Okay a Guide Question

[Trout-Dawg]

I'm headed down South (Keys)late Feb for Bonefish/Tarpon/Permit and am perplexed?

2 guides say that the permit and tarpon are so-so and Bonefishing is great and 2 guides say it's good for Permit/Tarpon as well as Bonefish? Not sure who to believe and also there are varying fish species calendars from many of the guides online as well??

TroutDawg

[LadyFisher]

I think I'd ask if anyone here had experience with a guide they would recommend at that time of the year.
I have not fished the area, but have been told the bonefish are large - but not big numbers. Bonz of any size tend to be 'loners' or travel in pairs, or trios, not schools. We have a friend who took his son down to the big place in the Keys and spent a week with a guide searching. Never had a cast to a fish. It would appear the time of year is critical.

[ctkenc]

I'm headed down South (Keys)late Feb for Bonefish/Tarpon/Permit and am perplexed?

2 guides say that the permit and tarpon are so-so and Bonefishing is great and 2 guides say it's good for Permit/Tarpon as well as Bonefish? Not sure who to believe and also there are varying fish species calendars from many of the guides online as well??

TroutDawg

Sometimes we have 3-4 Boats/Guides to handle our 6-8 guys that go together as a Group.
One Boat may say at the end of the Day "We had Shots at Permit all day long; never hooked up but it was fun to cast to them.

The other 2-3 Boats/Guys won't see a Permit all day or even all 4-5 days we are there.

So, the Guide or Fishermen that saw them will have a different report than the other guys and yet we were never very far from each other .

[Trout-Dawg]

I appreciate your input.....

[TomW]

I would ask for referenes from people living in my region. My experience with guides one third are excellent and the other two thirds are snake oil salesemen. I know of some steelhead guides that if you don't catch a fish you don't pay. I really like this arrangement. However you might ask the opinion of a third guide service.

Tom