Share your experience with guided trips

[Guitarplayingfish]

So I have some questions for those of you who have done guided fly-fishing trips.
Mainly, walk and wade.

What were your expectations before the trip?
Which expectations were not met?
Did you expect to catch a hog, or were you happy to just be catching fish and having fun?
Was it worth it?
Would you do it again?
What would you be happy to pay for a full day of walk & wade guided fly-fishing?

Thanks, look forward to hearing some experiences many of you members have had in the past or look forward to having in the future.

[Jayhad]

Originally Posted by Guitarplayingfish

What would you be happy to pay for a full day of walk & wade guided fly-fishing?

Just a note, typically southern alberta wade and walks are more money than other regions, the reason being if a guide can choose between doing a drift vs wade & walk, he'll make more money in the boat. Some guides in the region charge the same for the day regardless and other just refuse to do wade and walks.... unless they don't have a booking.

[Scott N]

I have done a couple of walk and wade guided trips with Brian Peace, formally known as BowCrow. It was a great experience, I learned a lot about how to properly nymph fish the Bow River, caught some decent fish, and enjoyed some good company and laughs. The cost was worth it for me for the knowledge that I gained.

I've also taken a float trip with Brian after he sold BowCrow, and enjoyed that as well. It's the first and only time that I've floated the Bow, and it was my best day on the Bow by far for fish #s.

[gustuphson]

I walk and waded with Brian on the Crowsnest and he was awesome. Did the Bow with Maxwell and he was just as good.
I find there's more time for the guide to point things out when walking and wading and you have the option of going as far as you like, take out points be damned.

[Speckle55]

I have a buddy up here Hinton who guides RockyMountianFishingAdventures who is a Still Water Specialist .. came from B.C. he usually guide out side the National Park(Jasper) but he can go in with Currie's Guiding(Jasper) for Maligne .. Shane is his name and both him and Lorne Currie are more so than me flyfishing teachers/instructors .. Shane took me as a friend to Maligne Lake and he caught 11 /i got a few and my buddy Bill did too.. i hadn,t done much still water before .. but after watching my buddy Lorne Currie pull into Spirit Island bay and pull out 20 fish infront of me in a hour and abit some doubles with a repeat client of 15 years out of Calgary .. now i can do 14 to 25 in the same bay trolling flys and hardware on rod and reel .. the fish we are talking about are not over 4 1/2 allthough i have seen some that would go 5# and in 1949 a lady got a big 8#er .. but any time your catching fish in numbers i am in for that so last year i did some still water fishing and while i am still working on the pick-up/strike setting i did get 7 on a morning last year .. but i still like my trolling and deep water as in 40 ft plus .. example 2 Brook Trout hooked in 11 days over 9 # in 1984 and that 9# may have been 11# but the 12#13oz i landed.. anyhow back on topic Guides my other buddy now my MLA Robin Campbell was and is a Master Angler too and he too is a Still Water Specialist
and has mainly used Fly rods when guiding(Online Jasper) ..

When i went to Pyramid Lake Nevada USA and was fishing Lahontan Cutthroats i was getting pick-ups but not hooking into any... a Guide from the area was next to me with client and we chatted i show him my album(bs book) and he gave me a tip on a purple Wolly Bugger and gave me a couple flys .. i was into a fish with in 15 minutes and had caught 2 in the 3# plus range in 1 hour and had missed afew(released all) ..

Lorne also does Medicine Lake in the fall which is the best strech of river for shear numbers of fish according to many anglers and it is a walk and wade
I have done the whole river with the biggest we have got a 7# plus Bow. but now with my injury its not possible

so in summing up my experince with Guides imho i do recommend using them if you not that knowledgeable about the area/spiece/hows/style/whys

ps i could go on and on /last year AO member was on Obed because i posted pic of a 4 1/2 Brown Trout(Tim) and Shane was guiding so he used him and now knows how to catch Browns trolling flys and Still Water fishing

Ghhhess those guide's get hurt feelings when a troller catches a World Record line Class on their lake,,,, sorry Lorne ;;;;; lmao

Food for Thought


David