Episode 146: I Return To Guiding To See If I Still Have It

You can own a lodge, hire great guides, and still feel your confidence wobble the moment you step onto a dock where nobody cares about your past. At Two Rivers Lodge, I’m back in the boat as a working guide, staring at new water, new electronics, and guests I’ve never met, asking myself the only question that matters: do I still have it? 

I talk through the real difference between “helping out” and being responsible for the entire guest experience, from navigation and safety to putting walleye in the slot for shore lunch. You’ll hear what it’s like to learn a lake fast with GPS mapping, Humminbird Helix, and Garmin LiveScope, plus the honest frustration when the screen does not look the way you’re used to. Then we get into the fishing: northern pike patterns shifting with weather, cabbage at the mouths of bays, current areas that hold fish deeper, and the simple trigger that keeps producing strikes so far: hits on the pause. 

But guiding is not only about fish. I share the awkward feeling of being “not the owner” in the main lodge, and the way service and conversation build trust the same way a good day on the water does, one small moment at a time. If you love Canadian fishing lodge stories, northern Ontario multi-species action, and the mindset side of guiding, this one is for you. Subscribe, share this with a fishing buddy, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

Transcript

Shaky Confidence On The Docks

SPEAKER_02 0:05

My confidence was a little bit shaky. I am the new guy. Like, I mean, coming in, um, everybody knows I owned a lodge, but that doesn't mean shit here. You know, you know what means something here? Whether you can go out and catch fish and make guests happy, right? This week on the Outdoor Journal Radio Podcast Networks, Diaries of a Lodge Owner, Stories of the North. I find myself in a place I never expected to be. For years, I owned a lodge, hired guides, trained guides, and stepped in to help when the situation called for it. But there's a big difference between helping out and carrying out the full responsibilities of being a guide. Now, standing on the docks at Two Rivers Lodge, helping Willie the oil man through a two-week stretch, I'm finding myself wondering a simple question. Do I still have it? On this show, we're going to talk about what it feels like to walk into a new camp, new water, with guests you've never met and expectations you didn't create. We'll talk about confidence, doubt, experience, and the realization that no matter how many years you spend in the industry, there are still moments when you have to prove something. Not to anyone but yourself. Can an old lodge owner become the new guy again? Can I step outside my comfort zone after eight years and still perform when it matters? So grab a coffee, settle into your favorite chair, and come along with me as I share the stories, lessons, successes, and maybe a few humbling moments from my return to the front lines of guiding. This

Owner Experience Versus Real Guiding

SPEAKER_02 2:10

is a story about fishing, people, and discovering whether the skills you build over a lifestyle are still there when you need them the most. And now I'm here, I'm on day two, and I just wanted to let you know how things are going with this. I've talked lots, and you know about hiring guides and how to be a good guide, and I have a ton of experience, not as a guide, but as someone who has hired guides and has a certain expectation of how guests should be treated and the experiences they should get with guides. And when Willie asked me about coming and guiding for him, money aside, I thought to myself, I really, I really would like to actually prove it to me to become a guide. I hired guides, I guided, but honestly, the only time I guided, and folks, you've heard this before. The only time I guided was when I messed up and double booked and needed a guide, or one of my guides didn't show up, or whatever happened where I needed to jump in and guide. And when I did that, I'm full disclosure, I never charged the people I was guiding. And you might think, oh, that's nice, but I did it because number one, I wasn't a guide. I'm not uh I wasn't on the water every day, I wasn't following the fish. Yes, I I knew how to I know how to fish, I know how to entertain people, and I um and I knew where the guides were fishing for the most part, but I didn't want that added pressure of being a guide. It was more of a selfish thing. It was something and and I um I wasn't I didn't want to have to be on the hook if I had a bad day. It was a lack of confidence. I was scared. So I figured my my my my line to the people that I was filling in for was I'm not a guide, I'm a fishing buddy. And I'm and and we are going to go out today and we're gonna have fun fishing together. I don't guarantee fish, I do guarantee a shore lunch, we're gonna get a shore lunch no matter what, because we always did. But beyond that, there are no guarantees about anything other than we're gonna have a good time as friends. I'm not charging you, and I don't accept tips, and that's

