I have been hired many times by folks preparing to fish an event on Fork. It was many years ago when I was living & guiding on Fork but the principle remains the same.

The 16-24" slot limit on Fork makes any tourney a challenge. I vividly recall fishing one small club event where me & partner caught over 100# of fish off ONE deep spot (Yes Fork was That good) in May and weighed one fish that went 1.25. It was pretty humbling as a Full-Time Fork Guide to come into weigh in with a fish that would fit in a Zip-Loc sandwich bag. So there's that...

Having made my living fishing, I guess I have a different perspective than most. I hire a guide every time I go out of town on vacay. I want to maximize my time on the water by fishing with someone that knows the lake. I'm not fishing a tournament after using the guide but I don't have an issue with it.

There's no expiration date on that gift card Scott

I know bass club guys do it so they can get their 5 minutes of fame at the podium. It's a financial loss, so I see no point in it. I would rather spend my money on a guided trip into the Salty Blue-ish Gulf of Mexico. If it ever comes the point that I need to hire a guide to compete with bass club guys, I will hang up the hat. That pretty much explains how I feel about that topic.

I look at another way. I hired a guide once on t-bend just to learn about running the lake. There is nothing wrong with that assuming the rules allow. Lakes like Rayburn T-bend Palestine are all lanes where there is a benefit to learning how to navigate the lake it regardless of whether you fish with the guide or not. Getting on guide fish a few weeks before the tournament will really not help in the tournament. But learning how to navigate the lake safely to avoid boat damage and increase safety no one should have a problem with that

If you win first place..

No pride in the victory if someone had to show you where and how to catch fish.

Lol, don't even know what I did with it. It was from the sandbass tournament you organized a few years ago

You must be new to bass fishing, you can be on them one day and the next they are no place near there.

I still have it Scott. It was for a half day at Whiterock Lake..

There's no expiration date on that gift card Scott [/quote]

Lol, don't even know what I did with it. It was from the sandbass tournament you organized a few years ago[/quote]

I still have it Scott. It was for a half day at Whiterock Lake.. [/quote]

If it's with you, I'll go

Actually I can't believe we have never fished together

I would 10x rather someone hire a guide for 2 weeks running up to tournament day or off limits. Than to see so many people running around following the bent rod pattern, that so many seem to be relying on nowadays.

Lol, don't even know what I did with it. It was from the sandbass tournament you organized a few years ago[/quote]

I still have it Scott. It was for a half day at Whiterock Lake.. [/quote]

If it's with you, I'll go

Actually I can't believe we have never fished together[/quote]

I know right! I made so much money guiding four years full time at Fork that I was able to retire.

Actually I'm an old school guy. I've been fishing tournaments for 55 years and still love to compete, but I don't like what I am seeing nowdays.

If it's ok by the rules and it passes your sniff test, then go for it. But that said, I don't think it's cool!

LOL, a couple I know hired a guide on Sam Rayburn the week of the CAST Classic 10 or so years ago. Located and caught some decent fish. Took off the first morning of the tournament and there were six other boats on the best spot.......all had hired the same guide that week.