I have used a few guides over the years. There are good ones and bad ones. I've had a couple that give you one lure and expect you to fish it all day. When I have suggested a particular bait that I wanted to use to learn the technique, I've been told the fish aren't biting those right now only to get home and read the forum and everyone was catching them on that bait that day. Some guides will fish which doesn't bother me because they are usually trying to figure out a pattern to put you on but if they sat on a bed fishing it giving you nothing to really fish then I'd be upset. I hate to say it but the majority of my trips with guides have been busts and we were lucky to only have a couple of small bites for the day.

Get recommendations and talk to them ahead of time and let him know your expectations but pay attention to how he responds. Many if not most will still take you out and collect your money knowing that they won't deliver. I took a trip to Florida and hired a guide who tried to push for me to use shiners. I told him I wanted to use lures and he was persistent but said ok. When I showed up he again tried to push for shiners. I should have walked away at that point. He handed us one rod with a swim jig tied on and said "fish it like a spinner bait". We threw that same bait all day. A total waste of a day and lots of money.

+1 on Clark and I took his course to, he is well worth his fee. I agree if you want a fishing trip or guide trip with a little teaching let your guide know beforehand what you want. I guess if he doesn't want to then find a different guide. There are differences in guides look around and talk to people and the guides. You can find a good one. there are guides that are better than others at certain times of the year on certains baits. Their are very few guides out there that are good with all baits and depths. The very good guides are booked years in advance during best time of seasons. There is always new guides that are very good just coming into the game you may can get.

I've had great success with guides. Probably have averaged 15-20 bass a day most of size. I generally fish with a guide in late fall or winter when I just can't be productive on my home lake. Fished several times with David Ozio out in east Texas. We'll switch up lakes and techniques depending on where he feels the best bite is happening. We'll often switch baits during the day as they might not hit a moving bait until later in the day, or maybe they'll hit chatter baits until the water warms up and then switch over to a different moving bait. He's fishing those lakes 4-5 days a week so he knows what's going on. Also gives me some freedom so if a fronts coming through, we can move to a better day. David's a great guy and knows his stuff and always puts me on fish. He does fish with me, but if we have 3 in the boat, he usually won't fish much. I have no issues as long as he's giving me good chances for success.

Why hire a guide during the spawn? You can cruise down the bank in your own boat looking for bedding bass. If I ever hire a guide it�s to catch fish and learn something, and will only be on a lake I don�t fish regularly.

flukeman83,

If that is all you want, TELL THE GUIDE THAT and he can put you on his best spots. THAT IS STILL TEACHING YOU WHERE THE FIH LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You wouldn't hire a guide unless you wanted something from him. TELL HIM UP GRONT and he can tailor a trip just for you. THAT is teaching you where the better fish live, so you are still learning, whether you want to or not. If you take a guide and learn nothing, you should be a guide yourself., cause you know all you need to know. Hope this helps. Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains

If I was to hire a guide it would be for the connivence of a day in their boat with their equipment on a lake they know, so I can catch fish.

The only reason I would ever hire a guide would be to catch fish

Your not wrong but not right either. It kinda seems more like a lack of communication deal to me. If you didn�t want guide to fish you should tell him that. I promise he won�t mind, he�s getting paid the same either way. The bed fishing deal is also pretty tricky. People that don�t do it often can�t read the fish like a person that is a pro at it, he was probly just trying to get the fish fired up before you guys started throwing in the bed. Best way to go about it is this. Call several different guides, explain to them exactly what u want out of the trip. And make your decision from there. Don�t hire a bed fishing guy if u want to learn offshore stuff... hope your next experience is better

I did a muskie guide up north and he never touched a rod to fish with. He just chatted away all afternoon and controlled the trolling motor. Caught 6 up to 40 pounds

First off I wouldn't be a guide no matter what the pay. It's a tough way to earn a living, and the older I get the more I wouldn't want any part of it. Maybe if I was 25 my body could take it. Wind, cold, hot, rain, snow, and clients who wouldn't know a palomar knot from a doughnot...no thank you. I've fished with buddies that A) couldn't flip a bait worth a dang, and B)did not know what a bass' body language looked like, and whether a fish was "locked" on a bed or not. I've hired some of the best guides on Lake Fork. Brian Duplechain, Mark Pack, Hollis Joiner, and several more. All of them fished with us. NONE of them front ended or tried to outfish us. When we got to a prime spot they would point it out, tell me what was there structure wise, why we were fishing it, and let me take first shot at it. I would imagine many clients are not great at all techniques. If they're really on a jig bite for example, and your client has no feel for a subtle jig bite, but the guide KNOWS they're on it, he might throw one to let you know...this is the real deal. And then let you try to learn the technique. That's what good guides do. I had another guide on Lake Fork years ago, who literally front ended me the first two hours, pitching a jig to the best spots we pulled up on and caught fish. Then told me why that fish he just caught was there. That ended quickly. I was on his left elbow the rest of the day and let him know I wasn't there to let him try for his personal best. R.M. for those of you who were around back in the early 90's was the guide. If you're bed fishing I would want the guide to teach me how to bed fish, regardless of my ability or skill level. That's how you learn. Show me a little, teach me the rest. If you can't flip or pitch and you're trying to bed fish with a guide, and he can't figure out another way to get a bite...he's not much of a guide.

