Fishing Guide Assistant / Shuttle Driver
Alaska Wildland Adventures
Cooper Landing, AK
$15/hour minimum plus incentives
SeasonalHousing
Fishing Guide Jobs
1 open listing · updated Oct 29, 2026
83% include housing · Pay Report
Fishing guide jobs are paid positions taking clients fishing for an outfitter, fly shop, lodge or charter operation, on a drift boat, a walk-wade trip or a powerboat. You row or run the boat, teach the cast, net the fish and keep the day safe. Swan Mountain Outfitters in Montana wants its guides proficient at rowing, boat safety and driving a truck and trailer.
More About Fishing Guide Jobs
Pay is a day rate or a monthly wage, plus tips. A Colorado fly fishing outfitter, 5280 Angler, lists $185 to $425 per day depending on trip type, duration and guest count. Swan Mountain pays fishing guides $2,000 to $3,500 a month with room and board for a June to September season. Clients of Yellowstone River Outfitters, who pay $725 for a full-day float, are told the average tip is $200 per guide. BLS 2025 data for tour and travel guides, the federal series that counts rafting and naturalist guides, show a median of $18.33 an hour. More in fishing guide pay.
Licensing is set by each state. Montana’s guide license costs $125 to apply, needs an endorsement from a licensed outfitter, and requires experience or a guide school. Alaska sport fishing guide registration is free. If you run a motorized boat carrying six or fewer paying passengers, the Coast Guard requires an OUPV license, which takes at least 12 months of experience operating vessels. See how to become a fishing guide.
You can start with little experience. 5280 Angler says it welcomes people eager to learn, and Gallatin River Guides in Big Sky pays summer staff $16 to $18 an hour in a job it says can lead to a Montana guide license. In Alaska, deckhands working under a registered guide on the same boat are exempt from registration, so a charter deck is one way to start toward fly fishing guide work. Compare fishing guide jobs with other guide jobs.
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Questions About Fishing Guide Jobs
How many fishing guide jobs are open right now?
6 listings are live on WildWork as of October 29, 2026. 1 state their pay and 5 include housing.
Do fishing guide jobs come with housing?
83% of current listings say the employer provides housing, free or at a charge, and 67% include meals. Each listing shows whether housing is included and what it costs when the employer says.
Do you need a license to be a fishing guide?
In many states, yes, and the rules differ by state. Montana requires a guide license, $125 to apply and $50 to renew, endorsed by a licensed outfitter. Alaska requires annual sport fishing guide registration, which is free. If you run a motorized boat with up to six paying passengers, you also need a Coast Guard OUPV license, which requires at least 12 months of experience operating vessels.
How do you become a fly fishing guide with no experience?
Start in a fly shop or on a boat under a licensed guide. Gallatin River Guides in Big Sky, Montana hires summer staff at $16 to $18 an hour and says the job can lead to a Montana guide license. Colorado’s 5280 Angler says it welcomes people eager to learn. Montana also accepts a guide school in place of experience on a first guide license application.
How much do fishing guides make a day?
Published day rates at one Colorado outfitter run $185 to $425, depending on trip type, duration and guest count, with customary tips on top. Yellowstone River Outfitters in Montana charges $725 for a full-day float and tells clients the average tip is $200 per guide. Some outfitters pay monthly instead: Swan Mountain Outfitters pays $2,000 to $3,500 a month with room and board.
What certifications do fishing guides need?
First aid and CPR come first, and rivers add more. Swan Mountain Outfitters requires its fishing guides to have, or be willing to get, a guide license, whitewater rescue certification, Wilderness First Aid and CPR. Guides who operate a motorized boat carrying six or fewer passengers for hire need a Coast Guard OUPV license, which requires 12 months of experience operating vessels.
When do outfitters hire fishing guides?
Months before the season. Gallatin River Guides in Big Sky, Montana said in September 2026 that it was fully staffed for 2026 and recruiting summer staff for 2027. Montana guide licenses renew from November 1 to December 31, and Swan Mountain Outfitters’ fishing guide season runs June through September. Apply the winter before the season you want.
Sources: 5280 Angler, Employment; Swan Mountain Outfitters, Employment; Yellowstone River Outfitters, Rates and Terms; Gallatin River Guides, Careers; Montana Board of Outfitters, Guide License; Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Sport Fish Business, Guide and Vessel Registration; 46 CFR 11.467, Requirements for a national endorsement as Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels; O*NET OnLine, 39-7012 Travel Guides (BLS 2025 wage data for Tour and Travel Guides).