PRM wrote:
Pretty simple question.

Do you prefer to have a guide or not?

If it's water new to me, and the guide is a good one with a boat,
AND a boat is absolutely needed to fish the water well, I may
spend the money. Basically I'm hiring a boat together with a
driver who knows the route....

Otherwise, I find even good guides just tend to get in the way.
I'd rather discover things for myself if possible, even if it
decreases the "catch rate."

I think the very best answer to your question was written by
David James Duncan in his essay "In Praise of No Guide" in My
Story as Told by Water. Worth tracking down....

- JR