# My first Texas fishing trip



## saltshaker1 (Feb 15, 2008)

A buddy and myself left Tuesday morning bound for the Coastal Bend in hopes of getting a shot at a Texas mule. I booked this trip over two months ago and have been anxiously awaiting it's arrival. Since it was to be my first time wade fishing, I asked you guys about what to expect. I want to thank all of you for your input. After watching every video on the 'net, I could already feel my waders leaking. 

Now, to the trip. With winds gusting yesterday to 40 mph, our options were somewhat limited. We waded grass flats in the back of Corpus Bay throwing topwaters at those little white spots that were scattered about. The water was as clear as gin. Considering I fish in southeast Louisiana, that's something you just don't see. I was wearing my ray guards and saw tons of rays but it seemed they were as afraid of me as I was of them......but, I doubt it. We only caught 2 trout, 26" and 28 1/2", but the redfish were as thick as fleas. Although it wasn't what I came for, they certainly kept my interests alive. Personally, I stopped counting at 30 something. Caught all fish on Super Spook Jr. except my buddy caught his trout on the full-size model. I was looking forward to throwing my Bomber Long A but the water on these flats was only a foot deep with all the grass. I did catch the first 3 reds in a spot we stopped at daybreak that had no grass. This type of fishing is totally new to me and I can certainly understand how amazing it could be when things were right. 

Since I asked so many questions during the past couple of months about your type of fishing in order to prepare myself for this trip, many of you are aware of the guide I booked. There's no need for me to mention his name since it's so easy to find out if you really want to know. All I'll say about it is that I WILL NOT drive 12 hours and pay a guide $500 per day to treat me like he's doing me a favor by letting me tag along. This was to be a 3-day trip but I called him this morning at 5:00 and told him I wanted to cancel the remainder. He hung up before I could finish but, just as soon as I write a check for today and tomorrow and put it in the mail.....my conscience will be clear. BTW, the reason there are no pics attached is because they're on the guide's camera and I ain't askin' for 'em!


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## WestEndAngler (Jan 30, 2007)

Good report, sorry there were no pictures to obtain but sometimes learning the water first through a guide will get you comfortable enough to get out there on your own. Hope your next trip is just as productive!


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## GSMAN (May 22, 2004)

Great report!! "We only caught 2 trout, 26" and 28 1/2". I have caught over 100 trout in the last two weeks!! I would trade you those 100 for your two!!!


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## GSMAN (May 22, 2004)

Just read the rest of your post. I know which guide you are talking about. My buddy booked a two day trip with him and he treated him just as poorly. His only saving grace is that he knows how to find trophy trout! His people skills are another thing!!!


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## SpeckReds (Sep 10, 2005)

I have not been around the guide you are talking about for a few years. Sorry to hear how you were treated. When I fished around him years ago, he was nothing but nice.
Sorry to hear that has changed.


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## monkeyman1 (Dec 30, 2007)

i'm not sure why people don't post the name of their guides. what are folks afraid of? both good and bad experiences with guides should be noted in good tasted. no need to get ugly, but i - for one - WANT to know BEFORE i spend the money on him/her.

you said on the other posts that you thought Cochran had the ability to put you on "the one" that you've been wanting. so, you gave him high marks for fishability. but, you didn't like his demeanor...nothing wrong with saying so.

mm1


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## juanpescado (Dec 22, 2006)

Actually sounds like a good day for being so windy , 1 nice trout and 1 trophy along with rods bent with reds the rest of the time , i'd call that a good day ...


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## Reel Handy (Sep 27, 2007)

I feel your pain. Had a very similar experience, minus the fish.


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## bayourat (Jan 7, 2005)

You caught that many fish in those conditions... and your b$%ching?


Go buy your own boat then and you try to put people on fish in 20mph+ winds on even a somewhat consistant basis.


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## Capt Black (May 21, 2004)

bayourat said:


> You caught that many fish in those conditions... and your b$%ching?
> 
> Go buy your own boat then and you try to put people on fish in 20mph+ winds on even a somewhat consistant basis.


I don't think he was complaining about the fishing. In fact, the first two paragraphs were very upbeat and seemed to convey his enthusiasm for the trip. His complaint was about the treatment by the guide.

I see the high expectations of clients every day even on the days I know its going to suck. Its my job to keep their outlook positive which in turn will keep them concentrating on what they are doing just in case that "Big Girl" shows up.

