Secrets Fishing Guides Keep To Themselves

We’re all amazed at how fishing guides nearly always know what to do and where to go to put fish in the boat. Most guides are fishing gurus that know and use all the angles when it comes to great fishing. Many people assume that guides are born with a special skill that the rest of us don’t have. In many respects that true…….but they also have secrets to their success and here are a few.

Fishing Guides listen to a number of factors more than you may think. One is that many times the have their ears and eyes open to what’s happening with other fishermen, especially other guides. A lot of us think fishing guides are born knowing how to be great anglers. That’s not true. Most successful guides make it a habit to always be learning, however many want charter customers to believe they already know almost everything.

They many times listen to the Rookies. Most guides won’t tell that they talk and listen more to the new guys in the fishing business than the guides that have been around for a while. Some of the new guys have newer and fresher ideas and information that he may not get from a veteran guide that is more set on the older tactics.

Some veteran fishing guides know to watch and sometimes follow that old beat up Jon-boat. Most anglers will instinctively follow the $200,000 flats or bay boat that’s outfitted with all the bells and whistles to find the fish. The smart fishing guide will follow the old Jon boat driven by the guy that fishes every day and has fished for years. He’s knows where and when those perfect fishing spots are. This comes from fishing every day for the past number of years.

Sometimes guides check out their competitor’s rigs. This is a great way to learn the latest trends in lures and the depth the fish are biting. Some guides will even lay their rods and reels on the deck when returning to the dock to avoid other fisherman from seeing their rigs.

Check out Facebook. A smart guide will make it a point to frequently look at Facebook to get a better feel of what’s biting and potentially where. They are careful to look at the clothing the anglers are wearing. This will sometimes indicate that the picture may have been taken at a much earlier date. Coats worn on a July post is a dead giveaway.

A couple of fishing guides will fish together for scouting. Many times, 2 guides will team up on a scouting trip to swap information on rigs, locations and tactics. It’s a great learning experience.

The fact is, fishing guides depend on a lot of things to be successful. These are smart guys and most have been fishing most of their lives. They not only know how to fish, they also know how to address the ever changing most effective was to fish and most of all where to fish. NEVER underestimate the knowledge and skill of a fishing guide or charter captain.