Stan Fagerstrom
11-14-2003, 03:51 PM
“It Always Pays To Plan”
By Stan Fagerstrom
Part Two
One of the surest ways to save yourself time and money when it comes to fishing new waters is to book a trip with an experienced guide.
Sure it’s going to cost you a few bucks. Also be assured that the top guides are probably going to cost a tad more. If you’ve been around for awhile, you’re probably aware there’s much truth in that bit about getting what you pay for. That applies to fishing guides just as it does elsewhere.
In the last issue of this column I detailed some of the things you can do to make sure your guided trip works out to your satisfaction. I shared some of the thoughts of Steve Fleming, a veteran Oregon guide and one of the best in the business.
http://www.ifish.net/Sfstfguide.jpg
Veteran guide Steve Fleming displays a John Day River smallmouth. A couple of trips with a pro like Fleming is a good investment. It's a wondrous opportunity to learn and will save you both time and money in your own fishing over the long run.
One of the things Steve mentioned when I talked to him about the problems his clients sometimes have was failing to pay attention to five words that all start with “P.” Those words are “Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance.” Underline those words in red when you mark the dates for your next guided trip on the calendar.
I mentioned some of the things connected with those five words in the last issue of this column. They included paying close attention to the information the guide shares with you prior to the trip. I also mentioned the need to be sure you have tackle suited for the kind of fishing you’ll be doing. That means being sure you have new line of the proper test on your reels.
There’s something else that you need to make certain you’re aware of whenever you schedule a guided trip. It’s this: Does your guide run a strictly catch-and-release operation? I’m finding more and more of the top guides do, especially where bass are concerned and in some instances where only artificial lures are employed for trout.
Oregon has two of the prime smallmouth rivers in the Western United States. One is the John Day and the other is the Umpqua. You’ll find fish all along these beautiful streams, but the fishing is going to be a whole lot better on those stretches where the top guides practice catch-and-release.
That’s the way Steve Fleming runs his Mah-Hah Outfitters guide service out of Fossil. If you take a two or three day trip with Fleming, and spend nights on the river, chances are he’ll keep a couple of fish for breakfast. Butthat’s the size of it. If you’re just on a one day drift all of the fish you take will go back in the water.
“I guess you could say we practice ‘CPR”,” Fleming says. “By that I mean “Catch-Photo & Release.”
Fish with guides operating out of the Big K Guest Ranch on the Umpqua and you’ll find the same thing. Guides will unhook your fish, assist you in shooting a quick photo or two if you desire, then your fish goes back into the water.
http://www.ifish.net/sfbriangreg.jpg
I was along to watch when this father and son team caught the fish they are holding while on a guided trip for smallmouth on Oregon's Umpqua River. That young man, Brian Zash, of Florence, OR., caught just as many fish, thanks to guide Scott Wolfe's coaching, as either his father or myself.
Does this result in better fishing? You can dang well believe it! As I’ve mentioned before in this column, there are precious few spots where I’ll guarantee friends that they will for certain catch fish. There are exceptions. Book summertime trips with Fleming’s Mah-Hah operation on the John Day or the Big K Guest Ranch on the Umpqua and you will catch smallmouth bass. And the odds are very good that you’ll catch lots of them.\
The strict catch & release practices followed by both operations plays a major role in the way smallmouth fishing has held up on the two rivers. You can’t eat your cake and expect to have it again tomorrow. Put every fish you catch in the frying pan and you reduce your chances of scoring on the same water next time out.
Something else you’ll need to find out is whether or not your guide uses live bait. Some don’t and with good reason. Suppose, for example, the river you’re on has a slot limit. Fish often swallow live bait. If you’re using live bait and hook fish that must be released, chances are that fish won’t survive.
Finally, there are a couple more things you can do that your guide will really appreciate. One is that you learn to cast overhand and forget about attempting to use the sidearm variety. Your guide would much rather remove hooks from a fish that from the ear of one of your companions.
Your guide will also really like having you help him keep the boat level. If you’re working from the drift boats so common on Western waters, it’s so much easier for the guide to row if the boat is level. If you’re a heavyweight and fail to center your weight, chances are the boat will tip so much it will be hard for the guide to even get both oars in the water.
That’s about the size of it. As I’ve already mentioned, a trip with an expert guide is a darn good investment. But your guide can’t make it happen without your help. I’ve told you some of the things you can do that will really help. Put them into practice and both you and your guide will be smiling at day’s end.
