I've never hired a CRAPPIE guide, but I've hired guides in other situations where I didn't know the area and would only be around for a few days. My experiences have always been positive. I learned a lot.
Just out of curiosity if you have was it worth it and did you learn anything. I got one last summer and it was well worth the money. I could always catch fish when they were in spawn better then most but once they went deep it was a whole nuther ball game. So I met this guide while fishing the spawn at Rathbun he said all I need to do is go out with him once to see the basics of deep water fishing. So on the hottest day in July we hook up and I was was amazed by how much more confident I am at catching deep water crappie after that day. It's not that I didn't know what they did but I learned alot of little things that comes from expirence.
I've never hired a CRAPPIE guide, but I've hired guides in other situations where I didn't know the area and would only be around for a few days. My experiences have always been positive. I learned a lot.
I have hired guides and have found that a good guide is a great way to learn how to fish for a certain species. I have used a striper guide on lake Ouachita and he has showed me ways that i can catch them on my own. Before I didnt have a clue as to how to catch the fish.
I have never hired a guide before but fish with one pretty often and i allways learn something new
Stinkies Daddy
hied one to show us how to striper fish,learned from it. Hired a guide to learn walleye fishing on a river close to home, he said it wasn't the best time, cuase the king salmon were running,I said i wanted to pick his brain, Icould catch salmon by myself, and he did his best, and we caught a few, i learned.Hired a giude for some white bass fishing, on the illinois river, told him we didn't want to keep any fish, just catch some.Well he parked his butt in the front of the boatand started fishing, and he kept puttiong fish in the live well. after a couple of hours we caught on tho the system, and we stated wailin on them, and they were bigger than his, can you imagine a guide wanting to use some of your tackl;e? any way we get to shore, and then he asks us what are going to do with the fish? what fish, we threw all ours back, you do what you want with yours, we paid him, very very small tip, and the next week I* went back, and gotr there before he did,good guides are just that, some guides are just locals who are one shot ponys, and thats all they know.
I have fished with a guide in N/E Oklahoma and always learn from him, plus we always come home with a boatfull of fish, regardless of the weather
Last edited by Gentleben; 02-16-2008 at 08:02 PM.
Small world, jwn. I also hired a guide last year at Rathbun. I just wanted to experience the lake since I'd never been on it and to learn a couple crappie fishing tricks. Unfortunately, the guide's outboard broke down and we had to electric troll back to the ramp. Still had a pretty good time and he was a decent chap. But I didn't get as much out of it as I hoped I would.
I have hired a guide maybe 10 times over the years. And plan on hiring in the future. I do it mainly because they have a boat and, secondly, I do not have to do anything except fish. Have had only one bad one (broke one of my rods).
I've hired many and I feel it is the best money you can possibly spend if you want to learn "new" techniques. I owe most of my success to the knowledge various guides have given me.
I found HOT SPOT on this website a couple of years ago and I've hired him twice for a couple of reasons. Originally, I just wanted to fish for crappie. I didn't know very much about where to or how to(except use a minnow) but he put us on some fish about this time of year on the very bottom of the lake(I never expected this!) I thought he was very knowledgable about what he was doing and knew Jordan Lake very well. He had all kinds of tackle but we had to buy the minnows which was fine with me. He did help take fish off and bait hooks. I highly recommend HOT SPOT. Now I've heard of guides who just provide a boat and that's all they do, some guides decide if nobody has had a bite in 5 minutes they move, but it's just a risk you take.