It is really the end of another fishing season!

The season is over. It is official because this morning I towed the Lund Alaskan to the local repair shop for the annual overhaul of the Mercury four stroke. My next fishing trip in the boat will be in the spring on a day like the one in the picture; working around the edges of the ice. Sort of a sad day here.

As part of my Orvis Endorsement they periodically send someone to fish with me and take a careful look at the services Maine Outdoors offers. I am pleased with the latest company review and thought I would share it with all of you. A good perspective and nice to read.

Guided Experience –

When referencing the offering of any Orvis-Endorsed guide, the primary point of interest is the guided day itself, and the way in which that day is presented. With that, the subtleties of pre-trip info, logistics, guide-client relationship, lunch, etc. are all factories relevant to the entire service experience and should therefore be attended to in detail. My observations of the guided day are as follows:

• The pre-trip info was clear and concise, and delivered in a professional and timely manner. I felt that my needs were met and my questions answered, and the clear communication up front provided me a degree of confidence in the opportunity.
• Don was warm and pleasant throughout the fishing day, clearly knowledgeable about the resource and the fishery. He was an apt and safe boat handler, and clearly in command of the tackle needs for the day. All-in-all a highly competent guide who takes pride in his professionalism on-water.
• Tackle needs were well served. Orvis was well represented gear-wise, the boat was clean well laid out for the fishery, and efficient. The Orvis relationship seemed a point of pride.
• Lunch was excellent, and I particularly appreciated the setting/set-up of lunch which involved a degree of ceremony. Adding theater where possible, as in the lunch scenario, is a great way to add value. Well done with this detail!
• The unique ability to move from fresh to salt water to maximize opportunity for a variety of species is quite unique. This nimbleness communicates a high degree of willingness to make the most of the fishing day and should not be under-valued. Moreover, it seems it could be the salvation of a tough day on one of the fisheries. Quite unique, and maybe should be more of a selling point/differentiator.

The only though I have additional to the above is the potential formalization of a talk re ‘what to do if the guide is incapacitated’. This is a point I’ve been focused on lately, and it is, I know, somewhat touchy; in short, perhaps the safety talk should include a short description of what to do in the event of emergency, with a couple directives in getting safely back to a contact point on land.

It is great to hear another professional reflect positively on the way you do things!