Jobhop Jobhop's blog : How to Become a Professional Fishing Guide

For many avid anglers, becoming a professional fishing guide is the dream.

However, it isn’t as simple as passing on your knowledge to rookie enthusiasts. Becoming a licensed fishing guide requires collaboration, training, and obtaining the appropriate licences.

As work-from-home set-ups transition back into on-site work or hybrid working, now is a better time than any to test the waters. If you are a skilled angler and want to help hobbyists get into the sport, below are a few things you need to know.

Pick Between Freshwater & Saltwater

Freshwater and saltwater fishing are more distinct than you might anticipate. If you want to try your hand at mentoring beginners, freshwater fishing makes for an excellent place to start. On the other hand, ambitious anglers may benefit more from an adrenaline-pumping session in the open water.

Depending on your skill level and speciality, where you fish also makes a difference. It pays to familiarise yourself with seasonal locations—when is the best time to go? What type of equipment will your mentees require? Always have these details handy.

Learn from Local Fishing Guides

The best way to begin your journey towards becoming an in-demand fishing guide is to mingle with local experts. You can learn more about this unexpectedly lucrative career field through local professionals and source top equipment through bait shops, outfitters, and agencies.

Build Your Skills

While you need not be a titleholder or renowned champion to become a fishing guide, you’ll need to put your skills into practice as often as possible. After all, people will depend on you to improve their technique and arsenal of equipment.

One of the best ways to capitalise on your potential is to enrol in a professional guide school where you can learn best practices and connect with agencies looking to hire.

Brush Up on Your First Aid

Naturally, fishing involves a lot of potentially hazardous equipment such as hooks and pins. As such, brushing up on your first aid is imperative. Not only should you know how to treat a wound with antiseptic solution and bandages, but you should also be familiar with CPR.

You’ll be surprised to know how frequently accidents happen while boating out in the open sea—if your trainee falls in, CPR can potentially save their lives.

Obtain Certification

Depending on where in the United Kingdom you decide to teach, it will be necessary to obtain the appropriate license and certification. These include certificates of competence that cover:

Basic sea survival
Basic health, safety, and first aid
Basic firefighting and prevention

Guides with only two years of fishing experience must attend a Safety Awareness and Risk Assessment course and some medical training.

Work with Local Fishing Operations

The final step is simple—it’s time to get hired. While you can easily advertise your services on social media, your best bet begins with local marinas, fly shops, outfitters, lodges, agencies, and even resorts.

As the economy recovers from the repercussions of the Coronavirus and recruiting strategies becoming increasingly robust, it’s time to hop back into the field. By proving your value, you can eventually build a unique brand and take bookings from travellers across the country—or globe!

The Bottom Line

As travel bans start to lift and hobbyists become increasingly interested in learning how to fish, training to become a guide is a strategic move. Through regular skills training and learning how to sell yourself to top local fishing agencies, you can become an in-demand guide in no time.

Credit Image by Couleur from Pixabay

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