The guide fishing is normal. As others have stated, they are usually looking for a pattern, bait, or just testing the area before investing too much time.

If you didn�t want to bed fish though...why not tell him? He could have moved to plan b even if it wasn�t his primary deal.

I have fished with a number of guides all over the US. Before you book the guide, you need to let then guide know what you want and also have him communicate what's generally going to be how he goes about catching them the time of year that you are coming. To me your guide was a bad trip unless you specifically asked to sight fish. Its a tough trip to sight fish for two unless they were up like gang busters. Its really a one man show. I never care if the guide fishes or not. Usually I leave that up to them. If I am alone I usually encourage them to fish. 8 out of 10 that I have hired I have been very happy with. Usually try to get some recommendation from someone who has hired them. Typically I would do a repeat trip if in their area.

I usually hire them primarily to fish out of state or saltwater. I always want to learn something and enjoy a day on the water. Its great to catch them but if the effort is there I am happy.

Usually a guide will fish another type of bait to see if they are on it. In your case I would have asked the guide if we could doing something else like fish for prespawn bass.

You can get some great recommendations on here. Just state where you want to go, time of year, your expectations, who you are taking, skill level, etc. It just doesn't need to be in Texas either.

I don�t see why it�s a problem to post a guides name if someone had a bad experience. If a store or product don�t measure up we blast the name all over the place. I just think some of us need to be held more accountable. If I do something wrong I want to be told so I can fix it.

I will say ask the guide questions. I have customers tell me to fish I have some that say they would rather me not. Communication is the key when hiring a guide.

If there is a problem the client should have decency and respect enough to discuss this with you one on one first. You should not have to find out on a forum that your client was not happy with their experience with you. People should be held accountable I agree but there is a way to go about it. I think this guy that started the post did it tactfully especially if the guide is unaware that he was not happy with his services.

Negative online reviews for a service industry are one sided. You never hear the guides point of view.

I had a guy give me a negative review. They had never been wade fishing before and never fished with artificials. He asked me specifically to teach him how to do both. I stood shoulder to shoulder with him giving pointers and instructions. Gave him my rod and what i was using swapping with him numerous times. The only time i would cast and fish would be to show him a technique or to prove the fish were there or to find the feeding school. I caught about 30....he caught one thats with me fishing about 20% of the time.. I can put you on the fish but you still have to feel them. I cant feel them for you. He reported similar to above that i outfished all the spots. Doesnt tell the whole story....

Another group of two guys from Houston (upper coast has a 10 trout limit) wanted to learn how to wade fish with artificials in Rockport (middle coast has a 5 trout limit). They had never fished artificials and never wade fished. He jad fished with bait out of the boat his whole life. We caught over 100 trout on topwaters in knee deep water. Nothing more fun than that. We caught 8 keepers. He was dissappointed and reported that they only had 8 keepers when they were wanting to limit on 30 trout for a fish fry. Well the limit in that area is 5 trout and they cant keep the guides limit. So they caught 8 out of a possible 10.....but left a negative review that they only caught 8 put of 30 he was expecting. No matter what how can you be dissappointed in a 100 trout day for your first time wade fishing and first time with artificials.

So guide bashing on forums.....yea we can tell plenty of customer stories.

Oh almost forgot about the 2 man group hired me for a tourney. They won Heaviest slot red and second place trout in a field of 300. Won over $8000.

Didnt tip me and left me a bad review saying they only caught two fish.... i agree was a tough day. But all i can do is my job and work my tail off for a winning strategy. We found those fish prefishing when they caught about 30 fish running and gunning. We agreed as a team to fish for the big ones to win. I never expect a tip or calculate a tip in to my living. Its always a bonus. Just mentioning it. As most outdoorsman and fisherman are the most generous people on the planrt. Just visiting with yall on the boat is why i love doing what i do. So thank yall as a group....

They never mentioned prefish day..... or anything about a tourney and their check. Just that they only caught two grinding all day. Pathetic.