From review to profile
- 1You write it
Sign in with a free angler account, give the trip an overall star rating, and rate five parts of the trip.
- 2A moderator reads it
Every review is read before it’s published. We decline reviews that are abusive, look like a conflict of interest, or were paid for or incentivized.
- 3It’s published
It appears on the guide's profile and joins the Angler Review Score. If the review is tied to a trip, it carries a Trip-linked label.
The Trip-Linked Label
A review gets the label when it is tied to a trip with that guide. That happens one of two ways:
- You use the one-time review link we email after the trip date on an inquiry you sent through The Salish Guide.
- You attach a receipt or booking confirmation and a moderator checks it. Only moderators see it, and it’s deleted 30 days after a decision.
Marking a guide as contacted doesn't give a review the Trip-linked label.
Reviews without the label are still welcome and still count. Trip-linked reviews simply carry more weight.
How the Angler Review Score is calculated
The Angler Review Score is a weighted average of each approved review’s overall star rating, from 1 to 5.
To keep one early review from swinging a new guide's score too far, every guide's Angler Review Score starts from a neutral baseline worth three 4-star reviews. It's never shown on its own and matters less with each real review.
The score appears with the first approved review, is shown to one decimal place, and always sits next to the number of reviews and Trip-linked reviews behind it.
| Review | Rating | Weight | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trip-linked | ★★★★★5 | ×2.5 | 12.5 |
| Trip-linked | ★★★★★5 | ×2.5 | 12.5 |
| Not tied to a trip | ★★★★★3 | ×1 | 3 |
| Not tied to a trip | ★★★★★3 | ×1 | 3 |
| Neutral baseline (three 4-star reviews) | ★★★★★4 | ×3 | 12 |
| Total | 10 | 43 | |
A plain average of the same four reviews would be 4.0. The two Trip-linked reviews pull the score toward what they reported, and the baseline keeps a handful of reviews from swinging it too far.
What we ask anglers to rate
Every review starts with one overall star rating: how was the trip? That overall rating is the only number in the Angler Review Score. Anglers can also rate five parts of the trip, each from 1 to 5:
- Guide knowledge
Knew the water, the fish and the techniques, and shared them.
- Communication
Clear about times, meeting point, costs and changes before the trip.
- Boat & gear
Boat, tackle and safety equipment in good, clean working order.
- Safety
Briefed you, watched the weather and ran a safe trip.
- Value
The trip was worth what you paid.
Each area shows its own average on the guide’s profile, from the anglers who rated it. The averages explain the score. They don’t change it.
Example: What You'll See on a Guide's Profile
Example review (not a real customer). Names, dates, star ratings, scores and replies below are illustrative only.
Angler Reviews
Write a ReviewA weighted average of each review’s overall star rating. Trip-linked reviews count 2.5×, other reviews 1×. Every review is read by a moderator first. Ratings from other websites aren’t counted.
How reviews work ›On Chinook within twenty minutes of leaving the dock. He explained the mooching setup to my kids, kept the boat spotless and texted the night before with the tide plan.
Thanks for the review. Bring the kids back for coho in September.
Slow day on the water and the start time moved twice, but the guide worked hard to find fish.
What never counts
- Star ratings from other websites or booking platforms. Only reviews written on The Salish Guide count.
- Reviews a moderator declined, and reviews still waiting for moderation.
- Payment of any kind. Paid placement never changes a rating or a score.
Guides can post one public reply to each review. Replies are moderated too. Guides can’t edit or delete a review.