Day In The Life. Part Three.

After finishing the days trip, it's time to hit the road. First thing we do is phone home and give an estimated arrival time. Service isn't always available due to location. The drive can be a simple affair or a moose/deer dodge ball night game. We will check voice mail on the cell, take some Advil if it's been a tough rowing day and then try to find a Sox game for the ride.

Pull in at home anywhere between 6:00-10:00 p.m. Priority is to spend time with my kids. Everything else can wait. After family time, it's back to work. Unpack the truck, clean out the boat, dry out all soft goods if it's been a rain filled day, clean cooler and lunch gear. Prep lunches for the following day. Refill fly boxes. Replace or rebuild leaders and tippets. Replace tippet spools if necessary. Clean lines. We clean our lines every two days or so. It helps performance and line longevity. Disinfect wading gear. Repack for the next trip. Recharge batteries on cell, camera and headlamps.

Check voice mail on the land line. Check emails and respond. Check mail for deposits. Confirm this weeks trips. Download daily camera images. Get online flows and tomorrows weather. If time and energy permits throw a post on this blog. Sleep.

In no way are these posts a complaint on the amount of work involved in a typical day. I'm a Mainer I don't shuck hard work. If you enjoy your work it doesn't feel like work. Sure some days can be frustrating and difficult. Every job has good days and bad ones. The reason for these posts has been to give folks an idea of a typical day for a fly fishing guide. And for the guy I talked with about how great it is to get paid to fish. I hope you noticed how much I fished during the day. Maybe I showed a cast, drift or mend. That was my fishing for the day. I won't say I have never fished during a trip. I will grab a rod if we are having a particularly difficult day breaking the code. I've had some clients insist that I do so. A good guide will fish through you. Others want me to fish along with them. For those I'm very thankful. They are few and are usually long time clients.

The 2011 season was a ton of fun for us. We are already looking forward to next season with more enthusiasm than one would expect. Start making plans now.