If I were going to plunk down that kind of money, I'd ask the shops for references and contact them. I also like to look at their sites and see if they keep their reports up-to-date. For some reason, I get a better vibe from places like that; of course if they talk of epic fishing days while the river's are puking mud and 200' Douglas Firs are floating down river, I'd call BS.

Regards,
Scott