If you have never fished Lake Austin you are missing out! My brother-in-law and I went out with guide Brian Parker during spring break for one of the best days on the water that I have had in a long time. I was a little worried about hiring a guide that I did not know much about, however, I knew I needed one for my first time out on the lake. By the end of the day we had boated 14 fish, which was pretty good considering post-frontal conditions with bluebird skies and crystal clear water.(And our amateur status) I am sure we could of had better numbers but our guide worked really hard at making sure we caught every fish. As a matter of a fact, I think he only caught one the whole day. The lake is absolutetly beautiful as well as the fish. I HAVE NEVER SEEN SUCH HEALTHY BASS! We caught a majority of them on red rattle traps and Santone Chatter Baits. Brian let me throw one of his Custom Angle Rods. At first I was skeptical, now I am a believer. I will be getting one soon! The next day I caught the first ever fish (6-7 lbs) caught on one of the custom made swimbaits that my friend Neill10 made. And, my brother-in-law beat his personal best that was set the day before with a solid 5-6 lbs. All I needed was more time to fish the lake. I can not wait to get back down there!
I took my first guide trip this past November with John Tanner on Lake Fork. Before that I never thought I needed a guide. If you have never been out with a guide, stop wasting your time trying to do it yourself. I would highly rocommend Brian Parker for your next trip!