Funny you should mention this about resorts. When the first season I started writing my weekly report, I received a couple of phone calls from two resorts after I had published a report in which I had stated the crappie fishing was slow (this was during the spring). Both of these resorts called me to complain that they were getting some reservation cancellations because of my recent report. My response to both these calls was the same: "So are you telling these folks that are wanting to cancel their reservations that my report is wrong and that the bite is actually good?

I told them both that they know the bite is slow right now so why would you tell anyone different. They both replied that they were losing business because of my report of a slow bite. I told them both, that if you tell folks the bite is good, they will find out in short order when they get here that the bite is slow. All they have to do is talk to any of the locals here, which I am sure they will do after they go out and not catch much...when this happens you will lose your credibility and those folks won't be coming back again so the end result is your going to lose their repeat business as well as the business of all their friends etc. that they tell about what happened. I suggested to both callers that they should just be honest and tell those wanting to cancel their reservations that you would like to take their numbers and contact them when the bite picks up. I told them, if you do that, you will see these folks in the future and also get referals for your honestly.

I don't know if either of these folks took my advice, I am pretty sure that one of them did not as that person told me that I was no longer welcome to meet my clients at their resort dock. I told that person, that is fine, in return I will not recommend your resort to my future clients...which I had been doing. From that day on until I retired I never recommended that resort again to a client and I never met a client at that resort dock. I did get some folks for clients that were staying there but I would always have those folks meet me at a close by public ramp. This did not cost me any business but I have no doubt it cost that resort business from some of my future clients.

I will also say this: I never ever had a client cancel a reservation with me because I was reporting a slow bite. Folks will go fishing when they can, everyone does not have the option of going only when the bite is good. Certainly I guided a number of days over the years that the bite was slow. It is not always good. Ranks right up there with those that would call me and tell me they were considering hiring me for a day of fishing but before they did , they wanted to know how many bass over 5lbs they could expect to catch if they went out with me. That question told me that they know absolutely nothing about bass fishing and had been watching too many Saturday morning TV shows. Normally when I had someone do this, I would tell them I was booked up and refer them to one of the guides that was always reporting a great bite every time they wrote a report. One of these days I am going to write a book about this kind of stuff.