just wondering

alot, but with some understanding as well.....really depends on how much they charge. jmo

Depending upon the type of trip..you could expect different things. If you are on a seminar style trip, learning to read electronics etc, you should expect to gain a decent working knowledge of your electronics. If you out to just catch, then you would hope to end your trip having caught some fish, learned technique and had a good time. I think alot of people expect limits every time they hire a guide, and many times there are limits of fish to be caught, but there are also times when fishing is tough and catching a limit can be difficult! I have fished with Chuck Rollins many times and most usually we always catch loads of crappie, but aside from catching you can learn a ton about technique, patterning etc! Just my .02 on hiring a guide!

Ask your self the same question. What do i want and who can give it to me. When booking a trip, questions need to be ask and answered. What is it you the client want out of the trip. DO you want to try and catch a bunch, and the techniques that are associated with it, do you want to fish deep and what comes with it ie.depth finder information. Commutation is a must. Also how skilled are you. There,s no need to take a novice and force them into pitching into a big brush pile. Ask the questions that will make you happy and the Guide should try and Give it.

When I think about what I would want from a guide, catching a lot of fish or trophy fish is low on the list. As a novice, I can understand that they aren't always going to be biting.

High on the list would be a guide that is prompt and has working equipment. If I were treating relatives to a day of fishing on the lake, I would like it to be safe, worry free and feel like everyone is being pampered as far as having the right equipment available if some didn't bring their own stuff.

I suppose there is a difference between a guided trip and a coaching trip where someone is expecting to learn. Nothing wrong with coaching, but if I hired a guide, it probably would be for fun.

I want someone who is clearly knowledgeable about the fish we are after, it upfront and honest about everything, has the interpersonal skills to be enjoyable to be around for a trip, and works hard to put me on fish or accomplish the goal set forth for the day.

I completely understand that a guide can not control the weather or the fish.

I plan on hiring my first guide so i can learn to catch something other than dink bluegills LOL. Don't care if I catch a limit, just wanna learn techniques and how to cast/retrieve different lures/baits.

You should first expect an open line of communication. Second, let him or her know what your expectations are for the trip. If the guide can't meet your expectations, no one will be happy. Let the guide know if you want an instructional type trip or if YOU just want to go out and catch fish.

A lot of my customers have also booked trips with bass, crappie, striper, and sandbass/hybrid guides. The biggest complaint that I hear most of the time is that the guide is fishing in the front of the boat, casts to the best spots first, sits on the brush pile and tries to fill the limit as quickly as he can with little to no regard to the customers in the back of the boat. There is nothing wrong with a guide fishing to help determine a pattern or presentation that's working best that day. Once that technique is found he should stop and give his full attention to his customers and staying on the fish.

In my opinion, customers shouldn't pay good money for a back seat or to be second in line. It is their trip and I put them first. My customers reel in every fish even if I set the hook. Anyone ever see a crappie guide hand the rod off to a customer with a 2 or 3 lb crappie on the other end? A bass guide with a 10 lb toad hooked up and jumping out of the water? I do it with 10, 20, 30, 40 and even 50 pound catfish day in and day out. If I want to catch fish then I do it on my day off (it's called scouting). You shouldn't have to pay for someone else to catch your fish or for their time on the water. It's your trip and you should be enjoying yourself, not working. That's the guide's job.

+1 Bobby nailed it exactly.

I do agree with Bobby, I have been on a few guided trips, my idea of what I want is primarily to catch fish, most of my trips have been great, I have been on some where nothing was caught and got nothing in return, or hurry and catch a limit and leave and that has happened, the way I figure if I paid the money for a 1/2 or full day then by all means lets fish. 1/2 hr of fishing then quit due to a limit is not worth the money, I am out there to have fun and fish.

1. Safe boat with good electronics and a responsible guide
2. Guide & customer to have a good attitude and be respectful
3. The guide to be truthful about what will be caught
4. The customer to be realistic about what they will catch and have the correct expectations
5. Proper insurance (commercial insurance)
6. Guide to clean and bag the catch

There are probably many more things but the main thing is to be safe and have a fun time on the water. Not every trip will be the best ever for the guide or customer but with the right expectations you will rarely be disappointed if you go with the right guide.
When your hunting for a guide dont let the price be the only thing you look at. Like with most service companies if a company is really cheap there is probably a reason. There cuttting corners somewhere (boat, gear, insurance, etc) or theyre just really hurting for business. If there really hurting for business you might ask yourself why. Do they not have the repeat business or whats the reason.
Another thing to consider is "is this there main profession?" Do you really think there the best at what they do if they only do it sometimes and not all the time. As for fishing, I can tell you there is a huge difference. The same would apply to golf. Do you want to hire the pro to give you help or the cashier that thinks he's as good. There are way more guides that do it p/t than full time. Dont assume they do it for a living just because they have a good website.

Hats off to anyone who guides. Having the pressure on you to produce each and every trip would be too much for me. I've fished with Catfish Bobby twice and he is the man when it comes to putting whisker fish in the boat. I've also fished with other Crappie and Striper guides in the area and it's not an easy job. This is how they have decided to provide for their family and its all work.
Keep up the good work!

theres a flip side to everything, just because one company can provide a service cheaper than another company doesn not at all mean the cheaper company is any less than the more expensive company. some things that have nothing to do with the service you provide, can drive the prices that you charge. some of these are .. 1 . Trying to live like a king on a blue collar wage. 2. Buying equiptment that is very expensive and using your prices to justify it. 3. making bills based on the best of times, not the worst of times,; 4. spending untangible money.. ( money you dont have, but project to earn). Its individual choice on how a owner decides to run his business. If I wanted to run 5 service trucks for my business, have a huge office space, , secretaries,, finance departments, and on and on, it would be no problem, but do I really want all the headaches of dealing with all of these potential problems and aggravation? No I dont, but that doesnt mean I cannot be successful at what I do, and still stay comfortably small. Most of my business comes on repeat customers and referrals, I harldy advertise at all, and turn down business Im not comfortable with. Can anyone else offer better service than I can, I havent found one yet. It looks like you run a very fine, respectable, safe guide service, but dont try and justify your prices based on just that,., you have a PILE , of overhead to cover ( unless someone donated all of those 40,000 dollar boats). not trying to be argumentive or anything, just giving an opinion from another small but successful business owner.