Some guides need to give us a break!

First, let me say that there are some great guides on this Forum that offer a ton of helpful information and sometimes beyond that. I've enjoyed very successful trips due to their reports and tips and I appreciate them very much. My rant is for the guides that don't give a "flip" about other fisherman on the water. My most recent encounter was on Texoma. After a tough season so far I finally was able to get on to some solid fish while fishing with my two sons. My kids are just geting into fishing and we were wearing them out working birds and aggressive chunky stripers for about 20min. It didn't take long before other boats saw the action and within 2 minutes I had two guide boats on the action. What's got me so upset is these guides didn't show any consideration to where we were and our fishing experience. They just motored up right into the middle of the action, dropped their lines and picked up a few fish while deminishing our catch. All bird activity ceased and all suface and feeding signs disappeared. The guides took off as fast as the fish stopped feeding. We worked the area for about 15 mins and picked up 1 more. 30 mins prior...before the guides dropped in on us we were having triples almost every other cast.
My kids were having a blast and falling love with the sport just as I did with my dad years ago. Ok, this is just one experience, but I've had this happen many times on Texoma and it's really getting me ticked off. Yes, I know that the fish are still there even if the birds are gone...they are spooked and the bite definitely slows. I've seen happen too many times for anyone to tell me different. I do know that the next time it happens they will know exactly how I feel about it. As I stated in the beginning, I love the good guides and this rant has nothing to do with them. I will always sing them praises. This is only for the "arse wipes" that think they own the lakes.

It's ALWAYS Texoma. Trust me, pal....I feel your pain.

Hear that!

Rule of thumb. Once on the fish, keep the poles low and minimize the show. You can extend the life of your catch. It is frustrating when people use the big motor and drive the fish down. I've had pretty good success with my kids and teaching them how to bring the fish in.

Smack those kids around and make them keep quiet, the sounds of kids having a good time is a dead give away to those who can't find fish on their own.
It isn't always Texoma.

It happens on every lake . I know what you are talking about. I have saw a guide get upset when we motored into the general area (not even on top of him) he was in, and then watched him motor in on another spot to other fisherman.

birds working...it's a love/hate thing lol. why i love structure fishing and not school fishing. also why i love dec-april winter jig fishing.i try most of the year or better yet anytime i can i fish that way...points,drops,ledges,humps and on and on...also people we take out for the most part are serious about fishing. i would tell you to look thru the paid to produce guides eyes but it still sucks when they kill the bite. also i have been run up on every lake i've fished. texoma is just huge with lots of traffic at times. more boats=more probs! i just wish it was pilgrims and not guides that got you guys.

Next time, put some buoys out so everyone knows that is your little part of the lake so they can stay out of it. Your attitude and their actions are mirror images. 'I found these fish, go somewhere else and find your own' It happens on every lake, every day, to everyone.

also can you imagine the gazillion times it has happened to me in 14 plus years? us guides know how it feels trust me. how do i get those icons in my text? not to change your thread...someone pm me?

Cast Net,

Never implied that I own the spot. I would gladly share.The point that I'm trying to make is that we all need to be more considerate of our fellow fisherman. An experienced fisher knows the right and wrong way to approach a school while other boats are there.
If anything, I hope this rant will increase the awareness of an obvious problem that we all experience. Let's all try to be a bit more respectful and considerate to each other. We can share and have fun doing it.

Not in our lifetime or our children's children's lifetime. I can't tell you the number of times this has happened to me and the numerous times I have been waked by other boats presumably because I was fishing on or near their spot. I had a well know Falcon challenge me at Preston Point by coming at my midships at WOT only too turn at the last few moments. After the third time by the same boat the next time I see them on the lake, I show them the same consideration they have shown me.

Ignore it. Texoma is a 90,000 acre lake. Do what I do. Go somewhere else where there isn't a bunch of bozos competing for the same one fish. You will be happier.

Not that I think it was funny what went down, *Pun* but that is an issue that you have to decide how to handle. It is not just guides that show lack of respect and it certainly is not confined to a single body of water. If the birds are working I like XYZ's method of retailiation for the crackers. Gets them every time and gives you something to laff harder at than their decision to put money in front of dignity and respect. A crushed zip lock of cracker crumbs on top of the water is cery irrisistable to those avian bait snatchers. We choose to make incidents big or small, don't let someones actions ruin that fun outing you shared with your kids. My fishing partner is due back from Iraq in a few weeks and he and I will not let something like that get into the way of our time together. Those times get fewer and farther between faster than you know. Best of Luck Jack.

small pellet dog food works better...harder for the fisherpeople to see...hides in the water better and the birds go crazy on it.

Why give kitty fishermen an advantage? Just kidding.

