lesson about anything larger.
The fish still matter. A child who has come hoping to catch a trout is entitled to care very much about catching one, and I am usually just as keen to see it happen. But I’ve watched enough good days unfold to know that the value doesn’t all disappear when the fish refuse to cooperate. There can still be a first decent cast, a trout spotted in clear water or an hour spent completely absorbed in something new.
Years later, they may remember the catch. They may remember walking through wet grass, sharing lunch or drifting beneath the river gums with someone they trusted on the oars. Some will eventually return with children of their own, giving another generation the chance to make those discoveries. I’ve been fortunate enough to see that happen, and it is one of the best parts of having stayed on the same river for so long.
For me, that is a good reason to take children fishing. They don’t need to leave as experts, and the day doesn’t need to produce a remarkable trout. It can simply give them somewhere they enjoyed being, something they learned to do and people they remember being there with. That is plenty to bring home from a river.
Experience, reputation, local knowledge and the questions worth asking before you book.
Choosing a fly fishing guide has become considerably easier in one respect and more difficult in another. Thirty years ago, you generally found a guide through a fly shop, a fishing club, a magazine article or the recommendation of somebody you trusted. Today, a search of almost any well-known trout river will produce an assortment of professional-looking websites, impressive photographs, enthusiastic testimonials and operators promising an unforgettable experience. There is certainly more choice, but distinguishing between those choices can be surprisingly difficult.
A photograph of a large brown trout tells you that somebody caught a large brown trout. It doesn’t necessarily tell you who found it, how the fishing was conducted or what the rest of the day was like. An attractive website might belong to somebody with decades of professional experience or someone who has only recently begun taking paying clients. Both could provide an excellent day, but their knowledge, experience and ability to manage difficult conditions may be quite different. Unfortunately, the websites themselves rarely make those distinctions clear.
I have spent more than thirty years guiding, much of it on the Goulburn, and have also been fortunate enough to fish with guides across Australia, New Zealand and America. I’ve learned a great deal from watching other people work, including some considerably younger than me. I’ve encountered outstanding guides whose names would mean little to most anglers, and others with considerable reputations whose approach didn’t particularly suit my fishing. It has made me more interested in what I would ask before booking somebody myself, particularly when the fishing involves unfamiliar water, a substantial financial commitment or placing my safety in another person’s hands.
There isn’t a single formula for choosing the right guide. Much depends on what you want from the day. But there are ways of looking beyond the photographs and promises to establish whether somebody is likely to be a good fit.
Experience: Years in Business or Days on the Water?
The first question I would ask is how much guiding the person has actually done, particularly on the river I intend to fish. This is not quite the same as asking how long they have been a guide. Someone might have started guiding fifteen years ago but worked only a handful of weekends each season. Another may have been guiding for six years and spent well over a hundred days annually on the water. Both can legitimately describe themselves as experienced, but their working histories are very different.
The distinction becomes even more important with drift boats. Someone who has personally completed several thousand drifts on a particular river has accumulated an enormous amount of practical information. They have watched that water through changing seasons, floods, droughts, different flow levels and countless variations in weather. They have seen how trout respond when water rises or falls, which banks produce under particular conditions and how the behaviour of the current changes as water moves through different sections over the course of many seasons.
Consider the difference between somebody who has completed 100 drifts on a river and another who has completed 5,000. It isn’t simply a matter of one having fifty times as many trips behind them. Those additional days represent thousands of decisions about boat positioning, water selection, weather, client ability and safety. They include days when the fishing was extraordinary and many more when very little happened as expected. Much of what experienced guides know was learned during the latter, when they had to work out why the river wasn’t behaving as anticipated.
None of this means the guide with 5,000 drifts is automatically the better teacher, the more enjoyable companion or even the more successful angler. Nor does it mean an enthusiastic newcomer shouldn’t be given an opportunity. Everybody begins somewhere, and I have met young guides with remarkable judgement and ability. But if I were paying for a drift on an unfamiliar river, I would certainly want to know the difference. It is information I would consider more useful than the age of the business or the number of photographs on its website.
It is also worth distinguishing the experience of the business from that of the person who will guide you. A company may have operated for thirty years while employing somebody who joined last summer. Conversely, a newly established business might be run by a guide with twenty years of experience working for other outfitters. Neither arrangement is inherently a problem, provided you know whose experience you are purchasing.
Drift Boat vs Raft: Does the Boat Matter?
