Carp Guide??

Rob Allen said:
Carp are absolutely everywhere near me. Maybe i should get my guides license. But I ain't touching one...:) I suppose I should try for them seems super easy to me unless they are picky.
I think a day with Evan and Clarkman would be a much better investment than a guide trip
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I'll come up your way and show you how to catch them. I'll even touch them for you 😂
 
farofffisher said:
Just to be clear I dont dispute "experience" for me its about the math.
If I put some folks in my boat to guide my costs are the same concerning
liability etc. whether "full" or "half day'
What changes in my mind is the hourly rate I pay for the guides time.
Just for kicks imagine as a guide I have a "full day" booking.
I get ONE "full day" fee for lets say $500 bucks.
But if I charge $350 for a "half day" I can run two "half day" trips and earn $700 vs $500.
I think guides at PEAK times,
such as Buoy 10 for instance, love the opportunity for "half day"
bookings.
Cant blame them for trying to make a living.
I just think its disingenuous to call it "half day" when you compare it to "full day"
related to fee.
Other folks may have a different point of view.
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They dont run two half day trips. Try and book the "second half".
 
Half days have always been more than half of a full day service. You can look at this way. Get a window installed for 1000 bucks or get two installed for 1500.00. But you’re not gonna get one installed for 750.00. There’s built in costs/start up costs and it applies to each job performed regardless if one window or two or if a 4 or 8 hour job. That start up cost might include getting the boat ready for the day, the gear, the fuel needed for the boat and the transportation to and from the fishing site, overhead costs, etc. Those type of things don’t change. Let’s pretend those costs/charges to be 200.00. Now comes the hour rate let’s say 50/hour. Half day = $400. (200 start up and 200 hourly 4 hours…..full day = $600. (200 start up and 400- hourly 8 hours) The hour rate is the same.

Also a guide taking a half day he might be losing out on a full day. He/might get two half days but I think that is unusual. I’m sure they figured out what they need in dollars to make it worth their while to guide for a half day.
 
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All the guides in my area are around $450 1/2 day, 600 full day. The full day is lunch and 2-3 more hours of work. Same shuttle fees gas etc…

Nate @ Skookum outfitters runs some carp trips I believe. He’s a solid guy, probably has the same math issues though.. 😉
 
I found a spot half hour from my house loaded with carp. I’ve fished it a half dozen times, emptied my fly box at them still with no luck. Undeterred I plan to go back this season when the ice comes off and keep trying. I know there are carp guides around but I think I’m content to keep at it until I can figure them out. I also don’t think I’d spend $500-$700 on a guide for carp, I’d rather spend that money on more toys even if it takes longer to actually catch one. Each to their own I suppose.
 
SovDog said:
I found a spot half hour from my house loaded with carp. I’ve fished it a half dozen times, emptied my fly box at them still with no luck. Undeterred I plan to go back this season when the ice comes off and keep trying. I know there are carp guides around but I think I’m content to keep at it until I can figure them out. I also don’t think I’d spend $500-$700 on a guide for carp, I’d rather spend that money on more toys even if it takes longer to actually catch one. Each to their own I suppose.
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Get a sinking fly of some sort - look at some bonefish flies as an idea. Or some kind of wormy-type fly with a bead head. Get it in front of the fish with their heads down, tails up waving at you. The ones just hanging out or mouthing the top of the water won't do much. Nor will the ones that are moving around. You have to find the comfy fish that are relaxed and vacuuming bugs off the bottom.
 
Evan B said:
Get a sinking fly of some sort - look at some bonefish flies as an idea. Or some kind of wormy-type fly with a bead head. Get it in front of the fish with their heads down, tails up waving at you. The ones just hanging out or mouthing the top of the water won't do much. Nor will the ones that are moving around. You have to find the comfy fish that are relaxed and vacuuming bugs off the bottom.
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What Evan says. Be super quiet if you are wading and use care when casting; don't line the fish, let your fly drop softly, don't splat it down. If that carp is waving its tail at you that's the perfect setup, cast a couple feet in front of the fish, let the fly sink and slowly strip the fly towards the fish. Look for the fishes tail to change angles as that might indicate he's picked up the fly. Have fun.

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I love finding evidence of carp rootin' around the bottom.
 
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SovDog said:
I found a spot half hour from my house loaded with carp. I’ve fished it a half dozen times, emptied my fly box at them still with no luck. Undeterred I plan to go back this season when the ice comes off and keep trying. I know there are carp guides around but I think I’m content to keep at it until I can figure them out. I also don’t think I’d spend $500-$700 on a guide for carp, I’d rather spend that money on more toys even if it takes longer to actually catch one. Each to their own I suppose.
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Evan B said:
Get a sinking fly of some sort - look at some bonefish flies as an idea. Or some kind of wormy-type fly with a bead head. Get it in front of the fish with their heads down, tails up waving at you. The ones just hanging out or mouthing the top of the water won't do much. Nor will the ones that are moving around. You have to find the comfy fish that are relaxed and vacuuming bugs off the bottom.
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This is good advice. The fish in the spot you describe are likely bad targets. From my experience, if that is the case, you can change flies all day long, and you still won't catch them. Move on to a different area and look for fish with the posture Evan describes. Close to the bottom, heads down, tails up, stationary and rooting or moving slowly looking for food.
 
Carp are best when face down, ass up
 
I can spook a cruiser just by looking at it, but it’s a real treat to be able to walk within a rods length of a happily feeding fish.
 
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