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Guarantee:

Guarantee: 

 "Do you guarantee we will catch fish?"

I do not guarantee that you will catch fish. No guide can.

There are guides that guarantee that if you don't catch fish, you don't pay. That is not the same thing.

I will guarantee that I will give you the best chance there is, to catch Stripers on the day you are booked.

There are guides that offer a "No fish, no pay" guarantee but I do not. Let me explain why...

    Ask any guide you choose exactly what their "no fish no pay" policy means. With some guides it means if you catch a single fish then that's the guarantee.   I won't lie to you and tell you we catch tons of fish every single day. There are times when we catch 60 fish in an hour or less and there are times when it takes all day to get 20.  

A lot of guides quit fishing as soon as your limits are caught with no chance of catch and release and even small fish count towards your limits.  Since they always quit fishing as soon as limits are caught, they are off the water early on most days proud of the fact that they got back to the marina so fast. This means they don't use that much fuel and the fact that they do two trips a day,   they can afford to give free trips away when the fishing is slow.

They brag that they are back at the docks in an hour.  (This is also the number one complaint I hear about the guides that my new customers no longer use.) If you want to get done as soon as possible hey, I'd love to be done early also, who wouldn't? That just isn't what the majority of people that come fishing want.  I try to keep my groups out as long as I can. We will toss back all lip hooked fish that are healthy and will survive if you want. Some days we only keep the injured fish and let all the rest go.  

  The bottom line is that guides that give free trips have increased their profits to the point that giving away trips does not hurt them like it does me.

To be able to afford to do free trips, I would have to do some cost saving things like other guides do.......

  • They do two trips a day, I don't.  If they are on the water for 8 hours, They've got 2 groups to charge for gas. I keep one group out the same amount of time but only get paid once to do it.
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  • For some, if you catch one or two fish, then that voids their guarantee. I won't play that game.
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  • They end the trip as soon as you catch your limits, I don't. Most of the time, fishing is good and if we are catching 40 fish an hour, you can see how quick your trip would be over with them. If they do this day in and day out, you can see the fuel savings they have.  I don't run you back to the dock as soon as you catch your ten fish. I let you catch and release uninjured fish. Over the course of a year, my fuel costs are quite a bit more than other guides.
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  •  They  don't run around much looking for fish. I've had some complaints about guides just barely leaving the marina, dropping anchor and sitting there all day. I spend as much gas moving around looking for fish as needed.
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  • They charge for lost rods and lures, I don't. Almost every guide on the lake charges $150.00 for rods if you lose one, and up to $7.99 for lost lures. 
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  • They charge for no shows, I don't. If you show up with fewer people than you had originally booked, a lot of guides charge you a no show fee.
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  • They don't carry the required insurance and license, I do. Guide insurance is not cheap and most guides on the lake don't have any. I carry over the minimum amount required. 
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  • They book multiple groups together to maximize the head count on every trip, I don't. Your group will be the only group on the boat for that day. I won't add strangers to your group, just to make more money.
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  •  If the fish are healthy, I let you catch and release.  but not charge you for the extra fish you catch, or the extra time spent on the water after your limits are met. This uses more baits, gas and time. Over the course of a year, this adds up to extra expenses for me. If I let you catch 3 times you limits of fish, this means you will use 3 times the bait that other guides use.

What I'm getting at, is that the cost of offering you a longer, better trip  costs me so much that I can't give away free trips if the fish stop biting. 

  Fortunately for you and me, not getting limits is the rare exception to the norm. It does happen though to every guide on the lake, whether they admit it or not. Some months of the year are great and other months it slows down. Knowing those months and booking your trip accordingly will increase your chances of great fishing.

 If the fish bite is aggressive and we are getting a lot of gut hooked fish, we will quit fishing as soon as we get our limits of injured fish. I will never throw back an injured fish. It is illegal and not the right thing to do.

I want to be upfront so you know what to expect and are not disappointed or surprised once we are out on the water.

If high winds or lightning hamper our chances of catching fish I will discuss a discount or re-scheduling a free trip as it happens. 

Sounds like a pretty fair deal to me.

Since I am on the water a lot each week, I know where the fish are usually located and what they've been biting. I keep in touch with other guides and we share valuable information on their feeding habits and locations. I try to "scout" out areas if I happen to be off the water more than a couple of days in a row. This helps keep the slow days to a minimum but during certain times of the year, (like spawn) fish have other things on their mind and fishing can slow down.

  • I guarantee that I will keep myself updated on feeding habits and locations on a daily basis.
  • I guarantee that I will do all prep work ahead of time to get you actually fishing as soon as possible. I will catch bait BEFORE you arrive, so valuable fishing time isn't wasted looking for Shad.
  • I guarantee that I will take you to where I believe the fish are at, no matter how far we have to go. I won't put fuel usage concerns above your fishing.
  • I guarantee that I will do everything I know to do, to get fish in the boat.
  • I guarantee that I will do the extra things like take ALL of the red line out of your fillets when I clean them. I won't make you do it. 
  • I guarantee that I will try my hardest to make you feel at home and like you are wanted and appreciated as a customer.
  • I guarantee that I will act in a professional and courteous manner toward you and your family and friends.
  • I guarantee that your group will be the only group on the boat. I will never book multiple groups to fish at the same time. 
  • I guarantee that you will fish with me, not another guide that works for me.
  • I guarantee that your safety is my number one concern and I will never put you at unnecessary risk.
  • I guarantee that you will get your money's worth when it comes to amount of time spent on the water.   I no longer do two trips a day.  
  • I cannot  guarantee that the fish will bite great every single day.
  • Your total satisfaction is my goal.  Becoming a repeat customer and referring me to your family and friends is crucial.

All I ask is that you question which ever guide you choose and make sure you know what your trip will include. Or not include.

I've included this page so you know exactly what kind of trip you will get when you book with me. I don't play word games and want you to enjoy your trip without any surprises.

The fact is, there are months and days when the fish don't feed as well as other days. To continue to offer the extras that I do when the bite is good, I can not offer a free trip if the fishing is slow.

 If you want to re-schedule or cancel your trip because of fishing conditions, I will refund your deposit 100% if you do so outside of 14 days of your booked day. If you re-schedule within 14 days, I'll try to re-book your trip, if I can, I'll refund your deposit. If I can't then it is non-refundable.

I hope this page helps you choose the trip you are looking for. My high number of repeat customers, testimonials and pictures speak for themselves.

Tyler Cates

Blue Water Striper Guide Service

 

 

 

1.  Lake Texoma is a big body of water that can produce big swells very quickly. I have a boat that can handle rough water and keep you from getting beat up and wet, but there are limits. I don't like to fish in winds in excess of 25mph.  I can usually find calm water out of the wind, but we will always leave at the first sign of lightning.

2. High winds and lightning will keep us off the water but other conditions won't.  If there is rain, snow, sleet, fog, cold and hot temps, we fish.

3. My boat has the latest equipment, including: Marine Radio, Weather Radio, Cell Phone, First aid kits, Flotation devices for everyone on board. Its the law that children 13 and under must wear a life jacket while underway, this law will be enforced.

 Texoma Sunset

To book a trip today, send me an email at okiegator1222@gmail.com, call me at 620-741-4034, or fill out the registration form.