Another consideration that rarely receives much attention when people compare guides is the boat itself. Most advertisements simply describe a guided float trip, often without explaining what sort of vessel will be used. Yet there is an enormous difference between spending eight hours fishing from an inflatable raft and doing the same from a purpose-built fibreglass drift boat. Having spent much of my working life rowing both, I have definite views about their respective merits, particularly on the sort of tailwater rivers we fish in Australia.
The first distinction is safety. Rafts are remarkably forgiving vessels. Their inflatable chambers provide substantial positive buoyancy, and their flexible construction allows them to absorb impacts and bounce away from rocks and other obstacles that might cause serious problems for a rigid hull. They are particularly well suited to whitewater and can tolerate a degree of mishandling that would be considerably more consequential in a fibreglass drift boat. Neither vessel is immune to accidents, but I would generally regard a properly equipped raft as the more forgiving choice for a relatively inexperienced rower on our local rivers.
Fibreglass drift boats are a different proposition. They are rigid, responsive and remarkably precise in capable hands, but they can be extraordinarily unforgiving when somebody makes a serious mistake. A poorly judged angle against an obstruction or a strong current pressing against the hull can develop into a dangerous situation very quickly. They demand anticipation, sound judgement and sufficient experience to recognise trouble before the boat reaches it. A guide who is still learning those skills has a considerably smaller margin for error than they might have in an inflatable raft.
Where the fibreglass drift boat comes into its own is the fishing. On a tailwater such as the Goulburn, there is simply no comparison in my experience. A properly designed boat can be held against strong current, positioned accurately around feeding fish and controlled with a precision that an inflatable raft struggles to match. For the angler, that translates into more useful casts, better presentations and less time dealing with the limitations of the vessel. Proper seating, solid floors, footrests and secure places to stand also make a substantial difference over a full day. Depending on their design, rafts can leave passengers feeling exposed or perched on inflatable tubes, and self-bailing floors can mean spending much of the day with wet feet.
We began floating the Goulburn in inflatable rafts in 1994, and they served us very well for years. I still own two, both perfectly serviceable, but they remain rolled up and packed away in the shed. There isn’t a day of the season, nor a particular set of conditions on the Goulburn, when I would choose one over a properly designed fibreglass drift boat. For rowing precision, boat positioning and the comfort of the people fishing, the difference is simply too great. That is a judgement based on the fishing we do and the water we know, rather than a suggestion that rafts have no legitimate place elsewhere.
There is also a considerable difference in cost and availability. An inflatable raft can be purchased and, when the model is in stock and freight arrangements cooperate, landed in Australia by air within a week or so. In my experience, a commercially equipped raft can generally be landed for around a third of the cost of an imported fibreglass drift boat. An American-made fibreglass boat is a much more substantial investment. By the time sea freight, import charges, GST and equipment are accounted for, a new boat can realistically cost A$40,000–$50,000 landed and ready for commercial use. I generally allow as much as twelve months for ordering and importing one. That doesn’t make it a better boat simply because it is expensive, but it helps explain why operators make different choices about the vessels they use.
Not all drift boats are alike, either. American manufacturers produce different hull designs intended for different rivers and styles of fishing, and there are considerable variations in construction, seating, handling and suitability. Rivers such as the Goulburn, Swampy Plain and Tumut each present their own demands, and choosing a boat that works well across them involves more consideration than simply buying a recognisable American brand.
If you’re considering a guided float, I would ask what sort of boat will be used, whether it suits the river and how much experience the guide has operating it. A raft is generally more forgiving of the person rowing it. A purpose-built fibreglass drift boat is, in my experience, considerably better for the person fishing from it on these rivers. The experience of the guide determines whether you receive the full benefit of that difference.
Full-Time Guiding and the Value of Recent Experience
There is another distinction between somebody who guides as their principal occupation and someone who does it occasionally alongside other work. I have known excellent part-time guides, including anglers whose technical ability would embarrass plenty of professionals. Some deliberately limit their guiding because they enjoy their other careers or prefer working during particular fishing periods. Being part-time is not a criticism, and being full-time is certainly no guarantee of excellence.
Nevertheless, regular professional guiding develops skills that recreational fishing alone does not. A guide working four or five days a week spends those days making decisions for other people. They learn to manage beginners, experienced anglers, changing weather, difficult personalities and the inevitable complications of commercial trips. They also develop a continuous understanding of conditions. Someone who guided the river yesterday, the day before and several times during the previous week is likely to have a different view of what is happening from somebody whose last outing was a fortnight ago.
