Guides Providing Information

[Bill Babler]

As moderator of this forum, I am the wipping boy, when things go bad. I will say this now, I am not responsible for guides that give fishing reports that are not accurate, or for lodging information, that is only in the interest of the guide rather than in the well being of who the recommendation is for.

In the past 6 months alone, I have gotten emails and calls about the above stated information that some of the guides are putting out, that the callers and emailers are deeming inaccurate.

NEW GROUND RULES FOR THIS FOURM CONCERNING GUIDE FISHING REPORTS AND LODGING RECOMMENDATIONS:

This is for guides only. All the rest of you great contributors are more than welcome to your non-profit recommendations, what ever they may be.

Fishing reports:

You either fished it or you didn't period. Reports should be no more than 3 days old. Yes when making a report you may quote other guides that you are recieving the report from. If you did not fish an area but recieved a report from a guide that did, you must state his name and when he fished the area. No more guess work or seasonal pattern information.

I have just gotten pounded this year by emails and calls saying they are following patterns guides have posted and they are not catching them as the pattern stated. Yes this happens I know all fisherman are different, but we as guides need to clean up our act a might. This will give all guide reports creditability, instead of saleability.

My reports all tell where I launched and where I am at. Or I quote names of the guides I have spoken to in areas I have not fished in the last 3 days. Probably the best blogger we have is Don House. He did it or you don't hear about it. No guess work, no seasonal stuff, no other buddies here or there, just Don and where he was and what he did today.

Lodging recommendation policy:

Just as many, are lodging recommendation from guides, that don't know squat about the resorts they are recommending. Yes, they may have gotten a trip out of the resort and now the resort is your best buddy. Maybe Not.

This is for the guides only. Before recommending a resort or lodging establishment on this forum, you must be aware of their policies. If I catch any recommendations that our contrary to the policies of the resort, I will delete you. If you have not even taken the time for find out something about the resort, how in the H. E. Double Heck can you recommend them? If you are recommending resorts with full week stay policies to people wanting under 5 nights you are not only wasting the resorts precious time, you are wasting the person asking the questions time, just to get a stupid plug in for nothing.

I'm tired of hearing about this and the following I have gotten an earfull on.

Any Guide recommending a resort on this forum, must before the recommendation have checked the following: Not heard from a guest, but personally checked for him or herself: Better yet, have stayed at the resort they are recommending.

Cleanleness

Tasted the water

Flushed the tolits

Turned on the shower or bath

Checked the quality of the towels

Checked the sheets and bedding

Checked the window and door locks

Know the policies of the resort, ie how they book guests ie no calls for fewer nights stays than are allowed for, or if the resort has a calander online, check the calander to see if they are booked before you recommed someone to call them.. What a nightmare for the resort.

Checked the interior sound

Had an extensive visit with the hosts or owners

Every resort owner, should welcome any guide that could possibly send them some business to tour their faculities. If they don't, you for sure should not recommend them. Tell them what you would like to look at so your recommendation, will be accurate and will not come back on you. People's time is precious, and to recommend some place that does not suit, is just a pure waste of precious time for those you are trying to help. {Hopefully not just yourself, thru the recommendation} Every resort I recommend I have been more than welcome to check all of the above items and they were happy for me to do it. It adds creditability for them as well. They just loved to be praised on the above. On the other hand if you are not satisfied, it is not your place to make reccomendations, just thank them unless they ask and go about your business. There are loads of quality resorts out there.

Hopefully this will give everyone of us guiding and in the resort business a even footing and keep an even playing field. I hope it will also eliminate some of the calls an emails, that I recieve reguarding these matters.

This was intended only for the GUIDES. All other, keep those wonderful post coming, from all the areas of this fine lake

Thanks Bill Babler Group Moderator

[mclothier1]

Bill,

In my opinion, I believe that anyone that calls or emails you complaining about a particular guide giving out bogus reports.... needs to remember "its called FISHING... not catching" These people need to pull up their panties and find they're own stinking pattern!!! I believe the guides that post here do a wonderful job of trying to spell it out for us regular Joes. And yeah, Don House is one of the best! we had a trip with him a month ago, and we had a great time! Showed us Kansas hicks a couple new ways to catch fish.

