Advice on Ice Fishing Guides

skunkedagain · **Joined:** Mon Dec 27, 2010 8:40 pm **Posts:** 244

First of all I want to thank you all for the advice you have given me over the years, and I think I am finally ready to take one of those pieves of advice. This year i would like to take my dad, and a buddy or two out with a guide for the day, ice fishing on the bay of Quinte. What I am hoping for from you guys is some advice on who is the best to go with as far as safety, value and guaranteed fish. It would also be a bonus if i could repeat the performance again without the guide.
If you could provide me with some personal experiences details on your trip, and whether you had a good experience.
Thanks,
Brad

'eye chaser · **Posted:** Sat Oct 29, 2011 7:48 am

your opening up a hornets nest there bud. all guides listed on this site are good, everyones (clients)expieriences will vary, cause conditions change every hour. pick one good luck.

skunkedagain · **Joined:** Mon Dec 27, 2010 8:40 pm **Posts:** 244

Don't mean to open a hornets nest...I guess everyone is friends? People can PM me if they would rather. I totally understand why people wouldn't want to put their experiences on here. I guess this is how guys earn their livelihood. Is there a place that you can go to get unbiased reports on guides? Referring someone to their website would definitely not provide you with two accounts, only the positive accounts. I just think that if I am spending big dollars, I should be able to find out who is best!

Fred Fisher · **Posted:** Sat Oct 29, 2011 9:26 am

Hi skunkedagain. like eye chaser said this could be a real hornets nest but i would like to add my thoughts to this thread. I find it amazing that you will here some guys had an awesome experience and others say that it sucked. First off I don't think you need to look any further than our board sponsors for a good guide. There are many very skilled fishermen on here that are more than willing to help a guy out and i think that the guys who have had a bad experience with guides was simply a lack of communication and understanding. First off you need to have a good line of communication with your guide. Don't just call up and book a date, Talk to him and find out what he expects of you and tell him what you want from him. I have heard of guys showing up with No Gear, Improper Clothing, Expecting a nice warm hut and there was none etc etc. This is were you need to communicate with your guide as i think they price there outings depending how much they have to provide for you. As far as safety they want to see a certain amount of ice before they start to drag people out on it as i am sure that they don't want anyone going through so this is were old mother nature plays her hand if you book to far ahead it may not work out for you so make sure that you work out a deal to go another time in the event the ice is not safe. As far as guaranteed fish that is also a tough call as they can bite one day and disappear the next but these guys know the bay and there patterns and what baits work and what don't. I truly believe that they want you to have a great outing and catch fish. I know for a fact that they put allot of time on the bay just scouting for spots and finding fish so that they can give you a good time. Also class is in session so pay attention, you can take everything from the day and chalk it up to experience so you will have a better chance next time you are out on your own and that my friend is priceless. Discuss every detail with them right down to food, lodging, who drills the hole, who brings the auger etc etc my bike or yours and is there a discount if we don't get fish. Make sure he has answered all your questions and you have answered all his. I think if you are both fully aware of what to expect from each other there should be no problem and that your outing will be a pleasant experience for all parties involved. Just my 2 cents....

JimW · **Posted:** Sat Oct 29, 2011 9:37 am

well said fred

QuintePrince · **Posted:** Sat Oct 29, 2011 9:46 am

I definately agree with Fred. I remember alot of board members going out with various guides on this board maybe they could help you in a right direction. If I were you Skunkedagain I would write an email with what you are looking for with exactly what Fred said, what your 'demands' are and how far there willing to put there hand out to accomodate you with your every need to every guide your interested in. Along with learning and catching fish, customer service is key. See who responds and who best suits your requirements. And make a decision that way. We have great guides on quinte that know there stuff, you'll be in good hands with em.

Aadil :mrgreen:

Napanee · **Joined:** Tue Nov 09, 2010 1:01 pm **Posts:** 226

Fred is on track. I have been out with a lot of guides and avids with a lot of people having slightly different perspectives, of what is expected. Myself, I choose to speak at length if at all possible, as I want a guide that really knows their area and can hold their own about what makes an area tick. I want to learn, as alas I get to go fishing a bit but travel too much, to really know most areas well.

I have only complained once.

gilligan · **Joined:** Fri Jan 28, 2011 12:18 pm **Posts:** 41

This post reminds me of one about the bay of quinte walleye dirby in the spring. Members talked about fish being transported over land and weighed in as winning fish. Members did not want to push the issue with the organization that puts on the derby. I suggested members should phone and let them know 6000 guys won't be buying tickets. Things would change how the tournament is run for sure. So many good ideas on the board but in general members stay away from topics that could actually make a difference. I love reading all the posts and have learned alot but I have seen in the past and again now how quick we are to stear away for hard converstions.
Hats off to all those guys and girls out there catching fish.

johnnywalleye · **Posted:** Wed Nov 02, 2011 7:38 pm

well ill dive in.feb2010.me and my good friend booked a day with g2.with jamie[who no longer works there]they provided bait, lures,poles. warm to the point of hot ice huts and transportation.caught many eyes and jamie helped land and photograph the big ones.he was working 4 other clients 2 of which where rookies,and he always made time to stop in when i wasnt yellin HERE FISHY FISHY FISHY!!!!.A MOST GREAT EXPERIENCE.THE down side if you can call it that;ive been fishing for 40+yrs and kinda sorta know what im doin.so i truly didnt need HELP.unlike the rookies[who ended up catchin the biggest fish of the day]...i was hopin to pick the guides grey matter for pointer ,hints.stuff like why did you choose here to punch holes.why macho minnow instead of kastmaster.the man just didnt have the time.....although every ?????? i asked he was happy to share what he knew...on a scale of 1-10 i would give a 8.jamie was a class guy and his girlfriend was fun to fish with.we shared some food and laughs..what more can you ask????and so long 4 now;john

skunkedagain · **Joined:** Mon Dec 27, 2010 8:40 pm **Posts:** 244

Thanks Johnny, that is exactly what I was looking for....not an endorsement for G2, but a good honest answer. I don't know why guys would be afraid to share this info. Actually if I was a guide, I think I would want the constructive feedback on what I need to do better this year, as opposed to what I maybe didn't do last year.
Anyways, thanks!