This becomes particularly valuable when the fishing is difficult. It is relatively straightforward to appear knowledgeable when trout are rising everywhere and almost any reasonable presentation produces a result. The more revealing test comes during a succession of difficult days, when the obvious methods are producing little and clients are becoming frustrated. A guide who works regularly has more opportunities to develop the judgement, patience and adaptability required to manage those situations.
Someone guiding ten or fifteen days a season may be a very capable angler, but they are not accumulating the same professional experience as somebody who works a hundred or more days annually. That difference deserves consideration, particularly when operating boats or taking inexperienced clients into challenging water. I would therefore ask how many days somebody guides during a normal season, how recently they have been on the water and how familiar they are with the conditions likely to occur during my booking.
Is a Guide Who Is Difficult to Book Worth Waiting For?
Availability is something I pay attention to when arranging guided fishing for myself. A guide who is consistently busy, particularly with returning clients, is worth investigating. Good guides often develop a following, and their regular customers tend to arrange dates well ahead of time. Some of the best people I have fished with are difficult to secure at short notice, especially during the periods when their rivers are fishing well.
There is a practical reason for this. A busy guide may spend most daylight hours on the river, often somewhere without reliable telephone reception. By the time they have finished guiding, recovered the vehicle, cleaned the equipment and prepared for the following day, the ordinary working day has disappeared. It isn’t unusual for enquiries to be returned in the evening or handled by somebody else while the guide is working.
I wouldn’t take that observation too far. Someone answering the telephone immediately might have finished early, be enjoying a scheduled day off or employ somebody specifically to manage bookings. Likewise, somebody who never returns calls may simply be poorly organised. Being difficult to contact is not a professional qualification.
What I would pay attention to is the pattern. Is the guide regularly booked ahead? Do clients return season after season? Are popular dates already committed, or is the business simply unreliable about communicating? A full diary is worth investigating, but so is an operator’s willingness to answer questions and make clear arrangements once contact has been established.
If there is a particular guide you want, I would rather arrange the trip around a date when that person is available than assume another guide from the same business will provide an identical experience. They may be equally capable, but their approach and personality will almost certainly be different. If somebody else is being assigned to the booking, you should know that before committing.
Decide What Sort of Fishing You Actually Want
One of the most useful things a prospective client can do is establish what they want from the experience. It sounds obvious, but people frequently book guided fishing without giving it much thought. Most people want a good day, perhaps a decent trout and preferably a few. Those are reasonable ambitions, but they don’t tell the guide very much about what would make the day satisfying.
There is an enormous difference between spending a day fishing squirmy worms beneath an indicator and stalking individual trout with small dry flies. While both can be productive, they offer quite different experiences. Some anglers enjoy covering water, casting continuously and catching as many trout as possible. Others would happily spend an hour working on a single fish they can see feeding. A guide may have a strong preference for one approach, and that can influence the day considerably.
I would ask a prospective guide what they particularly enjoy guiding. The answer can be revealing. Someone who becomes enthusiastic discussing technical dry-fly fishing is likely to approach a river differently from somebody who specialises in deep nymphing, streamer fishing or searching with large attractor patterns. There is nothing wrong with having a speciality. In fact, it can be an excellent reason to book somebody, provided that speciality matches what you want.
You should also be realistic about the conditions. If you particularly want to fish dry flies, explain that before booking and ask whether the proposed time of year is suitable. A thoughtful guide might recommend a different month, another river or a particular period of the day. I would regard that as encouraging. Somebody who promises exceptional fishing at any time, regardless of flows, weather or insect activity, deserves a few more questions.
Your experience matters too. Tell the guide how long you have been fishing, what you are comfortable with and whether there are techniques you want to improve or avoid altogether. Did we mention squirmy works already? There is no advantage in exaggerating your ability. Guides encounter beginners regularly, and most would much rather know where to start than discover halfway through the morning that the person they expected to cast forty feet comfortably is struggling at twenty.
Safety, Judgement and the Questions People Forget
Safety deserves more attention than it usually receives when people compare guiding services. Most clients understandably concentrate on the fishing. They look at photographs, check prices and consider which river they would prefer. Relatively few begin by asking how experienced the guide is at operating a boat in difficult water, whether the business conducts safety training or what arrangements exist if something goes wrong.
On a substantial river, particularly one subject to rapidly changing flows, I would consider those questions essential. A drift boat is an excellent fishing platform, but it remains a vessel operating in moving water. Its safety depends heavily on the competence and judgement of the person rowing it. An experienced operator looks beyond the next fishing opportunity, anticipating bends, obstructions, pressure lines and places where a change in current could cause trouble.
