If I saved $10 for every time someone said “what a life, the life of a fishing guide, if only I could have your life” I would probably be quite rich by now. The people who can afford to come fishing here are usually captains of industry, who live high pressured, very time conscious lives, and generally make good money. These are people who are used to getting what they want, and come from a technological disposable life where most things are available by going on the internet, or store, and ordering whatever they need. Likewise, in Big Cities, everything is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
When they come here, to my little piece of paradise on the beach, a lot are so conditioned, that they demand a certain guaranteed odds at getting what they want trophy wise. I have had requests like, I want to charter you for a half day, and then get and they would want a marlin as well in that half day. These are the uninformed, although even I have been surprised at times. My guests who come for a fishing week, are generally more experienced when it comes to understanding what this game is all about, and are not so demanding. However, they come here to experience something they can’t do on their own, and for that I become responsible.
One only has to look at the walls in the restaurant/bar, here at Silver fish Lodge, to see these trophy fish, and wonder what stories were behind them. I remember them all, as I was present in all of them, with the exception of one or two, usually because I had to run and get supplies, and therefore missed the boat, so to speak...
What is the life of a fishing guide/ come owner operator operating a fishing lodge?
I go out with my guests, as I don’t want to miss any action, and because it is what I enjoy. I hate managing the lodge whilst others are fishing- that’s not what I had in mind when I came here.
My day usually starts at 4.30am, when I oversee my kitchen staff, and make sure the boat is ready. I wake guests up at 5am, and get them fed before we go out for the day fishing. We try and launch by 5.30-6am. Then we go fishing, usually until 1pm, when we lines up and then run about an hour back to the lodge. On arrival at the lodge, guests are treated to a further lunch (there are usually sandwiches on the boat as well), the usual beers and drinks that follow, followed by a “siesta”, which is an afternoon nap made famous by the Portuguese, then sometimes a run into town for last minute things, then overseeing the fish cleaning, dinner, followed by more drinks and hosting, and then, depending on the group, in bed by about 10pm. The next day, we do it again.
That’s the easy part- the sometimes difficult part is when you have been conversing with a guest for the last 6 months and longer, and then they arrive after studying the moon and the tides and the seasons. There is usually an air of expectation that follows these guests. My philosophy has always been as follows:
- Get them on fish
- Make sure the beers are cold
- Make sure the seafood is fresh and well prepared
- Make sure they get a comfortable nights rest
I can normally get everything else right, but the fish part sometimes is challenging. I work in an environment that doesn’t follow rules, and isn’t on-demand. There are many factors that exert an influence in what the fish want, and how they feel. (Read the moon and the tides- another story written a few months ago). I have seen Marlin and Sailfish swimming on the surface, who are not interested in what I throw at them. If a fish doesn’t want to eat, then it won’t. Sometimes I get the freshest live bait, and after swimming them for a couple of hours, let them go untouched, still as perky as ever. Other times they barely hit the water, and they are consumed. My stress come at times like these, when fish don’t want to feed. You are only as good as your last fish, and after you have caught it, then you need another, and then another, and then another- your job is never done. Each day you got to prove yourself anew. This, and only this, is the difficult part. Your reputation hangs on this. What you are as a fisherman hangs on this. And sometimes, you don’t get fish, and then your guest starts to doubt you. This increases the anti. It compounds and builds until you get that fish. That is stress.
It’s great when the guest has a preference that is caught quickly, because then the tension is diffused, and everyone, including me, can enjoy themselves. It is challenging when it is not caught early on.
So, after all that, would I want to do anything else? No, not even close. I still enjoy each and every day I get to go out, and marvel at how each and every day I get to go out is just as good and exciting as the first day I went out. Each day is different, and you never know what is going to come into your spread. When the going gets tough, then you just need to go back to basics, and fish the way you have always, in the places you know hold fish, where you have caught them before, and with the right mind set and patience, it usually comes together at the end.
I have met people I would never have met in a normal life. People from all walks of life and from many countries. Interesting people that share the love of fishing that I have. For that I am grateful. The fact that they pay the boats petrol, is a bonus!
See you at the lodge, or on the water sometime! Let’s go fishing!