How could anyone not love a smile like this? Seeing reactions like this let’s you know it’s a great guide trip.
A Guide to Hiring a Catfish Guide
Story and photos by Brad Durick
Hiring a guide can be a great way to have a fun, educational and productive fishing trip without the headaches of knowing the lake or river you want to fish. Guides have everything figured out and all the equipment you need. Here is a guide to finding the right guide so you can get the most out of your trip.
Scenario: you have two boys aged 10 and 13. You want to take them on a guided catfish trip. This trip is supposed to be an adventure, a time for you and your sons to be together and make some memories. You want a positive experience for you and the kids, and you want a reason to come back in the future. The question now is where do you want to fish and what guide to you want to fish with?
I have been a catfish guide for 17 years, and I have been hiring guides a lot longer than that. I have had some great guides and some terrible guides. Over the years, I have tried to hone my skills to be like the best guides. I want people going home with a positive experience even if they did not have the best day fishing. In this article I will share some things to look for when searching for a guide than can help you find that positive experience.
Check Their Website and Socials
In this day and age, it is pretty obvious that one would check a website or social media page to learn about a prospective guide. Look at the website for current rates and some history of the guide. There are many new and wannabe guides out there that don’t have websites at all or very basic websites with very little information on them. Check out their social media to see what is happening currently on the water or take a look back to a previous season if it happens to be the off season.
A very experienced guide will typically have many photos of happy customers on the website. They might even have years of fishing reports to refer back to and possibly other information to look through and learn from.
Not that new guides are bad, but they may not be as “seasoned” as others out there. A website can show that, as can social media. A thought about social media or a lack of it for a seasoned guide can be that they are so busy they don’t take the time to keep up on socials. This is not a bad thing. It just makes it a little more difficult to see current photos and other information.
While on a website, be sure to look for things like licenses and insurance. If your guide proudly touts that they are fully licensed and insured, that is a sign that they are doing things right and want you to be safe and taken care of. I will note here that contrary to what some say, a Coast Guard License is NOT required on all waterways, but it is for most. If your guide has a captain’s license, they have gone to Coast Guard School to be legal on their waterway.
Call the Guide on the Telephone
This is one that I as an older guide appreciate. I like to speak to my customers and get to know them a bit. Calling the guide is also a great way to ask about credentials and insurance. (I have only been asked that one time ever.) It is a great way to get a feel for how the guide deals with people, which does make a difference when you have to spend a whole day or more in a boat with them.
This is not only the time to look for dates but to ask any questions you may have about the experience or special needs that your group may have. These questions are usually about bathroom facilities available or special sized life jackets.
Ask about fishing reports if the season is on. If the guide always says fishing is always great that may be a red flag. People respect being told the truth about what is going on and would rather expect a tougher day than expect to be reeling in fish all day and they don’t. One note about asking about fishing is guides HATE being asked the best possible day to catch the most fish. This is due to nature. Things change from hour to hour, day to day, week to week, month to month and year to year.
In my 17 years of guiding, I have had my best time of year in all six of my fishing months. A guide can guess some better times, but Mother Nature dictates what the best possible time is.
For example, 2023 on the Red River where I guide was high water early with hot weather. Fishing was fairly tough until September. 2024 started out with low water and outstanding fishing followed by rain that would not quit and changing conditions daily. The guide just does not know.
If you are talking to your potential guide and really want to dig in, ask for references. A good guide will have a list ready of customers they are happy to have you talk to.
Don’t be Scared of Price
In this economy, everyone is price shopping to get the best bang for their buck. But when looking for a guide, don’t just jump at the cheapest one because, if you do, you may get just that—the cheapest trip. Do a little price shopping and find the most experienced guide in the ballpark or maybe a little higher priced than the competition. This research goes back to looking at websites and calling the guide.
Another factor in price and why not to shy away from it is the guide’s availability. If the guide is full time and you have to book months in advance or you have to open with which days work for you, that tells you others are ok with the rates and this guide is a good guide.
The best guides are booked out weeks, months or sometimes years in advance. They have their rates set at what they feel the market will bear and supply and demand allow.
Book Your Trip and Have a Great Time
Once you have done the homework and made a couple calls, it is time to book your trip and get the excitement and anticipation started. While you wait, keep up with your guide on the socials and/or website. If you have not heard from your guide, consider this a good thing as they are busy taking customers fishing. Check in with your guide a few days or a week before your trip to make plans on where you will meet.
HAVE FUN!
(Captain Brad Durick is a nationally recognized catfish guide on the Red River of the North, seminar speaker, and author of the books Cracking the Channel Catfish Code and Advanced Catfishing Made Easy. For more information go to www.redrivercatfish.com.)