And you know what? Sometimes she does make an appearance even in that ugly stuff. IMHO there is no excuse for treating a customer badly. Later, Aubrey


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## monkeyman1 (Dec 30, 2007)

bayourat said:


> You caught that many fish in those conditions... and your b$%ching?
> 
> Go buy your own boat then and you try to put people on fish in 20mph+ winds on even a somewhat consistant basis.


bassfreeks is right...his complaint wasn't about the fish. it was about being treated with the respect a paying customer deserves.

and if the guide books a trip "in 20mph + winds", he should be confident he can put the customer on fish, which he certainly did - no foul there.

btw, i'm very "pro-guide". those guys/gals work their butts off in rough conditions. and they didn't choose their profession with dreams of getting rich doing it.

my only issue is that we should be able to voice our opinion of a guide, with his/her name, so all can know who to spend their money with. in fact, there should be a poll on this site for guided fixing trips, with guide names (imo).

mm1


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## bayourat (Jan 7, 2005)

monkeyman1 said:


> bassfreeks is right...his complaint wasn't about the fish. it was about being treated with the respect a paying customer deserves.
> 
> and if the guide books a trip "in 20mph + winds", he should be confident he can put the customer on fish, which he certainly did - no foul there.
> 
> ...


I agree... but who really knows how he acted towards the guide or the guide's actual attitude.... There could be (and usually is) two sides to the story.


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## Terrynj (Jun 27, 2006)

monkeyman1 said:


> bassfreeks is right...his complaint wasn't about the fish. it was about being treated with the respect a paying customer deserves.
> 
> and if the guide books a trip "in 20mph + winds", he should be confident he can put the customer on fish, which he certainly did - no foul there.
> 
> ...


If everyone posted truthfully and factual it would work...but I think what you would find is certain rotten apples could trash a guide by spamming bad stuff. Pretty hard for a guide to despute "he said, she said" kind of reporting. 
Everyone on this board is in a guides business....professional coherts, customers, potential customers, sponsers, friends...etc...
It would be pretty easy in a very competitive business to wipe out competition with a descrete smear campaign.
Not saying any thing specific, but IMO this is the danger and problem with unknown people with psuedo names posting bad things against people that are known.


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## Wedge (Apr 29, 2005)

The guide's business should have a sound foundation of customer satisfaction. That means taking care of the client first.....as opposed to the "me first" mentality that sometimes prevails. I have heard of charters where the guide will only fish to help the client complete a limit and I have heard of charters such as this. I guess you could have gotten back at him by having some professional overruns on your reels and act like a novice that does know how to cast a reel. Every dog has his day and a good one has two.


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## monkeyman1 (Dec 30, 2007)

Terrynj said:


> If everyone posted truthfully and factual it would work...but I think what you would find is certain rotten apples could trash a guide by spamming bad stuff. Pretty hard for a guide to despute "he said, she said" kind of reporting.
> Everyone on this board is in a guides business....professional coherts, customers, potential customers, sponsers, friends...etc...
> It would be pretty easy in a very competitive business to wipe out competition with a descrete smear campaign.
> Not saying any thing specific, but IMO this is the danger and problem with unknown people with psuedo names posting bad things against people that are known.


i'm a believer that the truth will come out, if allowed to. if i were to post a bogus bad report on a guide, i have no doubt that the good members of this forum would set me straight with haste about their own good experiences. people aren't shy here, but get shy only about naming the name of a guide they weren't pleased with.

i'm just not about mincing words. anyone that hangs out a shingle assumes the risk of a bad rap somewhere along the line. the business owner is responsible for doing everything in his/her power to provide the service as paid for and as expected. i don't care how good the food is at a restaurant, but if the service stinks, i won't go back there because the service is part of what i paid for. as with a guide, i want to catch fish (part of the fun) and have a pleasant experience as a whole (the biggest part).

gotta unsubscribe, debate will go on forever...mm1


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## saltshaker1 (Feb 15, 2008)

Guys, without dragging up individual quotes. let me see if I can address your comments.

First of all, I don't think I gave the impression in my initial post that I was at all dissatisfied with my guide's efforts or with the action that we had. He definitely knows the area and knows how to fish it. Before we got in the water he explained the lay of the land and his idea of the best way to fish it. That's pretty much all I expected or needed.

