What do you look for in a guide?
- This topic has 6 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated Jan 18, 2006 at 1:25 am by
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[tt:r466qzkm]If I want to fish with a guy who's going to have a nasty attitude and toss out litter, I can invite someone from the local trailer park and save my money[/tt:r466qzkm].
Now that is some funny stuff…. 😀
I’ve had some great guides and some bad ones, as have all of you. The guide that I thought was the most dangerous was one who led us on a trect that was the equal of an Everest climb. He took us to a “secret” spot. Ah Ha! the river looked about 1/2 inch wide. The climb down was was almost perpendicular and the slope was covered with ice and snow. If you slipped it would have been diasterous since there was little to break the slide. The out side temp. 28 and the water temp34. The worst was yet to come when my buddy went through the ice on the strem and it was hard to get hin out. The nexttrial took plce climbing back up the hill. It was better than any cardiac stress test. Never again. A trip that a mountain climber would have enjoyed.
The bottom line for me is the trip had better be fun!
I’ve gone out with one VERY famous guide. She was the exception to my ‘fun’ rule! Not much on small talk and corny jokes, she got the job done! So much in fact I called our boat the Mother Duck! Every time she moved we dragged around about 10 other guides!
I would (and did!) book her again in a heartbeat. She was about as totally professional as any I’ve seen.Sean MacDonald in Michigan is another guide I would book in a heartbeat. I’ve been out three times with him and would like to go back again. The floats were always timed well and we lacked for nothing while with him. The second time we used him it was skunk city. That didn’t phase us at all. You KNOW when being fishless is the result of other influences. That man works and works hard. Name another guide who reaches up and wipes the drips from your snot-locker! That was memorable and yes… worth a healthy tip!
An old-timer who used to work at Lilly’s took us out once. The customer is always right, right? well…
We heard The Box was fishing very poorly. We had our heart set on yet another run down the Madison and told him so. Blaine worked hard to talk us into floating the Box. With tons of trepidation we relented. It was one of the most awesome trips I have ever been on! Blain worked his fanny off to the point of worry. When I tried a few long casts he said, “don’t bother, we’ll get over there the easy way” as he hopped out of the boat and dancing on bowling balls and in rapid water moved the boat laterally to prime lies on the opposite shore. We caught so many healthy ‘bows my arms ached!I’ve had real leakers too as guides. Guides who should have been on Madison Avenue instead of The Madison River. I’m all for ‘if it don’t go, chrome it’ but only in cars! Â
I had a guide who turned an 8 hour float into 5, Â and thankfully I might add. Ever spend a day with someone with the personality of a squid?
I had a trip last year and the guide needed to borrow my nippers, my tippet and my hemo’s!
I know of another guide who PROUDLY displays his limit on a stringer lashed to the gunwales! I pass!You pays your money and you takes your chances but I would highly suggest contacting any guide you might be using and picking his/her brain before committing to a float. You might just get that feeling that it won’t quite work out between you. Better to find that out well before the halfway point on an 8 hour trip!
Ask around too. In most popular area’s there are many guides to choose from. Chances are that through word-of-mouth or the ‘net good advise can be gathered.Here is what I look for in a guide. Good fish catching ability.
Thanks for the compliments Zach! After that Striper Strikeout I was amazed you elected to fish with me again…Check out those boga grips 😮
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