SKOWHEGAN -- Luke Gray admits he almost made a mistake. A big mistake.

During the second day of a four-day "school" for aspiring Maine guides, Gray said that he figured a life of fishing on the Androscoggin River had prepped him enough to pass the state's mandatory licensing exam for guides. But after working through hours of lectures and hands-on demonstrations at the Skowhegan Community Center, Gray could only laugh at how foolish he had been.

Imagine trying to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test -- the SATs -- without having attended a single day of high school. Trying to take the guide's exam without taking a preparatory course would have been just as fruitless.

"It would have been a big waste of a hundred bucks," Gray said, making reference to the $103 fee Maine charges to administer the test, which consists of both oral and written exams. "I was just thinking about taking the test before I knew that something like this (course) even existed. Thank God I didn't."

Gray and longtime friend Carter Davidson, both of Bethel, are planning to take the fishing and recreation exam, allowing them to run fishing trips on drift boats.

But if you want to run fishing trips, you've first got to have a complete understanding of Maine's fishing and boating laws, know how to lead a search for a person missing in the forest, be completely schooled in the workings of a map and compass and excel at caring for clients and their wishes.

Ineptitude in any part of it means you won't qualify for a guide's license, and you'll have to pony up another hundred bucks if you want to try again.

Covering all the bases

There are four types of guides in Maine -- hunting, fishing, recreational and master. Master encompasses all of the disciplines, while hunting and fishing guides are also automatically eligible to be recreational guides.

The exam is equal parts oral and written.

The oral exam is the same for all applicants, with three sections. Those taking the test are quizzed on map and compass use, lost person scenarios and client care.

After passing the oral exam, applicants are brought back for the written portion of the test. That section is specific to individual disciplines -- with questions about seasons, dates, bag limits and other laws pertaining to hunting, fishing or boating.

Led by master Maine guide Carroll Ware of Skowhegan, most of Friday morning was spent running through the details of locating lost people and directing the subsequent searches for them.

It was also spent running through a series of questions, ones that would show up on the written exams -- and ones that prove just how much a registered guide in Maine has to know.

"How many hooks can you legally attach to your fly line?"

"In cold winter weather, protein or carbs, which is better?"

"What's the law regarding bass fishing as of June 30?"

"A snowshoe hike is put off by driving rain -- what should you do with your clients?"

"How many bear can you take?"

"Where's 'river left?' "

All of these questions have distinct answers. For example, a fly line is allowed three separate hooks, and a hunter may only kill one bear each year. "River left" is the left side of the river when facing downstream, and carbs are better when winter temperatures dip low. Bass fishing regulations change on June 30, and it's outlined in the state's law book.

But not every question has a black-and-white answer.

Questions about judgment abound on the guide's exam, and poor judgment can put lives in danger. To wit: You're in the middle of a five-day canoe trip when a hurricane suddenly hits. What should you do?

Ware instructs his students to err, always, on the side of safety -- even if the client is dissatisfied or wants to press on downriver despite severe weather warnings.

"If it's a question about safety, it's a non-issue," Ware said. "You're the captain, so you make the call. It's your ship."

Knowledge is power

There are approximately 6,000 Maine guides at the disposal of people wishing to take trips in the state. There were 20 more who hoped to add their names to that list this week in Skowhegan.

A master Maine guide in Skowhegan, Ware and his wife Lila instruct several guide schools each year across central Maine. He proudly proclaims that while the state sees an average of 60 percent of applicants fail the test, his schools have produced a success rate of better than 85 percent.

Sitting in the classroom for a day, it becomes obvious.

"He takes you through what they're going to ask you, breaks it all down step by step," Gray said.

Added Davidson: "We've got some friends who are guides, and they offered to help us. But the class is worth it. You don't have to worry about taking up four days' worth of somebody else's time, and they don't have to worry about having that much time free.

"If nothing else, the knowledge will make you a better woodsman."

Travis Barrett -- 621-5648

tbarrett@centralmaine.com