# Should the Guide Fish?



## Roscoe (Jul 22, 2007)

Wondering what anyones opinion is on hiring a Guide for fishing.Should the Guide fish, or show you and work the boat for best positions for you to catchem?What do ya think?


Roscoe


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## brodg (Sep 6, 2010)

Guide should not fish. He is working for you, he is your employee, and all focus should be on your technique and putting you on top of em.

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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

brodg said:


> Guide should not fish. He is working for you, he is your employee, and all focus should be on your technique and putting you on top of em.
> 
> Ditto


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## wave warrior (Oct 2, 2005)

used a few guides for open water and ice...never did they even try to help and fished 100% of the time...its like i was paying for THEIR fishing trip!!! all were nice guys but for what i paid i got the shaft and ended up with a bad taste in my mouth for guide service...heck a couple yrs ago i was looking into a guide for erie ice, talked to a guy and thought i had a trip planned...then i see posts where hes asking ??? on hows the fishing and pm'ing me to see if i knew anyplaces he could stay while at the islands since i had iced there a few times before...turns out he hadent guided(for money) before and was just a fisherman getting started guiding!! didnt even have gear at the islands...was going to try to get someone once he got there to give him a lift over...save your money and by some gear, at least you will have something in hand at the end of the day!!!



ok rant over!!!


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## Chef T (Feb 28, 2011)

The only time the Guide handles the sticks is to show the client EXACTLY what he/she wants you too do. I've had a few clients back in the day that learned by their eyes, so going through the motion was the best learning tool for them. Other than that, only the client fishes.


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## small talk (Feb 13, 2009)

One of the few times I've used a guide was for snook fishing in Florida creeks. Suffice it to say I was not happy about getting the sloppy seconds at casts along the mangrove from the stern. I managed to pick a off about a half dozen snook over 4 hours, but was a little disgusted by the guide who out-fished me 2 to 1...and had the nerve to wonder out loud "how'd I miss that one" almost every time I hooked up. No tip for him...and definitely no repeat business.


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

I agree, guide should not fish! , when i am guiding I only fish for a cast or two to show fly fishing techniques and usually make a point to show technique on non productive water. Now every once in a while client is tired and tells me to take a few casts, i will and several times when a client is done with a hole they will tell me to "clean up" anything left.LOL

My last 3 "chartered" trips to Erie were with Weekend Warriors who basically turned us loose in the back of the boat with the bait and they went to the front of the boat which we were not allowed to get too. Seems I havent ever since, nor will I EVER use a Erie charter again becuase of this, since each assured me they dont do that kind of stuff and then did. Dont get me started...ha ha

Salmonid


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## Lowell H Turner (Feb 22, 2011)

Was last on Erie in the late 90`s, wonderful trip out of Port Clinton on the "Hook N M" (?) very professional crew, well run, 6 limits though it took a while. Good time was had by all ! We ALL tipped them.


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## PapawSmith (Feb 13, 2007)

Looks like I'm the odd man out here but I say it depends on your situation. I've been on a few one on one charters specifically because I lack the resources or access to the particular trip, that is why I hired a guide to start with. I don't need the guide to do anything but take me where the fish are because I can't get there without him. Bass fishing the Everglades or ice fishing Minnesota for instance. In these situations I insist that the guide fish. I want him to enjoy the time as much as I am. I enjoy my trip a whole lot more if the guy I'm fishing with is having fun as well. I prefer that the the feel of the trip is that he is fishing with me as opposed to he is working for me. Just my opinion.


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## Jim Barger Sr (Sep 6, 2004)

Guide works for you. You're the boss for the day. If you want him to fish tell him he can fish if he wants but you're paying him to help YOU catch fish and that's his first priority. My son is a steelhead guide and we went out one day last week. He was supposed to fish but spent 90% of his time spotting for me, undoing my tangled leader and coaching me on hooking and playing them and fortunately netting and photoing those really dumb ones that I managed to hook.. He still matched me count wise (5 each) in the 10% of the time he did fish. Said it was the first time he had fished this fall and he had a ball. Best to check references before scheduling a trip with someone you don't know anything about.


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## Rod Hawg (Jan 13, 2011)

It depends. I think he should a little bit. The guide probably likes to fish too. But I also think he should let you do the fishing. You catch the fish. He should put you on them. I don't really have a problem when a guide fishes. As long as he still does his job in helping you catch fish. Just my .2c


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

to me it would depend on the type fishing you are doing. but the paying client should always come first. but the charters i have used have never fished.

we took a charter out of the keys in florida once. my niece was with us, and the rest of us were fisherman to start with. so our guide just told us how to fish, but for my niece he baited her hook and took all her fish off for her. all she had to do was cast out and reel in the fish. he was just a great guide.
sherman


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## Pigsticker (Oct 18, 2006)

Generally no but with exceptions. If in a bass boat on Guntersville no, I don't want him beating up my water. On an Erie drift eye trip I don't care he actually could help the crew dial in on a pattern. If it were a trolling trip or on foot then no again there's limited opportunities and the guest should get all the best opportunities. 
I like to test my guiding skills when I take someone to one of my honey holes for first time. Sometimes ill not cast for 2-3 hours to insure they're gonna get first crack at the best structure. Imo if I can do that for free to make my guest happy a guide can do the same.


