Hello Arnaud, first of all, can you introduce yourself to the readers of Fishing.news ?
Arnaud Briere -Hello everyone. My name is Arnaud Briere. I have been a professional fishing guide for 22 years, specializing in fishing for predators with artificial lures. I work with the company Rapala VMC (Rapala, VMC, Storm, 13 Fishing, Okuma, Ragot, Sufix) for 20 years as a partner for the promotion of our products. I also participate in the development of some products in the range VMC, Rapala or Storm. I participated in the development of the famous Super Shadow Rap, a formidable jerkbait.
I spend part of my year in Ireland where I run a pike fishing camp, the Esox Club. I also developed a sea fishing camp in Cork: FICH CLUB (Fishing In Cork Harbour) and another structure for pike fishing, Pike Story.
I also intervene as a trainer at the CFPPA of Caulnes in the training of fishing guide instructors.
Why did you become a fishing guide?
Arnaud Briere -Historian by training, I finally worked in the restaurant business at the beginning of my working life. A desire for professional reconversion made me think about a new sector of activity. Passionate about fishing for as long as I can remember, I decided to turn to a job that I was passionate about. The fishing guide was naturally imposed to me by combining technique, transmission and service within a sector in full development.
What kind of guidance products do you offer?
Arnaud Briere -I propose only guides in the fishing of carnivorous fish with lures. Within the Irish structures, we propose stays centered on the sport fishing of the pike, and on the fishing with the lures in sea (bass and pollack).
In France, I propose individual guiding days on the Seine in winter for pikeperch mainly. I also organize multi carnivorous trips in the Netherlands.
What does being a fishing guide mean to you?
Arnaud Briere -To be a fishing guide, it is to satisfy your passion by interposed person! But it is also a lot of meetings and a lot of sharing around a common passion. It is a job that offers great moments of conviviality, and emotional moments of a rare intensity. When the fish of a lifetime enters the reel, when the fisherman hugs you because he has just realized his dream, when a gentleman starts to cry in front of a pike finally caughtâ?¦
It is also my full-time job. I live from it and support my family with it. It is not a hobby.
Do you fish or not fish when you are guiding?
Arnaud Briere -I think you can't "go fishing" as a guide. You can't do this job properly if you're fishing for yourself. You have to consider the clients' fish as your fish.
So, as a general rule, I don't fish. I do it if the day's fishing is done and it's a holiday, if we need to find â??somethingâ?, to re-motivate the customers, or because the fishermen are friendsâ?¦
What do you do when you are not guiding?
Arnaud Briere -I guide 180 days a year. The rest of the time, I prepare my guides! More seriously, I spend a lot of time at the office organizing the season (my company Liberty Pêche is a travel agency with the administrative steps that it implies), I write my articles and I manage the logistics of my fishing camp. I'm pretty busy.
What is your view on guiding in France?
Arnaud Briere -The market for fishing guides has developed well over the last two decades. A whole class of fishermen use fishing guides to save time and optimize their fishing. On the other hand, many guides work seriously and offer quality services. But France offers a degraded territory that pushes many fishermen to foreign countries. It is a pity.
What advice would you give to people who would like to start this adventure?
Arnaud Briere -Places are expensive and making a living from this profession is not something you can improvise. It is necessary to have a good technical background and a perfect knowledge of a territory. For a guide who is starting out today, the competition is tough and it is undoubtedly necessary to give yourself time to build up your clientele by keeping a side activity at the beginning. You should not hesitate to put several strings to your bow to compensate for the seasonality of this activity.
Finally, I would say that the key is to catch fish. Technical education is only one possible step toward that end.
As a fisherman what is your dream?
Arnaud Briere -Take a real big pike of 130+, if possible with a jerk (my favorite technique) and if possible with Twitchin' Rap, my favorite lure!
