One of the most famous outdoorspeople from Maine is Cornelia Crosby.  She was the first registered Maine Guide and was an expert, avid fisherman, earning her the nickname ‘Flyrod.’  She also had some of the best skills and knowledge of camping, bird identification, hiking, hunting and canoeing. Men and woman were drawn to her because of the steep knowledge and experience she had participating in these activities. It was easy for her to be guiding others through the woods and waters of Maine because she was an active participant herself.

We have come a long way since 1897 when “Flyrod’ became the first registered Maine Guide. Now, hundreds of people sign up for classes that teach them how to take the Guide test. We see posts on social media of those new guides holding up their patch with pride. But, in the past 128 years I would venture to say that the skills and knowledge that go along with those guides licenses have dwindled.

I know that there are guides who are excellent; they live and die by this work.  It is their livelihood and if put into a difficult position like a lost hiker, sudden bad weather or a wounded bear, they would know what to do. They have experience on the land and water and have acquired that ‘gut feeling’ and instinct to know what to do in each situation. These people take pride in having that patch and see it as a symbol of the historic importance of what it means to be a Maine Guide.

What used to be a sign of a respected vocation is now nothing more than a scout badge.  It has cheapened what is means to be a Maine guide.

People are becoming registered Maine guides that have no intention of actually guiding people. It might look good on a resume or a social media profile, but if you don’t have the actual hands-on skills that are required of a professional, and have no intention of guiding, why do it?  The discounts that you can get at businesses? It has lost the significance that it held when ‘Flyrod’ was doing this work.

Maybe the test needs to be harder.  Maybe there shouldn’t be classes for the purpose of knowing how to pass the test.  But there are and as a result, we have registered Maine guides that lack critical knowledge of the landscape in Maine. We are at a point where you cannot trust someone’s experience and knowledge when they say that they are a Maine guide.

I know that the Maine Professionals Guides Association is concerned about the inflated numbers of registered guides.  I hope that they can work to get to a place where the integrity of that patch is close to what it used to be. Otherwise, it will become nothing more than a participation patch.