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To
give you some insight into choosing the Fishing Guide or Charter
that is right for you we have enlisted the help of National
Bass Professional Fishing Guide, former radio talk show host
and author Steve Chaconas, and Professional
Bass Angler Luke Clausen.
Need
more information? Use our 20
Questions Checklist checklist
when researching or contacting a potential Fishing Guide or
Charter.
Ready
to Find a Guide? Use our Fishing
Guide & Charter Locator to find the right guide
for you. Search by Region, State, and Fresh or Saltwater.
 Choosing
a guide is tricky.
I
get asked a lot of questions from prospective clients. They
usually focus on the fishing and maybe the type of gear, including
boat I run. I think the most important question they should
ask...it might not be the first, but should be the deal breaker...What
form of liability insurance coverage do you have? If they
do not have a 'commercial' policy, then you might run into
issues if there is a problem. Many guides try to cut corners
here because complete insurance coverage costs about double
or more. They will try to cover their guiding business with
a regular policy...if a company finds out, they will deny
claims in most cases.
They
should also ask about the level of skill required for the
techniques being used. Some guides are not very good teachers
and are not able to teach learnable techniques to new clients.
Knowing the range a guide can cover might help as well. Some
guides might not be able to communicate this, so it is up
client to ask sufficient questions to determine whether a
guide will be able to accommodate the skill level of their
trip.
Alcohol
or no alcohol? If alcohol is important to your trip, you should
ask about it. I do not allow alcohol on my boat, period. Some
guides do. That could be very dangerous, especially if the
guide joins you. If a guide allows alcohol, even if you have
no interest in drinking on your trip, this might mean they
will be indulging and you might want to find another guide.
Find
out about the boat and equipment. A new boat offers the latest
in comfort and features. Older boats can be fine too, but,
a really old boat might be trouble! Ask about gear too, like
spinning or bait casting reels - a good guide has both and
will teach you if you like on how to use either!
Find
out how to identify your guide once you get to the ramp. Sometimes
cell signals don't work at marinas and you could be asking
around for a while to find your guide. Ask the guide what
color boat is being used. Maybe other identifiers to make
sure you can find each other.
Some
guides add "extras" - find out if they do before
you book! This could be a charge for lost lures, or for using
equipment. Gasoline charges are ones to watch for too! This
should be determined before it creates a problem. Of course,
you might be charged if you break a rod or drop one overboard...
Click
Here to Read More
Steve
Chaconas is a former radio and TV talk show host, who has
been fishing on the Potomac since the mid 1960's. Steve fishes
local tournaments and writes for several publications covering
the BASSMASTERS Tournament trail for radio and newspapers.
He also hosts The National Bass Fishing Show. Steve
has been featured in the Washington Post, The Washington Times,
The LA Times, ESPN BassCenter, BASSMASTER Magazine, BASSIN
Magazine, Boat US Magazine and many other radio and print
media outlets. His website: www.NationalBass.com
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 Did
you know that when you book a guide in the Florida Keys, it's
customary to call the guide the night before and ask what
you should bring them for lunch? But what about trout fishing
in the northwest? Or bass fishing in the south? Are there
unwritten rules for guides everywhere you go?
Just like you, I love to fish. Even when I have time off away
from competition, I still find time to go fishing just for
fun. And sometimes, just like you, I will book a guide to
take me fishing. Whether it's saltwater or freshwater, the
objective is all the same: you are paying them to help you
catch more fish and/or access to certain water. Don't worry
about the little rules though, just make sure you ask the
right questions and you won't have to worry about having a
bad time on your trip or offending anyone.
The things to remember about guides: there are good guides
and there are bad guides; the good ones work very hard for
their money. While they may know the water you are fishing
like the back of their own hand, fish don't always behave
accordingly. A bad day of fishing isn't always the guide's
fault. But, the biggest problems that occur between anglers
and guides have less to do with fishing and more to do with
miscommunication.
Here's a list of things you should remember when booking
your next guided fishing trip:
- Book early whenever possible. Booking
early gives you a better chance of being able to book the
guide you want during the time you want. Trust the guide's
advice on when the best fishing is available and adjust
your schedule accordingly.
- Get references. Don't ever plan
a day on the water with a person you know nothing about.
And don't worry about offending anyone: a reputable guide
is more than willing to give you some past clients' names.
- Be honest about your fishing abilities
and let the guide know what you can and can't do. Also,
let them know how much fishing you do on your own. This
will help the guide better a plan an outing for you that
will not only help you be more successful but will make
the trip more enjoyable. Also, let the guide know up front
if children will be along on the trip.
- Determine whose gear is being used
and who is providing things like lunches, snacks, drinks
and other necessities. Most guides provide all of this and
things like sunscreen in the price - but better to ask and
not regret being hungry and sunburned later. If you want
to fish with your own gear, let the guide know or let him
make some gear recommendations to you.
- Don't ever ask the guide to bend
the rules - whether they are the rules of his boat (like
no alcohol on board) or game laws. If the guide asks you
to break a game law, don't do it.
- Determine an exact time and place
that you will meet the guide and determine how long the
trip will last.
- Don't tell the guide what to do,
be respectful and helpful whenever possible.
- Tipping is important. Remember,
these guides work hard for you and should be rewarded accordingly.
