gulfcaptain

Ummm, brake down huh? Offshore: West Coast Set ups (all conventional) 6 bait rods 3 jig sticks 2 heavy jig 1 light small two speed 1 MH 20 size stand up 2 speed set up Freshwater 3 swimbait rods 16 baitcasting Looking at getting another 3 by Xmas. 3 spinning Favorite, I don't have a favorite, they all are tools and each get used at different times when needed.

pond fishing you need a few techniques to fall back on. As someone said if you pressure the fish too much with one type of presentation you can blow through the fish you're catching quickly. Have a few different baits and just be ready if you're killing them one day that it may shut off the next and have to start over.

No, you're organized.....it's only a problem when your friends come over and want to shop through your collection because the local tacklestores don't have the same selection you do.

Look up the manufacture spec's for your boat online. Print the page, put it in a plastic bag and keep it in the boat. The spec sheet should have max cap and horsepower rating which is what they want to see. If you have the private bill of sale, make a copy of it and include it as so they can see it was purchased used as well as you insurance papers. If you have all of that together and you do get checked it wil go quickly as well as keeping up all safety equipment that needs to be onboard......check fire extinguisher dates....they can send you back to the ramp if it happens to be past date of re-charge. Being the boat is 18yrs old it may be hard to get another sticker.

Lets just say I need more storage for what I have.....I have gottern rid of the bait monkey, but then found this bait gorilla that I adopted. Are we counting the lures we have, or the ones on order I haven't recieved as well as the pre-order baits that haven't arrived yet but already have an order for also?

Sometimes we mis-read posts and comment.....then have to back track and step up and say oops. It happpens but at least most of us will admit the mistake unlike most of those people in DC. Next time just blame it on Bush....j/k

Although I've never hired someone to take me bass fishing, I would expect to be on the front deck fishing with him. I would want him explaining to me where to pitch the bait etc as so my day would be great, but wouldn't mind if he was fishing as well next to me. But I'd expect to share the front of the boat and fish as a team. But then this would be communicated prior to me ever hiring them. Can't get mad at someone if you never asked the question and just expect them to read your mind.

I agree totally with your response, truthful, honest, and it is what it is. #1, most people before they hire a guide look at his counts to see what he has been catching or what the reports are. So for those first time customers, always keep in contact with the guide or company you're using so you know what the conditions are and what to expect. If the guide can't return your email, or a phone call he has lack of customer service skills and would send a red flag in my opionion. Now, should you use him again? If the fishing had been tough for the past few days/weeks...etc and it was a hard day, well you new upfront what was going on when you got there. If his success rate is normally good to above average and it was a down day, then well was his work ethic? Did he try everything he could think of to put you on fish? Were you on fish but they wouldn't bite? If he did everything he could and I could see he was working hard to try and gt me on the fish, but it just wasn't happening, ran a good operation, and was friendly and explained everything as we were fishing through the day, yes I would go back. Catching fish isn't always the only reason to re-hire someone to take you fishing. The personal touches that they put into their business "outside" the contract is what makes a guide great and his customers come back. The great part about our customer service business, we all have the right to go somewhere else if we think we weren't treated well. But you still have to pay the man for his services weather you caught fish or not.

It's a finesse approach so small worms, light line and depending on water depth 1/16 to 3/16 would be about as heavy as I would go. If you need to go heavier you might as well fish a c-rig

I just want to know what kind of guide doesn't take payment before the trip starts? All that should have been worked out before leaving the ramp. If you don't want him fishing then express that before you get on the water. If he doesn't fish and you can't catch them.....don't blame the man either because you told him not to fish....YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN. Then bad mouth him because you couldn't catch anything. I would have gratefully returned to the ramp as requested, dropped him off, put my boat on the trailer, wished him a safe drive home, but sorry, if there had been a contract and you are going to be bitter like that, you're not getting anything back because you are bitter and just wasted a day of my time. I want the guide to fish, I want to see what he is doing on his waters, he is out there everyday making a living, who better to see what's working then the guy that "fishes" for a living. I fished, but then I also handed most of my fish off to customers once they were hooked if conditions were tough, or just to prove a point if they weren't listening to my professional advice on how to get bit...can't catch them unless you get a bite....so to blow up right off the bat like your friend did, honestly I would have taken him back myself and given him his money before hand and since I was already there......gone fishing.

Actually you pay before you fish. So you would be footing the bill before that and if you cancel your trip after the stated amount of time you will probably loose half of your payment as well. And if you only base the quality of your trip on what you catch and not the service that was rendered, then honestly from a prosfesional point, I wouldn't want a return trip from you anyways. I have had customers that have had tough trips (mind you I ran both 6pack and charter boats on the west coast), did everything in my power to make it the best experience I could, caught fish although not the targeted fish fish we were after, If I had done everything in my power to show you great service, worked hard, fished hard, stayed out longer then planned to try and it just didn't work and the fish didn't want to bite.....then you want a discount on top of that as well as I'm sure you would probably not be very gratious... WHY WOULD I WANT A RETURN TRIP FROM THIS KIND OF CUSTOMER?.....had one customer that was ticked at my bosss who then took it out on myself and my crew, which I wouldn't have taken him fishing again if he paid me too nor would any of the other charter captains I new as they don't want a customer like that either as it wastes their time as well as costing them money to operate. Just remember it is a two way street, a guide will always do their best to make sure you have the best experience you can, if they don't they won't stay in business very long. Great guides have full calenders because they know how to treat their customers and fill their dates with repeat customers who expect the great service and profesionalism their guides provide(weather or not they are catching fish).....it becomes a more personal arrangement where you feel you are taking an old friend out to fish. And if the guide is catching fish and you're not because you refuse or just can't catch them how is that his fault that now you should get a comp'd trip. Sorry, a contract is a contract. Funny thing is not one person will put it out if they would ask for a comp but won't answer if they would tip the guide. If I'm going to pay someone to take me fishing, I expect great costomer service and a safe operation, fishing comes second and it's a bonus if we experience great fishing. I only hold the guide accountable for what he can control. Just like that old saying, you can lead a horse to water you can't make him drink.....you can go fishing and park on them, but you can't make them bite. Sorry guys, stop being cheap and pay the man for his services. If he was a crappy guide, non professional, and didn't treat you well, still pay the man, just don't fish with him again. I personally wouldn't hire a guide again even if I had a great fishing trip but he was an A$$H@LE and had crappy customer service skills, and was unprofessional. I'd pay him, tip him....a far amount mind you maybe not as much had he not been ^^^ and look aroud for someone in the area if I wanted to fish that area again to hire instead.

