If you have gone fishing more than once you know what I’m talking about: one day you catch fish almost every place you stop to fish; the next day not even a nibble.
What happened? “That’s fishing,” you tell yourself and head home, reminding yourself of the bumper sticker that says philosophically, “A bad day fishing is better than a good day working.”
We who fish as a hobby generally take getting “skunked” in stride.
However, what if getting “skunked” affects somebody else? What if someone has paid you money to show them how to catch fish and you don't catch many? This is a reality professional fishing-guides face. How do they handle it? What do you tell a customer when all things fail to produce?
For an answer to those questions I called one of Lake Lanier’s best known full-time fishing guides, Jim “Jimbo” Mathley.
Jimbo said that he wants to make a trip with him about more than just catching fish. He wants to create fishing memories and instill fishing knowledge.
“First of all I want to understand the talent level of the angler I’m dealing with,” Jimbo began.
During the warm weather months clients range the spectrum of ability levels, from people who fish regularly to folks who have never held a fishing rod (only diehard fisherman book his services during January).
When first-timers meet him at the boat ramp many only know what they have seen on TV, Jimmy Houston or Bill Dance catching a huge bass on every other cast. The reality is that the sport is called “fishing” and not “catching” for a reason.
Jimbo said he begins the guide trip with the basics: learning about the individual’s fishing ability and expectations. He often watches a person cast and retrieve a bait. That tells him what his task will entail.
“Also I start every trip with ‘What are your expectations, what do you want to accomplish?’” he added. “I ask them if they just want to catch fish or if they want to learn a specific technique or just what they hope to do.”
A 19th century proverb attributed to a British authoress says: Give a man a fish and you feed him for the day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. That adage is part of Jimbo’s business model.
“On the days that the fish aren’t biting great I always make sure they learn something. Most people really want to apply what they get from me to the times when they go fishing on their own.”
But what about when you know it’s going to be a tough challenge to meet their fishing expectations? What do you do then?
“If the bite is just awful and there’s nothing we can do,” Jimbo explained, “I will typically tell them in advance. I’ve actually delayed a few trips for people who wanted to come with me in August,” Jimbo said.
But if they still insist they want to go, “I’ve used live bait in the past. I use spot tail minnows which you have to net…you actually have to use a cast net to acquire them…and that in itself can be a learning experience.”
Jimbo said that in all his years of guiding he has never had a client so unhappy with the overall fishing experience that they didn’t want to pay his fee. That he attributes to making the day on the lake a pleasant experience and a learning opportunity.
In retrospect, some of my fondest fishing memories involve the excitement of the trip and the time spent with my father. I honestly do not remember the fish we caught; in fact, we may have been “skunked” a time or two. The overall experience is what has stayed with me a half-century later.
With the spectacular autumn weather ahead of us I can think of no better way to spend a day than learning to catch fish on Lake Lanier, and Jimbo would be the person with whom to spend it.
Give him a call at (770) 542-7764 and make some memories.
