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| For purposes of open discussion I have chosen not to share my ID for this one.
I recently was surprised by my wife with a guided trip in Northern WI. We were camping with family and my wife tells me the night before, you are going with a guide tomorrow. Wow! I was not expecting that.
Well the next morning comes and we meet the guide in front of a popular tackle shop he advertises with. I won’t mention his name or the shop my wife found him through. This is where I start to have concerns. After the usual handshakes and introductions we walk to his rig. The boat looks like it has not been cleaned out all summer. The carpet is worn through in several places, the seats are covered with sand, and the floor is full of pine needles etc. He has an old styrofoam cooler full of Meps products almost exclusivly and there are three St Croit Premier rods with ABU C3s. Once we are on the water I am handed a rod that has a very loose handle grip and to my surprise all the rods are all 6’6” models. The second rod I try has a drag that won’t tighten down.
Is this equipment up to Par? To put things into perspective his fee for the day is $325? How do you tactfully handle a situation like this?
Thanks,
Guest
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Did you have a good day on the water? That's the key to the answer.
No, the equipment isn't up to par as far as I am concerned, but those are my standards. I'd be mortified to pick up clients and ask them to fish out of a rig that messy, but some folks do not mind. |
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Posts: 157
| I'd say that it is sub-par for sure. I've fished with numerous guides for multiple species and have had very good experiences with almost all guides. Like sworrall asked "Did you have a good day on the water?" that truly is the determining factor. If the gear was a hinderance to your enjoyment I know i'd feel cheated for the cost of $325.
Dylan |
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| Overall the day was successful. The guide was knowledgeable and seemed to know what he was doing except for his gear. He was on his cell phone frequently which was distracting. One fish was caught and one was lost at boat side. I believe the short rod was a contributing factor. My intent is not to bash the individual in question. I guess I am venting my frustrations for what could have been a great day but fell short.
Edited by Anonymous 8/3/2009 11:19 PM
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Makes sense, one can't blame you. No really tactful way to deal with that unless you have your own gear available, at which time I'd say, " I need to go get my own rods, be right back!" |
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Posts: 2687
Location: Hayward, WI | I guess if you learned something that day it was an ok day, but I would also expet more. Though I wouldn't ask for it, I guess I could 'deal' with a dirty boat, but using equipment that could cost you fish seems wrong.
curleytail |
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| By the time I Knew the condition of the rods it was too late. Besides it would have been a one hour round trip to go get my own. Next time I will bring them with.
Edited by Anonymous 8/4/2009 12:07 AM
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | I've fished guided three times and each was with Jonesi, so I'm spoiled in every way (if ya don't mind the smell of RedBull LOL!). But it is a guide's responsiblity to provide a good experience moreso than it is to provide fish themselves; though many clients and guides overlook that side of it. I've guided (not for muskie) more than half of my job was keeping the boat clean and the gear ready. It's just my standards, but I scrub, clean and BBS my boat after every outting because a clean boat is just that important to me; even moreso when I'm going to have someone with me. If a guy wants to fish out of a boat full of pine needles, he can do that at home for free. Just my take on it. If the guide was courteous and professional (other than the gear and boat issues) then I'd say you did OK for that price. Every person is different and guides are as human as any of us. A dirty boat doesn't make a guy a bad dude. Just makes him a sloppy guide.
I think you have the right to be disappointed, but I also think you're doing the right thing in not bashing him in open forum because he may likely still be an excellent guide.
Edited by esoxfly 8/4/2009 1:15 AM
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Location: Latitude 41.3016 Longitude 88.6160 | Wow why is everybody sticking up for the guide ???? sub- par rods and reels a boat that is a safety mess, How is a guide going to know he is not up to standard if you hide his name ??????? wow 6'6" rods and a loose handle ?????? I'm not saying to bash him but he needs to know, that he has to step up and other people need to know how this guide is. I love the comment did you have a good day on the water, classic. I would have thrown his cell phone in the water !!!!! I'm glad the lost fish by the boat wasn't a fish of a lifetime, lost by a POS rod. |
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| The talking on a cell phone all day is unacceptable from my point of view. You are paying for his gear as well as his knowledge. It's not easy to learn from someone who is on the cell phone constantly.
