Hello Guillaume, could you first introduce yourself to Pêche.com readers?
I'm a 42-year-old fishing guide in Dieppe, Normandy, and I've been passionate about fishing since the age of 13. I hold 28 French and world records for catching big fish at sea. Before guiding, I had a career in the fishing industry in the following roles: Illex (Sensas) IT project manager, Sakura (Sert) product manager & team manager, then Daiwa marketing manager for 9 years.
At the root of this career, as a teenager, I had a strong desire to share my sea fishing experiences by creating my website in 1999 to explain bass fishing techniques in particular. I met a few enthusiasts who were already connected, and with one of them I created a new site and an association, PecheWeb.com, which was a real success. We organized fishing weekends in Brittany, helped launch the first Open Bar competition and took part in major trade shows in Belgium and France.
At the 2005 Paris Nautic boat show, Sensas asked me to redesign the Illex.fr website with a customized database. Hiroshi Takahashi worked for this brand and loved the tool I developed. Then Sert asked me to develop products for the Sakura brand, and a year later Daiwa contacted me. Things were moving too fast, so I turned down Daiwa's first offer, but they came back to me 2 years later with a proposal that marked a turning point in my career. I became marketing director of the Japanese manufacturer at the age of 29! I gave it my all and flourished, helping to improve the range for sea fishing, connecting Beneteau and Daiwa at the launch of the Barracuda Tour, redesigning the website and considerably developing the catalogs. Sales have doubled in 9 years, and I've decided to move on and reconnect with my passion by becoming a fishing instructor-guide on the beautiful Côte d'Albâtre, from Dieppe where I'm based.
Why did you become a fishing guide?
During my studies, from the age of 18 to 23, I worked for 2 to 3 months in the summer as a lifeguard at sea. Six days a week, I was in charge of beach surveillance. It was a life I really enjoyed, between sports training, prevention on foot or in a semi-rigid out in the waves, and the day-to-day chores... My sense of water and tides developed considerably. At the end of this period, I launched my website into the life of the association, determined to make it more professional. My days were divided between fishing, teaching (articles, exchanges on my forum) and computer development. That's when I felt I wanted to pass on my passion and get out on the water. After leaving Sakura, just as my contract as marketing manager at Daiwa was signed, I enrolled at the maritime college and obtained my provisional seaman's register. My wife thought I was crazy, and she was right! In the end, I took advantage of my free time before taking up my job to look after the children while my wife trained to become a teacher. A much more coherent family choice.
After 7 exciting years in a strategic position, Covid came along and enabled me to work from home, on the Dieppois coast, with convincing results. Despite this, telecommuting didn't become part of the company's routine, and I gradually decided to prepare my new project. I spent 2 years fishing intensively in Normandy to get to know my area better, fine-tune my program, find little-fished areas and fallback stations to optimize the results of my guiding program.
What kind of guidance products do you offer?
For the moment, I'm concentrating on a single offshore fishing program off Normandy, off the beaten track. I've tried to convey the program well on my new website www.guillaumefourrier.fr . Departing from the port of Dieppe, we take to the open sea for multi-species fishing. Over 20 species of fish can be caught throughout the season. Sometimes we catch more than 10 species in a single day, especially when we target turbot on the ridens where many other fish can bite. I organize the guide fishing with the same high standards as when I'm looking for record fish, with the aim of finding beautiful, noble fish: sea bass, pollack, sea bream, turbot, skate... The fishing trip is prepared using TimeZero software, with an analysis of satellite readings of wind, plankton levels, tidal currents and ocean currents, to plan the day down to the minute. I cross-reference all this with my fishing log to choose the best options. If in my head everything is rigorously planned, the customer comes with his hands in his pockets and enjoys the day in all conviviality. They benefit from the results, without the constraints.
We sail in a Barracuda 7 full-option cabin cruiser powered by a brand-new Suzuki 200hp engine, vintage 2024. I've rearranged everything on board, dismantling the original seats and building custom-made furniture to seat 5 people in the cabin when sailing offshore. On board, everything is provided for comfort: coffee, fridge, WC, fresh water... We welcome you at the port of Dieppe, with dry feet. Free parking is available. I take 3 to 4 people to ensure this quality service.
