Heading to Montana on the 3rd of July

[wschmitt3 0]

So I am going to be going to Sweetwater Guide School 3 July on the Big Horn River and I am so nervous and excited I can hardly sleep.

 

Any body been? Any one think about going? Any one fished the Big Horn River have any tips or stories to share.

[heavynets 0]

The Ray Charles is the fly of choice there. My only tip is have plenty of gas in your car and you might bring a spare sandwich. It's a long way between filling stations and resurants out that way.

[wschmitt3 0]

I'm flying in to Billings and they pick me up at the airport. But that's good advise thanks.

 

I saw the they have the ray charles on the list of flies to bring. I am going to put in an order for some in about 2 minutes

 

Edit - an order for some ostrich in grey and tan.

[vicrider 0]

Just wondering, is your intent to pursue a guiding career or is just for you personal advancement?

[wschmitt3 0]

Both, but I am going to try to start a guiding career. Until recently I didn't think it was something that was in the realm possibility of in terms of my know how or experience but after some encouragement from a few people in the industry I changed my mind and decided to give it a try.

 

Why do you ask?

[vicrider 0]

Why do I ask? 'Cause I'm a nosy son of a gun, why else? No, it's just something that begs the question. For me, I wish I'd have gone to one of the schools like Orvis or some others run for personal improvement. Having had a charter boat on Lake Superior for a few years and guided on some vacations from the plant up on Big Saganaga Lake in MN for walley, smallmouth and pike, I personally would not want to do guiding involving fly rods and trout. One of the things you need a huge dose of is patience. You always run across the occasional a-hole but for the most part it's working with decent people, but adding all the tangles and light tippets and flailing lines of fly fishing with people like me who think they know what they're doing but really don't that will drive you crazy.

 

Good luck and only wish I had the ability to travel like I used to and handle elevation. I'd love to be your first customer to show you what I speak of.

[bellevue.chartreuse.trout 0]

Just the variety of people that guides get as clients... I think it boggles the mind. Dealing with people basically I think would be the name of the game. Think it might help if you're a 'people person' if that makes any sense - but not a requirement obviously.

 

Not talking from experience but from just what I observe. Have fun and enjoy it and if you 'go for it' - good luck!

[ihang10 0]

Son of a gun. The origins of the term ( as I heard on the radio today) was from sons who were born at sea, births were taken care of in the gun galley.

 

That aside, the school sounds like a good idea, I read about one somewhere, it was a 5-day school. I found that rather interesting.

 

Good luck and most of all, enjoy the time there.

[wschmitt3 0]

Haha vic thats funny. Patience is something I have an excess of, and for some one who is not really a people person or all that social I am actually quite good at friendly socializing and interacting with all kinds of people in many different settings. I have professional customer service experience that I am sure will help with setting expectations correctly and dealing with unhappy clients peacefully.

 

Also as an Army Corporal and Sergeant (had to spell check both those words...Hahaha) i did lots of teaching young soldiers who couldn't shoot but thought they could to actually hit the target. It was funny because I was a Nuclear, Biological and Chemical guy (not the most respected job) in an infantry unit and the younger soldiers that I did remedial marksmanship training with were almost always infantrymen that thought it was beneath them to take instruction from a Person Other than Grunt (POG) but the ones who listened always drastically improved some times became experts, I actually caught one kid teaching stuff I taught him to one of the other guys in his fire team. I think this experience may help with clients and casting, the main difference being I was a really really good marksman and I am, on my best days, an average caster. I hit my targets but I don't have any fancy skills.

 

Thanks for the encouragement BCT.

[wschmitt3 0]

Thanks ihang10, I will.

 

Were you listening to Wait Wait or something on NPR?

[mikechell 0]

Son of a gun. The origins of the term ( as I heard on the radio today) was from sons who were born at sea, births were taken care of in the gun galley.

 

I had to check that out. From my own knowledge of history, women weren't taken on ships very often. In fact, many sea captains considered it bad luck to even have a woman ON the ship, ever!

Seems your radio station is giving partial truths, as most media is wont to do.

According to several sites I looked at, the "sea birth" origins have been refuted. More than likely, it came about by more civil tongues using "son of a gun" instead of "son of a B____".

[JSzymczyk 0]

 

Son of a gun. The origins of the term ( as I heard on the radio today) was from sons who were born at sea, births were taken care of in the gun galley.

 

In fact, many sea captains considered it bad luck to even have a woman ON the ship, ever!

Amen to that.

[wschmitt3 0]

Its kinda hard to colonize with out women isn't it? I'm betting there was women on board for long voyages more often than you imagine.

 

Especially when you consider the fact that every one moving from the old world to the new had to come by boat until some thing like 60 years ago when the first commercial flights crossed the Atlantic.

[mikechell 0]

Big difference between "gun ships" and colonizing ships. But this isn't a thread about the origins of sayings. Sorry I brought it up.

[ihang10 0]

Thanks ihang10, I will.

 

Were you listening to Wait Wait or something on NPR?

I'm pretty sure it was NPR.