Tri-State Outdoor News

For most of us when we think of a guide, a vision pops into our mind of a rugged man on a horse leading a group of “dudes” through a beautiful mountain pass in Colorado. In actuality guides come in all shapes, sizes, age and sexes, and lead people on hunting and fishing excursions in every state in the nation. Some guides work in surprisingly congested areas on the fringes of some of the largest cities in the country. The term guide carries a certain mystique about it. When you meet a person claiming to be a guide you assume he or she has certain qualifications in order to lay claim to such a glorious title.

In some states that would be true. In the majority of states where hunting and fishing are major industries, the state requires a potential guide to purchase a guide’s license. However, before an individual can purchase the license he or she must possess certain basic skills. These skills are usually first aid and survival skills and have nothing to do with his or her hunting or fishing expertise.

Over the years I’ve hired numerous fishing guides. Most were hired to take me saltwater fly fishing to some desolate location in the Caribbean. One guide was good, some of them were below average and most were terrible.

My point is that you have no way of determining if a guide is worth hiring unless you have a personal reference from a trusted friend. Carrying a guide’s license or a business card that says “guide” doesn’t guarantee that a person has any credible knowledge concerning hunting or fishing.

According to Indiana Conservation Officer Gene Davis there is no such thing as a guide’s license issued by the State of Indiana. When a person in Indiana says he or she is a licensed guide, it’s actually a reference to the license required to take paying customers in a boat. This license is only a safety inspection certificate referring to the seaworthiness of the watercraft.

Unless a hunting guide uses a boat to access a hunting area or actually hunts from a boat, no special licenses or permits are required to be deemed an Indiana hunting guide. Fishing guides on Lake Michigan are required to be U.S. Coast Guard certified captains.

License or no, the business of guiding in Indiana is picking up steam. At the 2009 Indianapolis Boat, Sport and Travel Show there were people from all over Indiana offering their services to take clients fishing and hunting.

The most popular activities were Lake Michigan salmon fishing trips and deer and turkey hunts. A few people were advertising musky fishing trips and stream fishing for trout and smallmouth bass. The guided fishing trips on Indiana’s rivers and streams are probably the least appreciated of all of the guided activities. Jeff Conrad, head guide with Indiana Fly Fishing Guides and fellow guide of the organization, pointed out that fisherman drive over bridges every day but don’t realize the beauty and fishing potential of the rivers and streams they’re crossing. Between the bridges, Jeff said, a relatively unknown wealth of quality fishing is available to those with access and know-how.

Access to Indiana’s rivers and streams is limited to say the least. Part of a river guide’s responsibility is to get fishermen legally and safely on and off of the river. The state publishes a list of rivers and streams designated as navigable. It’s widely accepted that if a person can legally access any of the rivers on the list, he or she can legally float it.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources Web site features an Indiana Canoeing Trails Guide listing some of the most popular river trips. Like any other businessmen, guides have overhead; and good guides don’t come cheap. Boats, motors, trucks and other equipment cost money, lots of money. The question to keep in mind is “what should you expect for your dollar?”

I posed this question to Conrad while visiting our booth at Indiana’s annual fly fishing show, Indiana on the Fly. Jeff had quite a bit to say on the subject, so I sat down in the booth and listened while he stepped up onto his soap box.

Conrad stressed that the experience should be safe and rewarding, and that a guide should provide you with an excellent opportunity to take game, or in his case, catch fish. If a guide guarantees you will catch fish or kill a deer or turkey, look for another guide. A guaranteed service might mean the guide may go to any length to ensure your trip is successful, even if it takes illegal or unethical methods to accomplish the end result.

Conrad continued, telling me a guide should provide instruction, and nowhere is instruction more important than on a fly fishing trip. “A good guide,” said Jeff, “can shorten your fly casting and fishing learning curve by years with a single day of professional instruction.”

He offered many more tips for hiring a guide. An important one was to not be afraid to ask for references, lots of references spanning several years. Just because a person can hunt or fish doesn’t mean they’re going to be a good guide. Make sure the references are for years of guiding, not just hunting and fishing. Jeff pointed out that in his group of five guides they have over 100 years of fly fishing and guiding experience.

There are other indications that can help you select a reputable guide. Look at the quality of advertising. Does the guide service have professional brochures and a modern Web site? Conrad’s Web site, indiana-flyfishing.com, is professionally designed and gives the client a detailed description of available trips and their costs. It also has high quality photos of the places where Conrad and his partners guide. The Web site also offers an opportunity to ask the guides detailed questions before picking up the phone and booking a trip.

Last but not least, check out the quality of the guide’s equipment. If the guide picks you up in a battered truck with the bed full of beer bottles, you may want to reconsider. If the boat that he or she is towing has holes in the bottom plugged with chewing gum and the motor is attached with duct tape you should probably stay home and watch football.