Much of that work is invisible to the person fishing. While an angler is concentrating on a rising trout along the bank, the guide may be watching a difficult corner farther downstream, deciding whether there is enough room to stop or whether the boat needs to move towards the opposite bank. The best decisions often attract no attention because nothing happens. The boat passes safely through the section and the fishing continues.
That is also why there is a considerable difference between being able to row a drift boat and being ready to guide paying clients from one. Recreational rowing provides valuable experience, but commercial guiding adds an extra level of responsibility for the people in the boat. A guide needs sufficient familiarity with both the vessel and the river to recognise hazards early, make decisions under pressure and respond appropriately when something unexpected happens. Being able to negotiate a familiar stretch in favourable conditions is not the same as possessing the judgement required across a full range of river conditions.
I would ask how long a guide has been operating drift boats commercially, how familiar they are with the river at different heights and what happens if the weather or flows make the intended trip unsuitable. Do they have alternative sections available? Will they postpone or cancel when necessary? What emergency equipment do they carry, and what arrangements exist for communication and assistance? I would also be interested in whether they have been involved in any serious boating incidents and what they learned from them.
Rolling a boat is not necessarily the result of poor judgement. Accidents can happen even to experienced people, and a guide’s response to an incident can sometimes be more revealing than the incident alone. Nevertheless, I would want to understand that history before setting out on a large, fast river such as the Goulburn, particularly if I were putting inexperienced anglers or members of my family in the boat.
Licensing, insurance and safety documentation remain important, but they should not be confused with proof of practical competence. They establish aspects of compliance and preparation. They don’t tell you how well somebody reads a trout stream, whether they can teach a beginner or how skilfully they will manage a difficult afternoon.
Comparing Price and What You Actually Receive
Guided fishing varies considerably in price, and comparing advertised rates can be misleading unless you understand what is included. A full day might mean eight hours on the river with lunch and equipment supplied, or a shorter period that includes travel to and from the fishing. Some operators charge by the boat, others by the person. Private-water fees, vehicle shuttles, licences, equipment and other expenses may or may not be included.
I would want a clear account of what I was purchasing before paying a deposit. How many anglers will share the guide? Who supplies the equipment and flies? Is lunch included? How many hours are spent fishing? What happens if the river becomes unfishable, and what are the cancellation arrangements? For overseas trips, these questions extend to accommodation standards, room sharing, transport, meals, guide ratios and whether every advertised fishing day is fully guided.
A lower price can represent excellent value, particularly when a capable guide is establishing a business or working independently with modest overheads. A higher price might reflect greater experience, private access, better equipment or more comprehensive arrangements. It might also simply be a higher price. Neither tells the whole story.
The sensible comparison is between what each operator will actually provide, the experience of the person delivering it and the suitability of the fishing for your needs. A guide who costs a little more but gives you precisely the sort of day you wanted may be considerably better value than a cheaper alternative whose methods or arrangements don’t suit you. The reverse can be equally true.
Reputation, Returning Clients and the Evidence Behind Reviews
Recommendations remain one of the best ways to find a guide, particularly when they come from somebody who has actually fished with that person. I would place more weight on a detailed account from an experienced angler I trust than on a collection of anonymous five-star reviews. The useful questions are not simply whether they caught fish or enjoyed themselves, but how the guide worked, how well they communicated and what happened when the fishing became difficult.
Returning clients are worth paying attention to as well. When people repeatedly choose to spend their limited fishing time and money with the same guide, it suggests the relationship is delivering something they value. That might be exceptional fishing, good instruction, easy company or simply confidence that the arrangements will be handled properly. Whatever the reason, repeat bookings over many seasons are useful evidence of customer satisfaction.
Reviews should still be considered carefully. A glowing account written after an extraordinary hatch may tell you relatively little about the guide’s ability. Conversely, an unhappy client who caught no fish may have experienced competent guiding under very difficult conditions. Look for recurring observations about preparation, patience, communication, safety and whether the guide made a genuine effort to meet the client’s expectations.
I would also pay attention to how the guide treats the fishery. A professional operator earns a living from access to rivers and trout, and that brings responsibilities beyond the immediate interests of the paying client. Does the guide handle fish carefully, respect landholders and access arrangements, and recognise when temperatures or other environmental conditions make fishing inappropriate? Are they considerate towards other anglers? On smaller, vulnerable fisheries, do they exercise discretion about locations and fishing pressure? Those things tell you something about the person you are entrusting with your day.
The Person You’ll Spend the Day With
Finally, there is personality. You may spend eight hours in a drift boat with somebody, or several consecutive days together on an overseas trip. During that time you will discover whether conversation comes easily, whether their sense of humour suits you and how they behave when things don’t go according to plan. These qualities are difficult to measure, but they can influence your enjoyment enormously.
