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The Importance of Fishing Guides
by Lance Merz, April 22, 2015
Although fishing season is in full swing, there’s a great alternative of how to effectively put more fish in your boat. Have you ever wondered how to fish for a certain species of fish, but feel absolutely overwhelmed of what, where, and how to fish for them? One of the best ways to get started is by contacting a local fishing guide, getting on their boat and asking them as many questions as you want. At a local area near you, there is always a myriad of fishing guides who will show you the ropes of fishing for a particular species of fish. These guides are extremely professional and have the utmost passion for fishing. Not only do these guides have fun with their jobs, but you can often find them between trips… fishing. Try fishing deeper during this time of year. Richy Harrod of The Northwest Outdoorsmen and I went fishing recently on Lake Chelan in central Washington and the majority of the Kokanee caught were at 125ft. I’ve heard however, that they have even been caught at 200ft or deeper! Sounds fishy? We trolled around for quite some time before we dropped our gear deeper, but the results of those rod tips dancing were very fast. We were using a Mack’s Lure Double D™ Dodger, with a hot pink glow Cha Cha® Kokanee Squidder, tipped with a couple kernels of corn on each hook.
The bottom line to fishing Kokanee this year is to be creative. Even though you have to do this during peak season, it especially holds true when you can only find one. But where there’s one, there’s usually more. This season of Kokanee fishing is going to be tremendous! Take your time and dress warm; it’ll make dinner taste that much better!
Since I began working for Mack’s Lure, I’ve been very fortunate to learn from some of the best fishing guides in the Pacific Northwest and continue to “pick their brains” of what works best for a certain type of fishing. My mentor, Bob Loomis (sales and marketing manager of Mack’s Lure) has taught me the ropes and has taught me some very good lessons along the way. The best way I learn is to talk about it, then get my hands on it, then go out and do it myself. Bob and other fishing guides have done this for me, and I’ve been pretty successful with putting more fish in my boat. There’s an old saying that holds true in the lessons that Bob has given me: “You can lead a Horse to water, but you can’t make them drink.” The purpose of this saying is relative when it pertains to fishing because you can either take their advice or not, it’s completely up to you. I can assure you however, when Bob or other fishing guides talk about fishing, I listen!!
Fishing is not like hunting. Normally when fishing, when you ask someone of how they caught their fish, they will be the first ones to tell you what color they were using, what bait worked the best, their trolling speed, water temperature, weather conditions, how deep they were fishing, etc, etc. If you ask a person where they got a buck or bull, they will give you a very vague description of how and where they filled their tag. That’s the beauty of fishing!! Most fishermen (or women) are more than happy to tell you what works best for them.
Fishing is a preference; what works well for one person, might not necessarily work for another. Using a fishing guide however, gives you a baseline of how to fish. Once you have booked a trip, chances are you’ll be able to pick up on some great techniques or different riggings to use to more effectively catch fish on a consistent basis
Although I have had numerous mentors who have taught me how to fish, I can think of some guides who helped me in the right direction as well. The first guide is Bruce Warren of Fishing for Fun Guide Service. Bruce is a Salmon and Steelhead fishing guide who is based out of Puyallup, Washington. I can remember that we were fishing at the mouth of the Deshutes river on the lower Columbia river when I was on his boat. We were fishing for the Fall Chinook in a technique called “hover fishing”. It’s a simple way to fish; you have a weight on your mainline and underneath, you have a bait of egg roe that is tied on to a snelled hook. To top it all off, at the top of the hook is a .8” Mack’s Lure Smile Blade. As we were all fishing on the boat, Bruce afforded me the opportunity to Captain the boat and boy let me tell you…it was hard work!! There are so many variables that a guide must take into consideration. They really do have a lot going on at the same time.
So the next time you want to learn how to fish for a certain species, whether it be Salmon, Steelhead, Walleye, Kokanee, Trout or Panfish, seek out a fishing guide and you’ll be glad that you did!!
