UPDATE: October 2023 LBCC Monthly Meeting – 10/26/2023 @6pm at Clubhouse & Via Zoom

*** Please note:  Revised Zoom Link
*** Tom Jenni will do a one hour fly tying session before the usual meeting.   He is planning to tie a few unique patterns for the rivers of Western Montana.  Refer to pg 19 in October Target Talk.
– Duracell
– Tom’s Mini-Sculpin
– Tom’s Stone

October Speaker: Tom Jenni: “How to Hook and Land a Great Fishing Guide”

“I have witnessed quite a few changes in the guide business in my 25 years as a Montana guide and outfitter. It is hard to believe that cell phones and the internet were basically brand new at the start of my career. When I was a rookie there were more guides than guide trips and guides were always competing to get clients. Anglers could only find guides at fly shops and lodges. It took me several years of effort and reputation-building before I hit “100 guide days” in a season. The tables have turned, particulary in the last few years, and a motivated rookie guide can round up 100 days without too much effort. There are now more anglers than there are good guides. So if you are a serious angler you might find yourself “competing” with other anglers to get the best guide! How do you find and “keep” a good guide? Some of the answers might surprise you.

Where are you in your angling career: avid novice or experienced veteran? Where is your guide in their career? Are you coming for a day or a week? Are you by yourself or bringing a group? Do you want to become a better angler or do you just want to catch as many fish as possible? What points of etiquette actually matter to your guide? All these things and more will determine how you can get the most from your guide and your guided day. I have interviewed dozens of guides about what motivates them to give their best. Join me for all things about guides, guiding, and being guided. To get the most out of your guide and to “land a good one” it helps to understand what keeps them fired up. I was born and raised in Montana. I caught my first trout out of the Big Hole River when I was four years old. I still remember where (and I’m not telling). I caught my first fish on a fly rod when I was eight. I started fly tying when I was 10 and switched entirely to fly fishing when I was 12, after my brother’s friend’s dog ate my spinning rod. I have bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology, worked briefly for the fish and game agency in Nevada and a sportswear company as product manager for fishing and hunting clothes. I started guiding at 30 as a “stop gap” job and discovered my career. I just finished my 25th year as a guide and outfitter in Montana. I have fished in Florida, the Bahamas and Mongolia, and recently started guiding for steelhead in Southeast Alaska. I feel super lucky to have raised a family in this beautiful place, and I still enjoy every day I get to be out fishing and exploring my home state.”

Join us Thursday, October 26, at 6:00 pm, at the Clubhouse or by Zoom

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88262103366?pwd=eu7zBdefMD9YZHoKx9GKonutXx7Uqj.1

Meeting ID: 882 6210 3366
Passcode: 792173

Tony Daus
1st Vice President