Fly Fishing

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

Fly fishing guides? do you ever use them? if not, why? if so, when? what, for you, makes a "good" and a "bad" fly fishing guide? Any tips or lessons learned to share with others on choosing a fly fishing guide; in terms of things to look for or ask before booking a trip?

joey · Location: Colorado

I haven't used a guide in a while, I usually will if I am fishing new water, especially in the salt since alot of the time you need a boat. It is also worth hiring a guide if you are going to be in the area for a while and want to learn some local info. This takes alot of guessing out of the equation. Pay the $300 for a wade trip and pick the guides brain. This could save you a lot of time in the long run. a good guide will put you on fish and show you the proper techniques how to trick them. Remember they can't catch the fish for you. Thats up to the angler. Tip your guide accordingly too....20% of the trip TOTAL is sufficent. The same as you would a waiter at a restaurant. Nothing worse than getting a $20 tip after the novice fly caster lost $40 worth of your flies.

greg · Posted: Sun 01/27/08 9:31 pm Post subject: Used Guides

I have used guides in Canada, Bahamas and Florida but the reasons vary. First trips to different countries or areas with wich you are not familliar, you may want to use guides for a few days based on your compitency in unfamilliar terrain and water accesabillity. Some countries and provinces or states may require you to have guides or situations where a boat is involved. Wether a river trip or Ocean, you don't want to spend your time dealing with a spark plug issue or searching for places that hold fish, so a guide with a boat may be necessary. Some people always want a guide for tying on their fly, tailing a fish and perhaps to provide lunch and/ or return them to a lodge for a scheduled lunch. My friends and I bring drinks and sandwich meats etc. and don't require nor do we wish our day to be interupted. The daily price of a guide increaces the cost considerably of your trip but may be necessary.