by Bruce Middleton, March 06, 2007
What all goes into planning a big fishing trip…
When you make the decision to go on a major fishing trip, say one that is going to last up to a week and is going to happen out of state, there is a lot things you have to consider. This is not a weekend get away where you might just camp out or stay in your camper but instead this trip has a real guide and you fish a world class lake that you have only read about or seen on a television show. So what all goes into planning a trip like this? A lot, believe me!
The first thing you will find yourself doing is searching the web and writing away to ads in the back of fishing and hunting magazines for brochures. This is the research stage of the project. This is where you learn about such things as the price of trip and how many days you can afford to stay. It will also tell you when the best days for booking your trip for and who the pro is that will be guiding you.
You will find out about the lodging and meals that are provided. The fees to rent a boat and whether or not a lunch is provided with the boat or you have to bring your own. It will also tell you if rods and reels are part of the package or if you can or must bring your own fishing gear. You will learn of any stores in the area that provide extras for forgotten items, like a tooth brush or the new hottest lure that is really hauling in the big fish on the lake at that time of year. Maps of the lake and other items are they provide or do you have to buy them? These and a myriad of other questions will mostly be covered in the brochures provided you, but if they are not make sure there is and easy 1-800 number to call so you can find easy answers at no cost to you.
Meals are a big item to check out when planning a big trip like this. You are going to be getting up early in the morning and if you have to go out to eat before loading in the boat this is a major consumer of time. Also ask for a sample menu, most good lodges will be happy to comply.
Be sure that the boat and guide rental are one package. Some less reputable places charge for a boat rental and then add for a guide. Now you can in some instances rent a boat only without a guide but I see no sense in this. A guide knows the lake like the back of his hand and knows where the fish are at any given season of the year. Most guides have been fishing the lake for years, many for 10 or more years. Which brings up a good question to ask. How many years has your guide been fishing the lake professionally?
Lodging can take many forms. You may want to tow a fifth wheel or a trailer if the trip isn’t too far from home, so ask if they have hook-ups for this kind of accommodations. If you’re staying in the lodge, find out how many people per room. Some smaller places during the peak of the season may put in as many as 6 people per room or cabin even though your party may only consist of two or three. I try to find a place that has small adjacent cabins to the main lodge for more privacy and can hold just my party.
If you are flying in from out of state, ask if they have airport pick-up. This will save you the cost of renting a car and try to drive in and unfamiliar state to find the lodge. For the more remote fly-in fishing camps, you have to be ready for a little more primitive accommodations. While in a lot of cases this is certainly not the case, as the lodges are quite modern, some can be so far back that the sound of generators can be heard all the time since this is the only source of electricity. But the brochure will explain these condition in great detail.
Try to get reference from previous lodgers who have stayed at the place where you are thinking of staying. It never hurts to get a second opinion from someone who has actually stayed at the lodge. A list of past guests used for references will be available at the better lodges. After your stay, you too will be asked if your name can be put on the list of references for people to call up and ask how you liked the lodge and its services.
Fishing regulations and licenses all very from state to state. Good lodges will be set up so you can buy your license right at the lodge before you go fishing. Your guide will inform you of the regulations as a reminder and the clerk who sells you the license will usually give you a fishing pamphlet at the time of purchase. You should never have to go anywhere to buy a fishing license other than the lodge.
Check to see how long the guide service has been in business. Usually the longer the better. Experience counts when it comes to guiding. Also make sure your guide is Coast Guard approved and has passed all the requirements for safety and first aide. These are two very important items. And check the guide’s qualifications. How long has he been guiding? How many local and or national tournaments has he been in? The idea here is to get the most qualified guide you can get. I for one want a guide who knows what he is doing, knows the lake like the back of his hand and likes to teach bass fishing as much as he likes to fish for them.
You also should look for a guide service that offers more than one area or more than one lake to fish on. This improves your odds of catching the biggest and most fish. Different lakes have different structure, vegetation, and different bites. Back home you fish a variety of lakes, so why shouldn’t you on a big trip.
Just in case of some bad weather or you need some time off from fishing, check out what other activities are available in the surrounding area. Are there any golf courses, museums or other activities you enjoy within easy reach? Do some research into the area you are going to be in. Look up the Chamber of Business or the towns web page and find out what is nearby.
