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Lake Fork guide #14354469 04/28/22 04:30 AM
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Cliff31 Offline OP
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I created a post a couple weeks ago, asking for guide recommendations.

Since, I’ve had my trip. We had excellent weather, light wind, overcast skies and 75 weather. Had a full day 6:30a - 3:00p last Friday and didn’t catch a single fish!

There were four of us: 3 guests plus the guide

Is it normal to get skunked on a perfect day at Fork with a guide? I figure with so many lines in the water, even the guide at some points, we would have pulled in a few.

The guide was awesome. Super patient, knowledgeable and personable. But as much as it cost and it being the first guide I hired, I’m more than disappointed.

Moritz Chevrolet - 9101 Camp Bowie W Blvd, Fort Worth, TX - Monte Coon (817) 696-2003
Re: Lake Fork guide [Re: Cliff31] #14354473 04/28/22 04:44 AM
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David Burton Online Content
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If you're looking for numbers and Fork isn't on, many of the Guides will offer to take you to another lake. If you are looking for a single PB trophy bass, getting skunked is part of the risk/reward picture. There are guides that get skunked, just like anyone else. It sounds like you got stuck in a down cycle. With the lake doing what it is doing, bed fishing is different this year. Where typically you'd have guides spot some shallow bass, the blind casting to bedding areas can be really tough!


David Burton
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Re: Lake Fork guide [Re: David Burton] #14354475 04/28/22 05:06 AM
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Douglas J Online Content
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Originally Posted by David Burton
If you're looking for numbers and Fork isn't on, many of the Guides will offer to take you to another lake. If you are looking for a single PB trophy bass, getting skunked is part of the risk/reward picture. There are guides that get skunked, just like anyone else. It sounds like you got stuck in a down cycle. With the lake doing what it is doing, bed fishing is different this year. Where typically you'd have guides spot some shallow bass, the blind casting to bedding areas can be really tough!



Fork in April and 4 people in one boat did not catch a fish?

Only if they did not tie hooks on the end of their lines.

It's not like it's Feb and the water is 44 degrees and rising.


#MFGA
Re: Lake Fork guide [Re: Cliff31] #14354484 04/28/22 07:57 AM
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have been on a couple of guide trips on fork that we caught nada, it happens.

don't let one trip sour you on going with one again, fork is a tough lake sometimes and other times you can load a boat with good slots and maybe a good dd over.


" Hop, set the hook"!
hopalong 99,999
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FJB! not my president by a long shot!

lake fork FISHERMANS COVE MARINA/reservations - 903 474 7479
Re: Lake Fork guide [Re: Cliff31] #14354528 04/28/22 11:24 AM
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Going to get lots of people defending the guide, “that’s just fishing”, “no guarantees” comments…..but I certainly get your disappointment! Paying a professional guide $400-$500 in spring time with mild weather and not a single fish for three clients? Yes, I get your disappointment!

Re: Lake Fork guide [Re: Cliff31] #14354613 04/28/22 12:22 PM
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J.P. Greeson Online Content
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Some guides will offer you another day on the water when you get skunked. A zero fish day is a bit unusual this time of year. I've been out with lots of guides and luckily, have yet to get skunked.


The solution to any problem - work, love, money, whatever - is to go fishing, and the worse the problem, the longer the trip should be. --John Gierach

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Re: Lake Fork guide [Re: Cliff31] #14354633 04/28/22 12:31 PM
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Lake Fork Guide Marc Mitchell Offline
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Yes this happens but not often. I will say a couple of things on this to try and help.

As guides we do the best with what we have in our boat, in saying that we are only as good as our fisherman we have. if they use spinning reels most of the time that is a set back for most guides.

The presentation and accuracy with a spinning reel is different. I have seen this a thousand times.

We cant guarantee anything but to take you where we have been catching and hoping for the best.

Now how many bites did you get that you did not detect ?

Skill level goes a long way in fishing. Although anyone can fish but catching is hard. I find that lure presentation and accuracy are a big plus.

The way the lake is fishing and it being low, with most of my customers we are spending 1-2 hours of a 8 hour day chasing lures hung up in the trees.

Now if you have fish in a area and the customer hangs a lure up in the area and the guide goes to it well, lets just say you probably spook the fish that was there not to mention beating the boat against the trees is like driving a bull dozer to your deer blind.