By Stan Fagerstrom
Part Two
One of the surest ways to save yourself time and money when it comes to fishing new waters is to book a trip with an experienced guide.
Sure it’s going to cost you a few bucks. Also be assured that the top guides are probably going to cost a tad more. If you’ve been around for awhile, you’re probably aware there’s much truth in that bit about getting what you pay for. That applies to fishing guides just as it does elsewhere.
In the last issue of this column I detailed some of the things you can do to make sure your guided trip works out to your satisfaction. I shared some of the thoughts of Steve Fleming, a veteran Oregon guide and one of the best in the business.
http://www.ifish.net/Sfstfguide.jpg
Veteran guide Steve Fleming displays a John Day River smallmouth. A couple of trips with a pro like Fleming is a good investment. It's a wondrous opportunity to learn and will save you both time and money in your own fishing over the long run.
One of the things Steve mentioned when I talked to him about the problems his clients sometimes have was failing to pay attention to five words that all start with “P.” Those words are “Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance.” Underline those words in red when you mark the dates for your next guided trip on the calendar.
I mentioned some of the things connected with those five words in the last issue of this column. They included paying close attention to the information the guide shares with you prior to the trip. I also mentioned the need to be sure you have tackle suited for the kind of fishing you’ll be doing. That means being sure you have new line of the proper test on your reels.
There’s something else that you need to make certain you’re aware of whenever you schedule a guided trip. It’s this: Does your guide run a strictly catch-and-release operation? I’m finding more and more of the top guides do, especially where bass are concerned and in some instances where only artificial lures are employed for trout.
Oregon has two of the prime smallmouth rivers in the Western United States. One is the John Day and the other is the Umpqua. You’ll find fish all along these beautiful streams, but the fishing is going to be a whole lot better on those stretches where the top guides practice catch-and-release.
That’s the way Steve Fleming runs his Mah-Hah Outfitters guide service out of Fossil. If you take a two or three day trip with Fleming, and spend nights on the river, chances are he’ll keep a couple of fish for breakfast. Butthat’s the size of it. If you’re just on a one day drift all of the fish you take will go back in the water.
“I guess you could say we practice ‘CPR”,” Fleming says. “By that I mean “Catch-Photo & Release.”
Fish with guides operating out of the Big K Guest Ranch on the Umpqua and you’ll find the same thing. Guides will unhook your fish, assist you in shooting a quick photo or two if you desire, then your fish goes back into the water.
http://www.ifish.net/sfbriangreg.jpg
I was along to watch when this father and son team caught the fish they are holding while on a guided trip for smallmouth on Oregon's Umpqua River. That young man, Brian Zash, of Florence, OR., caught just as many fish, thanks to guide Scott Wolfe's coaching, as either his father or myself.
Does this result in better fishing? You can dang well believe it! As I’ve mentioned before in this column, there are precious few spots where I’ll guarantee friends that they will for certain catch fish. There are exceptions. Book summertime trips with Fleming’s Mah-Hah operation on the John Day or the Big K Guest Ranch on the Umpqua and you will catch smallmouth bass. And the odds are very good that you’ll catch lots of them.\
The strict catch & release practices followed by both operations plays a major role in the way smallmouth fishing has held up on the two rivers. You can’t eat your cake and expect to have it again tomorrow. Put every fish you catch in the frying pan and you reduce your chances of scoring on the same water next time out.
Something else you’ll need to find out is whether or not your guide uses live bait. Some don’t and with good reason. Suppose, for example, the river you’re on has a slot limit. Fish often swallow live bait. If you’re using live bait and hook fish that must be released, chances are that fish won’t survive.
Finally, there are a couple more things you can do that your guide will really appreciate. One is that you learn to cast overhand and forget about attempting to use the sidearm variety. Your guide would much rather remove hooks from a fish that from the ear of one of your companions.
Your guide will also really like having you help him keep the boat level. If you’re working from the drift boats so common on Western waters, it’s so much easier for the guide to row if the boat is level. If you’re a heavyweight and fail to center your weight, chances are the boat will tip so much it will be hard for the guide to even get both oars in the water.
That’s about the size of it. As I’ve already mentioned, a trip with an expert guide is a darn good investment. But your guide can’t make it happen without your help. I’ve told you some of the things you can do that will really help. Put them into practice and both you and your guide will be smiling at day’s end.