I sent him an e-mail this past Sunday and asked if we were going to be able to fish Baffin with the winds that were expected. I tried to pull the e-mail from my trash bin but it's gone. I was going to post his response and, if someone can tell me if there's a way to retreive it, I will gladly do so. Or, as someone suggested on this thread....I can just make up something. I have no doubt that, if this were you, 90% of you guys would have said geaux to hell! 

Am I upset because we didn't fish Baffin? Nope, not a bit. I was a little dissapointed that we weren't able to but our Captain said you cannot catch fish down there when it's that windy. I had total confidence that he would do his best to put us on fish....whether it be Baffin or somewhere else.


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## bayourat (Jan 7, 2005)

saltshaker1 said:


> Guys, without dragging up individual quotes. let me see if I can address your comments.
> 
> First of all, I don't think I gave the impression in my initial post that I was at all dissatisfied with my guide's efforts or with the action that we had. He definitely knows the area and knows how to fish it. Before we got in the water he explained the lay of the land and his idea of the best way to fish it. *That's pretty much all I expected or needed.*
> 
> ...


So then what is the rant about?? and why did you cancel the next two days?


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## saltshaker1 (Feb 15, 2008)

saltshaker1 said:


> I WILL NOT drive 12 hours and pay a guide $500 per day to treat me like he's doing me a favor by letting me tag along.


bayourat, I really don't know how much clearer I could be.


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## jeffsfishin (Jan 27, 2008)

*Be careful.*



monkeyman1 said:


> i'm not sure why people don't post the name of their guides. what are folks afraid of? both good and bad experiences with guides should be noted in good tasted. no need to get ugly, but i - for one - WANT to know BEFORE i spend the money on him/her.
> 
> you said on the other posts that you thought Cochran had the ability to put you on "the one" that you've been wanting. so, you gave him high marks for fishability. but, you didn't like his demeanor...nothing wrong with saying so.
> 
> mm1


You must be very careful who you talk about or agree with on the guide's, right or wrong, if they have a following on the board you will get red balled like I did.


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## bayourat (Jan 7, 2005)

then like i said pull your own boat down there.... He's the guide, you are tagging along since he is explaining (you did say he explained why you fished where you did) and showing you the area. You knew beforehand that you was driving 12hrs and spending $500 a day.... some people can never be pleased.


i'm done.


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## saltshaker1 (Feb 15, 2008)

bayourat said:


> then like i said pull your own boat down there.... He's the guide, you are tagging along since he is explaining (you did say he explained why you fished where you did) and showing you the area. You knew beforehand that you was driving 12hrs and spending $500 a day.... some people can never be pleased.
> 
> i'm done.


Whatever you say...........


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## fishdoc1 (May 22, 2004)

I fished with this guide last year for two days. It was the best fishing trip I have ever been on. I caught my best trout to date. And he did put his money where his mouth is by giving us a $50 dollar a day discount for catch and release. But like saltshaker1 said he has no people skills. I like to talk about fishing and pick the brain of the guide. This is the first guide that I have had that you could tell didn't want to talk to you. He would send you off fishing and if you waded any where close to him he would yell at you to go back where you were. My buddy's wife was on the trip with us. She caught a nice trout on the first day, and the guide went to help her land it. She had a landing net attached to her wading belt and was trying to get this 28" trout in the net. The guide jerked the net out of her hand throwing it as for as the lanyard allowed and said he hated nets. On the second day just after my buddies wife finishes eating a banana, and we tell her that your not suppose to have bananas on a boat, the guide decides to move. You guessed it, he hits a rock trying to get up. I understand the frustration of hitting the rock, but the cussing he did in front of this lady was very unprofessional. By late the second day I told my buddy and his wife lets get in the boat I have had enough. Good thing this guide can catch fish or I think he would be out of business.


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## KoolAU79 (Apr 15, 2008)

Seems pretty simple to me, I'd be a little "miffed" if I drove 12 hours and paid a guide $500 a day and treated me like that. It's called Customer Service and seems to be severly lacking now days. Want repeat and word of mouth business? Then treat your customers well and they and their friends will be back, don't and they won't. It's that simple and this is a fine example of that. If he keeps treating people like that and especially wives he may find himself taking a quick trip to the dentists office to have his teeth replaced one day! If he treated my wife that way we would have words....Of course this is just my opinion, but I wouldn't be back.

