I appreciate everyone's input and advice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by I make oil
If your going to be down for at least a week I would also recommend you book a trip with a guide. You can learn more fishing with a guide in one day that you can learn on your own in a year down here. Well worth the investment.
|
I agree completely, and I've learned a tremendous amount from guides over the years. However, my experience is that only about half of the guides I've used in the past have been truly customer focused and willing to educate me in ways likely to improve my future fishing success.
When hiring a guide, I wonder whether they are more interested in posting a fishing report with a box full of specks that we had to travel 50 miles to get or rather are they willing to show me 3-6 good spots within 5-10 miles of Bridgeside Marina because that's what I'll need to make the most of my time in Grand Isle. I wonder if they're willing to let each angler fish two poles. I wonder if they are willing to let someone fish with a bit of fresh crab or hook up a small croaker or sand trout or put a dead shrimp on the bottom in addition to a live shrimp under a cork. I wonder if the guide I hire is willing to let the kids put a few sheepshead, drum, and gafftops in the box if that is what a spot is handing us, or if he's in a big hurry to rush to the next spot so he can advertise how many trout his customers caught that day.
Is the guide I hire willing to explain which spots are better or worse for given wind and tide conditions or is he just willing to put us in a good spot for the wind and tide conditions that day? To me, a good education and being allowed to try a variety of techniques in each spot is more valuable than trying to fill the box with specks as fast as possible. Are these unreasonable requests for a customer to make of a guide? I clean my own fish and I tip well!
