Lower Quinalt Guide Service ~ Jim (Benny) Benavidez ~ 360.533.1482

"Quinault Guides Offer Unique Angling Trips " - D. Preston Quinault tribal fishing guide Jim "Benny" Benavidez, 50 loves his "office." Towering sitka spruce, big leaf maple, and hemlock thrust toward a cobalt blue sky as he maneuvers his custom boat along the lower Quinault River. Upstream, a herd of perhaps 70 elk emerges from the trees and swims across the river. It's clear why Benavidez has named his boat and business "Memory Maker." Benavidez is one of many Quinault tribal member guides who give non-Indians the unique opportunity of fishing 27 miles of wild river within the Quinault Reservation. The rewards include the relaxed, uncrowded conditions on the river as well as a good chance of a successful fishing trip. Stocks of prized salmon, both wild and hatchery, are relatively healthy thanks to the work of the Quinault Fisheries Management Department and the absence of human development along the river. Aberdeen resident Skip Untersheher has hired Benavidez as a guide for eight years. The two are more friends now than customer and guide. Untersheher loves the wild nature of the river and its unpredictability. "I've fished a lot of rivers and I just love this one. It's one of the last wild rivers and you never know what you might see. Other rivers are either fished out or really crowded and it's just so peaceful here. I always want to come back and there's the knowledge that there are still some really big fish in here," Untersheher said. One of the sweetest prizes awaiting a fisherman is the possibility of hooking the blueback, or Quinault sockeye. Many fisherman would trade steelhead for the smaller sockeye. On a recent trip, Benavidez moved Untersheher up and down the river, starting at dawn and finishing late in the afternoon. Untersheher finished tired but elated about his experience. He hooked six fish, losing two, releasing two and keeping a sockeye and a 15-pound steelhead. "Even if I don't catch any fish, it's always a great day on the river. Benny's a great guy and we can always talk about the old stories." Untersheher said. For Benavidez and other Quinault tribal members, the guide business allows them to do a job they love, even when the weather is lousy. "You have to love this job to succeded. Some days it's rainy, cold and miserable and it's 16-hour days. I get up at 4 a.m. and I'm still cleaning up the boat at 6 p.m., but I love it. I can't think of any other job I would want to do," Benavidez said. Benavidez is more of less booked for years to come, as most of his customers return year after year. But there are many Quinault tribal guides available to show visitors the wonders of eagles soaring over the river, elk, bear and usually, several fish souvenirs. A tribal guide is required; a list is available from the Quinault Natural Rsources Department. Opportunities to fish or just cruise the river exist year-round. All my clients say they want my job," Benavidez said with a chuckle. -D. Preston Back To HomePage