there is a thread going about rude guides which i am following, and it occurred to me to ask for some advice in choosing a guide. Best Fishing Buddy and i came to the sport late in life, and to make up for our inexperience, we usually hire a guide to introduce us to new waters. it pays off big time because we learn a lot about local conditions and habits, as well as catch more fish than usual.
we've been pleased with our guides on the whole, and the few times the experience has been less than fulfilling, it was because we didn't follow our guidelines for choosing:
1) word of mouth cannot be beat, if you trust the mouth
2) if there's a web site, check out what kinds of fishing are offered. we almost always go with guides who emphasize fly fishing on their site.

our less wonderful experiences have come from guides booked at short notice through resorts.

do you all have some other tips for getting good guides in areas you don't know? someone said they trusted the big O when they traveled.