Tips for Salmon Fishing

[opto55]

How much do you tip for salmon fishing for 3 day trip on Vancouver Island?
Thanks

[KGB]

It’s all depends on what kind of a service you had. We went last year and our guide was pretty good the first day but had a very little enthusiasm on the second day. He also didn’t do a good job cleaning the fish leaving lots of meat on the bones and throwing it out and after I told him to take his time he wasn’t happy with that… So we tipped him $25 each( there were 4 of us).

[-JR-]

All depends again ,does he own the boat and the guide company or is he just an employee .

[opto55]

We are on the outside of Vancouver island. Three day charter , includes everything .
What is reasonable?

[HL_transplant]

Originally Posted by opto55

We are on the outside of Vancouver island. Three day charter , includes everything .
What is reasonable?

150 to 200 a day depending on the service

[mlee]

Yeah tip like you would anywhere else....10-20% of the trip based on service...not based on how many fish you catch. If he's burning fuel and working to get you on fish tip accordingly....if he runs the same spot all day close to home...tip less.

[HL_transplant]

Delete double post

[KGB]

Originally Posted by -JR-

All depends again ,does he own the boat and the guide company or is he just an employee .

True to that, I will not tip the boat owner/business owner. Only the employee.

[58thecat]

I tip accordingly but also do my research prior to booking knowing that you got a good outfit and guide(s).

Fishing can be hit or miss but if the outfit and guide(s) bust their butts, are safe, organized are very sociable then the tip is there for the taking but lack in any department then the tip well disappears and I bugger off.

Had some of the best times with a slow bite because of the guide.

Good luck


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Drewski Canuck]

You will see alot of variability on Guide service and attitude.

I have made a habit of bringing my own tackle, and rods, and downrigger release clips.

More than a few trips have been saved by the approach that the Guide is just there to get the money.

My tackle has been switched to more than a few times because of the lack of gear, lack of bait, and shoddy rods.

If the boat has good bait, good rods and tackle, and a knowledgeable guide who truly wants to catch fish, then a tip is deserved.

I have been lectured by a cocaine fuelled Guide about how Alberta's proposed pipeline to the coast for oil is going to kill the Coast. All the while we burned what probably was Alberta gas in the boat.

Alot of West Coast people are rude to Albertans, and then they demand a tip??

Drewski

Drewski

[Marty S]

Originally Posted by KGB

True to that, I will not tip the boat owner/business owner. Only the employee.

If the owner is my guide, then he needs a tip for sure…. Unless he just takes you for a boat ride and wastes your time???

Often the owner ends up being the best fisher in the fleet, thus no tip, then next time he’d likely be inclined to stick you with his worst fisher or the new guy. If you don’t tip him he ain’t taking you out next time, or if he has to then short day or less effort.

I tip according to performance. If he works hard, tries hard, he must be rewarded.

Maybe the best thing for the owner isn’t money, but something really cool and memorable??? Maybe some money too. People still like money no matter how much they have. We probly all suffer from greed somewhat!

[KGB]

Originally Posted by Marty S

If the owner is my guide, then he needs a tip for sure…. Unless he just takes you for a boat ride and wastes your time???

Often the owner ends up being the best fisher in the fleet, thus no tip, then next time he’d likely be inclined to stick you with his worst fisher or the new guy. If you don’t tip him he ain’t taking you out next time, or if he has to then short day or less effort.

I tip according to performance. If he works hard, tries hard, he must be rewarded.

Maybe the best thing for the owner isn’t money, but something really cool and memorable??? Maybe some money too. People still like money no matter how much they have. We probly all suffer from greed somewhat!

Allow me to disagree with this. If you own a business, don’t you want your customers to get the best service possible so they come back again and again? That’s why you decided to run the business and not be a waiter at the restaurant. You asked for the money and customers agreed to pay you what you asked. What else to expect? And you supposed to give a great service. As agreed.
Would you tip your plumber or electrician? Nope! They announced the price and they do the job for the price that you paid. Same is here.
If it’s a hired help guide- then it’s a different story. He is working for a small part of what you paid for the charter where the owner gets the most out of it.
This whole tipping issue is really ridiculous here in North America. Especially in the USA. but it’s a whole different topic…

[HuyFishin]

I currently work at a marina on vancouver island. I've gotten to know many charters. Many of them work real hard to try and make sure you catch fish. Some days I see them hammer fish. Both halibut and salmon. Next day they could go out again and catching nothing. But each trip they reach my fuel dock and the fuel they use can be around 200 dollars average per trip. Expensive when 91 octane is 2.10 per litre. (last month it was 2.32) Charters often pay higher rates for commerical moorage cost ect.

Its a cutthroat feast or famine business. If he is burning fuel and trying real hard to get you that fish. A couple extra bucks wouldn't hurt.