Standard tip for a fishing guide on a good day should be
20 percent of the day's rate for each person on board. On
really good days, that tip should be even higher. If you
catch a fish of a lifetime, be prepared to give the tip
of a lifetime. Your generosity will not be forgotten.
Many
of my fellow pros either got their starts guiding or still
do guide on both fresh and saltwater when not fishing tournaments.
They do it not only for the livelihood that it provides them,
but because they love the sport. A great guide has a passion
for fishing that he will share with everyone and that makes
them a great resource to have along the next time you want
to fish in some unfamiliar water.
Luke
Clausen is the 2006 Bassmaster Classic winner and the youngest
angler in professional fishing history to eclipse the $1 million
career earnings mark. His website: www.lukeclausenfishing.com
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When you go
to unfamiliar waters to fish, should you hire a fishing guide?
It's a question I've been asked many times. Honestly, I've
never hired a lot of fishing guides. In my line of work,
being able to travel to great fishing destinations is one
job benefit that never gets old. Another is frequently being
taken out by an angler who is already intimately familiar
with the waters.
That "local knowledge" is one key piece of what
a professional guide brings to his job. The local generally
knows what live bait or artificial lure works best- and where
to put it, so we don't spend a lot of time fishing dead water.
Again, another pitfall professional guides help you avoid.
Last week, I had the privilege of fishing one of the finer
trout fishing destinations in America. In fact, Arkansas'
White River is considered by some to be the best trout fishing
in the country. And Gaston's White River Resort is unarguably
the top shelf destination for fishing this great water.
This trip, I had the opportunity to fish with a pair of professional
guides. That experience helped me focus my answer the next
time someone asks me about using a guide. For me, guides -
like foods - are a matter of taste.
If your abilities are average (like mine), you'll find a friendly
professional guide invaluable. Fishing with Chuck Myers, I
found that all I really had to do was get the jig into the
water the way he suggested.
He discretely encouraged me to use the current to my advantage
("cast downstream and let the water give you the best
action on your retrieve") improved my technique ("twitch-twitch-then
settle") and cheered when I landed that first fish.
That took off what was considerable performance pressure.
I was fishing with a pair of professional guides, although
one was there as a writer. When I lost a fish, Chuck
simply said "it happens, we'll get the next one".
While we were fishing several stretches of river, he showed
me how to look for keys to where trout were waiting to ambush
targets of opportunity. He also helped me get my "target
of opportunity" into that attack position - even fishing
very light tackle in high winds. In other words, he handled
the details and got to concentrate on fishing.
He handled lure selection, finding the good fishing spots,
navigating some fairly fast water, and concentrated keeping
our time productive. That's certainly more fun than
the times I've gone by myself and come home frustrated because
I just didn't get on fish.
Fishing with a second guide, I realized that a guide's style
had a lot to do with the experience. This one was competent
enough, but he seemed distracted.
First, he said the line on one of my reels was "awful
bad" (it was newly purchased and freshly spooled). Since
I had another rig with me, that wasn't a big deal, so I parked
that rig and we continued.
Then, he was on his cellphone negotiating with the repair
shop to get his motor rebuilt - while we were on the water
fishing. My companion had owned a boat business and had already
offered a couple of suggestions for solving the minor misfire.
But the guide stayed on the phone, describing the problem
(in detail) to the guy on the other end of the phone. When
he hung up, he tried the exact thing that had already been
suggested. At that point, it was apparent that this guide-
despite his affable demeanor- considered us a couple of dim
bulbs he was unfortunate enough to be shacked with until the
biting cold forced us back to the docks.
Of course, that meant we simply ignored the cold and kept
fishing. The purpose of fishing is-catching fish. A
guide can help. Not the best atmosphere for conviviality.
We caught good fish, but the experience wasn't the same. Neither
was the tip. The second guide definitely knew where to go,
what to use, and how to catch fish. That was, after
all, what he was hired to do.
Was it his fault the session wasn't as enjoyable as the prior
one? Not totally. But he could have taken care of his business
before we were on the water. We could have offered to wait
while he did that, but we didn't. Let's call that a draw.
In both cases, the guides proved invaluable to catching fish.
The difference, however, was in the experience. And that's
where you have to do your part.
When you're considering a guide, don't just take the first
- or last - one available. Talk with them. They're going to
give you a good idea of their personalities and fishing styles
in that talk. Think of it as a job interview. Ask the
questions that help guarantee both of you a pleasant experience.
If you're not really experienced, tell them upfront. No good
guide will hold it inexperience against you. And he can tell
if you're exaggerating your experience, so why bother? It's
their profession to tell how good you are - and to help maximize
your abilities.
Never miss the chance to ask them questions. They're not there
just to make your fishing more productive, they want to make
it more enjoyable. If you're asking questions, they become
instructors. If you're picking up useful knowledge, it's more
fun for both of you.
Are they worth it? That is also a question you have
to answer based on your budget. Like any professional, you
are paying for their expertise.
And like all of us, you have to determine how much guided
time you can spend on a trip. But you could find fishing less
time with a guide leads to a much better fishing experience.
I certainly did.
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Need
more information? Use our 20
Questions Checklist checklist
when researching or contacting a potential Fishing Guide or
Charter.
Ready
to Find a Guide? Use our Free
Online Fishing Guide & Charter Locator to find
the right guide for you. Search by Region, State, and Fresh
or Saltwater.
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