New Boat New Water New Nerves

SPEAKER_02 6:05

that's the way I rolled, that's how I did it. So thinking about being a guide was something that when Will gave me the opportunity, I thought, I really I wonder. I wonder number one, I'm gonna be honest with you. The first thing I thought, and this is still up in the air, okay, let's be real. Uh, I'm on day two, okay. Um at three, actually, because I come in and uh I familiarize myself um on the water uh well myself. I went out with um one of uh Willie's guides, Mark. Great guy. And uh he was gracious enough to show me some of the spots he knows. We went out, caught some fish. It was it was actually a wonderful day. Like, I mean, wow, the weather was terrible. Um, it rained. Rayburn bought me a uh a rain suit, uh, and thankfully uh I could never bring myself to spend the money that you need to spend to get a good rain suit. And for Christmas, um, I think Rayburn was the one that picked it out, but it was from the whole family. They bought me a rain suit, and thank God, because I'll tell you what, it was uh, I think what's the date today, folks? It is June 15th, so two to so the 13th of June up here north of Kenora, it was like nine degrees and rain, and um we knocked the lights out of her. We caught um a 36, 37 inch northern, um, 24-inch walleye. We caught a ton of of stuff, and um that that stuff that we caught is it was unbelievable. Um and good to get out on the water and to learn a few of those spots, but I really wasn't a hundred percent sure whether I was gonna like it and whether I was going to enjoy it. And again, let's be real. I'm on day two now, right? Two full days of of guiding with guests, and the way it works here at Two Rivers, nobody goes on their own. Everybody has a guide, and it's two guests per boat. Um Willie was uh uh awesome. He set me up in uh uh 18-foot Alaskan Lund. We've got um live scope and and the whole the whole shooting match, which is very helpful, um, especially when you don't know the water. So the situation is I have never fished here. I know what's out there, I know the fishing is good. I did the recon mission on uh on um Friday and uh right into the uh right into the saucepan. Uh or actually it would have been Sunday, right into the sauce pot on Sunday. I had Saturday to to prefish and um it was it was nerve-wracking. Um the first thing that kind of that uh that I was thinking about, the Alaskan is a uh it's got a 115, just like mine, but um it's a tiller. And uh I haven't driven uh a tiller of that size for a long time. And uh uh that was um I was I was uh a little not uneasy, not so much nervous, like I mean, after being around boats for a long time, but I was uh yeah, I was a little, I was a little uh I thought about it. I thought about it. Um and then uh and then trying to figure out the water, you know, you're looking for waypoints to stick in the in in the um in the unit. I've got a hummingbird helix on there too, and I use that for the map. I use it for, I use the the traditional um um sonar on it, and the live scope on uh on um uh on the Garmin. So there's two screens. But um, you know, I'm I'm trying to put waypoints in, and then the waypoints didn't go in right, and you know, I was a little nervous about, you know, we have a shore lunch, and shore lunch spot is around the corner from the lodge, and you know, after being on the French River in a body of water for the length of time that I was, nothing is new out there. There's there's zero worry of hitting rocks, there's zero worry of getting lost, there's really zero worry of of anything out there. Coming to a new body of water, you know, and trying to learn it in one day was um intimidating to say the least. Um but I did have a sense of kind of calmness. Um I um whenever I get nervous about something or uneasy, I just, you know, I think about what's the worst that can happen, honestly. I know I know that I'm going to be able to figure it out. I got GPS. I

