Guide endorsement Dave Stewart/ Fred McClintock

[plowboy]

I just want to take a moment to endorse a couple of local guides. I used to travel to Florida quite abit and hire a guide. You really never knew what you were getting into. I had good ones and bad ones. In the last couple of years I have stayed closer to home and had the privilege of fishing with Dave Stewart a couple of years ago and more recently Fred McClintock. With gas prices as high as they are you can hire a local guide for less than it cost to travel to Florida and back. Dave is a great fisherman and all around guide. He showed me several ways to improve my techniques and taught me alot about trying to find fish on the two big impoundments in Western Kentucky. Fred McClintock is also an amazing guy to fish with. Watching him fish Dale Hollow like no one else I have ever seen was a real treat. He has a real understanding of smallmouth patterns. Both of these guys will teach you more in one day than you would learn on your own in many trips to the lake. Plus its just plain fun. So if any of you guys are planning a trip to Florida, Texas, Canada, etc. try keeping your money at home one year. I seriously enjoyed it as much as traveling long distances and learned more about fishing my home waters. I'm sure there are alot of other good guides but I can only tell you about the ones I have been with.

[thebassman30]

you had me until you threw Canada in there....I fish Quetico every year...last week of May, 1st of June....cost with gas is less than $500. Best trip I go on....100 fish days...last year we caught 200 in one day with 100+ over 2.5 lbs. Fred and Dave are great...but not that great. We use CBO out of Ely...which is the same outfitter that Mary and Harry use that guide Jerry McGinnis and Bobby Knight. Best week of my life every year.

[thebassman30]

what am I think'n....do both people!

[elnutsmalljaws]

I second what Plowboy said about Dave Stewart. Been out on 3 trips with his service and have been invited to go on another(Thanks Doug) at the end of April(Already looking forward to it), and had excellent trips every time. One thing with Dave is that he does not fish tournaments, which means he will take you to his best spots for that time of the year or conditions. You can't tell me that a tournament fisherman / guide is going to take you to his honey hole for $250. The same hole that he plans on winning the next tourney in a couple of weeks worth a couple of grand and he is taking you to it for the heck of it. Dave will also answer any question that you ask and helps you understand what you are doing to catch fish. Have I ever had that ABSOLUTE incredible fish catching day with any guide service, Dave 3 times, John Davis at Dale Hollow 1 time, Gerald Bates Stripers Cumberland 1 time, NO. Every trip we caught fish but most of all I learned every trip out how to catch fish, a new technique, lake navigation, safety timp or something else that was well worth the money. So what if you spend $300 on a guide that takes you out for that one day of a lifetime and you catch one right after another. You now know that spot but what happens if the fish move 40 yards or the conditions change. If he does not teach you or help you be a better fisherman then what happens the next day when you are on your own. I believe Fishing guide services have their niche in our hobby/sport. Personally, I could never be a guide for I put so much pressure on myself when I take someone for I feel responsible for putting them on fish. This is personal pressure that my buddy does not place on me for he is just glad we can get together for a couple of days to talk about the old days of playing kickball in the street or sports as kids. I can only imagine what it would be like to have someone in the boat expecting to catch fish and he is paying you to produce. More pressure than I want. Dave Stewart is an excellent guide for Ky an Barkley. Anyone wanting to learn the lake or learn about fishing in general would spend money wisely to hire him. My buddy and I went out with Dave last Friday. Did we catch fish, yes. They were not monsters nor in great quantities but what do you expect in cold front conditions in March with a North wind, no sun, water clarity not the best, with monsoon rains that recently washed thru the system. But Dave did an outstanding job. So much that my buddy, who is in the boat market for himself, plans on hiring Dave to spend a day with him to teach him about his boat (safety, electronics, operation, and varous other info) after he makes his purchase. I would highly reccomend Dave to anyone. I never fished with Fred McClintock, but the Striper trip on the Cumberland River, is my next personal guide investment that I plan on making. That trip, I will learn about the river striper fishing but also hope to catch the 50 pounder. If we don't catch her that day, I will have learned the basics to try to catch her myself. Either way it will be money well spent. The Striper success at Cumberland, Smallie success at Dale and Large and Smallie success at Ky are all in proportion to the successful guides that I hired to help me learn on a fast-track. Gerald, John and Dave keep up the good work.

Tight Lines

[KYHorseflys]

Thanks for the recommendations fellas... I've been thinking of going on a guided trip (when I can afford it) to learn and just spend a day on the lake (somethin' I don't get to do often!) - now I know who to go with. I was already thinking about trying to get a trip set up with Dave Stewart, just for the simple fact that he's always on here posting real good information, now I've heard it from y'all that he's a real good guide. Well I can't beat that - Dave, as soon as I can save up, I'll be callin'!

I'll look up Fred's service too!

As many of you may know, I'm no pro at bass fishin' (and well, sport fishing all together really, other than fly fishin' and that was 12 years or more ago) and have been thinking a guide service would be invaluable to gettin' good info and techniques. Being a novice and all. Anyways... I think a guided trip would be a smart move/investment.

Thanks again for the info fellas!

