Sounds like you’re saying the clients don’t know how to fish. I’ve seen guides with clients using spinning reels catch plenty of fish.

Sometimes the customers are not very good yes. In saying that I am saying even good fisherman can Zero with Ish and Mark.

If you have guys that drop shot or fish lite tackle they can catch fish, Now you tie on a chatter bait on a bait caster and a guy with a spinning reel then I will put all my money on the bait caster guy !

Just Saying.

I have to respectfully disagree with you Mark. Ish and Mark both zerod on days in was sub temp and ice and snow around. You and I both know how Fork can be in those temps.
But if I were a guide out there full time and had clients that seemed to be struggling, I damn sure would put a drop shot on their rods other than a chatterbait or baitcaster. Because the drop shot will for sure get you bites. And catch big fish at the same time.
Even if the guy cant throw a bait caster, take a spinning rod, and you can for sure take any client right now, tie on a fluke or senko, and I can almost guarantee you they will get bites. If they dont, then you are in horrible spots. Which goes on to my other rant about all the "fly by night" guides out there. I hold the utmost respect for any guide and what they do on a day to day basis. Its not an easy job. But some of these guys that just show up one day and claim to be a guide out there without earning your stipes is part of the big problem. Ive heard it all too many times when people tell me their day sucked and who they went out with.

Appreciate the feedback guys. I understand the situation and not at all turned off.

I thought the guide did well, gave us insight and positioned us well throughout the day.

All three of us have years of experience, used bait cast the whole day, only 3 hang-ups and only one guy backlashed the whole day. So 90% of the time, we were fishing.

It being my first guided trip, I was curious others experience on what appeared to be a perfect weather day. None of us or the guide, which fished probably 1-2 hours out of 8, caught a thing. $650 trip for no fish

I would absolutely recommend him to others based on the experience, but will likely try someone else next time based on no fish.

I know it’s called fishing, not catching

Do you know what the conditions were like during the MLF tourney? You are comparing apples to eggplants

Anybody that cannot boat 1 fish in a 8 hour day with 4 lines in the water and in April on Fork, sucks as a guide.

Seems thee guys were possibly taken advantage of by someone who obviously isn't much of a guide.

Let's just be honest

you pay a guide to guide you, there is no way any responsible guide would guarantee fish. like said, some if not most will offer some sort of make up trip and if they don't don't let it whiz ya off.

I guided elk/mule deer for about 15 yrs. in colorado and there was no way I could promise any hunter a kill, I could put them where I had been tracking animals but in the end it is totally up to them to "produce" and get a kill. some hunters were actually hunters and some were just out on a boys week campout, same with fishing, some guys only want to go for big fish and some guys just want to go drink beer and spend a day on the water while acting like they can fish.


if you think you are paying a guide to "deliver" then you started the trip on the wrong foot imo.

I bet nobody zeros at pintail farms 4 cold fronts into duck season

If it were Jan or Feb it's understandable or the lake was screwed up. Heck it's 25% smaller than usual and it's April.

Cliff,

I know this has sort of gone around, but please indulge...

Where on the lake did the guide take you, what baits did he have you throwing? Did you move around from spot to spot? Did he get a few "guide strikes" when he put his line in the water to make sure fish were there? I really want to know if he was literally just phoning it in, or if something else happened and he was just not on the fish one day afte the winds changed during one of the fishiest months.

Not since Rockie let it go!

Couldn't agree more...there shouldn't be any zero-s in April on Fork. If there is, the guide should definitely offer to take you out on another trip in when he has availability.

Great meme Doug...this is why I come to the TFF

To the OP - I've been on 5 guided trips. One I "won" and it was the worst of the bunch and I won't name the guide. Other 4 were paid trips with Tom Redington. Worst one we caught 5-6 fish with not much size. Two of the four trips our top 5 went around 35 lbs. Other trip was somewhere in between - caught a dozen or so fish with a couple chunks and a couple dinks and some others mixed in. I get that guide expenses are high, but the cost of a trip is too much for a skunk and no follow-up offer. If they did offer a follow-up, I'd at least make sure their gas and lunch was covered, even if their time ended up being free

You keep saying a perfect weather day but those have been the toughest for me this year. Most of our big bags have come on high wind, tough weather days. I'm certainly glad i don't make a living trying to make fish bite everyday.

LOL Gold man!

I’m not all that familiar with the lake, but we launched at 6:30am from Pope’s Landing Marina. Initially went straight across where we threw shad lures for at least an hour.

The next spot already had boats, so believe we spent the rest of the day in little Mustang. There we threw a Texas rigged worms pretty much the whole time. Moved a few spots and switched colors, but that was about it.

It happens.