First Guests First Fish First Wins

SPEAKER_02 11:45

got I've got the whole the whole deal. And um first day came. My first guests, Casey and Dave. And Casey and Dave are great people, and this is one big group. Uh, it's a corporate group from um um Minnesota, and uh everybody basically knows everybody, and everybody's been paired together. Um, and uh, and and it's it's one big group. So I really don't have to worry about pulling up on other spots with other boats that are in the group or whatever, but I don't like doing that. So um the boys jumped in. I had a plan. It was the the reconnaissance mission that Mark uh and I did. We went back to this this bay. It's um I I've I've learned since then it's called Dead End Bay for obvious reasons. And um we went back in there. We caught a couple right off the bat, uh, caught a decent northern, you know, 26, 27 inches, caught a couple of of of keeper walleye. There's a slot here that's the it's 14 to 17 you can keep. We caught a couple right in the slot. We're keeping for shorelunch. So you know what? Bingo bango. I don't have to worry about shorelunch. We've got enough to cover us. Uh we did, I think we threw another one in the box just to be safe. And um, and we fished that spot, moved around, fished a bunch of other spots, and um all of the things that I preach, and uh I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to to um to follow through with it, but I did. I just I I I talked it's it's about talking to the people and getting to know them and hoping like hell that you catch fish. Like honestly, this is a this is a pretty dynamite body of water because uh just about everywhere I stopped that looked good. And I got I have the benefit of fishing with the guys at Fish in Canada. So, you know, we go on to new places a lot, and um I see how Angie and Pete deal with uh finding fish and talking to people, and so the the the fact that I went out with the guide, Mark, and this and that, it helped a lot, but it also helped a lot that I kind of knew what to ask for and how to watch what he was doing. Um so day one in the books didn't get lost. Um the uh the sonar um uh worked uh worked or well the uh the GPS map worked good enough. I found myself around. Um, but I but the live scope um I had to mess with it. And and for whatever reason, the live scope is not showing up like it uh like I'm used to on mine. I played with some settings. I'm pretty sure I'm not sure if it's the bottom, but it is really hard to see the fish here, and um it wasn't until later on today that I actually started seeing some familiar um fish marks, and um that made me feel a lot better because honestly, um because I couldn't see them on the live scope, and again, we've you you've heard the stories about uh Buck Lake and how Peter just uh schooled Dino and I on the fact that you don't you you you don't have to see fish on the live scope to catch them, right? So having learned that all of those spots that I was stopping, they were either spots that um um that Mark gave me or that Willie showed me um put a mark on, uh I fished them. I fished those spots and I looked at them and I tried to find, I tried to see fish. Sometimes you did, sometimes you didn't. And most of those spots we caught. And then we started moving in shallower for northerns, and uh just using my intuition and looking for the pattern. And from day one with Mark, um

Weather Shifts And Bite Patterns

SPEAKER_02 16:25

we found those northers in shallow, like I mean, shallow. Um in the neighborhood of uh from five to one foot. Uh things changed that that shitty um weather day. Uh following day it was sunny. Um today it's been sunny, it's been warmer. We're we're around 20 degrees daytime highs. And um and they're not in there like they were. Um, but they are the the northerns have have moved off of their their spawning areas, which are those shallow bays. And um we found them at the mouth of bays uh going into adjacent water or adjacent deeper water. And um I applied that, that's where I we where I ended up getting the two largest northerns. Yesterday was a 35 and today was a 36. They were in those um close to the mouth where deep water is, but still in, you know, eight to well, it probably 10 to 5 to 10 feet and um in in cabbage. And the one thing that um that um I found with when Mark and I were fishing is everything was hit eating on the paws. So if uh we were using, if I was using a spoon, um, you know, the spoon is pretty much a straight retrieve, but I was um um uh Peter I've I watched Peter for years, and one of the things that Peter does is um when he's fishing like a swim bait or a spoon or any of those uh kind of uh more subtle um um baits, he'll he'll do a retrieve. And um the retrieve is um constant, like and with the real handle, he's not like a lot of times with um with um um like a hard bait, a jerk bait, a crankbait, you're you're you're you're twitching it. You're doing that that slack line snap, slack line snap, right? To get some motion. Or you know, you think of a song and then you're you're hitting you're hitting it on the beat and pausing. You're you know, you're dun dun dun, real, real, real stop. Dunk dunk, real, real stop. Everything that first day was on the pause. It was on the pause. And what I mean by that is if I was a steady retrieve, you'd have to stop. Let it sink, flutter, um, suspend, whatever that bait does when it was still, and then when you start it up, it's on. It was on the pause, and it's pretty much been that way so far the past two days, but um, and consistent enough that I could pull up into the inside of the mouth of just about any one of these bays out here, and we could cast and catch northern. You know, they're not some not huge, some decent, some big. And we also felt like there's northern everywhere up here, folks. Um I stopped uh another spot uh in a narrows where there's some current and drifted um drifted in the narrows, and uh we caught northerns deep as well, like uh in that uh that 10 to 42 feet there was there was northerns there. So, you know, getting through that first day was key. And um the guys that that I that I guided were great. Um, we had a lot in common. We talked and and laughed and and caught a bunch of of fish, had the shore lunch. It's nice um as as I'm getting oriented to have the shore lunch as a big group. Um it just makes it easier, right? Everybody has a task. Somebody, there's two or three guys cleaning, there's Adam's cooking, you know, like everybody, and and I know the procedure there from doing it for so many years. I was able to to look and jump in where they needed me. So that was pretty good. Um, and again, today, a couple of great guys. I had uh Kirk and I had Bob. And um, over the last couple of evenings, I've met as many people as I could in the main lodge. And um, you know, um I really felt awkward the first night um in the main lodge with all of the guests and you know the dining rooms in there. And it was it was a weird it was a weird, awkward feeling for me because I'm not the owner, right? I I

