Of course...someone has to row the boat...
Of course...someone has to row the boat...
I have used them in the past and I'm sure I'll use a guide service again in the future. For me it has been a huge confidence boost to be on the water with someone who knows the terrain, bugs, etc. I have used the same service and guide for the past few years as my family vacations in the same place each year. However, this year with the price of fuel being what it is I just can't justify the cost so I'll be forgoing a trip this year. The one other reason I usually do a guided trip is that it gives me one uninterrupted day of fishing. As someone with two small kids this is usually all I can ask for.
"My father was very sure about certain matters pertaining to the universe. To him, all good things - trout as well as eternal salvation - come by grace and grace comes by art and art does not come easy." Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It
I try to hire a guide about twice a year. Mostly on places like the Manistee (big river water) during steelhead season (for the boat and his ability to put me where I need to be). Sometimes I will hire one if time is short and the river is new to me OR when I know a guide has a specialty that I'm interested in getting better at in a shorter amount of time. It allows me to learn at a faster pace, instead of faffing about, frothing water for years to get at the same place. I see guides as providing two major things. One is the knowledge of the water we're on, the other is skills I may be unfamiliar with or needing a tune up on. I also like the companionship once in a while. Fishing alone gets long in the tooth sometimes. It's nice to fish with someone who can teach me something new and that I don't have to worry about. A guide is for saving time getting where you want to go. I think it's the most valuable bucks spent with regards to fly fishing.
One bonus is getting to play with new / unfamiliar equipment. I get to really test a lot of rods and lines that way.
The thing is, it's you're responsibility to research the guides you choose and understand what a guide does. It doesn't mean a 100% guarantee to get you into a trophy or fish for that matter. Fish don't always cooperate. It does mean that you'll gain the knowledge from him or her that will get you into one on the right day at the right time on your own. It's not wise to look for the cheapest guide service in the area. You really do want to seek out the cream of the crop and that costs you more in money and research time.
Last edited by Mato Kuwapi; 05-11-2011 at 02:14 PM.
"There's more B.S. in fly fishing than there is in a Kansas feedlot." Lefty Kreh
"Catch and Release,...like Corrections Canada" ~ Rick Mercer
I sure do and for a number of reasons. I've had wonderful days floating the Madison, the Missouri, etc. I never could have done that without a guide who owns and knows how to row a driftboat to the right places. My last guided trip was for the sole purpose of learning how to be a better streamer fisherman. It would have been hard for me to glean as much knowledge and technique as I did from a number of books and videos.
Bob
Jack Gartside said:Hiring a guide is considered both decadent and an admission of failure ? akin to having a pizza delivered while scaling Mount Everest.
The simpler the outfit, the more skill it takes to manage it, and the more pleasure one gets in his achievements.
--- Horace Kephart
Yes, when traveling.
Dudly,
You do have a "gift" . I agree totally/ almost with your researched quote BUT do need a little time to fully absorb the "pizza" implication. I'm not so sure about "failure" but certainly agree "decadent". Much like ordering Laphroaig when Cutty Sark wouild do very well.
Mark
No. I have been guided twice, both times primarily to have a boat to fish that water, and I have never returned to either place. I was not impressed either time. I would not hire a guide for fishing that I am already familiar with, like trout or panfish or steelhead, but I could see doing it for something like bonefish (not that I will be doing that). Just because I am on a new water does not mean that all of my skills and experience are useless, or that I need to pay someone $400 to tell me what fly to use, tie my knots, or tell me where to cast. I would much rather figure it out on my own.
Dudley,
There are days I agree with that and days I don't . Sometimes I am up for a great challenge and other times a more relaxing trip. As I get older I find that I have more interest in guides, paid for or not , professional or not. That being said, the days where I get to explore new water by myself have been some of the most rewarding fishing experiences I've had.
jed
I haven't, but it's on my list of things to do. I think if I ever went somewhere that I felt overwhelmed by the size or type of water (big western river, for example) I sure would.
"They say you forget your troubles on a trout stream, but that's not quite it. What happens is that you begin to see where your troubles fit into the grand scheme of things, and suddenly they're just not such a big deal anymore." - John Gierach
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