# Value of Hiring Guides



## mdrobe2 (Oct 12, 2007)

I've fished our area for most of my life primarily fishing inshore due to boat size. I became a dock light trout specialist due to the quality and predictability of the fishery. As I have branched out to other types of fishing, such as the sheepshead fishery,I have found myself not wanting to trout fish dock lights any more because of the lack of excitement compared to wrestling donkeys away fromstructure as well as the variety of speciesavailable at spots like Pensacola Pass. I spent nearly 3K fixing up my 14 foot john boat but find myself staying home when winds are high but unable to fit a larger boat in my garage. So, my conclusion is hire inshore guides about once a month or so and learn new techniques. I have learned how to troll Stretch 25's and how to catch sheephead without going to the pier from Capt. Wes so far. My questions for you all are as follows...

Would you hire the same guide every time or switch it up each trip?

What fisheries should I be exploiting given the limitations of a 14 ft. boat?

Would you buy a bigger boat and if so what would you do about storage since my garage is 20 by 20 and already has a (flame on) jet ski in it.

What brand of boat and motor do you like the best? 2 stroke or four stroke motor? I've been looking at Bay Stealths...by VIP.

What guides do you like besides Capt. Wes, whoI have used before and will use again. 

I know I have a lot of questions and they may not all fit with my topic, but thanks for the help regardless. You never know whenI might drop a PM onsomeone for a free trip on my boat. It's not a big boat but I usually catch fish, oftentimes more than guys with nicer boats...

Thanks Everyone,

Mike


----------



## Austin (Sep 30, 2007)

Wes' brother Josh Rozier is a good one as well. Also try Capt. Chris Phillips from Gulf Breeze B&T.. There is many in the area to choose from. Capt. John Rivers as well. But, Wes and Josh have the most experience in these waters combined.


----------



## FreeLine (Oct 5, 2007)

I have been reluctant to hire inshore guides because I did not think that it would be fair to them as a local to learn their good spots.I know one guide who does not take locals. How do other guides feel about taking locals who are avid fishermen?


----------



## mdrobe2 (Oct 12, 2007)

Captain Wes has always been OK with me fishing spots he showed me. His reasoning is that there are plenty of fish out there and how often do I get to fish anyway? He actually asked me if I wanted to program a GPS before when fishing one of his spots. Of course, he does not use a GPS. His reasoning is why should he? He already knows all the spots anyway, but then again Captain Wes is the most knowledgeable and best priced guide around, IMHO.


----------



## Austin (Sep 30, 2007)

Sorry Eric, I didnt know that you were offering trips!


----------



## Austin (Sep 30, 2007)

Well, If you are lucky I might let you take me on a trip :letsdrink


----------



## FreeLine (Oct 5, 2007)

Mike

I fished a 14 foot jon boat in the sound for many years. You can fish most days if its sides are high enough (mine was). Most of the time the wind in the sound is from south or north, and you can fish the windward side of the sound, usually in calm water. Strong east or west winds are too tough in the sound for a jon boat. Reds, trout, and flounder are great to target in your jon boat. Easy to catch bait in jon boats too - or wade if you like to do that. Eric and Brant make me wish I still had my jon boat to do skinny water red fishing in Blackwater.

I like my Yamaha better than the Mercury that I used to have. The only guide that I have fished with is Bob Quarles, and he was very good and fun as Eric said.

Hope this helps.


----------



## mdrobe2 (Oct 12, 2007)

Thanks everyone.I did not mean to the give the impression thatI was going to be guiding. I was seeking opinions on how often to take guided trips and whether or not tokeep the same guide each time. Also looking for boat storage ideas and recommendations on what kind of boat and motor is best.


----------



## megasaurus (Jan 16, 2008)

I too have been out with Wes Rozier.Good ole dude.We slayed the white trout by the three mile bridge and he got me on my first red.Never had to rehook bait or touch any fish.He did it all.All I brought was my ass and a sandwich.Had a great time


----------



## JoeZ (Sep 30, 2007)

If you want to learn about fishing, ask those who know it best -- the guides.

Most will not take you anywhere they don't want you to fish afterward but be upfront with them and they might say "Go ahead and fish THIS spot but not the next one over here."

