Guide boat / trip

When you book your guide trips does it matter to you what the guides boat is like? Does it need to be a wheel boat? Tiller? Do you care what it looks like? Whats more important cleanliness or organized?

I have been in top of the line fiberglass Walleye boats and also seen what many would consider beat up aluminum boats. We all know boats don’t catch the fish, but we also know that not all days are successful. Does it matter what the equipment is like? Does it matter how the guide is dressed?

Beyond reputation what are you looking for in your guide trips?

I have only been on guided trips a couple times. To me as long as the boat is seaworthy and the guide knows what the boat is capable of I’m fine with it. I’m more interested in a guide that is friendly and can teach me something. I normally like to find the fish myself but if going to a new lake and only have. Couple days I may hire a guide.

One of the most important things in my opinion is having somebody with a good personality and willing to put in effort to make sure the customers at least have a good time even if they don’t catch a lot.

Tiller vs wheel wouldn’t bother me and the way the person was dressed I could care less.

Decent equipment I think is a plus but to most people you don’t need top of the line everything to have a good time.

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If I were to hire a guide I would care most about his knowledge and personality, but I would also want to fish out of a top of line sparkly walleye boat. A big, clean, organized boat with a smooth ride would make the experience a little more enjoyable I think. Having said that, I think Tom Boley guides out of a 185 competitor tiller, and id go fishing with that guy any day.

I’ve never hired a guide, but some day I’d like to just because I’d like somebody to take me fishing just once. If I were to hire a guide, this is what I’d look for or hope for:

Cleanliness (boat and person)
Organized
Educational/teacher
Well mannered (not a bunch of cussing, political talk, etc)
Non-smoker (personal preference)
Positive mindset/attitude
Good equipment, but don’t need an $85k boat with $500rod/reel combos
And of course, all the licensing & safety certifications

If I’m going to spend money to have somebody take me fishing, I want it to be a quality overall experience. Catching tons of fish, or a number of huge fish would never be a requirement of mine. I would want to just enjoy one day on the water where I’m not the one doing everything.

I would say a clean, organized boat the in good working condition is important. Sure dont want to go out for the day and fight with the boat. Sure doesn’t mean the boat needs to be new. Just taken care of.

Hopefully your guide will listen to you before the trip even starts and somewhat try to tailer the day to what you want to do.

The last thing I would want out of a guide would be to watch them catch fish all day. Been on that trip and it gets old in a hurry. My thought is the guide is there to tend to the client. Bait hooks, change lures, net fish and take them off, instruct, listen, pay attention, ect.

I all but guide. I look at most outings like a guide trip.

More or less practicing the last few years for future endeavors.

I think one important thing for the guide is to understand the client’s expectations. I’ve only been on two trips, with the same guide, and I layed out my expectations. He met them to a T. I brought someone else each time to reel in fish and all I did for 16 hours was quiz the man. Brad durick. Not only was I happy, the each person i brought was elated with the experience. My daughter, and my brother. I’m maybe a rarity and he recognized that.

I find most expectations are far less than mine when it comes to catching fish.
I’ve made the mistake more than once of trying to provide a top of the line fishing trip only to watch cameras come out when the first beautiful, yeah beautiful, sheepshead hits the deck.
More often than not I over prepared but in the wrong ways.

If/ when I guide I’ll highly consider a pontoon and target clients with different expectations than most. Toon opens up access to people who couldn’t get onto a boat. Those with disabilities, overweight, elderly, big groups, etc. I think most guides cannot accommodate that clientele and there is a big market for people who’s enjoyment from a trip is nothing more than being in a boat on the water.

Stability and comfort will keep many happy. I find most people enjoy being behind the windshield. But man would I rather have a single console for the room!

I have a buddy actively pursuing guiding for the disabled. There’s a big client pool. Just a thought.

I also watch the grizz successfully guide.

He takes an interesting approach. Jig minnow. Small boat. Not very chatty. Catch tons of fish. He’s just always on fish. Boat always has a client. Took 2 years before I got a wave from him. We’re chatty on the dock now, another 2 years later.
There’s a lot of people who own a small boat and want to learn how to catch fish with boat and electronics they also have.

My boat is all fancy electronics, gadgets, etc. I get oodles of questions on how they work. There’s money in that too have the latest and greatest and know how to use it.

So I guess there’s no wrong choice here obviously other than what your most comfortable with, and what experience you plan to provide. Like selecting the rod, know what you want you use it for first.

Im guessing the Griz’s jon boat is 10 years old. Yhe way he takes care of it doesn’t look over a year or 2 old.

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

Took 2 years before I got a wave from him. We’re chatty on the dock now, another 2 years later.

Sounds about right! He is all business on the water. If you ever want to have a good chat with him, come fish the Pool 2 Hog Haul and hang out after the weigh in. Lots of good stories. Wish he would write a book.

-J.

Jon Jordan wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:</div>
Took 2 years before I got a wave from him. We’re chatty on the dock now, another 2 years later.

Sounds about right! He is all business on the water. If you ever want to have a good chat with him, come fish the Pool 2 Hog Haul and hang out after the weigh in. Lots of good stories. Wish he would write a book.

-J.

I talked to him once and it was after the first hog haul we did. He won that one and was pretty chatty afterwards. I’ve never even gotten a head nod since. Haven’t seen him out much the last year or so though.

To Dutchboys question. I’ve been on some gnarly little boats in Mexico doing local charters. Always caught a pot load of fish. I just need clean and a relatively amicable guy. Only time I get a fresh water charter is big bodies I’ve never fished. Did it in Winnie a few years ago. I didn’t real care about catching fish….I wanted locations and tactics. We could’ve been on a kayak for all I cared. Give me some patterns so I can get on fish faster.

The only guides I have used have been in other countries. Safety and experience are the biggest thing I look for. Being on time, doing what we want and having great food is a bonus. I bring my own rods reels and lures so that’s not a concern. Traveling out of the river to the ocean is pretty dangerous and requires local knowledge. The guys I have used didn’t have a depth finder gps combo until this year. Other charter options in the area have nicer boats, better electronics…….but they just don’t put us on as many fish.
Last year our captain had a child the night before our charter 5 hours from home. He drove all night to get back and take us fishing. He celebrated all day with cocktails and we hammered the fish. Wouldn’t use anybody else.

Have hired a few guides in the past. One being Marty Hahn: Top of the line boat, equipment and Guide. He takes time to teach you as well as putting you on fish.
Towards the other end as far as equipment goes we hired a guide on Cass lake in 1984. His name was Frank Studley, he had a wooden leg that he knocked on saying he had it and we would have to net our own fish because he couldn’t get up. Had a big old wooden boat with a metal canopy over it and inboard motor. His “bathroom” was a portable toilet with a shower curtian around it. It set right behind his seat. He told my wife, who was 7 month preg. with first kid and My Grandma, that not to worry he wouldn’t peek. He did put us on the fish and I caught my PB 30″ Walleye with him. He was a character but super nice.