Lessons learned in Montana

Willi Wrote:
I had a "good" experience with a guide on the Bighorn. I hooked a nice
fish and a guide came over and helped net the fish. He commented on the
fish, then asked what I got it on. I told him a Hare's Ear soft hackle
but it turned out he didn't know what a soft hackle was.

George Adams wrote:
A few years back, I was fishing in Northern NH, across the stream from a
guide
and an obviously inexperienced sport. He had her using the standard
nymph/indicator system, with little success. I noticed some light colored
mayflies staring to hatch, (turned out to be Sulphurs), and i tied on a
#14
Usual, and began to hook one fish after another. The guide asked what I
was
using, and he thought I was putting him on with my answer. I explained the
pattern, but I don't think he fully understood. Fish started rising
steadily
upstream from his client, be he still had her lobbing the nymph.


This is not an uncommon occurrence in NZ either, often you will meet guides
who don't seem to have a clue. It's one of the reasons many of us here are
pushing so hard for a guides license to be introduced... There has to be
some form of standard... In New Zealand, if you decide you are a guide, you
are one, no licensing, no requirement, just print a card and away you go...

It's why I sound so many warnings about hiring guides here.

--
Clark Reid
http://www.dryflynz.com
Umpqua Designer Flytier

George Adams wrote:
From: Willi


I had a "good" experience with a guide on the Bighorn. I hooked a nice
fish and a guide came over and helped net the fish. He commented on the
fish, then asked what I got it on. I told him a Hare's Ear soft hackle
but it turned out he didn't know what a soft hackle was.


A few years back, I was fishing in Northern NH, across the stream from a guide
and an obviously inexperienced sport. He had her using the standard
nymph/indicator system, with little success. I noticed some light colored
mayflies staring to hatch, (turned out to be Sulphurs), and i tied on a #14
Usual, and began to hook one fish after another. The guide asked what I was
using, and he thought I was putting him on with my answer. I explained the
pattern, but I don't think he fully understood. Fish started rising steadily
upstream from his client, be he still had her lobbing the nymph.

The fishing at the Bighorn made Larry's point about indicator fishing.
There was a HUGE hatch of black caddis out (pictures will be coming - I
think). There were enough out that the big fish were aggressively coming
to the surface most of the day. We saw lots of people, most of them with
guides in drift boats, and saw only a couple fishing dries.

Willi