Looks like I'm going to be doing some looking around for them.....have any good ideas where to start?

Not wrong, it's just increasing your odds on the body or bodies of water you fish. Weather it be the larger fish in a northern lake or one stocked and managed that's privately owned. I fish Northern OC so don't really fish much of South OC, but the bodies of water I do fish I concentrate my efforts on the bigger 4+ lb fish in the systems instead of hoping to catch a 12" fish amid the 8" fish. Welcome to the forums and discussion.

Or here is a suggestion, keep all your old baits, buy some Mend-It and repair the ones that can be and use the others that are missing pieces to repair others. The cost of the Mend-It is a lot cheaper then the cost of a couple bags of plastics.

Matt never started this post as a TROPHY FISHING ONLY post. It was about targeting the larger population. MV has trout, Lake Forest bluegill. If you threw a bluegill sized bait....jig, swimbait, wakebait in the larger size you would be targeting the 4+lb fish in that body of water which would be the larger models if 8lb is big. I think most consider fish over 4lbs to be above average fish. At that point they have made it to the upper food chain and can pretty much forage on what they want without really having to worry about being eaten by another bass in the system.....Tom mainly fishes jigs and has stated that, Matt is a swimbait guy, both use larger baits targeting larger avg fish. Weather it be northerns or florida's when you fish bigger baits you will on avg catch the larger fish in that population.

Democrats do it all the time...^^^^^

Just remember these are ponds so the fish you catch on a certain bait or cover type you can exhaust quickly. I have had great bites fishing heavy grass beds on ponds around my house but after a few consistant days they shut off. You can blow through your fish quickly so you have to try and find multiple ways of catching them.

Hopefully he isn't using a boat, I highly doubt he's licensed and insured. Sounds pretty shady to me. No thanks, in his case you may have to pay him just to get you back home instead of taking you fishing. He should try that business model....take you fishing for $200, but if you want to come back its gonna cost you another $200 as well.

Was it the crankbait line? I know those run a bit less then the *** Graphites do.

I'm going to have to disagree. My PB this summer is just at 9lb, fished that body of water the day before and fished it as I normally would. Out of frustration decided to throw a 6" swimbait. First cast had a 6+ lb fish chase the bait right to the bank (follow) which showed me that I could get their attention. If I had another 15ft I probably could have gotten her to bite as she came in aggressively. Just ran out of real estate. Next day came back with the swimbait gear...about 10am first fish I happened to see sitting off the bank was that 9lb fish. One cast past her and she inhaled the bait. Another area happened to have another 6-10fish in the 4-8lb range follow, nip and show interest in the bigger baits where there was none before. Big baits draw bigger fish out of cover when they are looking for the biggest meal with the least amount of effort. I've had 12" bass chase a 8" swimbait.....small baits will catch bigger fish, but day in and day out, larger offerings will produce a consistantly larger catches. And in the middle of July there aren't any trout in the ponds I fish, but the fish will still not pass up that chance to take a larger meal when it presents itself. I just need Matt to make a baby duck swimbait now for those fish in the late spring and summer that target those yellow balls of goodness.

So just wondering for all those that think you shouldn't pay if you don't catch a fish.......Do you tip the guide or do you stiff him because of the tough fishing conditions?

those two lines are quite a bit difference in price.....Black $99-129, *** $239-259. More like a $100+ difference.

See you worked hard at trying to get them the fish. That's the service you pay for is a chance to catch them. Being a guide can be a great job, but there are days it sucks. Best thing though, every day is a new day. Only thing I can say if you pay someone to take you fishing, weather you caught fish or not and had a good time, the guide tried hard, but it just wasn't the day.......ALWAYS tip to show your gratitude for their hard work and efforts.

I wouldn't expect to be comp'd if I traveled to Baccarac or El Salto and the lake/s had an off day where the fish didn't bite. That's just fishing. If they gave me great customer service and tried hard, fished hard....even stayed out a little longer to try they would have my repeat business weather I caught fish or not. And I'd still tip the guide for doing his best.

Fishing is a game of chances. Some days you get them, some days you don't. If he provided excellent service and tried his best to put you on the fish, that's his job. Professional Guides/Captains aren't in the buisiness to comp trips when fishing is tough. Weather or boat isses, yes you comp them and reschedule. Hard day of fishing, sorry no bueno. But I bet the guide would have done anything to put their angler/s on fish. Half off, if the weather ran you off the lake or had a boat/equipment failure causing you to come in earlier then expected and not being able to fish the full time paid for in your charter agreement. I had an agreement listing all the terms covering the cost of the charter and what it covered. But some days it doesn't matter how hard you try, you just can't get the fish to cooperate .