Taking Strangers Fishing, Yay or Nay?

Most of the guys I fish with I’ve met here or westfly, but the only real sight unseen I’ve done have been the tuna trips organized here. Luckily everyone has been great. Have a few people on the board I’d love to fish with but just haven’t made connections work yet.

I have a drift boat and would like to use it more so I should just yolo it and throw out some open seats. Good thing there isn’t much fishing from the boat on the sandy or deschutes because it would grind my gears to row someone around all day without fishing myself since I’m not letting some random row my boat.
 
I've got a good buddy that used to run a non-profit organization in which he would take active duty and veteran military folks out on free guided fishing trips. He was telling me about a trip he did for a grumpy old Vietnam vet. I guess the bite was non-existant that day depite him working his ass off to get this guy onto a fish. At the end of the day, the old guy looks at him and instead of saying any words of thanks or appreciation, he goes, "Well...I guess you get what you pay for" and walks away. He walked away from the non-profit not long after that and ended up guiding for $ on the Madison.
 
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Matt B said:
I tried that with @Pink Nighty but it didn’t work. I’d cover a bunch of ground, look back and there he was, coming around the corner. So then I tried crossing the river, but he made it across, too. But only the first time.

😁😁😁

Pink Nighty

Post in thread 'In which Nighty bumbles through the hill country, and Matt B is par excellence.'

Honestly my favorite part of this thread is watching the mythology of the fish @Matt B caught on a different place in a location on different techniques grow. It's well deserved, mind you. IYKYK and the cool kids know 🤣🤣🤣
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I like to think of myself as the Michael Meyers (Halloween edition) of fishing. No matter how fast you run, I still walk!
 
Simple short answer, never. Why? You will only out your spot to a guy that wants to be the man for his buddies. There's nothing good in it for you. Can they row? Probably not. You then are a guide without the benefit of payment. No thanks. Fishing alone is when I've had my best days. It's different if they are vetted by mutual friends etc. I've taken people fishing from here and had good experiences. But Facebook? I won't even talk about fishing on Facebook. Unless of course I need to institute a massive disinformation campaign to keep my water vacant of idiots on the myriad hot spotting groups that exist there. Facebook is like Craigslist. You need to be legitimately concerned about murder, rape, rape of your water. No way says I. Let the power bait people constipate trout on the local pond til they shit glitter. That's where they belong. There and Washington fishing with river names on Facebook. Those two places are perfect for them. In my boat, never
 
Scene--you're at a dinner party where you "kinda" know the other couples

Wife's friend says to me "Josh, so you fish a lot, my husband Randy is a big fisherman!"

Oh really...

You should take him out sometime, he has his own pole and everything...

Ehhhh, I think I have to wash my hair...
 
I honestly don't even like fishing with my buddies all that much. When I'm riding solo every decision is up to me without having to debate or whatever. If I want to hit up a spot, I hit up a spot. If I want to move, I can move - plus there's the added benefit of not having to talk to someone haha
 
Millsfly said:
Scene--you're at a dinner party where you "kinda" know the other couples

Wife's friend says to me "Josh, so you fish a lot, my husband Randy is a big fisherman!"

Oh really...

You should take him out sometime, he has his own pole and everything...

Ehhhh, I think I have to wash my hair...
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"He calls it a pole? Nope" :ROFLMAO:
 
I’ve met some good friends that I first fished with as strangers.
I’ve also had some interesting experiences fishing with strangers, one guy in particular.
First trip was to the Yakima. He asked for advice, I offered suggestions and he did the total opposite of anything I suggested. He certainly didn’t have to listen to me and was free to do as he pleased, so I figured it was a one off. There was a nice hatch going on and I said let’s move upstream to a nice piece of water that had always produced fish. He said ok but never moved from the water he was fishing. I never saw him again until the end of the day. I’m not sure what he did the rest of the day but he said he didn’t catch any fish.
Fast forward a couple of weeks. He’s never caught a beach coho. He asks for suggestions which I provide. A nice sweet rip had formed right off the point on the beach. I told him to start at the head of the rip and to fish down through it. He immediately walks over and starts fishing the frog water on the opposite side of the point.
The final trip was for steelhead. He’d never caught one of those either. I picked him up and he walks out with a tackle box and a net that could handle a 60 lb Kenai king.
I said leave the tackle box and net in the car as you don’t want to be carrying that as we hike up the river. Same drill as the Yakima. Never moved. When I finally got back to him, he was soaked from apparently falling in and damn near hypothermic.
I gave it three tries at that point but gave up after that and never fished with him again.
SF
 
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Dez said:
I honestly don't even like fishing with my buddies all that much. When I'm riding solo every decision is up to me without having to debate or whatever. If I want to hit up a spot, I hit up a spot. If I want to move, I can move - plus there's the added benefit of not having to talk to someone haha
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Yea, I’ve got one buddy who I’ve fished with since the 90’s. He, and I, are on the same wavelength, and know each other about as well as fishing buddies can. There’s been others, but they haven’t stuck for the long haul. I like the predictability.

I like fishing with my family too, but I’ve come to realize they aren’t as “into it”…..so I’ve learned to slow down and incorporate other things in my trips with them.

