A Day on the Water With Exploding Fly Guide Service

No two fishing trips are the same, ever. There are so many behind the scenes variables that guides do not control but can be the deciding factor between your best day ever, and a big fat skunk. I am not catastrophizing what is meant to be an amazing vacation day, and great learning experience for the client, but rather making it clear that there always needs to be a plan A, B, and C plus some angler flexibility to adapt to these challenges and succeed.

Let's look at a couple different scenarios and how I will manipulate aspects of the trip to greatly improve your success. In one case, let's say you booked a drift boat trip on the Allegheny River for trophy brown trout. Twenty four hours before your trip, I text you to verify a time and which take out point on the river we will meet to leave your vehicle for our return at the end of the day. Your gear is all packed, your colleagues at work have you covered, and you are like a child on Christmas Eve, day dreaming about stunning hook jawed brown trout with black, blue and red spots the size of your thumbnails. That evening, I call you to break the news...a cold front came through dumping enough rain that doubles the river flow volume and turns it to chocolate milk. Yes we can still go, but years of analyzing this tell me that the bite will be next to nonexistent, boat control in those flow rates will not keep the angler positioned to cast tight to the shoreline log jams and rocks, and the danger element will also elevate a notch or two. The trip would definitely still be doable, as I have ran the river in these conditions time after time, but do YOU want to gamble wasting a day off from work, the drive time to get here, and the guide fees to go through with the trip? The choice falls solely on the client. If your goal is to get outdoors, learn everything about the river that you can absorb from me, and have a nice island picnic lunch, then go for it. At that time you will be given other options as well. Perhaps fish a smaller less turbid stream for a bit smaller, albeit more colorful fish with higher fish density per stream mile and learn some new stream tactics?

Or simply roll your deposit over to the next opening that will get you on a specific fishery for your desired trophy.

The same goes for wind and glacial lake musky, spawn phase and smallmouth bass, high water temperatures putting a halt to stream trout fishing. (To protect the resource, if the water temperature is above 68 degrees, I briefly shut the stream trips down until the water cool some and oxygen levels go up.) But in each of these cases, you will be given the pros and cons, other and different means of catching the same fish, and help with your decision matrix, or rebooking choices.

These trips are about creating memories for you and each trip is custom planned for you. In the event of a reschedule, the adventure is custom redesigned to put your hard earned dollars, time, and vacation towards the biggest fly rod fish you have ever laid hands on.

Space and weight are also something to keep in mind for your day on the water. a small back pack works great to keep your phone, sunscreen, rain gear if necessary, medication and other incidentals. In the boat or my truck I carry the best insect repellant for where we are fishing, a yeti with water bottles, snacks and the lunch I put together for us. Cookstove, paper plates, cooking utensils, paper towels and forks, spoons and the like are all stowed in my "Island lunch tote". I have all the fly rods reels, line leaders and flies for the species we are targeting, but if your gear is adequate, you are welcome to use it. If you are insistent on using your methods and flies, I will put you on fish but the possibility of failure rests squarely on you. Depending on time of year and water temperature, chest waders are recommended for many of the float trips. If you do not have any, no real need to go buy a new $600 set of waders, unless that is what you want. There are so many nice gently used waders cheap on facebook marketplace that will get you through this trip and many more.

On any boat, other than water and food, I will supply all PFD's (lifejackets), First Aid supplies, all required US Coast Guard required safety devices, CPR and First Aid certifications and many boater's safety certifications and trainings from the PFBC, US military and my law enforcement career. I will also obviously supply all state and federal guide licenses required for the body of water we are fishing. It is your responsibility to purchase the fishing license for the state we are in at the time. I can help you do this on line and many states offer a one day license for a very reduced fee.

A well planned December trip comes together.

The easiest way to enhance your success and enjoyment of a guided fishing trip is simply asking your guide questions throughout your shopping and booking process. A guide who wants to book a trip and deliver your expectations will respond to you with answers and advice. They will also ask about your expectations and not simply tell you what you want to hear, but rather what you should realistically expect and how to maximize your success.

I look forward to your questions, helping you get on the water , and being part of one of the most memorable fly fishing days you have ever had.