My First Attempt at Guiding- Part 2

 

Like I mentioned earlier, I know this pond pretty well.  I had no doubt that I could hook a few bass in the right spots but what I really wanted to know was whether I could put someone else on those same fish.  I kept the boat in advantageous positions based on where I thought the fish were and Corey's casting ability.  I really felt like a guide.  I encouraged good casts with the ubiquitous "Nice shot" comment and tried to not let him get down when he missed a bite.  Comments like "He's still there" and "You'll get the next one" were colloquialisms that also had to be said.  It should also be mentioned that Corey is a very accomplished angler and really handy with a fly rod.  For my first attempt at guiding, I was lucky to have a very good client!

In total, Corey landed 6 bass.  No monsters were boated, but none were dinks either.  They all fought pretty hard and had some beautiful color.  I ended up with fly rod for a little bit as well and landed one for myself before we had to pack up and head home.  I have to admit though, there were times that I really wanted to be the one casting rather than running the boat.  On the other hand, it was INCREDIBLY rewarding to watch Corey fish and have success with some of that based on what I was telling him.  It was similar to helping a student understand a difficult science concept in my class and seeing that light bulb come on when they finally understand.  It was a darn good feeling.

On the way to pick up Corey's truck, we both noted the machinery was still in the field near the pond that we had originally wanted to fish.  We both agreed that things probably turned out the exact way that nature (or whatever divine interventionist you believe in) had intended.  If you don't believe in things like that, I understand.  For me though, I would liken our situation as to either life giving us lemons to make lemonade or maybe someone or something nudged us in the direction that we needed to go.  I think my first successful attempt at guiding might have been a nudge in that direction as well.