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## BigDub007 (Apr 1, 2010)

PapawSmith said:


> Looks like I'm the odd man out here but I say it depends on your situation. I've been on a few one on one charters specifically because I lack the resources or access to the particular trip, that is why I hired a guide to start with. I don't need the guide to do anything but take me where the fish are because I can't get there without him. Bass fishing the Everglades or ice fishing Minnesota for instance. In these situations I insist that the guide fish. I want him to enjoy the time as much as I am. I enjoy my trip a whole lot more if the guy I'm fishing with is having fun as well. I prefer that the the feel of the trip is that he is fishing with me as opposed to he is working for me. Just my opinion.


agree 100%


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## Kavita1981 (Dec 21, 2011)

Its an important part that any newbie take help and guidance of an expert mentor while going for fishing for the fist few times. Not only because the technique learning is essential element but more important is to get expert guidance to be aware of life saving tips.As this game itself has a lot thrill blended in risk for newbies. Of course the mentor is not going to fish on behalf of you, he/she will assist you in refining the technique to do and get more perfection in limited time.


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## JignPig Guide (Aug 3, 2007)

Roscoe said:


> Should the Guide fish, or show you and work the boat for best positions for you to catchem?
> 
> 
> Roscoe


When I take folks out on a guided trip, it depends on the situation whether I'll make a cast or not.
My trips are for one to two people maximum. Most of my clients are novice anglers. And some of them barely know how to make a cast over 20ft. So deep diving crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and other long-cast and retrieve baits, are out of the question and not feasible. But I'm not complaining. And I spend a lot of time: changing lures, getting knots out, and getting snags out. But I love it! I don't love getting knots out and un-hooking snags. But if a client has a good day catchin' fish on our trip, I am giggling like a little school girl.

Most times I don't have much time to fish because I am doing things for the folks in the boat. But if the fishing gets slow and they're not catching anything, then I'll start junk fishing for a while to try to find out what's going on. If I get bit on a particular lure, I lay my stuff down and hook similar lures on their rods.

I have heard stories of some bass guides in the Southern states completely front-ending their clientele. I would not appreciate that. And I certainly do not think that should happen.


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## buckzye11 (Jul 16, 2009)

PapawSmith said:


> Looks like I'm the odd man out here but I say it depends on your situation. I've been on a few one on one charters specifically because I lack the resources or access to the particular trip, that is why I hired a guide to start with. I don't need the guide to do anything but take me where the fish are because I can't get there without him. Bass fishing the Everglades or ice fishing Minnesota for instance. In these situations I insist that the guide fish. I want him to enjoy the time as much as I am. I enjoy my trip a whole lot more if the guy I'm fishing with is having fun as well. I prefer that the the feel of the trip is that he is fishing with me as opposed to he is working for me. Just my opinion.


Ill second that too... as long as they are fishing with you and helping and not trying to outfish you as the main priority. But definatly situational, for instance, if your trolling for Kings on Ontario, i expect to be taking every hookup. Perch on Erie... you get 30 more when the guide fishes.


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## EnonEye (Apr 13, 2011)

When you say guide I'll assume you mean anyone who you pay a fee to take you fishing. I've only ever felt a need to do that 3 times in my life and they were all up on Erie. My score for those 3 trips are 1 scragly 14" walleye. I always got the feeling the guides there just want to take my money, run to the fishing site, hope no one catches anything and run back in as quick as possible.
And no they didn't fish, or show me anything new, or move to a spot where fish were being caught or anything else that I would think a professional guide should do. Needless to say I don't have any warm fuzzy feelings about paying someone to show me how not to catch fish. 
What should they be doing? Watching and talking with you the entire time until they find a pattern and see you're comfortable on how to use that pattern. Then they can fish and welcome my business back next time.
I hope I'm not coming across too nice on this issue


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## River Anglin (Feb 18, 2008)

I only paid for a charter once and that was walleye fishing on Erie. The guides set up 10 rods, some with downriggers, and trolled all day. When one of the rods bent, the guides set the hook and then handed it to us to reel in. On one hand, I was disappointed because I really didn't feel like I was fishing. I didn't participate except to horse them in. On the other hand, we caught over 40 sizable walleyes that day. There were too many to handle at once several times and the guides brought some in. They called that a slow day. We did have a fairly good time but it really didn't feel like fishing.


