It's really aggravating to me to see all the none guides gripe about guides. I have lots of customers who spend money on fishing licenses to fish one maybe two times a year. That is money going into to stock our Texas lakes so everyone can continue to fish our lakes. No every person has the means to buy a boat and pay for the insurance and the fuel, but they still want their children or friends to have the experience of catching a hard fighting fish. I and many other guides in Texas support many non profit outdoor programs. I have taken outdoor trails classes on their very first fishing experience. I have taken fireman, policeman, members of our military etc. on trips for free just to say we support them. As a guide I invest more money into this lake than you weekenders that spend your time griping about all the bad stuff we do to this lake. The TPWD ensures that there are enough fish for everyone that wants to take a LEGAL LIMIT from this lake. And if someone wants to pay for a license and a guided fishing trip so they can get a "meat haul" to fill their freezer, it is just as much their right as it is yours. I do everything by the book, so stop your whining! Sounds like you guys get ticked because someone is catching more or better fish than you.

I moved to the area about 9 years ago and started learning to fish. In that time I have hired a number of guides to help me learn to fish. I have had lots of fun taking guides in my lifetime and sure don’t see any problems as long as they follow the law. My fishing skills have really improved as a result of taking those guide trips and all of the help I have gotten from the TFF members as well. My wife and I are catch and release, we have a blast and catch LOTS of fish and have caught some really good quality fish at Whitney and other surrounding lakes. We buy barbless hooks and bend down the barbs if we can’t find the proper barbless hooks we want. We turn them all back to fight another day.

I sure don’t think guides are over fishing and do believe TPWD does a great job monitoring the health of our lakes.

Best thing to do is go out and fish and enjoy the wonderful resource in Lake Whitney and the other lakes of the area. Keep a few nice ones to eat and throw the rest back.

Everyone has an opinion that will not levy any additional negative nor positive impact on above said topic. Our state officials work from an edit to stock lakes from an agenda !

Most people that do not fish due to inexperience, hire guides. All good, there are some fantastic guides and are good people as well. The only caveat in keeping limits of fish for people on guided trips remains in their freezer. Freezer burn limits of fish is not good game management . I have in the past given bags of fish to people that do not fish only to learn a year later, said fish are being tossed out. I do not think this is an over generalizing or profiling statement. Not a fact as exceptions apply, but a general philosophy to consider.