Choosing a Fishing Guide Made Easy

When you are looking to book a fishing guides, there are many important things to consider.

At the top of your list should be your captains experience and knowledge of the waters that you will be fishing. An experienced guide will give you a much better chance of having a fun and successful trip. An experienced and knowledgeable fishing guide will know where the fish should be and where to fish according to the water and weather conditions. Nothing can replace the countless hours and many days spent on the water that the best guides will have. Adjusting to the feeding patterns, knowing what they are feeding on, knowledge of the areas, lakes and bays that you will be fishing and being able to understand the water conditions are all things that are very important factors to consistently catching fish. An experienced fishing guide will have all these very important qualities.

Once you have narrowed your choices down to a handful of experienced guides, you then must consider the reputations of the guides. Just like in every profession there are the great guides and then you also have your few bad apples. Most good fishing guides will work extremely hard to put you and your guest on fish, but there are some fishing guides out there that are just looking forward to the next booking and don't treat each trip with the importance that they should. Having a good conversation with your fishing guide before you decide to book with him is something I highly suggest. You can tell a lot about someone from their personality. You can also do a little research on them, check their reviews on the Internet, look at their supporters and sponsors, check out their website and usually your gut feeling is right. A fishing guide that is considered as one of the best in his region has surely earned his reputation through a lot of hard work and doing things right over the years.

Another thing to consider when choosing a fishing guide is what does he contribute to his fishing community. Does he give back to the community, does he belong to organizations that help with fishing issues, does he give seminars or offer classes on fishing and does he work with the youth. All these things might not seem that important, but you want to hire a guide that really cares about fishing and one that gives that little extra something to his clients. Being a fishing guide is a profession and should be treated like one. Fishing guides that go out of their way to give back to their community, works with children and is willing to teach anglers how to become a better fisherman should get more of the bookings.

Last but not least, the old saying "you get what you pay for" couldn't be more true with this industry. Most captains in their region usually charge around the same price for a fishing trip. You should be aware of the guides and fishing services that are charging less for their service. There is probably a reason why they are charging less and undercutting other fishing guides prices. You can figure that out yourself. I am all for the best deal out there, but don't make the mistake that many others do by sacrificing your fishing experience to save some extra money. Also pay attention to how many hours you are receiving for your fishing trip. Sometimes the cheaper trips are also less hours on the water. All in all most fishing guides out there are professional and courteous and will treat you right. Just take a little time to research your guide before you book your fishing trip and choose the right guide for your fishing needs.

About this Author

Capt. Alan Pereyra
http://www.galveston-fishing.com
http://www.galvestonbayfishingteam.com