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Hello Milan, could you introduce yourself to our readers?
Hello, my name is Milan Ométak, I'm 28. After 20 years of recreational fishing, I've been working as a guide in Brittany for three years now.
How did you get the idea of becoming a fishing guide?
The idea came to me and manifested itself without me really looking for it. Of course, as a fishing enthusiast who likes to share his adventures, I had thought about it. But it's a profession that seemed inaccessible to me.
My first experience in guiding kind of fell into my lap: I was in the right place at the right time. At the time, I was living in New Caledonia and I was friends with someone who owned a small relay and a boat. He had customers who asked him for fishing trips, and that's how I went on my first outings. I liked it right away, I did it for a while, but I wanted to get closer to my family and friends at a time when Europe was in turmoil with the Covid. As soon as I got back, I had an opportunity in Spain that I accepted: I did a season in Extremadura, but I really wanted to live and work in France, so I came back. After working in a place where no diploma is required, I needed to train as a fishing guide to acquire all the necessary skills. So I enrolled for a BPJEPS at the Caulnes training center, where I was accepted.
This year offered me much more than the diploma I initially thought I was looking for. It taught me pedagogy, audience knowledge and communication skills... all enhanced by encounters in an environment where good contacts are precious.
What kind of guidance do you offer?
I now live in Finistère and offer boat trips in the Bay of Audierne area. At the start of the season, from April to June, my days are devoted to multi-species fishing. The environment is very rich and there's a huge diversity of fish: St Pierre, sea bass, pollack, horse mackerel...
From June onwards, I offer blue shark fishing, either with fly or bait. It's a technically accessible fishery, but one that allows you to catch large fish.
Then, from mid-July to October, it's tuna fishing season. I only use lures for this type of fishing. It's a very spectacular and sporting fishery, punctuated by periods of observation and reflection; the days are always rich in memories.
Then, until the end of November, I'm off to the island of Rügen, in Germany, where I offer guided pike fishing. The fishing is done in wading, with flies or lures, in less than 80 cm of water, with spectacular sight attacks. We move over grassland plateaus of several hundred hectares, with areas where pike of a very good average size abound.
What does being a fishing guide mean to you?
For me, being a fishing guide means taking pleasure in sharing your passion, being able to do so with simplicity, enjoying meeting people and being a good listener, because learning is not a one-way street. Of course, it also means knowing your fishing area perfectly and being technically at ease, but the latter is not the essence of a good guide. A guide must convey his convictions through his services.
Do you fish when you're guiding?
No, or very exceptionally. I sometimes do it when I don't understand a situation. For example, when I see fish on the depth sounder but they don't bite despite changing speeds, lures or colors...
On the Baltic, I sometimes try lures when I have a group of fly fishermen, or flies when I have a group of lure fishermen.
What do you do when you're not guiding?
There's a lot for a guide to do: unfortunately, the work isn't just on the water. There's the maintenance and preparation of the equipment, which is very important, especially for me, as I practice at sea and attach great importance to safety. There's also communication, business management, stock management...
In winter, I now work part-time for the Finistère fishing federation. I never get bored!
How do you see guiding in France?
I'll answer in two parts, firstly on the sea. The French coastline is splendid, rich and offers a variety of landscapes, both visually and in terms of fishing. So it's only logical that a number of guides have set up permanent bases here, to the delight of anglers on the move, who can navigate the entire coastline with professionals who know their sector inside out.
On the freshwater side, the infinite diversity of environments is an undeniable asset of our territory. What's more, we have a leisure activity that is culturally rooted, popular and accessible. Standardized management and the work of local associations provide access to virtually all the country's waters. This accessibility means that the French angler is less likely to turn to a guide. However, the advent of new echo sounder technologies is giving fresh impetus to freshwater guiding, and requests are increasing. This technology is also enabling new anglers to tackle trophy fish on French territory.
The profession of guide, recognized by a state diploma, must be a model and a bulwark against the emergence of "animalist" associations that point the finger at our hobby.
What advice would you give to people wishing to embark on this adventure?
It's very important to define and prepare your project before you even start training, and to propose an original product to stand out from the crowd.
Thank you very much for your time, Milan. It was a pleasure chatting with you and I wish you a great season ahead.
For those who would like to contact Milan, here is his website: dernierlancer.com
