Guide Recommendations

[Tom Tricamo]

Good morning, all. My family and I are planning a week long excursion down to Norfork. I'm definitely the avid fishermen of the group (my family are avid waterfowl hunters from Southern Illinois). I'd like to show them a great time by getting on to some Largmouths/Crappie/Walleye. I'd like to avoid trolling. Any recommendations on guide services near the Teal/Mallard Point section of the lake? I figure I should hire a guide for my first time on the lake so we don't waste time trying to find a pattern none of us are familiar with. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Tom

[SgtChuck64]

I think Lees Lite Line guide service may be what you're looking for. I only fish with guide Tom Reynolds of STR Outfitters, but he is mostly a striper guide and also the best one on the lake

[Justin Spencer]

Went with Darryl Binkley a few years ago, went in the fall and used spooks in the early morning and jigging spoons as the day went on. All artificials and he knows what he's doing. He guides for what's biting, caught SMB, LMB, spotted bass, and stripers that day. He catches walleye and crappie also on the spoons. bink@binksguideservice.com

[EBake]

If you want to try for walleye, give Leslie Wake a try @ http://www.twinlakesguide.com/home.html. Went out with him 2 weeks ago above Udall and had a really good time. Good person as well as good guide. We landed 5 keepers with one 28 in. Also boated several keeper KYs as a bonus. What a great fish fry that evening. I have also fished with Daryl and Tom. They are great for stripers, but use different techniques. If you are taking kids, I would recommend Tom. I think they will enjoy live bait with Tom rather than jigging with Daryl. My two grandsons limited out with Tom last summer. I don't think the smile will ever come off their faces.

[BrianS]

Is Russ Breakinridge still down there?

[Tom Tricamo]

Wanted to follow-up this post with a run down on what happened during my trip to Norfork. My family and I stayed for the entire week two weeks ago. Fishing was tough as it was hot and the lake was 15ft above pool. That said, I was able to have somewhat decent luck with black bass and tremendously awesome luck with Stripers. We stayed at Hummingbird Hideaway and it was AWESOME! Linda and Lou really know how to take care of you. They have a number of well appointed cabins, an in-ground pool, and plenty of options in terms of boat rentals.

Proof that Lou is a great guy: We reserved one of their pontoons for the week. As my brother-in-laws and I were heading out one night for a fishing trip, the steering linkage on our boat disconnected. Lou came to pick us up (we had just made it out of the cove) and explained that the linkage had been tight and he had it loosened a couple days prior to our arrival. He was very apologetic and claimed that he owed us a fishing trip. Well three days later he made good on his promise. Lou took us for a 20 mile run down to the darn on his 20ft Skeeter center console with a 150horse four stroke. It was probably the smoothest most quiet ride I've ever had in a boat. Once we got down to the darn area, Lou fired up the Lowrance color GPS/Fish Finders and put us smack dab on top of a school of Stripers 65 ft down on the bottom of the lake. Then he busted out the 8lb test lined Shimano spinning gear on medium action 6ft rods. We're talking light rigs here. He loads the rod holders on the boat and baits them with shad. He then explains that the Thermocline is way off this season, and that there is a couple areas of "bad water" in the water column. It is blatently obvious that Lou does his homework. As I'm falling asleep next to my rod (we got up with Lou at 3:30am to go catch live bait - he caught a small bass during this process that he promptly returned to the water. Lou, afterall, is a conservationist and a law abiding American), Lou informs me I have a strike. I look up to see my 6'6" medium action rod completely doubled over. Lou instructs me to gently set the hook, which I do. For the next five minutes I had one of the greatest times of my life as I reeled up a nice 10lb Striper. I felt even better watching my brother-in-laws promptly do the same thing right after me. By the grace of the fishing gods, and by the magical touch of Lou at Hummingbird Hideaway, all of us landed nice sized stripers that morning. Lou ran us back up to the cabins, cleaned the fish, bagged them up for the Fish Fry we would later have, and was geniunely shocked when we offered him a tip. Afterall, he honestly thought he owed us this fishing trip because of the steering linkage issue. Nevermind the fact that Lou had the boat repaired the next day after the disconnection by 7am.

Needless to say, I'll be returning to Norfork and Lou's place during high fishing season.

[Martin]

Don't forget about Leslie Wake....Twin Lakes Guide Service...The guy is a wizard especially with the walleyes..

If Leslie can't put you on fish, then there are no fish in the lake...LOL

[Twin Lakes Guide Service]

Don't forget about Leslie Wake....Twin Lakes Guide Service...The guy is a wizard especially with the walleyes..

If Leslie can't put you on fish, then there are no fish in the lake...LOL

Thanks Marty for the kind words I think this guy called me and I had trolling motor problems and I have since replaced with a I pilot witch I think is the best thing since cotton candy maybe I can hook with this guy next time he is down

Leslie Wake