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| Craig Bailey (photo by Tom Roth) |
Recently,
The Windham Eagle Reporter and Registered Maine Guide, Craig Bailey, upgraded
his Guide License, adding Fishing to his pre-existing Recreational Guide License.
This article shares his experience in doing so.
After
earning his Recreational Guide License earlier this year, Bailey began
preparing for the test to earn his Fishing Guide License. Here, Bailey
indicated, “I’ll preface with: in the spirit of full disclosure…”
That
is, his original Fishing Guide test took place in June, on the Monday after he
had returned from an adventure on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. Bailey
emphasized, “unfortunately, I did NOT sufficiently prepare for one area covered
in the test. And, I failed…”, stressing further, “that was humbling…”
You
see, when testing for a guide license, there are two major segments, which are
based on the nature of the license being pursued. First, a written test, which
Bailey indicated he passed with flying colors. Second, an oral test, in which
the applicant meets with a panel consisting of Game Wardens and Master
Registered Maine Guides.
Bailey
shared, “during the oral exam you are literally hammered with questions and
scenarios covering fishing laws and techniques (hook and worm, lures, fly
fishing, trolling and ice fishing) as well as the safe and efficient operation
of watercraft and related regulations, the identification of species of flora
(trees and plants: edible and otherwise) and fauna (birds, mammals and fish), and
finally, handling situations you may encounter with clients (illness, injury
and/or behavior).”
Bailey
stated, “What makes this part of the exam most interesting is the panel of
interviewers are quite coy, in true Mainer fashion!”
As
an example, Bailey shared, “one of the questions asked was: ‘How do you adjust
the freeboard on your canoe?’ Here, the interviewers are determining if you
understand the anatomy of a canoe, and if you don’t - will you try to B.S. your
way through it. Fortunately, I do know the anatomy of a canoe, so I responded
with ‘Well, I suppose that would be based upon how much you put in the canoe.’
You see, the freeboard is the amount of a canoe’s side which is above the
waterline. The more you put in the canoe, the less the freeboard.”
At
the end of the test the scrupulous interviewers indicated Bailey had
demonstrated significant knowledge in the area being tested but had missed on
an important item. He wasn’t able to identify a sufficient number of flies.
And, since Maine is well known for its fly fishing, they felt this was an
important area to demonstrate significant competency.
Bailey
indicated his annoyance, “especially given that I used to tie flies as a kid.
And, I am quite good at fly fishing. I simply didn’t take the time to refresh
my memory banks and prepare for the identification of a sufficient number of
flies.”
Upon
humbly, yet wholeheartedly, agreeing with their decision, Bailey graciously
thanked them for their time and promptly put in his request for a re-test.
“At
this point”, Bailey mentioned, “I went into cram mode, which included preparing
flashcards covering a number of flies. I studied these at least weekly,
awaiting my retest, increasing to multiple times daily, leading up to test
day.”
Example
flashcards prepared for fly identification:
The
re-test was scheduled for September 6 and, Bailey was happy to report, “I
passed. I am now a Registered Maine Guide with Specialized licenses in both
Recreation and Fishing!”
What
is next? Bailey responded with, “Later this month I'll be guiding a group
(upwards of 10) on a hiking / camping expedition on Mt. Katahdin.”
In
addition, Bailey indicated, “I'll be updating the website for my guide business
to include Fishing Guide services.”
In
closing, Bailey stated, “never give up on your goals and dreams. And, when (not
if) you have a setback, get up, dust yourself off and give it another go.”
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