I am retired live on T bend. I have a guide license but have not guided on either T bend or Big Sam. I don't think there is a Financial advantage to being a guide when it comes to fishing a tournament. If there is any advantage it is in the amount of time on the water they spend. But that doesn't guarantee the fish will be there. Look at the results from the BFL Cowboy Division fished on T-bend last week. The winner was from Southeast La. The highest a guide finished was 4th. 27lbs for 2 days won it. That shows even with time on the water it doesn't automatically convert to cashing a check. But it does improve the odds. I say let the guides fish, but restrict them to not guiding on the lake for 30 days. And put an off limits with until 2 days before tournament.

While proximity favors the locals whether they are guides or not, commitment and execution win tournaments...

There are really only a handful of tournament lakes in Texas with a decent number of full time bass guides. As long as the lake is off limits the week prior, it doesn't matter much. For the smaller tournaments that let guides fish and don't have an off limits...yea, I don't quite understand that decision.

Sam Rayburn
Toledo
Fork
Amistad
Falcon (very few full time guides and not a lot of tournaments)

What other lakes have larger tournaments and a decent amount of full time guides?

Keep watching, I think something pretty cool is in the works.

Pretty sure the rules were changed because a couple guys wouldn't stop complaining about it when this certain guide fished. Let the guides enjoy the sport too. Its not like any of us really make any money anyway.


I have been on both sides of this. When I first started fishing I complained like crazy about guides fishing because honestly I was scared that they were better then me and I just wasn't good enough. Not saying that I have gotten better but now I could absolutely care less if a guide fishes or not. When I put the boat on the water its me against the fish. Not to mention during the spring there are plenty of locals that fish just as much or more then the guides do and those people get to fish how THEY want to and to their ability. Guides take clients out all the time that do not have the skills to catch em certain ways. If you don't like guides fishing then get better. Just my 2 cents.

The ones that want "a level playing field" are likely a bunch of whining p*****s that don't ever win anything

+2 cents

I can tell you.... we aren�t guides to get rich! Most of us could have other jobs but don�t to put people like you guys on the fish of a lifetime, a kids PB, teach a lady to cast a baitcaster. A guide should win a tournament on the lake he works on, but I got more enjoyment out of going somewhere else and beating a guy that worked on the lake. That meant more to me than the money.

I�ve said it for years..... If you are fishing lower end tournaments to make money. You might as well quit. It�s not gonna happen.