Now with three people and that many hooks don't even out the odds IMO but make is harder to keep the boat position for each angler.

I get anglers that go only a couple of times a year but hire a guide expecting him to over come all the odds for the customer.

It is like this if you only do something 1-3 X a year you probably not be very good at it. Time on the water makes everyone better.

One more thing to mention. The Pros were here last month who are suppose to be the best of the best and they only averaged 6 fish per boat on day 1, then 5 on day 2, and 4.1 on day 3.

Now what is your skill set against these guys who do this daily ?? Just asking for a friend. This is something everyone should think about.

Guides are Guides not GODS. Just saying.

I am not taking any side in this but trying to get anglers to understand both sides.

Now I will say this and not to brag or anything. On Friday I had two guys that have fished with me for years and they like to fish for BIG BASS not numbers which Fork is not a numbers lake anymore.

My guys tell me just BIG BASS only so our numbers on Friday were not good only 6 total.

Good thing about Friday was one of my guys had 2 over 8 lbs. Sometimes Luck is Everything.

Last edited by Lake Fork Guide Marc Mitchell; 04/28/22 01:13 PM.
Re: Lake Fork guide [Re: Cliff31] #14354681 04/28/22 01:00 PM
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been there, done that.

Re: Lake Fork guide [Re: Cliff31] #14354722 04/28/22 01:22 PM
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To Marc's point about multiple fisherman in a boat.....watched a guide last summer with 3 young men in his boat. It was very windy and we were all trying to fish a very windy main lake point. All three had spinning reels/rods and guy on back deck was more interested in his beer than his bait. Guide was doing everything he possibly could to keep the boat facing into the wind while instructing them to cast their drop shots by the best tree on the point. Guide was very patient and gave them more than enough chances to get at least one shot at the tree. I am definitely not saying the OP was more interested in his beer but it looks super tough to be a guide and have to put three different fisherman on the one high percentage tree limb or dock post or rock or bridge corner, etc I've skunked more than a few times with a guide on Fork and not every time but several times I was offered a return trip for free.

Re: Lake Fork guide [Re: Cliff31] #14354746 04/28/22 01:45 PM
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Ditto...been there done that. But I will say, our guide did everything in his power to get us bit. Hell he even took us out longer than our trip, drove us around to spots to try the next day, etc. He even called us back the next few days and gave us aid. That to me was worth more than catching fish.

Re: Lake Fork guide [Re: Cliff31] #14354832 04/28/22 02:53 PM
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I went out with a guide on Table Rock on a pathetic over cast, rainy cool day in February (many years ago). We caught one little spotted bass and the guide did his happy dance because it meant we caught something and he did not have to offer his follow-up 1/2 day discount trip. Last time I used a guide. They can try hard, be a professional but by days end they are being paid to deliver.


Robert Oleson
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Re: Lake Fork guide [Re: Cliff31] #14354859 04/28/22 03:27 PM
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I don't envy the career of being a largemouth bass fishing guide. It's a tough business. Some days the fish just don't cooperate. Some days the anglers don't cooperate either. With that said, I would have a really difficult time taking someone's money if I didn't put a single fish in the boat. Only exception to that would be if I warned the customer before the trip that fishing was tough, offered them alternatives, and they still chose to fish. That is a different situation. Lots of guides do a really poor job of managing expectations. They run their social media like they catch daily 10lbrs so that's what some customers expect. It's a hard gig, but when you take someone's money to go fish with you they expect to catch a few fish.

Re: Lake Fork guide [Re: Cliff31] #14354900 04/28/22 03:57 PM
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Douglas J Online Content
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#MFGA
Re: Lake Fork guide [Re: Douglas J] #14354915 04/28/22 04:07 PM
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Originally Posted by Douglas J

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roflmao

Re: Lake Fork guide [Re: Cliff31] #14354976 04/28/22 04:58 PM
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Lake Fork Guide Marc Mitchell Offline
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MLF Knockout Round ..... Mark Davis and Ish Monroe had 0 for a $100,000 .

Getting a 0 can happen to anyone.

Again the Guide cant feel the bites for the customers and therefore have to hope a fish catches the customer, that is asking a lot ......

But yet you are asking a guide to give Free Time and Free Gas because the customer did not catch a fish.

Come On Man !

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