John


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## wahoo (Jun 2, 2004)

Guiding is a tough business. Everyone needs to remember that you can not make all the people happy all of the time. This is magnified when you start talking about peoples PERSONAL money and PASSION (fishing in this case). 

There is no doubt that the guide that took saltshaker out is a hell of a guide and a hell of a fisherman. Saltshaker is not arguing this. In the post where he asked of guides, I spoke well of this guide. I have seen the results he produces....

But fishing is a very personal thing to most good fisherman. Everyone finds enjoyment in different aspects. And guides do things in different ways. Everyone hires a guide for different reasons. Some folks want to get on the water and BS, some want to see new water, some want to set out on a wade alone and grind and just want a ride to a promising spot, some want someone to coach and give them confidence throughout, some want a cooler fool of fish, some want an order from a big client, some don't know what they want other than they think that a guide is the way to go. 

Imagine if you are a guide and you don't know the person that you are about to spend a day on the water with? They don't know what to expect. Everyone has good days and bad days. Some handle it better than others. 

Put these things into perspective of your business.... your everyday paycheck and livelihood....AND YOUR MOST FAVORITE THING IN THE WHOLE WORLD TO DO - fish. 

Yes, in a professional relationship - like the guide/client - there should be a sense of customer service if you want repeat business. Saltshaker gets to make his decision now on the service he was provided and the results that were seen. Capitalism at work. 

In closing, everyone gets to pick their guides and make their decisions on the experiences that they have had on the water. If all these "guide" conversations have taught us all anything it should be that giving guide recommendations to someone that we do not know and have never fished with is a recipe for disaster..... We do it with best intentions, but how can we recommend a guide to someone that we know nothing about? Everyone has a different fishing style and different personality and different expectations.

And realize that guiding is a tough business. It is not as great as it seems. Getting paid to fish and basically hang out with people that you may or may not like is tough. And when you are forced to fish all day with someone whose fishing style is not your own, that makes it tougher. Then you get to clean the boat, clean the fish, fix all the broken stuff, mess with a trailer, and worry about getting paid. Some make it and some don't.


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## saltshaker1 (Feb 15, 2008)

Obviously, he did realize early on that we could fish. But, since this type of fishing was totally new to us (even tho my partner is a guide, himself) I did need some instruction on what to do and look for and that all worked out. However, when my trebles got wrapped around the rod tip because of the big blow and I asked him if he'd hold my rod handle for a second for me to get it undone....he says, "You're a grown man...do it yourself!" He then walked away to continue his wade. Stuff like that did not sit well.


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## OAKISLANDER (Jun 13, 2007)

Unbelievable!


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## Too Tall (May 21, 2004)

SS I hope you don't give up on Baffin. PM me and I'll recommend a couple of guides that will earn your repeat business. 
Sorry you had to experience that. I don't know the Capt in question other than what I've heard on the boards but I think this is the the 2nd or 3rd thread about him this season. Sound like all were just a personality conflict more than a fishing one. It happens.


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## monkeyman1 (Dec 30, 2007)

jeffsfishin said:


> You must be very careful who you talk about or agree with on the guide's, right or wrong, if they have a following on the board you will get red balled like I did.


thanks for the warning, but if i had commented on a guide in a non-flattering way, and if i had done so in bad taste, then i would deserve to get "red-balled".

i'm talking about simply stating your experience with the guide, in good taste (no cursing, personal slams, going off on a rant, talking about his mother/wife/sister, etc). but good or not-so-good reports, with a name, will keep many from being disappointed. if i can't do this, this isn't the site for me anyway. and $500 is a lot of money to some people. to be treated any way other than tastefully deserves a report equally as forthcoming as a glowing report.


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## saltshaker1 (Feb 15, 2008)

Too Tall said:


> SS I hope you don't give up on Baffin. PM me and I'll recommend a couple of guides that will earn your repeat business.
> Sorry you had to experience that. I don't know the Capt in question other than what I've heard on the boards but I think this is the the 2nd or 3rd thread about him this season. Sound like all were just a personality conflict more than a fishing one. It happens.