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## fishingful (Apr 5, 2004)

Pigsticker said:


> Generally no but with exceptions. If in a bass boat on Guntersville no, I don't want him beating up my water. On an Erie drift eye trip I don't care he actually could help the crew dial in on a pattern. If it were a trolling trip or on foot then no again there's limited opportunities and the guest should get all the best opportunities.


This^......Exactly the way I feel about it.


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## david11959 (Apr 22, 2004)

most guides for walleye will fish but he lets you keep his limits so the guide trip would end up with six more fishor more.
its all about how you look at it.i have booked tom deitz a few times and we where good freinds i asked him to fish with me.
their where alot of times i just gave some money for gas.
tom dietz was a great freind and i learned alot from him. i looking ford to going to baxter mn in the fall of 2012.
i guess it how you look at it as far as a guide


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## chaunc (Apr 11, 2004)

I guess taking a guide on a panfish trip on a huge lake like Ky lake is diffrent from say a trolling trip or party boat on erie. Finding fish and learning the best technique to catch them is diffrent there. I want the guide to TEACH me while fishing WITH me. I dont care if he catches 20 fish more than i do. I want to study how he does what he does so good. I'm a quick learner and will catch on fast. I ask him to show me the TYPE of area the fish i'm after prefer there and how to recognize it on my own. I dont carry a gps to mark his spots. Wont need it if i pay attention to what he's teaching me. I have the technology to find stuff on my own boat. As for him fishing, he may be doing something just a little diffrent than i do that may produce more bites and i want to emulate that to get better. Can't do that if he doesn't fish. Bottom line is i dont hire a servent. I employ a teacher. He also told me to watch out going under those trees overhanging the shoreline as a lot of snakes are hiding in the branches sunning themselves. Heard quite a few splashes in some areas we pulled into to cast jigs to the shoreline.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

it looks like most of us agree. it depends on what type fishing is being done. and remember one thing. we are really paying to go to school. if he needs to fish to show me how to catch fish, then by all means i want him fishing.

the first charter i went on, was on lake mich salmon fishing. the first mate grabbed the rod on every hit. he got the first run then he would hand the fish off. i didnt like that at all. and never went back out with him.

my second charter was in the fl keys. he was able to just explane what we needed to do to catch fish. then he just took care of my niece.

then my 4th and 5th charters were on the central basin. i didnt have a clue how to use divers with braid line. i was a complete dummy. he did a great job putting rods out and explaning what he was doing. then after we had a few fish he started letting us put the rods back out. by the end of our second trip he just put the rods out the first time, then let us do all the work. which is what i was looking for. i,ve still got alot to learn, and i know that. but i can go out and fish on my own now. and we usely catch a few fish. and i really love this type fishing. but i would still be totaly lost if we hadnt went out on a good charter.

i,ve made friends with a couple of guys on here over the last year. i would really like to meet them and let them take me to school. and i may even fill a couple of open seats just so i can meet a few more guys and get some schooling at the same time. to me the learning how is just as important as catching fish. but making new friends is more important than catching any fish. im still friends with the charter capt, i went out on erie with. he told me to call him anytime and if he has any no# he will share them with me. and i have called him a couple of times, and he was able to put us on fish. now thats service to me. and we were up there perch fishing once. he was there and didnt have a charter. he asked if we wanted to go out with him. we sure did. had a great time. we bought the bait and he furnished the gas. ofcourse we didnt use much gas. but we had to buy bait anyway. and we had a great time. and we all got to fish off his bigger boat,LOL.
sherman
sorry for such a long post.


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

chaunc said:


> Bottom line is i dont hire a servant. I employ a teacher.


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

*Well said. * 

Too many people don't take the time to check out references on the charter they choose. Request some references after asking your questions regarding duration of the charter, does the captain and the mate fish, etc...and then describe what you expect. A good captain will provide you with names and phone numbers of persons that have given him permission to do so.

The best way to prevent a dissapointing charter is to get recommendations from other fishermen you know. I have not heard any complaints about the charters that are listed on OGF so that is a good place to start.


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## BMustang (Jul 27, 2004)

I've had guides at Pine Portage in Canada, Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories, Lac Beauchene in Quebec, Lou Williams at Pickwick Lake, Tn., etc., and all without exception fished.

It might sound good in a board room, or on a discussion board that the guide does not fish, but in reality most one-one guides fish. I've learned a lot of technique from Lou Williams, and I even coached our guide in the Northwest Territories on the art of catching monster pike on surface baits, when all he had ever fished for them with in the past were spoons. 

If you are a fisherman with any experience, and not a total neophyte, you should be able to fish toe-to-toe with your guide, once he puts you on a spot, or shows you a technique. If you are a neophyte, you better hope he fishes, or there won't be many fish caught that day.


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## eatwhatyoukeep (May 2, 2005)

I fished a day with a guide in the Keys. At the end of our first day he offered to cut his fee the next couple of days if both of us could fish. I considered that a fair deal


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