Lodge Night Awkward To At Home

SPEAKER_02 22:00

didn't really know how to act. Um, I didn't want to, you know, step on Willie's toes or I it was just a very honestly uh an uncomfortable, weird feeling. And um it lasted for well, I'll tell you, it lasted until I decided to hell with it, I'm gonna be a bartender. And uh I made sure that everybody's glasses were full. That gave me the opportunity to go find somebody with an empty glass, say, hey, can I fill your drink? What you drinking? And um, and then go and mix a drink and bring it back. And and you know, it's the same, it was the same thing in the dining room at the lodge when I was the owner. Um, my my thing was you go on the back to the bun coffee maker, grab two pots, one in each hand, decaf, regular, and out, and out I went. And that was the that was the the the opening for me to go in and say, hey, how you doing? Can I top up your coffee? How was your day? And then it all starts to unfold in front of you. Well, the same thing. I uh I started um making sure that their drinks were were full, and um lo and behold, I met a bunch of wonderful guys doing it. Um it was a great social night, and that rolls into the day, and um it it's been a it's been a a really good experience so far. These guys have been wonderful, and uh honestly at this point, I think I like it. And that was uh that was my biggest fear. Um, I was worried because I saw I saw at the lodge how grueling it could it could get, right? Even before I did this, I phoned Pat um and and we talked, Pat Tryon, and I said, buddy, do you think I can do it? Because I know I've proven to myself that I can go and I can I could have a wonderful time and uh with with um uh a couple of guests when somebody doesn't show up or I overbook or whatever the case may be, I can go out and I can do it once. No problem. What I'm worried about is am I still gonna like it after doing it for 14 days straight? And um and I said that to Pat, and he said, Oh, buddy, he said, 14 days you're just going to be warming up after those 14 days, and you're gonna love it. And whether or not Pat actually believes that is another story, but I can tell you after two days, it's pr uh I I I I'm enjoying it. I'm enjoying it, I'm enjoying the lodge life. Um, I'm I'm realizing that um that I I miss it and uh and that I uh that is probably the one skill um that I'm very good at is uh is is being in this environment and um and and entertaining people, sharing experiences. Um and guiding is just another extension of that, which is great. But I'm still a little nervous. We'll see how things go over the next couple of weeks. Um it was it was it was something that that um I was worried my confidence was a little bit low, you know, going into it with the new water. Um but after day one, going out this morning, um the water felt a lot smaller. And what I mean by that is after maneuvering around for the last two days and and and orienting myself, I feel like a bee on a maiden flight, you know, flying around the front of the hive, looking at the door in, just so I know and I can calibrate my mind. This is the lodge, this is the lodge looking at at Shoreline when I'm driving, turn around and looking at shoreline behind me so I know what it looks like when I'm coming back, which was which is key. You know, um the GPS is there with the map, but you never know with the GPS. You gotta you you gotta be careful. And um I was I