As I said there are a lot of thing to consider when planning a major fishing trip. One of the most important things is when is the best time to go. I’ll qualify this statement and say when is the best time to go for the type of fishing you want to do. If this is say, a bass fishing trip, do you want to go during the spawn, post spawn, fall or summer. This all revolves around the type of fishing you like to do. If you’re a worm fisherman, I would suggest post spawn through summer. If you’re interested in seeing huge numbers of really big fish then the spawn is the time for you. If cold weather is not your idea of a good time the summer of early fall is your time. It all boils down to what you as a fisherman are best at. If you are one of the leading top water bait fishermen, in your opinion, then go early or late in the season as in the summer the days are so long the guides don’t stay out long enough for you to hit the dawn and dusk bite so you can get the most out of this tactic.
These big lake lodges offer a variety of fishing opportunities too. Large mouth bass, small mouth bass, trout, pike, musky and so on. If your going to spend 5 to 7 days on a huge lake fishing, you might think about spending one or two days fishing for a different species other than the main one you came for. A little diversity can add a lot to any fishing trip. And bring that camera and lots of film or the cam-corder. This is one trip you will want to relive over and over.
A lot of guide services make a distinction between live bait fishing and artificial lure fishing. Of course the live bait cost extra. You can do one or the other only, generally speaking. The rates are usually different for these two types of fishing. If you start off with live bait, which is usually the more expensive of the two methods, and then decide to switch to artificial lures, you will be charged the higher rate.
Daily rates depend on how long you stay out fishing. 4, 6 and 8-hour trips are the norm unless you make special arrangements. This will cost you more though. The hours you start and finish are also pre set by the guide service and if you want to, say start earlier, you will have to talk to the service about it.
Out of country fishing trips, especially for bass are becoming more and more popular every year. Mexico’s El Salto Lake is one of the most popular lakes in the world although it has several other lakes that are almost just as great. But a lake where a one year old bass weights in at 2 pounds and the lake record is over 18 pounds and 10 + pounders are caught on an almost daily basis, where you can catch an average of 60 to 100 bass a day is just heaven for a bass fishermen. These lodges offer the highest level of comfort, great food and the best guides for some of the best prices in the world. This is why they are so popular. That and there seems to be no bad time to go there makes it even more popular. I just had to mention this lake because of the amazing numbers of fish you can catch in a day and the size of the average fish, somewhere in the 5-6 pound range. While up here at home a 6 pounder is huge, down here, it’s just average. If you ever get the chance to visit this southern paradise, don’t think about, just do it. You will never be sorry you did.
When I plan a major fishing trip, I always consult the moon phase tables. I try and plan the trip around the three days before and after a new moon. Why? Well some people believe in the moon phase system and some don’t but you have admit one thing, bass are sight feeders. They don’t ever strike blindly at bait or a lure. If there is no moon in the night sky it makes it harder for bass to see prey and to feed. This one fact means to me that these bass are then forced to feed more during the day. This gives me more of a chance to catch more and larger bass. It also means that I have to be on the lake as early as possible because the large loners will feed just as soon as they can before going into hiding during the day. The first hour of light before the sun hits the lake is the time to hit all the points you can and use search baits to catch as many aggressive feeders as you can. If you use this system and fish hard and fast you can usually catch a half dozen good sized bass before the sun comes up. Then you can start to work the depth line, structure and docks like you normally would.
Trip insurance is more and more becoming a necessity and not just a back up incase something goes wrong. These trips can cost a thousand dollars and much more. If a hurricane blows in land just before you are to arrive for your fishing trip, there is no sense in going. Electricity will be interrupted, the fishing will be poor at best and the guide service may not even be able to run because of damage to the fleet of boats, the docks or other things. Airlines may be on strike or they have cut back service or eliminated it all together to a smaller airport for which you had planned on landing at. You may be incapacitated because of illness or an accident or some other reason like a death in the family. Trip insurance is almost a must and it should be considered seriously when planning any major trip.
And last but not least is tipping the guide. Yes, you tip the guide like you tip anyone who does a good job for you. The guide is separate from the service and makes, as much money on tips as he does by his salary, so be generous. If he has done his job and you had a great time and learned something new, 15% of the trip cost for the day is average. If he helped you haul in the trophy fish of your lifetime then 20 to 25% is not unheard of. I once tipped a guide 50% the cost of a 4-hour trip after he located and showed me how to hook up a 13-½ pound black large mouth. And it was worth every penny.
Bruce W Middleton
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