Yea, Texoma is a 90,000 acre lake. But honestly, how much of that gets used by striper fisherman. Anyone who fishes the lake knows the "regular spots". Take those "regular spots" and divide that by the 1000 some odd guides on that lake and its gonna get crowded. Cast Net was right by saying people being respectful wont happen in any of our lifetime. All that we can do is teach our kids the RIGHT way to fish and hope they get something out of it. Nobody wants their kids to be the subject of these kinds of threads. It's gonna happen on every lake, but what I meant by "It's always Texoma" is that it just seems to happen more there just because of the sheer number of guides on that lake. There ya go. No charge.

Jack...just to make sure things are clear...those that you described are commonly referred to as "Boat drivers" and they are guide wannabes...they do not get to wear the title of "Guide".

The next thing is to recognize the fishing landscape -- you were fishing birds and you had to know the potlickers were coming...and along with potlickers come the potlicker attitude. There are some that cannot fish unless the bird show them where the fish are.

There are several things you can do that I have observed as being effective potlicker deterants...
__Crank the Christian Rock music up loud -- the fish don't care
__Use "first in first out" prinicple -- when they get there and set up, just crank up your big motor and drive the fish down before they catch one
__Buddy system -- use 3-4 buddy boats to keep the other boats blocked out
__Deception -- don't let anyone see you catch fish, keep rod low and drag it over the boat where nobody can see it. Don't stand up, sitting people are not catchign people and never sound like you are having a good time.
__Cuss -- just as loud as possible, it keeps others from coming too close, act like you are actually fighting on your boat.
__Beer and Relief -- actually saw a guy stand on the edge of his boat and pee on another boat...actually that was hillarious...
__Water fight -- spray those around using one of those high pressure wash down systems that are on most center console boats...potlickers don't like getting wet.

I have observed more, but I am sure it was illegal so I won't post it here. Seriously -- bird fishing requires the right state of mind.

Jack,
I think I would just reel up my rods, crank up my main motor, and start running circles around the area. Maybe they would get the message. Since your not gonna catch anymore fish anyway, you might as well make sure the jerks don't.

Amen to that I am like Chris... I would rather find fish on structure then birds anyday Anybody can catch fish under birds, maybe not as many fish but they will catch them... the real test is let them find fish when there are no birds... But Jack, this topic as come up before... just remember the same idiots that drive cars own boats Also, we as fisherman think that all fisherman are good people... well they aint...There are some very selfish fisherman and guides that are arrogant and self centered. But please dont let the stupity of one ruin your trip. I get people that come right up to my boat all the time when I am catching , it does not bother me a bit. Heck their are people on this board that depends on our reports to catch fish and just remeber it is just fishing

John, you're one those good guys as I refered to in the beginning of this topic. I, as many others spend a ton of cash on fishing. I'm tired of people ruining my experiences as well as for others. I'm seeing it more often than ever before. We can say "that's the way it is" and it will never change. We can say "enough" and try to change the behaviors by teaching and speaking more of what's right and what's wrong. I know it's an uphill battle, but you gotta start somewhere. I headed to the lake right now to catch some fish and make a difference.
Have a Wonderful Day!

Next time just act like your boat is broke down. They will act like they don't even see you.

Jack, that incident was a perfect opportunity to teach your kids
1. the right way to approach still fishing boats.
2. The "better" way to re-act to rude people.
3. How to still catch fish that others have run down. (they are still there and if you will wait till everyone leaves, they'll come back up)and the list goes on and on.

Like Chris said, as a guide you can imagine how many times we get the rude treatment. I'm on the water about 200-240 days a year with customers and those boats chasing the fish away really put the stress level on all of us.
There are a ton of ways not to fish around other boats and I really think most people just don't know the rules.
It is a shame that you lump all "guide looking" boats in the same category. I have had quite a few inconsiderate bass boats do stuff you wouldn't believe but I don't think ALL bass boats hold rude fishermen. I don't believe all trollers are stupid and totally ignorant of the basic, most common standards of fishing etiquette while around other boats even though they count for most of my "I can't believe he just did that" statements.
I've had boats ease up to me while I was on anchor and drop their bait down right between my poles, trying to catch fish we were on. I'm talking so close we had to pull in our poles to keep the other boat from smashing them. I've had tubers come so close to me while I was on anchor that the spray from the tube splashed my customers. I once was on anchor (no birds and no other boats within a mile) and was catching fish. I had a boat see us and come so close throwing slabs, trying to get the fish under my boat, that one of the slabs got hung on my center console.
Now, my choices are to make an arse of myself in front of my clients and do something that lowers me to the other boat's level or.... continue to make sure my group catches fish and has a fun day on the lake. I don't want that encounter to be the thing remembered about their trip.
What do your kids remember the most about their day on the lake? The fish they caught or does the other boat messing up your spot stand out in their minds?

