Are Guides Worth the $$

[leo]

When I hear folks that fish with a guide referred to as the "pay to play boys" it is not only degrading to the clients but I feel it cheapens the image of a proffesional guide. It has been my experance that when fishing a new area, if I get a guide for the first day, I can usually catch fish on my own there after. I find that a good guide can be more valuable than any fishing equipment, and may just turn out to be a friend.

[snagged in outlet 3]

Hey Leo did you get my eamil? Cool weather brought in the big boys on the Big Muddy.

Snagged.

[Don]

From what I've found out by now, local guides hire guides when they travel to fish other places. That way they know what's up at that time and place and do not waste time using up vacation time to figur things out by themselves. As for myself, I fished Taney countless times and consider myself a sucessful fisherman after a year and one half experience, but I will probably hire a guide in the near future just to sharpen my skills.

Don

[Wayne SW/MO]

Leo, I agree with you.

[Gavin]

IMO, most guides dont charge enough! Think about it...You dont have to load, unload, clean, and load a boat, handle the boat, make lunch, or keep your fishing partner entertained, etc., etc., etc. All you need to do is BYOB and fish. How awesome is that!

[Phil Lilley]

Add insurance, maintenence, cost of equipment, boat payments, cost of fuel (vehicle & boat)...

If a guide doesn't have a sponsor who is helping with the boat costs, I don't see how they do it either.

[MTM]

I was a guide and outfitter for more than 37 years. I am now retired do to medical problems or I would still be doing it. I believe if you are new to an area be it lake or river a guide can help you out in many yeays. The problem is getting a good one now days. Out here we have more guides than you can shake a stick at and all are not very good at there job's. Seems it is the "IN" thing to do now days. The best thing I can tell you is to check the guide you may take out. It will pay you in the end to spend a little time in doing so.

A good guide will teach you a lot during a day of fishing. Go with an open mind. They should also be able to talk with you and make a joke now and then. And they should know when and were to catch fish at all times. I am not saying they should produce fish all the time but they should have an idea of what is going on and were it is happening. No one can catch them all the time. That is why it is called fishing not catching. But a good guide will catch fish a lot more often than others in his or her area.

I can say that I think I was a good guide. I never had one day that a client didn't catch at least one fish. "Knock on wood". I came close a few times but they all caught at least one fish.

Remember to tip your guide if you have a good day. If he didn't do his or her job do not tip them. The didn't earn it.

Guides are getting real expensice out here almost $400 a day now. If it were me going to be taking a guided trip I would check them out real good. You can cut costs if you take a partner that is willing to split the fee's.

Just to give you an idea of how guides can work. The Bozeman Montana guides fish the Madison or the Yellowstone rivers if they are float fishing. They have to drive about 30 miles one way and about 50 the other to get to those rivers. So when they get there they take floats that end up in town or very close to it because of the gas prtices LOL. In other words if the fishing is best way up river or way down river you may not get to fish the best sections because the guides don't want to spend the money for the gas. What I am saying is to take a guide that lives close to the river he or she will be guideing. You will get better service if you do.

One other point. Be willing to learn and listen to your guide. I have had people that told me right out. "I am a good fisherman and you don't have to tell me anything" After two days of catching not to much one of the guy's asked me what he should be doing. I told him and he caught some nice fish that day. His buddy with the great skills had to much pride to ask. Use your guide that is what he is for. Pick his or her brain. It will pay off not only on the river you are fishing but other rivers you may fish.

If you go have a safe trip and catch one for me. Good Fishing Ron

[motroutbum]

The biggest problem that I find with clients, is that they dont listen. Or they compare places such as the Animas (where i guide) to the green or the yellowstone or the missouri. "Well we did this on the Madison and used these flies and we caught 50 fish in one day!!!" My reply in my head is "does this look like the freakin Madison? No this is the Animas and we are in Colorado not Montana!" I tell them how to fish and demonstrate a couple drifts to show them what i want them to do! and if they dont listen then they dont catch fish its as simple as that! Well said Ron.

The best day ive had on the water guiding this year was in late June. The guy was from Colorado Springs. If anyone here knows Durango at all then they know that the Animas runs right through town and the Gold Medal Water (equalivalant to our Blue Ribbon) starts right in the Middle of town and goes to the end of town. I took him right behind our water treatment plant. I had him set up with a hopper dropper...noble chernobyl and a phesant tail. As soon as we got to the water, we saw a fish rise. we stood there and watched him rise two more times and i told him if he rises again, im going to change your fly to a single midge dry. sure enough the fish did and on his first cast hooked and landed a 20 in rainbow. we covered a total of about 100yds of stream and the pmd's started coming off just as i knew they would. about 10:30. I moved him to a hole up stream and positioned him on a rock down stream of the fish. I stood on the top of the hill and directed him to cast to the rising fish that i saw. (on the animas a good day is 4-5 fish whether you have a guide or not. if you catch more than 4 in a full day you have had an excllent day) My client hooked 20 fish and brought 12 to net. After each fish, i would run down the hill, land it, and then run back up the hill to spot more fish. It paid off because at the end of the HALF day trip i got a brand new $100 bill.

People who listen to what the guide has to say, make it more enjoyable for the guide also. It makes the guide WANT to work for you. People who dont listen to what the guide has to say, make the guide sluggish. If you think you know it all, then you shouldnt hire a guide. Save his time and money because you are gonna make it hell on the guide if you dont and he wont want to work for you.

Don--we get local guys all the time that just want to hire a guide for a day and get back and fish. most of the tiem well give em a little discount. We have one guy who hires us once a month just to go out and fish. He and his wife both are avid fisherman and even own water on the pine.

most importantly hire a guide if you want to learn. Dont go in expecting to catch alot of fish, unless the guide says that you should expect it.

just my opinion from my first year experience.

randy

[Wayne SW/MO]

When we went to Michigan we always hired a guide the first day. They knew we were there for several days and boatless, so they concentrated on holes we could reach by land, moving from hole to hole giving us a lot of water to fish and the methods to catch fish. They were priceless.

Phil knows the guides from Baldwin I'm talking about, and I'm sure he will agree..

[leo]

Just a note. Tipping should be based on effort, not nessesarly on the quantity of fish caught.