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Hello Vincent, would you like to introduce yourself?
Hello, my name is Vincent Argand, I come from Saint-Jean-de-Luz in the Basque Country, I'm 34 and I've been a fishing guide since 2024.
Can you tell us about your early days in fishing?
I started rodbuilding when I was 6, on vacation with my grandfather. The first step was to make your own rod from bamboo, of course. Then came the first line set-ups: the hook knot, the right sinker and the right cork.
My first fish was a sun perch. It may not be the most fun fish to catch, but it's the one that leaves me with the fondest memories, shared with Papi Roland.
I'd like to thank him in this article. He had to be patient to explain the montages to me, and even today they are precious memories for me.
Between the ages of 6 and 14, I fished mainly during school vacations in the Dordogne. It was cork fishing, battery carp fishing - simple times, but they meant a lot to me.
I'd always been attracted to my uncle's boat, which he'd already started to fish for predators. Unfortunately, he always told me that I'd only get on his boat when I was older. Today, the tables have turned: I'm the one who takes him fishing and shows him a few things.
How did you get the idea of becoming a fishing guide?
After a few years in the restaurant business, I decided to change direction and left everything behind to go into professional fishing. So I took a diploma to become a deckhand, before embarking on a boat, the Samatheo II, which only pole-fishes bluefin tuna.
For me, it was a dream job: getting paid to get up, go out to sea and cast for bluefin tuna.
But we had to complete the season, because unfortunately that wasn't enough. Fortunately, my boss was both a fisherman and a fishing guide. It was he who motivated me to take my fishing guide diploma, so that I could work with him during the summer season.
Looking back, I think I also needed the human contact that I didn't necessarily find in professional fishing. The fact of being able to share with other people, to pass on and experience these moments together, these are things that particularly motivate me.
What kind of guidance do you offer?
I offer three types of sea guiding.
The first is, of course, the introductory fishing format, especially dedicated to beginners and families visiting our region. Initiations last 3 hours, and we mainly fish vertically under the boat for species such as mackerel, horse mackerel, snapper or pout, with a tommy gun and a jig.
The second service is aimed more at customers who want to go a step further. This is often seen as the stage following an initiation, as here we dive into something more technical and target species such as bass, meagre or pike-perch with lures.
Then comes the final service: hunting bluefin tuna. This is the Holy Grail of guiding: a whole day out to sea to track this species from June to November.
A word of advice to our readers: the best time is June, and September to November for very big fish.
Then, outside the summer season, from December to April, I offer trips to Spain on a large dam lake, in search of big pike, pike-perch and big perch, in a pedal kayak fully equipped for fishing, even with the Livescope probe.
This service is more or less unique. It's unlike any other Extremadura holiday. Here, the experience is different: wilder, more intimate, more authentic. It appeals enormously to anglers in search of peace and relaxation, but also of trophy fish.
What does being a fishing guide mean to you?
Some would say that being a fishing guide is all about performance. The performance, the result, the photo... The beautiful photo even. The one you see on social networks, with a really big catch, a big smile, and that little frozen moment that makes you want to book on the spot. Of course that part of it exists. Of course customers sometimes look for the best guide through an image, a fish, a reputation.
But a photo, no matter how beautiful, doesn't tell the whole story. It doesn't tell the story of the atmosphere on the boat. It doesn't tell of the sharing, the learning, the timely advice, the glances, the laughter, the little details that make all the difference. It shows a fish, yes. But it doesn't always show what happened around it.
And for me, it's about much more than that. It's not just about catching fish. It's about bringing a moment to life. It's seeing my customers get off the boat with a smile that speaks volumes, a head full of memories, and a desire to come back. And the best part of all is seeing those same customers again the following year. That's when I tell myself that I haven't just made a success of an outing. I've achieved something much more important.
Being a good fishing guide also means giving your all for your customers, and not being afraid to take a little extra time. With bluefin tuna, for example, sometimes the activity starts very late in the day, or not at all.
I can assure you that the customer will remember this little bit of extra time, which can sometimes change a whole day without activity. This extra time shows that you're not just a business owner looking to make a profit at any price, but rather a man driven by the same passion as his customers.
For me, that would be the ultimate achievement: to hear one day that a child I took out on my boat has become a fishing guide, and to think that maybe I had something to do with it.
What were (or are) the main difficulties you encountered as a guide?
The main difficulty is when there's no fishing. At such times, you have to liven up the performance even more, find a rhythm and maintain a good atmosphere. In the end, it hurts a lot, because you're constantly questioning yourself to try and prevent this from happening. But unfortunately, that's also the law of fishing: everyone has to go through it one day, and you have to take it all the way.
Then comes patience, because not everything is rosy every day on the boat. You sometimes have to deal with groups who don't listen, who break equipment despite briefings and instructions repeated several times during the performance. In my opinion, avoiding conflict is the best solution. Adapting to the group is highly recommended, and also part of the job.
And the worst thing for me is having to cancel outings due to capricious weather. Some people have been waiting for this day for over a year, but sometimes the conditions mean that the outing simply can't take place. It's a really difficult announcement to make, because we know how much this moment was awaited, both by the customers and by me.
What do you do when you're not guiding?
Sometimes I take a little vacation to rest up, but I always try to have a rod in my luggage. Then, in winter, which is the slowest time of the year, I take care of my company: administration, communication, and everything else that needs to be prepared off the water.
I also take the opportunity to fish with friends, prospect new areas when the weather permits, and prepare my equipment for the coming season.
How do you see guiding in France?
My view of guiding in France is fairly positive, although I don't think the profession is always fully recognized. Many people think that all you have to do to be a guide is go fishing a lot, whereas in reality, it's a real profession that requires time, investment, patience and a great deal of seriousness.
The profession of fishing guide is still little known to the public. When I talk about it around me, a lot of people don't really know what it involves.
What advice would you give to people wishing to embark on this adventure?
I want to encourage others to live their dreams. There's nothing more important than waking up in the morning happy to go to work, and making a living from what you love. I've finally been able to realize mine, at the price of many sacrifices, but sacrifices that are worthwhile.
Going back to school in your thirties isn't easy. But at the same time, starting out to become a guide when you're young is even harder, because it's a demanding training course, which costs a lot of money and demands a lot of results.
So forge yourself, learn from others, and don't remain locked in only what you already know.
Thank you very much for this interview Vincent and I wish you an excellent season ahead. For those interested in Vincent's services, whether in the sea or in freshwater, I invite you to visit his website abyss64.com.
