I posted a comment on Facebook this week about a First Aid course that our guides took on Tuesday, and it got me thinking that a lot of people don't realize all of the off-the-water things that our guides do. Between boat and equipment maintenance and certifications and training, they seem to be always working, even if they aren't guiding.
Most people don't realize that you can't simply buy a boat and call yourself a guide. There are people who do that, unfortunately, but a professional guide is so much more than just a fisherman.
All of our guides hold a minimum of a Marine Basic First Aid certificate - some, who are fire fighters in their "spare" time, have more advanced training. This certificate has to be renewed every three years, and is a requirement for all guides.
Another certificate that they are required to have is a Radio Operators Certificate. This is for the two-way radios on their boats. This may seem a bit old-fashioned in today's world of smart phones, but there are a lot of great fishing spots in remote locations, where phones don't get signal! Hence, the radio.
Next on the list is the MED-A3, or Marine Emergency Duties A3, certificate. This one is administered by Transport Canada, and shows that certificate holders know their stuff when it comes to safety on the water and general marine emergency procedures.
Another thing that all of our boats have, is the "Blue Decal", or Small Vessel Compliance Program. This is voluntary! But our guys do it. What the SVCP represents is that the boat is compliant with all Transport Canada Marine Safety regulations. There are numerous regulations that all boats have to conform to, but the SVCP consolidates all of these regulations into one program, and the blue decal represents that all of the standards have been met. This Program requires annual reporting to keep it in place.
Everytime Transport Canada, or the provincial Ministry, changes their regulations or requirements it can mean more training days for our guides. They may need to go through classroom hours and sit exams to obtain a new certificate, they may have to have their boats inspected, or they may have to purchase new equipment. The bottom line is that the industry is always changing and adapting, and fishing guides have to change, adapt and learn along with it in order to keep fishing.
Next of course, we add in boat maintenance and cleaning, truck maintenance in order to get the boat to the launch, equipment maintenance (rods and reels for multiple species of fish, tagging kits, first aid kits and safety equipment, keeping coolers clean, making sure there are extra waders on board, life jackets, etc), having top quality bait ready every day, and then of course being out on the water fishing on days off to make sure that they always know where the fish are hiding when it's time to take clients out for the day.
But the payoff is worth it when we see our clients out there, catching fish, and having the time of their lives. Case in point:
