Flyfishing guides are a tight-knit community, quick to come to each other’s aid. But they’re also a proud and stubborn bunch, slow to ask for help. The flyfishing industry is beginning to recognize the need for a safety net for guides, with brands and nonprofit organizations stepping in to help. They argue that experienced guides play an important role in our communities—not just putting us on fish, but also protecting the resources, and teaching and promoting flyfishing to the next generation of anglers. 

Still, like the rest of us, guides can get caught off guard by circumstances beyond their control. A home or boat can be insured, and guides are typically required to obtain liability insurance to cover injury to their clients. But in guiding, there’s not much protection to cover lost income, whether due to cancelled trips after a storm or an entire season lost to a broken leg or an illness—or, for that matter, to a global pandemic…

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