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August, 2006
Guide profile: Jeff Charles
By Valerie Tucker
Toying with the thought of becoming a Maine Guide? Check with Master Maine Guide Jeff Charles first.
He'll give you the short list of essential skills and personality traits required day in and day out, all seven days of the week, during hunting and fishing seasons.
When it's hot and the fish aren't biting (and the black flies are), Jeff maintains his steadfastly positive outlook.
This spring, after he's spent two days trudging through calf-deep mud in the pouring rain to get his customers at Libby Camps (near Ashland) to the best fishing spots, he's still cheerful.
"People come here to fish. So that's what we do," Jeff said. "We get up at the crack of dawn, eat breakfast, and fly our plane in to some of the prettiest fishing spots you've ever seen. We fish, eat lunch, fish some more, and fly home. Then we do it all over again the next day."
His following of repeat customers over the years is due to the personal care and commitment he gives them every year. Many started as novices, never planning to catch fishing fever.
Tact, organization, an ability to "go with flow" when situations change, optimism, and a passion for the outdoors are on the short list for this Master Maine Guide.
What happens when a client falls out of the boat? Gets sick? Breaks the tip off the expensive fly rod and doesn't have a spare? Brings along the spouse who hates everything about the outdoors? He's seen it all, and more than once. Jeff simply has to be prepared for everything.
"I guided a mother who brought her son for his high school graduation present," he said. "Occasionally, a customer will ask, 'Would you please teach my wife, so she'll come fishing with me?'"
Toss in a little expertise in bird watching, plant identifying, and fossil hunting when customers are not catching fish. He'll take you to find eagles, grouse, deer, moose, fox, bobcat, and maybe even a bear.
Like many of Maine's seasonal workforce, Jeff has developed proficiency in more than one area. During the slow season, he'll do a little buying and selling of his antique collection of pewter and copperware. He's toying with the idea of building another forge to produce a few of his finely crafted knives. He's an award-winning blade smith, hand forging custom collectibles for the few who can afford the best.
When he was a youngster, he decided he wanted to learn to fish. No one in his family fished. He hopped on his bike after school and during the summer, he fished southern Maine Rivers and beaches. At age 14, his parents took him to buy his first fly rod. He chose a Fenwick, and paid $40. They were convinced that he was destined for a life of frivolous folly. Jeff kept that original fly rod, using it to teach his children to fly fish. An Orvis-endorsed guide, Jeff is a 100 percent "catch and release" fisherman.
How does a budding fly fisherman learn about weather, bugs, dry flies, wet flies, floating lines, and sinking lines? What's the difference between a nine-foot six-weight and an eight-and-a-half-foot six-weight? Young Jeff sought other aficionados, as he grew older.
He learned to tie his own flies and has developed several original patterns. He ties his own saltwater flies for the occasional trip to Costa Rica and Culebra, a small island off the coast of Puerto Rico.
He and wife Cathy have owned and managed several fishing camps over the years, starting with their own camps in Bowerbank, on Sebec Lake. After 15 years, they decided to sell their camps and take over management of King and Bartlett Camps in western Maine. Currently, Jeff has settled in at Libby Camps in with somewhat less responsibility for marketing, trade shows, reservations, and cooking.
Fishing isn't his only forte. Field and Stream magazine featured Jeff as one of their top picks for guiding whitetail deer hunters in the Northeast.
Jeff's wife Cathy learned to fish as a youngster with her dad, exploring lakes, ponds, streams, and rivers during each of the four seasons. Jeff's father-in-law introduced him to trolling for togue and salmon.
Although not his favorite style, he'll occasionally resort to this on a hot summer day when the brook trout are not biting. Cathy and children Amy, Brian, and Kate call this alternative "tan and troll."
What's changed about guiding? The latest catchphrase, "sustainable tourism," doesn't mean much to Jeff. "I have customers who call year after year, and we have a very busy summer planned at Libby Camps," he said.
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