[plowboy]

After you give Dave a try, Fred does trout fishing as well as bass and striper. Alot of good talent close to home. That cumberland river is the easiest place in the state to catch fish in the summer, I don't fly fish much but 10-50 trout days are the norm when the waters right. I go on guide trips to learn more than catch trophy fish. I enjoy watching and learning from more experienced anglers. Most of us that work regular jobs will never have the time to develop the skills that these talented guides can share. Like I said $250-300 dollars seems like alot of money but its easy to run out that much in gas and not learn as much as with a good guide. Probably other great guides in the area but I can only vouch for the ones I've been with. The best luck I've had in Florida was with a guide named John Fox who has guided Roland Martin. I think he had his own show at one time.

[Dave Stewart]

Wow...you guys sure know how to make a guy feel good about what he is doing. I am sitting here at 4:00 in the morning (central time) waiting to go out in the below freezing cold to guide on a hard post frontal day with north winds. I really don't want to go out in that cold but my client has a tournament later this year and we need to look at the cover he is going to be fishing before the water comes up. We will run 50 miles today looking at cover. I turned 57 years old last week. My bones are going to ache today and I am gonna be cold until late this evening...and then I have to it all over again tomorrow and again the next day. Anyway, I was sitting here having my coffee and dreading the cold today....seems I sure notice it more than I did 10 years ago....when I read this string. After I read it I remembered why I love this job....it is the people I get to spend time on the water with...I want to thank you guys for thinking of me.

By the way, I know Fred and he is a great guide!!

[Chubminnow]

Dave Stewart - Where's your home front at? What I mean is, if someone wanted to hook up with you where would he meet you at? Also, do you have a contact number? I liked reading your post on this thread, it gives me an entirely new perspective on how a guide feels verses how I might feel when fishing with a guide. While I'm laid back and ready for a day of leisure, that doesn't necessarily mean the guide feels the same way.

The same goes for Fred, any one have contact information for him or know where you would meet him at if you hired him for a day? I always thought he guided on the Cumberland River from somewhere down in Tennessee. Does he come up into the Kentucky section? How far down in Tennessee is he located?

As for the Cumberland being the easiest river to catch fish on in the summer, that's probably true for just about anytime of year. There's nothing wrong with fish being easy to catch, in fact that's the one thing that probably keeps me stagnant as far as the bodies of waters I fish. I find that I mostly fish the Cumberland River and a 3-acre farm pond not to far from my house. I can go to either one of these places and never fail to catch fish. Granted, sticking to these places doesn't make me very knowledgable or well rounded in the fishing arena, but none the less it sure is fun when I go.

I have hired one guide in my life. About ten years ago my dad and I hired Randy Gibson for a day of striper fishing on the Cumberland River...we didn't catch any fish that day although we did have a fish come up and make one heck of a boil on top of the water where we were pulling our bait through. I didn't hire Randy so much for catching the fish as I did to be able to learn something from him such as what type of bait he used, the technique involved, the area to fish, etc...at the end of the day I could tell Randy was a little bummed because we didn't catch fish, probably more so than we were because we enjoyed the day out anyway.

When it comes to fishing, it's all good.

[redneckshadrap]

"Fred and Dave are great...but not that great"

They sure stay awfully busy....



Redneckshadrap
www.thecreekbank.com
[email protected]

[plowboy]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Mar-22-06 AT 11:49AM (EST)[/font][p]Yes, redneckshadrap they sure stay busy. When I called Fred he had two or three days open until June. Most of the good guides have a pretty long waiting list.

Trophy Guide Service: Tennessee
Fred McClintock Guides in both Tennessee and Kentucky Waters of the Cumberland River for Trout or Stripers and both sides of Dale Hollow for smallmouth and muskie.
6422 Livingston Hwy
Celina, TN 38551
Phone: 931-243-2142 email [email protected]

Dave Stewart
Bass Buster Guide Service
Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley
(270) 354-5039
[email protected]

Don't go to Canada where you can catch 100 bass a day because they never see a lure hardly, that would be too much like cheating. What would be the challenge Just joking, I'd love to go some day. It would be a blast. But until then Call Dave or Fred or one of the other fine guides that I have yet to meet.

[plowboy]

One more note. One thing that both of these fishermen showed me was how to get off the bank. Most of us (me anyway) always looked for something to cast to, log, laydown, bridge, rip rap, docks, etc. They were very good at showing how to hit hidden stump beds, grass, drop offs, channel edges, etc. Nothing wrong with fishing the traditional stuff but you can catch alot of fish further from shore during the right conditions. Dave watched me carolina rig a lizard and after politely correcting my retrieve I caught a bass the very next cast. Now that's good instruction. Also lots of times it looked like Fred was in the middle of the lake when actually he was fishing the edge of a large flat where it dropped into deeper water. I have seen some post that you must have 4-6 lbs line and small lures on Dale Hollow and was surprised to find out many of the largest smallies are caught on very large baits while musky fishing.

[thebassman30]

You guys continue to misinterpret and further misrepresent my postings. You both need to get out from behind that computer and jack some jaws...now....today!

Clarification:
I always check Dave's report before I go to KY and have thought about hiring him. I got nothing but love the Bass Buster. Plus he's put people on sooooo many 10+lbers. What's the total up to now Dave 26-27? Strong!

I've learned more from articles written w/comments from Fred than any other guide. I also think John Davis is another fantastic option based on recent reports.

That has got to be one of the toughest jobs....period.
Thanks guys for sticking with it for such little compensation!
Nothing but love and respect!!