Two Days In And Looking Ahead

SPEAKER_02 27:10

was I was a little my confidence was a little bit shaky. I am the new guy. Like, I mean, coming in, um everybody knows I owned a lodge, but that doesn't mean shit here. You know, you know what means something here? Whether you can go out and catch fish and make guests happy, right? And uh through two days, I'm feeling pretty good about it. Um I'm starting to learn the water, and hey, we're gonna see uh we're gonna see how things go. And the next couple of weeks are going to be uh are going to be a time when when I can get some pretty awesome podcasts. Uh I run into uh Cowboy John, uh, the guide. We did uh we did a podcast with him uh a year and a half ago. We're gonna we're gonna go and uh we're gonna see how cowboy John's doing. And um there are a ton of really interesting people that come through this lodge. And um looking forward to sharing some of these experiences with you guys. And uh you never know, some of the humbling experiences too. Um I've been I've been pretty good so far. Only two days, you know, we only had the the the line wrapped in the prop once in high wind and and uh the uh the boat blowing onto uh onto a um uh a shoal that uh that was uh like the uh the ice bug. But managed to deal with that and and come out of there with not a not a scrape, um, but um you know, just things that happen on the boat and new boat. Not sure, you know, um I'm unfamiliar. I come up here, I flew up here, and I didn't even bring anything but a personal item because I don't wanna uh Willie Willie's kind enough to to to to look after getting me here. And um I didn't wanna I didn't I didn't want to book a uh uh check a bag because all of a sudden uh a $350 round trip to Winnipeg from Toronto turns into a $700, and that's just your your uh carry-on, never mind checking a bag. So I I come up here awful light. So I'm digging in Willie's tackle box and ziploc bags of of baits and you know rods that uh belong to Willie. Good gear, but not mine, and um, you know, just the organization of the boat. Uh I'm just starting to feel comfortable in that. So, you know, it it's been an experience. It's been uncomfortable at times. It's already been rewarding um just to know that yeah, I I I I the the the guys I had had a great time. That's all that matters to me. And um, and and we'll see how it goes. I'll keep y'all updated. And uh, folks, thank you for listening. Really appreciate it. Look forward

Closing Thanks And Network Message

SPEAKER_02 30:40

to bringing you some more stories and guests from this uh this um two-week stint of mine. And folks, thus brings us to the conclusion of another episode of Diaries of a Lodge Owner. Stories of the Borne.

SPEAKER_03 30:58

I'm a good old boy, never meaning no harm. I'll be doll you ever still been railing in the hog since the day I was born. Bendin' my rod, stretching my line. Someday I might own a lodge and I'd be fine. I'll be making my way the only way I know how. Working hard and sharing the north with all of my plows. I'm a good old boy. I buy the lodge and live my dream. And now I'm here talking about how life can be as good as it seems. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:58

Welcome to Two Rivers Lodge, where we know that our hard work and determination creates your best experiences. You'll arrive as a guest but leave as a family. Surrounded by a multi-species fishing mecca like no other. Our elite cabins and professional staff are ready to make your stay. Unforgettable. Experience the difference. Because the two rivers, every cast is a story, and every guest is a part of the family.

SPEAKER_01 32:42

Hi everybody, I'm Angelo Viola. And I'm Pete Bowman. Now you might know us as the hosts of Canada's favorite fishing show, but now we're hosting a podcast. That's right. Every Thursday, Angela will be right here in your ears, bringing you a brand new episode of Outdoor Journal Radio.

SPEAKER_00 32:59

Hmm. Now, what are we going to talk about for two hours every week?

SPEAKER_01 33:02

Well, you know there's gonna be a lot of fishing.

SPEAKER_04 33:04

I knew exactly where those fish were going to be and how to catch them and they were easy to catch.

SPEAKER_00 33:09

Yeah, but it's not just a fishing show. We're going to be talking to people from all facets of the outdoors. From athletes.

SPEAKER_04 33:15

All the other guys would go golfing. Me and Garchomp Turk, and all Iraqis would go fishing. But now that we're looking foresting and it's the perfect transmission environment for line, if any game isn't cooked properly, they're needed for you will taste it.

SPEAKER_01 33:34

And whoever else will pick up the phone. Wherever you are, Outdoor General Radio starts to answer the questions and tell the stories of all those who enjoyed from outside. Find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.