You will never change rude people's behavior, they don't care. That's why they are rude in the first place. They've probably don't even remember that incident, and here we are still talking about it. They are the same people that talk on their phones at the theater, the same people that won't let cars in while trying to merge on the highway etc...

It is one reason I like to fish in the winter....I can be out all day for days on end and not see another boat. Even on Texoma.

Bottom line...there are bad boaters (guides, bass boats, trollers, party barges, tubers etc.) and there are good ones. Thankfully most are good.

Tight lines.

Man, their are gazillions of untouched Striper in places other than the regular spots. I rarely had more than 5 boats in the areas I was fishing and I was putting my limit in the boat everyday I went out. If you willing to put the time and effort into learning a very small portion of the 90,000 acre lake your experience can be much more enjoyable. Everyone crowds in the flats behind the islands, Mill Creek, Bunkins, Big Mineral, Platter Flats and the others. The guides hit these areas because they are dependable producers and that's a good thing for a business that is all about putting fish in the box. I bet all the regular spots ad up to less than 10,000 acres. The way I see it, that gives me 80,000 acres to explore, find the fish and catch them in relative solitude. They may not be stacked up like the regular places, but they are there and usually of higher quality.

It's not like I don't fish these areas. I'm a sucker for summer top water. their is nothing better.

I tell you what all of you need to chill public lake you have to
deal with the stuff. I guided for 3 years on Lewisville and fished alot of days and experienced all types. Good and Bad.
Now fish for fun only because it goes both ways. Just as guides
sometimes do bad things most of the time it is not the guide.
Just yesterday many of you were fishing on lewisville and some of you came in to the fish close to the lake dallas cut that started up. I was there for at least 1.5 hours before the first boast showed up. Everyone of the boats were fishing the polls. And then all the calvary came once a few birds started up.The fishing was
over because the birds stopped and all the boats left and went back to the polls.Were do the fish go.They do not have Rockets on there backs.Anyway you just have to know it coming and expect it. None of the boats that came in were guides,But one gentlman
with his kids saw me catching fish and decided to try and get in the boat with me. I have found the best thing to do is catch several fish while they are on top of you and they tend to move away. Embrassed I dont know, but it works and make a big deal out of it.You can do what you wish but it is never going away!
Just be what you would like others to be! Otherwise someone will be talking about you on here one day! Keep fishing thats my motto its better than the other option!

Nothing like keeping your dead shad in the boat so you can "toss them" at the right time mixed with a small bag of cheetos

I agree Jack, I know you was not getting on every guide Just the other day we had some very young guys drive threw working birds, I stopped over by their boat and talked to them very nicely and explained to them what they were doing... I even gave them some slabs because they were trolling crank baits in the birs They were nice and said they didnt know ...

If it weren't for birds working I would never be able to catch fish. What is this structure stuff you are talking about?

Whenever I see someone drive into a group of birds that are working bait, I'll just waive and smile Why? Because some people really don't know that they are idiots

john v....correct.some people just don't know...and yes nitro some people are just born that way.....idiots//////// i'm sure glad we don't have any of these kind on t-wok...yeah right

On Lake Buchanan rude and obnoxious guides is all I've ever experienced. They think they own the lake and don't mind making rude remarks if you dare venture near their areas. I just ignore them and continue fishing.

Fishing Texoma can make your blood boil for sure! I've had marker bouys pulled up, had a slab narrowly miss my head with the line draped over my shoulder and even had a sailboat bump the side of my boat while on anchor. Just yesterday at Highport, two ingenious fellows in two separate vehicles decided that twenty feet was all they needed to pull out of the water and secure the boat, wipe it down, pick up life jackets etc., etc.
Back in my younger days I wouldn't have tolerated it. I guess (or hope)with age comes wisdom. That and my blood pressure medicine works really well.
Every year seems to bring more people to the lake fishing. Which can be looked at both ways, negative and positive. There has been some pretty good advice in this thread. Mine is: "Don't forget to take your blood pressure medicine".

now I know why John Varner is a moderator on this forum!

In my opinion John is right, try and teach some - some will listen, some will cuss you and even some will be grateful. I have personally had all 3. I hope I never treat anyone badly on the water, and please believe me if I have or do it is unintentional. I have bad eyes so sometimes I don't see things until it is too late to do anything about it.

I use my trolling motor an the wind to put me ion the action and if I am not the first one there I try to give the ones already there the room and courtesy they deserve.

I hate guides!(I'm kidding) I dont have this problem out here. For what it is worth, most of the people on Cooper are pretty good. On several lakes, it has become accepted to come a little "too close" or troll through the birds/fish because one boat sees another boat do it and on and on....

Maybe guides need a special flag on their boats.....

Why? Most of them have bullseyes now. I have a Falcon and as most of you know, it is popular with the guides, although I don't guide. So I have people come check me out if I'm just drifting and shooting the bull with a friend. My next one will not be so "striper oriented".