MuskieFIRST | Guide Etiquette » General Discussion ? (2024)

Message Subject: Guide EtiquetteFarley131

Posted 8/19/2024 9:34 PM (#1030370) Subject: Guide Etiquette

Posts: 3

Is it normal for a musky guide to also fish while he/she is guiding?

My friend and I recently did several days of guided fishing with a younger guide and I was surprised when he started casting with us. He put my friend and I in the front of the boat and fished from the back.

The trolling motor pedal was in the back, so it made some sense, but our casting got a little tight at times with him casting as well.

Was wondering what other people's experiences were and what should be expected when fishing with guides.

Tommy

Posted 8/20/2024 7:45 AM (#1030375 - in reply to #1030370) Subject: Re: Guide Etiquette

Posts: 98

Most guides I've fished with have done the same. They usually ask if I mind if they cast off the back and I never do. mikie

Posted 8/20/2024 7:53 AM (#1030376 - in reply to #1030370) Subject: Re: Guide Etiquette

Location: Athens, Ohio

De more baits in de water de better. m TheShow

Posted 8/20/2024 8:35 AM (#1030377 - in reply to #1030376) Subject: Re: Guide Etiquette

Posts: 351

Location: Vilas County, WI

Half the guides I fished with did fish, the other half did not. After experiencing both, my preference is for the guide not to fish. I like having the extra room up front, with my partner in the back. (Whenever I've gone there has been two of us anglers) The guide managed the electronics, trolling motor, net, etc seated in the middle.

When the guide did fish, and he hooked one, don't try to hand me the rod like I'm a little kid. You hooked that fish fair and square, now you catch it.

Edited by TheShow 8/20/2024 8:36 AM

Rudedog

Posted 8/20/2024 9:36 AM (#1030379 - in reply to #1030370) Subject: RE: Guide Etiquette

Posts: 618

Location: S.W. WI

I would expect the guide to fish. From the back is not going to hamper or change anything except maybe help figure out a pattern. I would insist he fishes. 3 or 4 guides I have went with fished. I think 1 asked for approval and i said "you better fish" chuckski

Posted 8/20/2024 9:53 AM (#1030380 - in reply to #1030370) Subject: Re: Guide Etiquette

Posts: 1300

The first time I hired a guide he didn't fish (he had one of those rare but miserable summertime colds) he put us on fish and it worked well. The next time I fished with the same guide he fished but his lure was the third lure thru. He gave me a Cisco Kid Flaptail and I didn't have the skill to work it slow enough so he gave me something else then he caught a fish on the Falptail.
I have that in my bag of tricks now. Then the same guide in the fall ran the boat and maned the suckers but didn't cast.
Fishing in Minnesota with a guide we both casted but I had first water, so that was good more lures in the better for patterning.
Last fall the guide would get the suckers rigged then he asked if he could fish and of course we said yes. So we had three us casting plus our suckers. Worked well for us.
In the case of the first guide sucker fishing he didn't cast much because it was in the back trolling days with the suckers he didn't want to cast when he had first water.
If you go to a restaurant on the water client grabs the tab. Slamr

Posted 8/20/2024 9:54 AM (#1030381 - in reply to #1030370) Subject: Re: Guide Etiquette

Posts: 7030

Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs

Personally, if theyre in the back of the boat and not running a sucker or dealing with crazy conditions, I'm a supporter of a guide casting. Like Mikie said, more baits in the water, better chance of a fish.

Now it being a little tight with two of you up front, that I have a question for. I know guides come in all shapes and sizes, but if you have 2 guys in your boat, it should be easy to cast and not be on top of each other. Could be client skill (no offense) or the guide's boat just isn't laid out for 3 casting.

raftman

Posted 8/20/2024 10:03 AM (#1030382 - in reply to #1030381) Subject: Re: Guide Etiquette

Posts: 537

Location: WI

Can guides trust clients to keep them on patterns without doing some casting? Not sure I would if I was a guide. I’d want to be the clean up guy just to help verify if fish are or aren’t on the spots I’d be putting clients on. BillM

Posted 8/20/2024 10:18 AM (#1030383 - in reply to #1030370) Subject: Re: Guide Etiquette

Posts: 180

I always thought this was up to the client? Personally I'd have zero issues with the guide fishing. kdawg

Posted 8/20/2024 11:50 AM (#1030385 - in reply to #1030383) Subject: Re: Guide Etiquette

Posts: 752

When the guide does fish, does it not give the client the opportunity to watch as he works a bait, casts, retrieve speed,does figure eights etc? Kdawg Grass

Posted 8/20/2024 12:06 PM (#1030386 - in reply to #1030370) Subject: Re: Guide Etiquette

Posts: 618

Location: Seymour, WI

See Also

MuskieFIRST | Musky Trip Meals » General Discussion ?

I would absolutely want the guide to be fishing while I'm in the boat. They have mastered their craft and there is a lot to learn from someone that has that much time on the water. Guides catch a lot of fish, it's not because they're lucky, it's because they're usually doing something a little different/ better than the average Joe. The guide clients should absolutely learn something from the guides fishing technique while they're on the water. Clark A

Posted 8/20/2024 4:58 PM (#1030390 - in reply to #1030370) Subject: Re: Guide Etiquette

Posts: 615

Location: Bloomington, MN

I've netted more fish for guides than they have netted for me! sworrall

Posted 8/20/2024 5:38 PM (#1030391 - in reply to #1030390) Subject: Re: Guide Etiquette

Posts: 32861

Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin

I still guide some and don't usually wet a line unless some instruction is needed. esoxaddict

Posted 8/20/2024 7:23 PM (#1030393 - in reply to #1030391) Subject: Re: Guide Etiquette

Posts: 8764

I don't mind if a guide fishes as long as:

1. He/she does not do so from the front of the boat.
2. Said fishing does not take away from proper boat control/navigation
3. Said guide does not try to figure 8 my fish.
4. Said guide does not cast when we're coming back on a jumbo I raised earlier in the day
5. Said guide does not cast in front of me
6. Someone in the boat needs a lot of instruction

Jeremy

Posted 8/20/2024 7:39 PM (#1030395 - in reply to #1030370) Subject: Re: Guide Etiquette

Posts: 1141

Location: Minnesota.

Guess I'm 50/50 on this altho to be honest my friend and I have only gone out with just one guide, a Vermilion trip a few years ago. He fished on and off (IIRC - been awhile) and we'd never come across a person who talked SO much! Constant! But I had the feeling he was a hard worker and it was all fish-related.

Wasn't the best experience for either of us, raising just one smaller fish.

I DID mention upon going out that we were both there to LEARN rather than boat a few fish (we both had over 30 yrs each chasin'!! and had a handful of "fifties plus" to our names) so perhaps that factored into the non-stop talk... (Note: Don't ever do that people!!!)

When he ran out of places to fish mid-trip and he suggested we take him to a few of our spots to "dissect 'em" we both just shut down... That wasn't gonna happen!

Last time we'll be renting a guide needless to say...

BillM

Posted 8/21/2024 12:12 PM (#1030399 - in reply to #1030370) Subject: Re: Guide Etiquette

Posts: 180

Good guides are great, bad guides are #*#*. You found that out apparently.

Edited by BillM 8/21/2024 12:13 PM

Kirby Budrow

Posted 8/21/2024 1:10 PM (#1030400 - in reply to #1030395) Subject: Re: Guide Etiquette

Posts: 2308

Location: Chisholm, MN

I can't imagine running out of spots to fish on vermilion! This guy must not have known the lake very well.