Guided fishing has become big business. Some 40 years ago in America, guided fishing was in its infancy. Tarpon, bonefish and permit were the big 3 species the fly guys wanted to catch, and offshore billfish, tunas and trevally were on the podium, so a whole new industry was spawned. About 99 per cent of it was catch-and-release — a far cry from the usual meat fishing charters where success was measured in how many eskies full of fish came home.

As usual, Australia is slow to catch on, but eventually the industry made its way into Aussie waters and with the variety of species available here, as in America, a whole bunch of guides now operate all over the country within niche markets.

For many busy people in this country, owning a boat is just too much effort; rego, insurance maintenance, general boating/fishing knowledge, and running costs far outweigh the value in using it for a few days per year. Others own a boat and regularly fish, but still want to travel and fish far-away locations, so this is where guided fishing comes into play.

You can find guides from Tassie down south who guide anglers in pristine trout waters, right through the Territory chasing barramundi, across Cape York where saltwater fly fishing is absolutely awesome with offshore winds for 9 months of the year, and then right down the east coast chasing barras, flathead, even bream.

So if you are thinking of taking a guided fishing adventure, where do you start? Firstly, you should have a good long think about what species you wish for. Obviously you don’t go to Hervey Bay if you want to catch barramundi; sure, you might get lucky, but the NT certainly has the numbers. Do your homework and look around, because good guides usually have a big following on social media like Facebook. Word of mouth is good too, so ask around.

Any reputable guided fishing charter operator will have a good, up-to-date website too, so read the feedback and see what’s biting. It’s a good idea to contact the guide and chat about weather, tides and options for foul weather, as you’re dealing with Mother Nature and believe me, she can be a bitch! Emails are probably the best way to make contact. Full time guiding can be a tough job and having to talk on the phone when you’re working on a boat while trying to steer your clients onto fish is hard.

I’ll just give you a brief outline of a day’s guiding so you can get your head around it. Working as a guide in Hervey Bay, my fishing day starts at 6.00am, so I’m up at 5.00am. A quick coffee and breakfast, then pack fresh lunches, drinks and ice into the boat for the day.

By 3.00pm we would start to fish our way home, generally returning to the ramp by 4.30pm. Then another half hour unloading clients’ gear, having a chat and saying goodbye. For most people their day’s done, but not for a guide. I drive through the local car wash, a quick 5 minute wash down with the high pressure hose to wash off salt and scales (we are rural on tank water, so don’t waste it), then off to the fuel depot to refuel the boat, stopping at the local supermarket for a few supplies, then home by 5.30pm (a 12 hour day already).

Getting home, the work is still not done; back into the shed, unpack the esky, clean utensils from the day, a bit of maintenance on tackle and boat, then by 6.30pm sit down to look at emails, weather forecasts and tides. It’s not easy!

I think the hardest aspect of guiding is those quiet days where the fish are completely shut down and would not bite. They are the toughest and any good guide worth his salt really feels it when his clients are not catching fish. The pressure is on big time and having a client moaning and groaning why not certainly doesn’t help!

Guides generally have well set-up boats and can loan tackle upon request on a replace-if-lost or broken policy, which is quite fair. I have had clients lose outfits worth hundreds and plenty of lures as well. This is costly, and remember, they are doing this for a job, not entirely for fun.

Many of my good friends started as clients and I have made developed friendships in the business, so go try guided fishing. Sure, you are paying top dollar, but you will be getting some great knowledge, good times, and hopefully some top fish as well.