The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

We are taking a few guided trips in Idaho and Montana this summer. What is a proper amount to give the guide? I heard $100 but that seems a bit much ?????????

No guides out of your shop I take it?

$25-75 per day is the norm. Big range cause there is a big range is skills/effort. I know you'll know the difference.

If you have a bote I can get you local knowledge... but I doubt its much better than what you can find. So why the guide? Ahh yes, answered my own question. Somebody to work the stix. Chit, I'd do it for free ifn I hadn't found a real job.

Janet,

I would agree with ST on this. For a $375 daily fee, I would figure that $40 is probably 'normal' {whatever THAT means}, and I would go up if the guide really busted his tail and was fun to fish with, and down if he/she was grumpy, incompetent or a PITA. I try to recognize that the guide REALLY cannot control the fish, but a day where I get a lot of hookups usually causes a better tip. Guess maybe I am human....

Hope you have a ball!!!

Thanks for your response. We no longer have a shop. We need a guide for drift boat guiding because I am physically unable to wade. The float trips in Idaho are up to $460 per day. We are going out with a guide from the Trouthunter for 5 days. We know the guide. He tries to get you to where the fish are. I heard the norm was $100 a day and that seemed high. Never fished the BigHorn so do not know the guide . We will have him guiding us for three days.

Janet

For what ever it s worth the only place I have heard a $100 a day was for guides in Alaska. That was from one person who was headed to a lodge and he said you were expected to tip the guide a $100 a day. The only resaon it came up is because we were talking about the cost of the trip.

my experience with a few guides was a twenty and some beer for tips.. mainly beer.

I fall back on the 10-20% I would tip in restaurants, depending on your location and experience with the guide. Based on the $450 a day you mentioned, that comes in at $45-90/day. I agree, $100 sounds high.

Great question and one I've often thought about........usually after I'm adrift. But I've been going abot $50 for a full day, regardless of the fee. But if the fee is generous to me (low), and assuming theres no shop involved......then I'll be a bit more generous for a great guide. Flip side, if the guige is self employed.....and his fee is high, then I tend to figure part or all of that tip "is in the fee".

Knew you didn't have the shop anymore...bummer but I hope you made the best of it, sure you did.

$460/day? Holy smokes!

Some folks go $100 but I get the feeling that is for future info, not the days work. At this point I'd probably pay to have a sport like you!

Have a great trip.

I think you have some "slack" from a set per diem amount. Considering the clientele is most likely diverse, I doubt there actually is a "regular" custom amount.

Based on experience from a former life as a ski instructor/guide at a major resort, I generally would expect less from consecutive day clients as those clients typically expressed gratitude through other means such as lunches, dinners, cutting a day short, etc.

Most importantly, it's also those clients who are most likely to return and refer you to others, which is worth far more in the long run than a higher daily cash tip.

assuming good/great service - 20% of the trip cost is a good starting point.