Like Eric said, there are some great guides (world class) around here and some bad ones. But chances are, even the dumb ones no more about catching fish around here than the average joe.

I'd say stick with one you like, that way he'll know what he's already taught you and know your skill level and you'll be able to progress faster that way.


----------



## captwesrozier (Sep 28, 2007)

Let me first say i have had the great privilage of fishing with mike several times over the last few years and i will say he is alot more advanced in his fishing skills then he believes he is. when mike hooks a fish up he gets every bit of fight the fish will give him...which i believe is why we fish for the strike and and the fight.

Austin...capt josh is my brothers son and my nephew. he is one of the upcoming fishermen in our area and has teamed up with capt dusty powers and will be a force to reckon with in the IFA and other local tournaments...FLW anglers in the future better look out!

I agree with capt eric holtsman...you have alot of extremely good captains and each one can teach you different techniques to better prepare you for your next fishing trip. 

A trip with capt eric holtsman, capt chris phillips or capt matt mcleod gives you a guide that tournament fishes along the gulf coast from south florida to texas and along the atlantic. why is this a excellent selection? these guys are fishing with the BEST! they are talking before during and after their tournament fishing trips...sharing information and techniques...then bringing home to our area all of the valuable intel to share with ALL of us...can you say HLS seminars?

When i get a flyfisherman who is looking for a fly fishing trip i always turn him over to capt bob quales...as capt eric has said they do not get any better than capt bob! do i take flyfisherman...yes. i have about a dozen i fish with each year. i do not have the patients though for the newbie flyfisherman as capt bob does and capt bob has all the equipment neccessary to give this type of fisherman the best chance at a successful trip. 

Freeline...i am starting to see more and more local avid fishermen hire myself for a fishing trip not really to learn anything new but to just be pampered for a day of fishing or they fish alone and just want the company of another angler who likes to fish the way they fish. not to say i am the best (although my girls think i am and maybe a few fishin chix) butWE all like to be in the presence of greatness (the best) and so you want to fish with a professional such as a capt chris phillips. capt john rivers, capt george ballard, capt eddie woodall, capt rick harris, capt correy maxwell, capt eric holtsman, capt matt mcleod. The powers brothers (dusty, buddy and lance) capt skip thiesen, capt josh rozier, capt victor wright, capt bob quales, capt steve jones, capt jeff moore, capt randy ive, capt tony eddins, capt chris white, capt wayne ohara andcapt george finch. WHO would not want to fish with one of these great guides. i have paid to fish with a couple of these guides myself.

when my wife asks me what i would like for christmas i say a fishing trip with capt ????. what a great present and a great way to spend a day on the water with one of the BEST!

now as for captains giving away their secret spots...we all have one or two we will never show a local...that is just the facts. if the fish are not behaving we have to have a spot we know we can catch a fish or two to take care of our out of town customers. but most of the spots we fish are not secret at all...heck all of the guides mentioned above share intel and spots all the time. lets say you are fishing with me and i am having a tough day i can call capt chris phillips and if he is on fish and there is enough room he will invite me over. so when you are fishing with one of our local guides you are fishing with a net work of fisherman...like the cell phone verizon!

i agree with Joe Z...if you put all of our guides in order of greatnessan anglerhas a trip scheduled with the very best and tomorrowSOMEBODY has a trip with thecapt at the end of that line. oh well thatSOMEBODYwho has me booked i promise i will really really try hard to help you catch a fish!

support your tournament anglers with sponsorships (a small donation would really help them), your local guides with a booked fishing trip and you charter boat captains with atleast a phone call to your senator and congressman to help save their jobs in the deep sea fishing indusrty.

tight lines!


----------



## mdrobe2 (Oct 12, 2007)

I guess I didn't need to talk up Capt. Wes so much. His post speaks for itself. So Wes- what kind of boat should I buy next and where should I keep it? Thanks again for the great trips. I could not recommend you any higher...


----------



## FreeLine (Oct 5, 2007)

Thanks for your comments, Capt Wes and Eric. Good discussion.


----------



## Delta Runner (Jan 26, 2008)

Mike,

Of the places guides take you, how many of them can you reach with your Jon boat? To reach them safely does it have to be a calm day? 