[KGB]

Not sure how cutthroat the business is but I know that we paid $800 for a full day charter 10 years ago and today they are asking $1800… if the fuel is $200, they still have $1600 left…that’s a pretty good $$$$$

[Serengeti Charters]

Originally Posted by KGB

Not sure how cutthroat the business is but I know that we paid $800 for a full day charter 10 years ago and today they are asking $1800… if the fuel is $200, they still have $1600 left…that’s a pretty good $$$$$

Where would fuel be $200? Wont be anywhere you catch a lot of fish. For us it’s $500-$600 a day. Plus guide wage. Plus insurance. Plus boat payments. Plus truck to pull boat payments and insurance. Plus bait. Plus tackle (reel is 500-1000 a piece if good quality) plus boat
Maintenance (expensive) plus moorage plus safety equipment, plus marketing and tradeshows plus engine costs plus rent if don’t live in location you charter. Etc etc. a few more plus plus as well. People think it’s a gravy train, but couldn’t be more wrong. Just wanted to quickly dispel that silliness.

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by Serengeti Charters

Where would fuel be $200? Wont be anywhere you catch a lot of fish. For us it’s $500-$600 a day. Plus guide wage. Plus insurance. Plus boat payments. Plus truck to pull boat payments and insurance. Plus bait. Plus tackle (reel is 500-1000 a piece if good quality) plus boat
Maintenance (expensive) plus moorage plus safety equipment, plus marketing and tradeshows plus engine costs plus rent if don’t live in location you charter. Etc etc. a few more plus plus as well. People think it’s a gravy train, but couldn’t be more wrong. Just wanted to quickly dispel that silliness.

It’s what you do because you love it!!!

Not for everyone but for those who do it and have success basically eat, sleep, rinse and repeat!

This spills over to the clients who like you know are repeat offenders.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KGB]

Originally Posted by Serengeti Charters

Where would fuel be $200? Wont be anywhere you catch a lot of fish. For us it’s $500-$600 a day. Plus guide wage. Plus insurance. Plus boat payments. Plus truck to pull boat payments and insurance. Plus bait. Plus tackle (reel is 500-1000 a piece if good quality) plus boat
Maintenance (expensive) plus moorage plus safety equipment, plus marketing and tradeshows plus engine costs plus rent if don’t live in location you charter. Etc etc. a few more plus plus as well. People think it’s a gravy train, but couldn’t be more wrong. Just wanted to quickly dispel that silliness.

Where did I get $200 fuel charge? Simple- from the poster just above my previous post. That was his number.
I understand that you have expenses just like any other business out there. But if you are pricing yourself out of the market and no clients is willing to pay what you are asking for- then what?
I’m not here to argue with anybody, I am simply stating my point of view. You may agree or disagree with me, that’s totally fine. It doesn’t make me or you a bad person. The post was about tipping.

[tikka250]

10-20 percent of what you pay. There is some guys like stated that will go extremely hard to make sure the trip is worth your while. Those guys you tip from the heart and don't worry about what the "avg tip fare" is.

[surhuntsalot]

Originally Posted by KGB

Not sure how cutthroat the business is but I know that we paid $800 for a full day charter 10 years ago and today they are asking $1800… if the fuel is $200, they still have $1600 left…that’s a pretty good $$$$$

Fuel $450/day
Moorage $2k/mo
Insurance $6k/4 mo
Bait $18/pk
Tackle (doubled in price)
Maintenance $800/mo
Boat Payment $5k/mo

Oh ya, not to forget, you have to save up for an $80k-$100k repower every 4-5 years…

10 years ago you could get a boat for $180k that’s now upwards of $500k- $600k , and prices have to reflect that…

As for your outlook on tipping, by your veiw an “Owner who assumes the cost, and risk is not worth the tip regardless of the service he provides, yet if he hired a guide, You’d tip the guide? Many guides walk away with more in their pocket at the end of the season than an owner (I’ve been both)…

[KGB]

I like math too. $1800 per day x 12 months(12 x30=360 days) =$648,000. That’s if you take clients every single day. Let’s say you only take them fishing 6 months out of 12, that’s $324,000.
Your expences came to approx $192,000 for six months. What’s left is $132,000 for six months or $22,000 per month. Not too chubby I would say.

[Serengeti Charters]

Originally Posted by KGB

I like math too. $1800 per day x 12 months(12 x30=360 days) =$648,000. That’s if you take clients every single day. Let’s say you only take them fishing 6 months out of 12, that’s $324,000.
Your expences came to approx $192,000 for six months. What’s left is $132,000 for six months or $22,000 per month. Not too chubby I would say.

Most operators are 3-4month seasons max, and many of the costs are fixed so doesn't matter how many days you fish, still have those costs (and dividing them over a lot less days than 6 months!!!!). Your math is faulty.

[salmon slayer]

3 of us just got back from port hardy, we had a 3 day charter, fishing was pretty good, the seas where a little rough so we could not get to the good halibut grounds, we tipped $150/day for a real good guide. The boat was using around 160 litres of fuel @ 2.10/liter, this charter is 8 hours per day from dock to dock