Striper Guides On Lake Cumberland

[gmanwilder]

I have an Uncle coming to visit in April and I would like to book a Striper Fishing trip for him and I. I have not fished Cumberland so I would lake to take a guide trip first for Stripers. Can anyone recommend a good, honest guide fro that lake??? Post it here or contact me at [email protected]

[steve_o]

http://www.stripertime.com/

I like this one but there are a lot of good ones. I would also recommmend this one http://www.fishlakecumberland.com/about.html

[mhall]

Bates guide service.

[elnutsmalljaws]

Gerald Bates of Bates Guide Service is one of the if not the best on the lake. Very honest and will help you in anyway possible before, during and after the trip.

Tight Lines

[apb]

I agree with the above two, Bates would be my first choice. Had several trips with him. Works hard to put you on fish and knows what he is doing.

Andrew

[striperfishin]

just throwing my two cents in. i do not like fishing in April. March has always been more productive to me. or May and June.

[Technonorb]

>I have an Uncle coming to
>visit in April and I
>would like to book a
>Striper Fishing trip for him
>and I. I have not
>fished Cumberland so I
>would lake to take a
>guide trip first for Stripers.
>Can anyone recommend a good,
>honest guide fro that lake???
>Post it here or contact
>me at [email protected]

[Technonorb]

I too have fished with Gerald and he is probably the most familiar with the lake and seasonal patterns, but I am also looking to schedule a trip soon and I would recommend taking a look at www.stripertime.com. Have never booked with these guys but with me the proof is in the pictures. Gerald Bates lake and striper knoledge was unbeleivable but personally like I said above I would give real consideration to stripertime based on current success. Maybe Gerald is doing as well and not getting his pix on his website, give him a call and check. He is a great and honest guy.

[apextrail]

I booked a couple trips several years ago with Nancy Guide service (Tim Tarter) and had good success. I think our guides name was Gary Anger. Really enjoyable trips and caught good fish.

[striperfishin]

i agree about STRIPERTIME. I fished him november a few years ago. He put us on fish instantly and ANSWERED ALL QUESTIONS. The fish and the education was worth the price. We caught our limit in about 4-5 hours. Great personality.

[thebassman30]

We used a guide named Mica....can't remeber his last name....he put us on fish. When I went, I thought we might be doing a little more fishing than dragging l2 lines of live bait. Now I know....

Which brings me to a very important topic. Before you hire a guide you need to ask a ton of questions. Good guides will typically submit to you a list of expectations, do's and don'ts, what to bring, etc.

I'm absolutely shocked at how reasonable guides are based on how much fisherman are willing to invest in boats, trucks to tow them, rods, reels and bait. Since I'm in marketing, I'd advise a guide that is overbooked to charge at least 25-50% more than his nearest competitor just to differentiate their services. Then book fewer trips or book the same and market yourself more. Train an apprentice with non-compete agreement. Finally....realize what business you are in....what I mean is you are not in the catching business. You are in the entertainment business. I've heard more stories of people who hired guides and never caught a fish...yet were extremely happy with their experience.

I'll probably bum some people out by saying this stuff....sorry guys....I'll quit posting from work.
Mark

[apb]

Good point on contacting the guide in advance and getting more details on how you will be fishing, etc. Most likely, if you are fishing in April it will start early morning and you will be pulling bait behind planers or possibly bottom fishing.

Andrew