The Annual Guides Drift
It’s an excursion that we’ve been doing for maybe five years now.
A celebration of another fishing season under their belts (I’m the only one in the party that doesn’t guide for fishing, preferring the woods in the fall for guiding hunters for upland birds) and another guiding season that is only six weeks away from ending. They’re slightly weary from the trials and tribulations of another season of guiding, and it’s apparent. Weather worn hats and sunburnt faces give it away – the toils of manning the oars of a drift boat day after day, providing clients with good fishing and a great experience in general has taken their toll.
A couple of the guides accompany wading fishermen and women on the river too – you can tell they are perfectly happy to be riding along in a drift boat today, relieved at not having to stumble around the Trophy Stretch with clients in tow for another day.