As into fishing as you are, I think you can figure outthe where when and hows of fishing (you alread have). I think you are using guides to improve your fishing butalso to fish places you can't get to in your boat. Hiring a guide once a month cost about the same as monthly boat payment. Get a 22 Pathfinder like Eric suguested or something similar. Interest rates are low and boat show specials are every where. 

Get a bay boat and fish when you want-where you want-be comfortable-be safe.

Steve


----------



## mdrobe2 (Oct 12, 2007)

Steve- I can reach most places in my boat especially if I trailer it somewhere- I prefer to launch at Galvez because that is closest to my house but it's kind of far from the pass. The wind has been causing me to cancel the majority of my trips lately. Basically ruined my sheepshead season. I'll check out the Pathfinders on line- just have to figure out where I can keep it.


----------



## Chris Phillips (Oct 1, 2007)

Very well said Captain Wes! I think you covered it all...


----------



## Brad King (Sep 30, 2007)

:letsdrink


----------



## PaleRed (Oct 2, 2007)

I grew up around the area fishing my dads 14' jon boat. I got a 15' as my first boat, so i understand about picking your days with the weather. Thegreat thing about that is, sometimes the weather forces you to fish a different area and get out of your comfort zone,which gets boring after a while. If you like sheephead fishing around structure, I would highly recommend flounder fishing around docks. Great place to get out of the wind on bad days as well. The key is after you find one or two, fishthe area VERY well. Every piling or spot between pilings could hold a fish. Thegreat thing aboutit also is that if you are fishing an area that well, thenyou will surely catch other fish too. In the spring through fall, the destin harbor is a great place to get out of the wind and chop and catch some flatties, at times can be very good.

Also, 14' jon boat equals shallow water. Get in those back water areas at the mouths of the rivers and chase redfish. You definately have an advantage in the shallow water to move around easily, especially if there is a boat ramp close by. 

If its really really windy I will try to fish small canals or narrow bayous. Especially the ones that have deep water docks.

I don't know much about the local inshore guides. Seems like everyone else covered that pretty well though.


----------



## BIGRIGZ (Oct 2, 2007)

You could probably fit a 15' or 16' center console in the garage if you had a folding trailer tongue. There are some kit's online where you can buy the hinge and have a trailer converted to be a folding style. This is cool because you can make the hinge where it needs to be not wherever the trailer mfg put it, ya know.

A 15-16' boat with a decent amount of freeboard would let you get out on the rougher days.....

Or you could always just cut a big ol hole in the back of the garage and let the back half of the boat hang out into the back yard...... lol I'm pretty sure I saw a thread about that on the old forum a long time ago!


----------



## Capt. Bob Quarles (Mar 16, 2008)

mdrobe-- my first boat was a 14 foot MonARK jonboat with an 18hp Evinrude, I built a nice casting platform on it, put a trolling motor on it and caught enough fish out of that thing to fill up my house over the years I had it.

Don't be afraid to branch out to the other bays and estuaries around here....especially Apalachicola, St. Marks, Port St. Joe.. your boat is perfect over there.....

As for hiring guides, I hire guides in La., the Keys and the Bahamas, I always learn something new from each one..it's money well spent.... I keep trying to hire Capt. Wes to fish upper Escambia Bay and Capt. Rick Harris for Blackwater Bay, these guys have a tremendous amount of local knowledge and techniquesI would love to tap into.. we just never have the right days to get together....BTW.... thank you Wes and Eric for the kind words...

As for boats, that would be worth it alone to fish with guides to check out their boats....Capt. Eddie's Blazer Bay is awfully nice.. so comfortable and spacious, Capt. Eric's 21 Hewes Redfisher is awesome, Capt. Wes slays the fish out of his SeaARK, Capt. John's boat with the tower on it is an awesome beach fishing boat...... but I love my 18.5 Maverick Master Angler the most for the type of fishing I do.. it just depends on what style/type of fishing you decide you like the best...Good luck and have fun.... but I will add that Pensacola is blessed with a great group of inshore captains and they are all good guys as well..... Capt. Corey, Capt. Tony, Capt Chris Phillips, Capt. Chris White, Capt. Baz, Capt. Josh..the list goes on and on....

If I ever win the lottery.. that's what I would do... hire all of these guides... no more fish cleaning or boat washing.... yahoo...


----------