What does being a fishing guide mean to you?
I think you have to put yourself at the service of the customer, the student, so that his or her experience at sea is as fulfilling as possible. You have to understand the customer's expectations: to have a good time without constraints, to learn a technique, to progress, to improve. Depending on this, the objective to be reached is not the same. That's the essence of the job, and then you have to be professional, as in any job: be early to welcome customers at the agreed time, with all the equipment ready to fire, ensure safe fishing, and be educational, whatever the customer's objective.
Do you fish or not when you're guiding?
No, I don't fish. I demonstrate the gesture at the first drift with each new technique, and then I watch carefully how my students use the equipment to guide them if necessary to achieve good results. If one of the students has fewer hits, I don't hesitate to swap rods to build up his confidence. With the rod that's been catching fish, I take away any material doubts and he'll be able to concentrate better on handling it. Meanwhile, I keep an eye on the electronics, prepare the bait when we use it, manage the landing net and unhook the fish. Believe me, it keeps you busy!
Customers don't pay for a top-of-the-range service to see me fish and give them a demonstration. On the other hand, if there really isn't a bite even though the fish are visible on the fishfinder, I don't refrain from discreetly casting a line to remove any doubt before moving on to another spot.
What do you do when you're not guiding?
I'm still involved in teaching, writing articles on sea and freshwater fishing, and I write a book every year. I regularly prepare the boat so that everything is always operational and clean. I also spend a lot of time studying my fishing zone using TimeZero software, which is a bit like my bedside book.
How do you see guiding in France?
In France, instructor-guides are fully qualified. BPJEPS training and the complementary UCC unit for "leisure fishing in the maritime environment" are the State diplomas required to supervise people at sea. However, the profession remains under-practiced. It needs to be better structured to cope with low-cost, unqualified and uninsured parallel practices. At the same time, some qualified guides practice guiding alongside their main activity, sometimes charging very low rates. Cutting prices is not good for the profession, as a full-time guide cannot keep up with the costs and regular postponements due to bad weather. But there are some guides who do quality work, for which they are well rewarded, and who are in it for the long haul. It was these few fishermen that inspired me to set up my own fishing guide instructor business in Dieppe. Time will tell if I was right.
I've also noticed that more and more guides are being trained, and that the representatives of our profession are becoming more structured (Syndicat and Fédération des guides), and I have the feeling that the profession of fishing instructor-guide can only grow stronger in the future.
What advice would you give to people wishing to embark on this adventure?
Just to mention the sea fishing guide, it's a difficult and precarious job. My advice is to start another activity to save enough money to buy a boat. It's very difficult for banks to grant credit for a boat when you're setting up a fishing guide company. Once you've acquired a boat, you need to scout out your fishing area, try to bring along some friends and get them to fish, without touching the rod, to see if you really enjoy helping your friends succeed and living the moment vicariously.
If the goal is to go fishing on company time, I'd advise against going down that road, as it's doomed to failure. If you like the idea of bringing someone to success by helping them catch fish, that's already a better signal.
That's advice from a family man. But above all, you need passion, a lot of passion for fishing and the sea. It's the driving force behind overcoming the many obstacles of entrepreneurship and the paperwork that awaits you.
You also need to be prepared for safety, as you will be responsible for customers on board, and you need to be fully aware of the dangers (shoals, weather...).
The result is some tiring but fulfilling days, that's for sure. But I'd rather have a hard day's guidance than a day of brooding in front of a screen.
As a fisherman, what's your dream?
I've ticked a lot of boxes when fishing in France and as far afield as New Caledonia. But I always enjoy learning new techniques. In 2024, I'm going back to Spain twice to fish for tuna with the best specialists, and I'm crossing the Channel with my boat to fish for sharks and emissoles in England, to name but a few. In France, I'd say my next challenge will be to catch a big turbot and beat a new French record, that would be fantastic! I also dream of catching a julienne off Dieppe. I know there are a few in Normandy. I have 200 species under my belt, but I've never touched this fish.
