RING! RING! RING! It’s time to get up and throw on some clothes and make sure they are professional for that day. I make sure I have water for my clients and it’s off to Axton’s Bass City to meet my clients. When I arrive at the marina I make sure to rig up all the rods with the baits we need to fish for the day. By now my clients should have arrived and we step inside to have breakfast. During the time we eat I try to get to know my clients as good as I can so that I can be the most enjoyable person for them to be around that day. Some of the things I have to take into consideration are what kind of conversations to hold, how much fishing experience they have, and things like how to run the boat. Some like to go fast to see how a boat handles and younger people like the speed too, some want to just ride on plain and not fly across the lake.

When everyone is done it is time to launch, and get everyone in the boat and settled for the ride. From the time you arrive at the first spot until you get to the last spot it is work. You must teach people how to cast, how to work every type of bait you throw that day, telling them at each spot what they are fishing, why, and where to throw to, retying baits, taking off fish, getting pictures, and making sure they are having a good time. Take it into mind that you get some clients who get the Lake Fork hype and think we should be able to go out and catch 50 fish and 5 over 10lbs. These unrealistic dreamers are very tough to fish with. Imagine catching 25 to 30 fish a day for 2 weeks and all from 3-9lbs and then out of the blue the fish decide to shut down and you can only put 10 fish in the boat and not one is over 2lbs. It happens and it makes it very stressful for myself. I think to myself, You are a guide for a day so you know what we go thru everyday for the most part. Especially when the fish aren’t biting because it’s fishing not always catching.

Guide Jimmy Everett

www.fishinlakefork.com

903-765-3980