As far as the lodging... good ideas! But Im not the kind of person to go complaining to the Boss if things dont work out. (you wont be getting a complaint call or email from me)

Now maybe if a guide reccomended a certain resort and I stayed there just off his word, and the place was a dump... Yeah I would be kinda upset. But I've learned to also do my own due diligence and find out as much as I can about the resort before pulling the trigger.

The first year we stayed on Table Rock, was at a resort that I would NEVER go back to, the place looked nice on the outside, but the inside was a whole other story, seemed like there was something wrong at every turn. We rented two different boats thru the week and both of them broke down, the pontoon left us stranded deadstick south of the Branson Belle and had to be towed back! gee that was fun!... NOT! But I was the one that picked the resort... so SHAME on me, if I would have done a little searching I would have found out that the resort in question wasnt quite up to par based on the reviews that I later found. The information is out there, you just have to find it.

[Wayne SW/MO]

That's good Bill, but we all know the some believe they are getting spot information, rather than a pattern. They still need to fish.

[Trolling For Walleye]

lol @ people complaining that the internet didn't catch fish for them.

tell them if they aren't satisfied with the information that they can get their money back on signing up for the forum.... you know, all $0

[denjac]

Bill, In my opinion anybody that would call you and complain that they stayed at a crummy resort that they saw on this forum is a complete waste of time for you! What are you supposed to do, give em there money back? If they have a beef they need to post it on the lodging forum. I do understand your postion though.

[Bill Babler]

If you all knew the ammount of time I spend just deleting PM's about things that have not worked out here, you would not believe it. If I don't respond in a timely manner to PM's they go balistic. If fishing reports are to vague, I get PM's to please fill in the blanks for every guide that posts here. For crying out loud, if you have a problem with a post, PM the poster.

Lots of these folks think this is a paying job, for me and I need to moniter the activities of this forum more closely than I do. As I have stated before, I do it cause I want to. I don't solicite business of any kind here, other than our advertisment. I never recommend myself or our lodge.

I am not resonsible for what other post as far as accuracy. I will however take responsibility for improper or vulgar post, that I should take care of. If I miss these, and we really don't have much of a problem here, I am sorry, I am not on everyday, but I do my best. This is the busy season, and my wife and I are going 90 to nothing.

Our policies now on the guide post were somewhat needed from the aspect, we want this to be the most accurate source of information on the Tri-Lakes area. This will help that come about. We were picking on no one and we love all our guides to post. We just want to keep it as what they know for sure, and have seen with their own eye's about both the fishing and the lodging.

If you want to promote yourself, your guide business or lodges that you guide from or would like to, we would love to have you buy the space here to do it.

Phil has several options for paid advertising.

If not, lets just keep it to the facts.

Have a great one.

[Terry Beeson]

...Tasted the water

Flushed the tolits...

I sure am glad you didn't get those mixed up, Bill....

First, I'm not sure how you are going to "police" this type of thing... delete all "suspicious" posts? That's only going to cause more problems.

Second, anyone who reads ANYTHING on the internet and takes it as gospel is only fooling himself...

Third, the only rule needed here is to quit complaining to BILL about YOUR problems...

I have used Trip Advisor to research hotels and resorts for several years and I can tell you for sure that these things are true... (but if you take them for "gospel", you're only fooling yourself... right? )

1. One man's Waldorf is another man's fleabag hotel.

2. Some people just like to complain, no matter how they are treated.

3. Those pictures of the rooms, grounds, etc. were taken by professional photographers and edited (air brushed) to make everything look WONDERFUL even if it is a flea bag.

By the way, Bill... I want to file a complaint. I fished Taney yesterday and didn't catch 200 fish in an hour. It's all the forum's fault...

[motoman]

If you all knew the ammount of time I spend just deleting PM's about things that have not worked out here, you would not believe it. If I don't respond in a timely manner to PM's they go balistic. If fishing reports are to vague, I get PM's to please fill in the blanks for every guide that posts here. For crying out loud, if you have a problem with a post, PM the poster.

Lots of these folks think this is a paying job, for me and I need to moniter the activities of this forum more closely than I do. As I have stated before, I do it cause I want to. I don't solicite business of any kind here, other than our advertisment. I never recommend myself or our lodge.

I am not resonsible for what other post as far as accuracy. I will however take responsibility for improper or vulgar post, that I should take care of. If I miss these, and we really don't have much of a problem here, I am sorry, I am not on everyday, but I do my best. This is the busy season, and my wife and I are going 90 to nothing.

