If you haven't figure it out yet, I have started working on becoming a part-time fly fishing guide. Becoming a guide has been a dream of mine for over a decade. I see guiding as a way to teach others, enjoy my passion even more, and make a little money in the process. It is my hope that I can help people enjoy the outdoors, expose them to beautiful scenery, and help them catch fish. I have a passion for teaching and I want to teach fellow anglers new techniques and improve strategies that relate to fly fishing. What I'm trying to say is that I want to be a fly fishing guide for a lot of reasons with all of them bein positive.
I also want to start setting myself up for a career after my public school teaching career comes to an end in the next few years. At the latest, I will retire from teaching at 54 years old. At the earliest, I could retire in May of 2027. While I'm not sure when I will retire, I know that I want to guide during the spring, summer, and fall months while I am retired. I also know that I want to spend some time guiding on Lake Taneycomo for trout and Ozarks rivers for smallmouth. I also know that I don't jump into things headfirst. I am cautions and like to progress towards goals in a slow, calculated way.
If someone that aspires to be a guide and plans to take people on fishing trips in a boat that has a motor, that person needs to have a captain's license from the U.S. Coast Guard. It is difficult, time consuming, and a little expensive to acquire. What I have chosen to do is guide out of a raft for now. This will allow me to guide but not require the captains license. I can navigate Ozark streams and float Lake Taneycomo as a result. While it will only be a one way trip down Lake Taneycomo, I think I can make it work.
For now, I want to focus on targeting smallmouth bass on Ozark rivers. Due to having a full time job and living almost 3 hours away from the Ozarks, my open dates are limited. However, my good friend Ryan Walker of Ozarks Smallmouth Alliance has agreed to help get me some trips through his guide service. For now, I will be available on multiple boat trips. Ryan's raft can handle two anglers, like mine, so for now, I get the spillover. This allows me to work a few dates and receive important mentoring from Ryan. While I have 20+ years of fly fishing experience, I know I still have a few things to learn about smallmouth, Ozark streams, and rowing a raft. Ryan has already taught me a lot and I'm excited to learn a lot more!
So it looks like I am getting pretty close to becoming a part-time guide. While I have guided some friends and family on smaller trips, this next step is a big one for me. Guiding strangers, learning rivers, and preparing shoreline meals are going to be big changes. It's also something that I am excited about. I'm not ready to book my own trips just yet so if you're interested in hitting the water with me, it's going to take me just a little more time to become independent. For the time being though, I'm close to hosting my first guided fly fishing trips!
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