JimW · **Posted:** Wed Nov 02, 2011 9:12 pm

Okay...

I will add a few thoughts...

Over the last 2 winters I have been out with G2 5 times and with the Quinte Ice Team once. I have booked various ice fishing packages, from using all the guide's gear, to bringing all my own gear, to bring out myself and 5 high school students.

As has been mentioned the key is to discuss your expectations with your guide before you book.

Two winters ago I was out with Jeff and the Quinte Ice Team, there are a very hard working bunch. The plan was I was meeting 3 other guys near Ottawa and the four of us would drive down together, we were bringing our own equipment, including two 2 man huts. Anyways the rest of my group didn't show up on time, so I left without them, they eventually showed up. I had my gear but no hut (the missing guys had it) so I called Jeff about 5am on my way to Quinte and asked about an extra hut, he said no problem they brought an extra hut and propane heater for me (didn't even charge me). We fished one spot for the morning bite, with not much action, so late in the morning they said we are moving, so the guides hooked up all the portable huts and towed them in and transported everyone to shore. We loaded up all the gear, made a stop for lunch and the headed for a totally different spot for the afternoon bite. Spot number 2 was much more productive. The ice team was good with sharing fishing tips and helping you out when needed. The experience was very positive, I will probably head out with them again this winter.

I fished with G2 the first time 2 winters ago and the first outing a friend and I booked a premium trip, using their huts .... ect. There were only 4 clients in total out that day with both Gary and Grant out with us. It was an awesome experience, with lots of personal attention since the group was small. We staying at the same spot the entire day but the guys did move the huts around a few hundred yards into different depths, at different times during the day. Gary and Grant gave a great lesson on reading my Vex and jigging techniques.

Last year I was out with G2 numerous times, I fishing with Jamie several times, as well as Grant and Gary. Most of the time we brought our own gear and bait and were mainly hiring the guides to put us on safe ice and hopefully a few fish. We were not looking for assistance of any kind on the ice and did our own thing once out there. Even still the G2 guys made sure to come over to check on us and make sure we were good. One outing with G2 we did have issues with transportation and we ended up walking in most of the way (our gear was hauled in for us), but that was mainly bad luck as one of their snow machines broke down in the morning and we were just tagging along and there was another big group out.

My last trip out last year with G2 was with my school fishing club, so I have 5 high school students who had never been to Quinte before or used a flasher. G2 provided all the required gear for the day and Gary and his helper (I forgot his name) worked very hard getting the students set up, showing them how the read the vex and teaching them jigging technique and making sure they were warm and comfortable. All I had to do use fish. The fishing wasn't great, we caught a few small eyes and a sheephead, but the conditions were not ideal either... crazy winds meant we couldn't really move the huts around to try different depths.

All in all I have been very pleased with all my guided ice fishing adventures, we didn't have great fishing everytime out, but always learned something.

My only real complaint (which is not guide related) is one trip out I used one of the guide's Clam Nanook shelters, it keeps you nice and warm, but I am a big guy and the seats on the Nanook are the most uncomfortable thing I have ever sat on.

Anyways call or email a few different guides, there are several others as well that run solid operations based on friends' reports, and ask questions.

Best of luck.

JimW

bubblebuster · **Posted:** Mon Nov 07, 2011 10:48 am

Over the last three years I've been out with Quinte ice fishing team, hawg hunter, G2 Angling and Muddy Waters. They were all very good and full of info and tips and I learned something new with each of them. If I had to recommend only one I'd say G2 Angling. I felt my BOQ ice fishing skills got the biggest boost after being with them and they really do put you on fish..even if the fish don't bite.
I personally wanted to learn everything I could about bettering my success on hardware BOQ so I would recommend you go out with as many guides or experiences guys as you can cuz no matter how much you think you know, there's always a bit more someone ele can teach you

punchinholes · **Posted:** Mon Nov 07, 2011 1:57 pm

personally i feel all the fishing guides out there have somthing different to offer, so to say who is the best for safety and to gaurante fish thats hard to say, no one can always gaurante fish thats just the way it goes, and for safety all guides will ensure that you are 100% safe before going out they will not risk your safety for any fish. hope this helps...
P.S good luck on the ice this season and be safe,

Code

Stoty · **Joined:** Tue Feb 05, 2008 2:47 pm **Posts:** 200

Thanks for the kind words Jim & John! I had a great time each and every trip I was out there!
Meeting so many different people while "guiding", is def something that I miss!

As for the question itself... punchinholes said it well. Every guide/company has something different to offer, and all of them give you a great shot at getting on fish. (Some just choose to publicly display themselves in pictures less than others)

steve-hamilton · **Joined:** Fri Apr 25, 2003 7:40 am **Posts:** 1776

Stoty, you are correct.

Just try and find a photo of Jimmy Johnson or his clients on the interweb.

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Advice on Ice Fishing Guides

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