If you reside outside of Alaska, how can you be an "Alaskan Guide"?
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Akres
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LOL You sir are a rare Alaskan...Most every Alaskan spends their mad money in distant lands...every year! Vacations, Big Screen TVs, New Gear or Gambling.
Pretty unfair, irrational, unproveable, and generalizing statement... Honestly a statement that kinda backs up the original posters point IMO..
Akres
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Just a personal observation is all...others might see things differently. Way more Alaskan's imo spend the bulk of their mad money (after living expenses) on goods and services provided by Outside Interests. Made in Alaska products are few and far between...The Anchorage International Airport transports more Alaskans out of state every week than all the In-State Air Taxi Operators do in any given year. I mean honestly...how many Ulu's does an Alaskan need? How many times does the Typical Alaskan (not the hardcore outdoorsman, who is by the way...a minority) take their family into the wilds of Alaska for vacation?
squab
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One trip Through the Gear Forum, will give a sampling of how much we Alaskans, spend out side.
You kinda lost me with the Ulu comment? None the less, I guess, I just disagree. How many products are in a person’s house that lives in Ohio or Pennsylvania is made in that state? (I just picked 2 random states) How many people from other states 'vacation' in their home state? And the Airport…. I bet every major city airport transports more of their state residents out (and back into) of state than in state as well…
My point more than anything is that when I read your post I interpreted that you were stating an opinion that was putting down Alaskans to a point...So not only did I think it was wrong in general, but terrible for a non-resident guide to be putting down the basic population of the state he was counting on/guiding in for his livelihood…
No doubt, but we spend no more on Vacations, Big Screen TVs, New Gear, and Gambling than any other person from any other state...
Akres
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The crux of the "ulu" comment was thus...it is one of the few things made in Alaska...short of sewer. LoL...even the Made In Alaska T-Shirts at the State Fair are imported!!! Take a look at the label! Bottomline, whether Alaskan's want to admit it or not...WE are Dependant on Outside People and Resources...YUP even fishing guides...WE need them to come up and cater to the tourists...as well as a few Alaskan's that choose to hire them for charters and such, to show them what a Good Time is really about. Simply put, there are not enough Alaskan's willing to hire out as fish guides, deck hands, charter captians or bull cooks...someone will fill those voids.
salmon_bone
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The thread was about non Alaskan Fishing Guides posing as Alaskan Fishing Guides.
There are Alaskan Fishing Guides, which reside in Alaska, and no matter what brand of TV, Fishing Gear, etc...most of it is bought in a store in Alaska, year round, therefore keeping a job available for Alaskans year round. Fishing guides who work in Alaska, for an Alaska Based Company also spend their money here on food/drinks, sight seeing etc....
What torques me is, the ones that don't live here, but claim to be an Alaskan Fishing company, and not admitting to
being a fishing company in Alaska, big difference.
Why I said following the path of Princess? Princess claims to bring soooooo many tourists to Alaska, which they do, but once they get off their cruise ships, they are herded to the Princess bus, by way of Princess Souvenir Shops, then shuttled to Anchorage where they get a pretty good cut of the hotel, their cruise clients stay in, then shuttle them to Denali Princess Lodges, where the cruisers spend money again on all Princess Lodging, Princess Souvenirs etc...their tour schedule is so tight, that people do not have time to do what they want, unless they stay a week later after their cruise and do things on their own.
After Tourist season, Princess rolls up the sidewalks and takes the money with them.
With all the money they make by marketing Alaska for their cruises, they threw a fit when Alaska wanted to charge them a head tax!
And I have a problem with that!
There are Alaskan Fishing Guides, which reside in Alaska, and no matter what brand of TV, Fishing Gear, etc...most of it is bought in a store in Alaska, year round, therefore keeping a job available for Alaskans year round. Fishing guides who work in Alaska, for an Alaska Based Company also spend their money here on food/drinks, sight seeing etc....
What torques me is, the ones that don't live here, but claim to be an Alaskan Fishing company, and not admitting to
being a fishing company in Alaska, big difference.
Why I said following the path of Princess? Princess claims to bring soooooo many tourists to Alaska, which they do, but once they get off their cruise ships, they are herded to the Princess bus, by way of Princess Souvenir Shops, then shuttled to Anchorage where they get a pretty good cut of the hotel, their cruise clients stay in, then shuttle them to Denali Princess Lodges, where the cruisers spend money again on all Princess Lodging, Princess Souvenirs etc...their tour schedule is so tight, that people do not have time to do what they want, unless they stay a week later after their cruise and do things on their own.
After Tourist season, Princess rolls up the sidewalks and takes the money with them.
With all the money they make by marketing Alaska for their cruises, they threw a fit when Alaska wanted to charge them a head tax!
And I have a problem with that!
Akres
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I think you would have a real hard time convincing many in the communities of Talkeetna, Copper Center, Healy and Cooper Landing of this. How many boats does Mahay's run now? How many rafts does Troutfitters run now? How many Fish Guides are now operating in the Copper River Basin now? How many rafts a day float the Nenana? Yes, Princess Tours is making a killing, but there are plenty of parasites feeding on the fringe.
Believe you me, I have a sore dislike for those folks as much as anyone, but in all honesty, there is no one in Alaska that will assume the business risk in a shakey venture like tourism, so foriegners step in and make the money. Last summer, I was walking the Avenue in Anchorage...most of the Hot Dog Vendors were foreign as well. Summer in Alaska has always been a big draw for many seeking employment, construction, fishing, guiding, tourism, bus driving, parkies, street vendors and slime lining. Not likely to change any time soon.
What about the Remote Lodge Owners...How many are now foreign owned?
Unless you speak German you will have a tough time on Lake Creek.......although many of the accomodations are locally owned.
They even import workers at the bush company. The nerve of these workers dancing their way back and forth from Florida in winter to here in summer. And they call it the great "Alaskan Bush Company" talk about false advertising. Sheesh
Akres
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They even import workers at the bush company. The nerve of these workers dancing their way back and forth from Florida in winter to here in summer. And they call it the great "Alaskan Bush Company" talk about false advertising. Sheesh
I had completely forgotten/ignored the Meat of the issue...Thanks, I'll add that to my repitiore!!!
Anybody venture to guess how much Alaskan money makes it to Cabela's?
Alaskanmutt
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Not near enough of mine.
TYNMON
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This post could not be further from the truth.. There are good resident guide and and good non-resident guides.. Truth of the matter is much of the "science" and "techniques" behind catching Alaskan fish comes from fishing Northwest Rives....
TYNMON
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This post is a great example of typical Alaskan.... I have only spent 13 of the last 14 summers and six winters in AK, but I generally more knowledgable, more traveled within the state of Alaska, and understand Alaska's geography much better then your typical Alaskan... I have nvr had a problem fitting in and have nvr felt like an outsider even though I grew up in Oregon........
Let me guess you spent your 6 long winters on the pan handle? Doesn't sound typical of any Alaskans I know. Probably a lot like the folks showing up at trailer parks, canneries, and union halls all over the state.
Hunt&FishAK
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Hey AKKings, I should move to your WA nieghborhood, and start helping myself to all of your neighbors stuff, claim that i am a member of your family, and see if they respect me for it....sound familiar? jus sayin
1st lodge I worked at out of Ketchikan the owner hated hiring locals, they were alot more likely to either get drunk and not show up or take another guide job and just not show up when the resort had a group booked for them. I know of a couple times the (unlicensed) resort owner took people fishing because he was left in a bind by locals not showing up. After a couple seasons they had a few quality locals they kept busy but much preferred to higher from out of area, be it out of staters or other parts of the state, just not locals.