Beyond that, there is something special about being on a river by yourself. I love moving at my own pace, and solving the days puzzle, with no consideration for anyone else’s agenda. I’m pretty good spending 3 days alone on the Lower D…I may start talking to myself by day 3 though
 
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Scottybs said:
Bring a flask of whiskey and a few cigars, I would row any of you around… strangers/family/those who have never fly fished… deal breaker.
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I have always brought those along, usually some beer too! Plus I'll offer to help clean up the boat if we drift and bring lunch stuff!

I've taken many new guys out over the years and been lucky to have a good time for the most part. That being said, just going out when I have or make the time is easier alone most of the time. Plus I fish mainly during the week, with a few exceptions.

I did take a seat with a guy on the Yakima who insisted on floating down the river broadside. I kept telling him to stay at 45 degrees and point the boat at whatever you wanted to avoid. He didn't like my "advice".. never heard from him again..
 
You may never know you've chosen the right fishing partner, but you always know when you've chosen the wrong one.

One of my nightmare scenarios is bringing someone out on a float and one of the first things they ask is: "So how long do you think we'll be out?"

I fished with a work colleague and he was very hesitant at first to take me for this same reason. I assure him that I willingly (and often do) fish from 'Can't See to Can't See'.
 
I've tried to be on the opposite side once. Had some free time last summer, responded to an open seats post (on the other forum Evan mentioned) to go out for tuna. Guy got in contact with me, gave me the info and expectations, it all sounded good. He was so organized he even had it all written up - I was reading through it, saw his wife's name and pics of his boat (same make/model I've gone out with All Rivers on). I'm like, hey wait, I recognize the name and the pic of the boat. Is your wife X - I worked with her for years, say hi for me! He responds yes, that's my wife. Never heard from him again. Maybe he quit fishing?
 
Complete stranger: Nay. Other than back in my guiding days.

In my shop/host days I fished with some great people and a few that I wouldn't walk around the block with for the sake of business.

I've fished with a few guys that I met through different FF bulletin boards, most were great, some didn't have much game but were open to ideas. Some were obstinate and just couldn't get on board with what works - it's a lot more fun at dinner to talk about a successful day's fishing than to avoid the topic altogether.

I look at this way, if I wanted to row a stranger around all day, I could just ask anglers already fishing on the way to the put in - at least those guys are on time / already there and have their own gear.

As far as guys who know I have a boat and offer to row so I can fish too, PASS! I used to have a hanging sign on the back of the front seat, facing the rower's seat with six-inch block letters stating D.H.S. It didn't stand for Dept. of Homeland Security; it stood for Don't Hit Shit!
It didn't work, newbs always get distracted by the fishing and forget they're in the driver's seat.
 
Millsfly said:
Scene--you're at a dinner party where you "kinda" know the other couples

Wife's friend says to me "Josh, so you fish a lot, my husband Randy is a big fisherman!"

Oh really...

You should take him out sometime, he has his own pole and everything...

Ehhhh, I think I have to wash my hair...
Click to expand...
Women trying to pair men as nan friends over percieved common interests are the worst types of interactions. We're not the same. A River Runs Through It should have taught them that. Men will make friends on their own if they need to. I personally don't need anymore friends unless there's a real positive connection there. You can't have that without authentic interaction. Just cause the ladies are friends doesn't mean we like each other too. In fact I loathe that worm chucking, loud assed, pot bellird, Harley riding blowhard like a root canal. I'm civil because you like his wife, nothing else. If we never had to see them again my life would be better for it. Stop trying to make us hang out.
 
I joined several folks for an extended backpacking (and fishing) trip once. In the months before leaving we ironed out all the details like where to meet, when, what to bring, and rough itineraries for those in the group. I planned on driving solo. The drive was several hours and I wanted to pit stop leisurely along the way.

Well a week before departure one member of the group was looking for a ride there and back. Even as I was volunteering to do it something in my head was screaming not to. I did it anyway.

Hours in the truck listening to this guy’s vast knowledge and experience. He’s been there, done that. Oh btw, he says, can we make some stops in town I need to build a sleeping bag. Um…ok. Later that night the group gathered for beers to talk about route options and lakes. It was then I learned my carpool buddy didn’t have a map. I let it go.

So the day comes and we start the hike. No hike ever starts at the top of the mountain, you gotta climb it, you should expect it. Well my buddy, with no map or clue, makes it about :30 minutes before grinding to a halt. He’s hot…and out of water. I’m thinking this can’t be real. I budgeted my water purposefully to get me there with none to spare. Still, I give him my water, he’s acting like death is near. He takes my water and pours it over his head.

So at this point he bows out. I run things thru my head. My obligation to this guy was safe transportation to and from the trailhead. I did my part, the first half at least. We had parked next to a lake. The group suggested he just camp there. He had food, water was available, and he could fish. He was after all a skilled fly angler. He grudgingly admits it’s his best option, but wanted my truck keys “in case I need to go into town or something.” I laughed and declined that idea.

Never saw him again. When I got back to our motel the woman that ran it said he returned to town and was an annoyance for local shopkeepers. He somehow wrangled a ride back home. All that and not even an offer to cover gas $. I didn’t insist on it, I was going there anyway, but still.

Never ever again.
 
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