Too Tall, I'm not about to give up on Baffin. I'm gonna do like someone suggested in a PM to me this morning....I'm going to book with a guide that fishes Baffin Bay on a regular basis and one that, not only knows the game, but makes the charter a COMPLETE experience for his customer. I didn't hear about this particular one until after I had already booked but, I gotta tell ya, I learned more from his website than I ever learned from the guide I chose. The videos I spoke of earlier.....this is where I found 'em and, in a mysterious kind of way, it made me feel like I had already been there. Who am I talking about? Capt. Aubrey Black!


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## Too Tall (May 21, 2004)

monkeyman1 said:


> thanks for the warning, but if i had commented on a guide in a non-flattering way, and if i had done so in bad taste, then i would deserve to get "red-balled".


And thats where he went wrong.


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## drfishalot (Sep 9, 2004)

SS, thanks for your post, I had no problem understanding what you were saying


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## WestEndAngler (Jan 30, 2007)

monkeyman1 said:


> thanks for the warning, but if i had commented on a guide in a non-flattering way, and if i had done so in bad taste, then i would deserve to get "red-balled".
> 
> i'm talking about simply stating your experience with the guide, in good taste (no cursing, personal slams, going off on a rant, talking about his mother/wife/sister, etc). but good or not-so-good reports, with a name, will keep many from being disappointed. if i can't do this, this isn't the site for me anyway. and $500 is a lot of money to some people. to be treated any way other than tastefully deserves a report equally as forthcoming as a glowing report.


Well said... I agree, you take the good with the bad; anyone can have an off day, the 3rd or 4th post on this topic, one guy said he had a good expeience with this guide.

Not trying to add anything here but anyone can have an off day, you try to leave everything at the door once you enter work but sometimes your patience can get worn thin, issues at home, a ticket on the way to the launch etc. Not justifying his actions and attention to your need SS but I know when I am having a bad day you better steer clear, granted this is his job so you would hope he was attentive to everyones needs on the boat. I know I would never make it as a guide, I dont have the paitence and the fact that they put up with everything from seasoned fisherman to rookies is a tough job and trying to please everyone is almost immpossible.

SS- Atleast now you know the area somewhat and you can return some day soon and use your knowledge learned from the guide to help continue your success fishing that area.


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## Too Tall (May 21, 2004)

saltshaker1 said:


> Too Tall, I'm not about to give up on Baffin. I'm gonna do like someone suggested in a PM to me this morning....I'm going to book with a guide that fishes Baffin Bay on a regular basis and one that, not only knows the game, but makes the charter a COMPLETE experience for his customer. I didn't hear about this particular one until after I had already booked but, I gotta tell ya, I learned more from his website than I ever learned from the guide I chose. The videos I spoke of earlier.....this is where I found 'em and, in a mysterious kind of way, it made me feel like I had already been there. Who am I talking about? Capt. Aubrey Black!


Call me on your way down and I'll join ya. The only thing you have to worry about with Aubrey is your arm falling from throwing Rocksees ball. And thats not a bad thing.:cheers:


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## CaptDoug (May 24, 2004)

saltshaker1 said:


> Who am I talking about? Capt. Aubrey Black!


I will guaranty you won't go wrong with Aubrey!


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## Gorda Fisher (Aug 19, 2005)

I agree with you, he's a good guide and a he** of a fisherman but his people skills are lacking a bit. He'll give out the orders on what to do and put you on fish sure enough. Its all about what you want as the client so you have to find the guide that meets your wants and needs. I also dont recommend catching more fish than him, he doesnt seem to like that too much.


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## LaAngler (Mar 11, 2008)

*my opinion*

Here is my opinion (which doesn't mean much on this site) I have been on several guided trips and know guides that operate successful businesses. I cannot afford to go on guided trips all the time and when I do it's a special treat for myself. I hate being treated like I'm getting in the way or being a hassle on a fishing trip IF I'M PAYING FOR IT, when you become a guide you KNOW YOU WILL BE catering to people that do not have the skills that the long time fisherman have or have different styles of fishing. Also, you are at work and you do not say or do anything that might offend your clients. Usually it takes a good knack for dealing with people and being nice to others to make it in business especially in the highly competitive market these days. The the most enjoyable guided trips I have been on the guide made me feel like an old friend or someone more important that just another sport. I see nothing wrong with posting a bad report on a guide service. Lots people that are great fisherman dont have the ability to show others a good time on a charter, and for some reason I find a lot of people that hate the job they're doing but won't do anything about it they just keep on at it.


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