Our policies now on the guide post were somewhat needed from the aspect, we want this to be the most accurate source of information on the Tri-Lakes area. This will help that come about. We were picking on no one and we love all our guides to post. We just want to keep it as what they know for sure, and have seen with their own eye's about both the fishing and the lodging.

If you want to promote yourself, your guide business or lodges that you guide from or would like to, we would love to have you buy the space here to do it.

Phil has several options for paid advertising.

If not, lets just keep it to the facts.

Have a great one.

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This disgusts me Bill. Like the info on OAF is not ENOUGH!?!?!?!?..............people want to gripe about it?!?!!?.......IDIOTS!!!

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Those who complain have got to be the complete whiners in the world; where nothing is good enough. They wouldn't be happy if they were hung with a new rope. And clearly, they do not visit other internet forums. Nowhere, and I mean NOWHERE else will you find such great info, and people who share it.

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This highlights a real problem with some people today. They want everything spoon-fed to them, and then they still complain! Those complainers should be absolutely ashamed of themselves! Unappreciative whiners!

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I bet these complainers are the same people, who when fishing info IS spoon-fed to them; and it pays off, they brag about all the fish they caught, how they figured this out, and did that all on their own, etc., etc.................ggggggggrrrrrrrrr..............

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mclotheir summed it up best!

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O.K., rant over. .........................whew!

[mclothier1]

If you all knew the ammount of time I spend just deleting PM's about things that have not worked out here, you would not believe it. If I don't respond in a timely manner to PM's they go balistic. If fishing reports are to vague, I get PM's to please fill in the blanks for every guide that posts here. For crying out loud, if you have a problem with a post, PM the poster.

Heck with them! just offer a refund and call it a day!!!

Lots of these folks think this is a paying job, for me and I need to moniter the activities of this forum more closely than I do. As I have stated before, I do it cause I want to. I don't solicite business of any kind here, other than our advertisment. I never recommend myself or our lodge.

I am not resonsible for what other post as far as accuracy. I will however take responsibility for improper or vulgar post, that I should take care of. If I miss these, and we really don't have much of a problem here, I am sorry, I am not on everyday, but I do my best. This is the busy season, and my wife and I are going 90 to nothing.

I think you are doing a fine job, probably not easy guiding full time, running a resort, and giving out secret fishing methods on the internet in what little spare time you have.... if you can even call it "spare" time!

[focused fishing]

O.K. let me get this straight......... As a guide when I post (free) information on this site I need to be specific to location, baits, depth, structure, cover and people that witness me catching fish within the last three days or my report is no longer welcome?

Really?

So if I have information from a friend or other guide that doesn't post on this site I have to identify them by name or not share that information?

Really?

So if I fish in the Kings river on Monday and don't post a report until Friday the information can't be posted?

Really?

All of this beacuse someone may have read one of my reports and not been able to exactly duplicate how I caught fish the day before?

Really?

Many times I can't repeat the exact same pattern in the exact same location with the exact same bait on the same day. Things change, fish move, bait moves etc......

BUT, because someone who has an unknown skill level, that has equipment that may be suspect and is fishing during unkown conditions has complained I shouldn't post a report that worked earlier in the week?

Really?

AHHH......... O.K...........

If it's my reports causing the problems let me know.

I put alot of time and effort (both on and off the water) into my reports if they have caused Bill or anyone else problems I apologize. The feedback I have recieved has been very positive, from this site and others, but if the reports are not wanted they will be discontinued on this site. Unfortunately, I do not have time to write a report everytime I guide, I work another job in the afternoon and evening and usually write my reports once a week and post them then. If that is too stale for this site ........I guess I understand.

I thought the idea of this forum was to share information and experiences with other anglers, apparently I was mistaken.

As to self promotion or commercial aspects of posting here; I believe I have had three or four trips from Ozark Anglers members over the past year all of which were successful and mutually enjoyable.

On the other hand I have recieved and responded to over 100 e-mails and PM's requesting more detailed information or advice, none of which have I profited from.

If a guide or someone posts usefull information for free on a site like this links to their website(s) in exchange for that information, it seems like a fair trade.

Anyway, if you'all don't want 'em I won't post 'em.

If any members would like to continue reading my reports they will continue to be available at:

http://www.focusedfishing.com

http://www.branson.com

http://www.724outdoors.com

http://www.espn1400.com

Love Ya Long Time......

EP