On the other hand you still caught a fish
Dylan |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | pikemaster,
Because the person posting wants to, and because we don't allow any personal, product, or business bashing or vendettas here, and don't have the time or inclination to check each claim for accuracy. |
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Posts: 38
Location: Twin Cities Metro | I feel that when you decide you are going to guide professionaly you need to have high standards in all aspects of musky fishing (fishing knowledge, to equipment, to great constomer service). My boat is my business and my office and I know if I walked into a business for a serivce and found it below my expectations I would not be a happy customer. When people are paying for a service you should be able to give them not only a great fishing experience but also give them good equipment and a good atmosphere to fish in throughout the day. The clients are paying for a top notch service, if he/she wanted to just go fishing they can get together with their buddy and go out for a day of fishing. Buying a guided trip is a learning experience but also a luxury that all guides should give their clients.
With that said, i'm glad that you did have a good time on the water and it's awsome that you have a wife that would book a trip for you as a suprise!!! Thats a great wife! The only adivce I could give anyone looking to book a trip is listen to word of mouth. The only way you know what you are getting into with your guide before you get there is what other clients of that guide can tell you. |
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Posts: 156
| I have fished with a guide 3 times. 1 guide I really liked, 1 guide I thought was pretty good, and 1 guide took us to a grand total of 2 cabbage beds and our lesson in musky fishing consisted of "throw this lure over by that red cabbage and reel it back" while he sat and ate cheetos. All three of them had from good to top of the line equipment available, my point being even a bad guide should be expected to provide a clean boat and reasonably modern equipment. It is not to much to expect a guide who charges over $300/day to buy one or two new rods and reels every year and keep his boat clean.
My suggestion would be thank your wife profusely, do not mention the complaints, but in the future get guide recommendations from this board and you probably can't go to far wrong. |
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Posts: 1906
Location: Oconto Falls, WI | As far as the cleanliness of the boat goes. Was there a storm the night before that may have blown needles into the boat?
I for one am guilty of having a dirty boat once in awhile. However, keep in mind the hours a guide may put on the water. If I have several days in a row that I am guiding my boat will end up getting dirty. Why don’t I clean it? My hours go from pre-dawn/dawn to past sunset giving me just enough time to sleep. I will not cut a day short so that I can vacuum the boat. Not worth it in my opinion. Now if it’s to the point that my kids can make sand castles well that is a different story.
Besides how clean the boat is not every guide is blessed to change boats every year or two. Again guilty as charged. My carpet is worn and my boat is scratched and dented. But hey it gets used. You ever try to find someone to re-carpet a boat, and at a reasonable cost? Now if the carpet becomes a safety issue (ripped to the point of tripping on) it should definitely be fixed/replaced. What kind of boat and the condition of the boat shouldn’t be a huge factor in the outcome of a guided experience. As long as the boat is reliable and safe is all that should really matter in my opinion. Just because you have a 2009 Ranger or Tuffy doesn’t mean you may be able to fish/guide worth a hoot! Don’t hate me because I forgot to pick up a peanut off the floor from the day before and throw it out of the boat! 
The equipment should be reliable, period. Whether it is an Abu Garcia made in the ‘70’s or a brand spanking new Calcutta TE (or insert the newest, latest and greatest reel of choice here) doesn’t matter either as long as it works well. So if the drag is good, reel is smooth, and everything works fine there should be no issue. If you check the reel and feel the drag is loose try tightening it first, and if that doesn’t satisfy you ask for another set-up. The guide should/better have another rig for you. If not then I think that is an issue. I always carry extra reels in the boat, and in fact switched one out this past weekend while guiding as one of my standard line-up starting feeling pretty rough.
Rods can be a touchy subject as it is a personal preference thing. I am sure the guide feels 6’6” rods are fine. If someone is use to throwing 8’ rods their opinion is of course going to be different. I have had just the opposite concerns by clients that are use to 6’6” rods, and were worried about throwing an 8’6” rod. After giving my equipment a chance they change their mind, or just plain accepted the longer rod for the day. Keeping fish on with any given rod is partially part of the rods job, but also the anglers.
I am not defending guide in question, nor am I going to bash them. Just keep in mind what may be in play that you are unaware of. As long as everything works fine and is safe is #1. #2 is you learn from the guide and have a good time. After that it all comes down to personal preference on various items. Lots of old time guides out there that are very knowledgeable and good that don’t have the same kind of equipment some of us have, and I personally could overlook the equipment (again as long as it’s functional) to gain some of the knowledge the guide is willing to offer up.
Edited by CiscoKid 8/4/2009 11:29 AM
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