As the old saying goes, even the worst day of fishing is better than the best day of work; that is, of course, unless your job is hunting down trophy Northern gators! In which case, you may find yourself submersed in a labyrinth of islands, bays, and weed beds. Your cubicle is 18 feet long, deep hulled, and equipped with seventy-five horses of raw Yamaha.
Your days in the office will be long… up to ten hours of complete FOCUS is common practice when seeking these toothy critters. You won't be using a computer, but you will find yourself staring intermittently at a Lowrance Elite, keeping a keen eye on depth, and surface water temperature, while simultaneously discussing a plethora of topics with your guests, none of which should include, politics, or religion. The real question you'll need to find answers for, is, which areas of the lake will likely be holding the "ONE"?
With the concrete jungle hundreds of miles by airplane from reach, there are no highways here. You will take a different route to work every day. The local radio stations road warnings are quickly replaced by doplar radar and minute-by- minute weather changes. Whether you're cutting calm waters like glass or plowing levitation waves, it makes no different to the hunter of trophies.
You need not worry about office politics, but you WILL face fierce competition, as twelve other guides race throughout the watershed in hopes that they will be the first ones to tap their local honey holes. Water cooler chit chat is quickly replaced by marine radio chatter, and your daily deadlines will consist of putting trophy pike in the net, and shore lunch walleyes in the live well.
Unlike most jobs you have worked, time will fly by! Each second of the day is preciously cherished, in hopes that your clients next cast will reveal their fish of a life-time. We are always our own worst enemies, and the pressure that you will feel is a good thing… because it shows that you care.
Your customers become your friends, and your product is the wilderness experience you provide. Brown paper bag lunches are a thing of the past; as a guide, you will be preparing freshly cooked walleye in a variety of tantalizing flavors to fill the hunger void.
Your fishing addiction has brought you this far and there is no telling where this path will take you… All you know is that you love what you do. You're a fishing guide, and you always will be… the hunter of trophies.