Some guides are naturally enthusiastic and talkative. Others are quieter, offering instruction when necessary and otherwise allowing the fishing to occupy the day. A beginner may appreciate frequent encouragement, while an experienced angler might prefer a guide who can position the boat well and leave them to concentrate. Neither approach is necessarily superior. The important thing is finding somebody whose temperament and way of working suit what you want.
A telephone conversation before booking can help. Pay attention to whether the guide asks about your experience, preferred fishing methods and expectations. Notice whether they listen to the answers. Someone who seems genuinely interested in understanding what you want is more likely to plan the day around you than somebody who spends the entire conversation describing their own accomplishments.
I would also be wary of guarantees. No guide can promise that trout will feed, that the weather will cooperate or that a river will remain in suitable condition. They can promise to prepare properly, communicate honestly, make sensible decisions and give you their best professional effort. Those are things within their control. The fish have never been particularly interested in the arrangements we make on their behalf.
Ten Questions Worth Asking Before You Book
You don’t need to conduct an interrogation, but a few sensible questions will often tell you more than an hour spent comparing websites.
How long have you guided professionally, and how many days do you guide during a typical season? This helps distinguish actual working experience from years merely holding a guiding qualification or operating a business.
Approximately how many days or drifts have you personally completed on the river I want to fish? For drift-boat fishing in particular, this is one of the most useful measures of local experience.
Will you be guiding me yourself, or will somebody else be assigned to the booking? If another guide is involved, ask about their experience and preferred fishing methods.
What sort of fishing do you specialise in, and is it suitable for what I want to do? Explain whether you prefer dry flies, nymphing, stalking fish, learning techniques or simply covering water.
How recently have you fished this river, and what conditions should I expect at that time of year? Recent knowledge can be as important as accumulated experience.
If we’re floating, what type of boat will we use, and why is it suited to this river? Ask about seating, comfort, fishing positions and the guide’s experience operating that vessel.
What safety arrangements, permissions and insurance apply, and what happens if conditions deteriorate? A professional operator should be comfortable discussing these matters.
If you belong to a professional guides association, what does your membership level actually certify? Ask what documentation has been checked and whether any practical guiding or boat-handling assessment is involved.
What is included in the price, how much time will we spend fishing, and what are the cancellation arrangements? Establish exactly what you’re purchasing before paying a deposit.
Can you provide a reference from someone who has fished with you, preferably more than once? An established client can often tell you more about the experience than a promotional description.
You may not need to ask every question. Some will already be answered clearly on the operator’s website, while others may emerge naturally during a conversation. What matters is having enough information to make a considered decision.
Making the Choice
After thirty years, I remain convinced that experience matters enormously, particularly on unfamiliar or technically demanding water. But experience needs to be considered properly. The number of years a business has existed is not the same as the number of years an individual has guided. A person’s fishing ability is not necessarily evidence of their teaching ability, and an impressive website tells you very little about their competence with a drift boat. Even a long professional career does not guarantee that somebody will be enjoyable company.
I would begin with the things that can reasonably be established: actual days guiding, familiarity with the particular river, recent experience, reputation, and the ability to provide the style of fishing you want. If the trip involves floating, the suitability of the boat and the guide’s experience operating it deserve consideration as well.
Then I would consider the person. How do they communicate? Are they interested in your expectations? Do they seem comfortable acknowledging that conditions may not be favourable? Are they prepared to recommend another date or approach if that would give you a better experience?
There are many excellent guides working across Australia and overseas, from long-established professionals to younger people developing their own reputations. Some are exceptionally difficult to book, while others may have an opening at precisely the right time. The aim is not to find the guide with the grandest claims, the most impressive photographs or the longest list of affiliations, but somebody whose experience, judgement and manner give you confidence in the day you are purchasing.
A little research and a proper conversation before booking can save considerable disappointment. More importantly, they can help you find somebody whose knowledge will leave you a better angler, and whose company you’ll be happy to share for the day.
Ant
Anthony (the author) with his mentors and business partners David Pickering (centre) and Geoff Hall (right), on the deck of the lodge in 2005.
There is a change I’ve watched countless times over thirty years of teaching fly fishing. A child arrives full of movement and questions, hurrying along the bank, throwing sticks into the water and wanting to know how many fish we’re going to catch before the rod is even assembled. There is plenty of enthusiasm, although not all of it is immediately useful to the fishing. Everything needs to happen now.
