IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
South Dakota => Ice Fishing South Dakota => Topic started by: IceAddict87 on Feb 06, 2021, 10:34 PM
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I’m heading up to South Dakota in 10 days and I was wondering about guided fishing. My experience with guides has been a mixed bag. Did a guided trip a few years ago and had a fairly good experience. The next time i used a guide that basically dropped us off in some hard side shacks and checked on us a few times through the day. I have all the equipment to go on my own and i prefer to go on my own but the one thing i value in a guide is their knowledge of the current bit pattern and what parts of the lake or lakes they are biting at. Has anybody paid a guide just to get them on some fish? That information would be worth something to me, pulling my shack drilling my holes and choosing the tackle is pretty straight forward.
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What body of water?
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We are going to be in the Waubay/Bitter area. Planning to fish several bodies of water in the area.
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Just wondering if you found any help or had any luck? We are thinking of heading up in the same area 26th of Feb. Any help would be great. Not looking for GPS locations.
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Maybe check with sportsman cove in Webster. Arties bait in Ortonville, MN will give you an idea where to go on big stone lake. As for guides, you could check with JR Anderson (JR's ice shack rentals), Joey Craft (Wild J's fishing adventures), Shane Guy (Shane's guide service), Matt West (Wild west outfitters) or Marcus Quam (Reel therapy guide service). There are more but that is who I would try.
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Quam is an awesome guide. I would recommend him but the others are great as well. Most of them have a two day minimum. That is because people come up with groups and one or two will go with a guide for the day and then bring all their friends and fish that spot the rest of the trip. Good way to piss off a guide.
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Ive talked to several guides and the standard rate for a tag along is around $125. Like i said we have all the gear and we are all experienced fishermen but knowing where they are biting would be a plus. We will find them it might just take a little extra time. Some of the guys coming up later in the week are getting a guide for a day so hopefully they can soak up some of the guides knowledge. Most of them are pretty casual ice fishermen so they might not pay attention.
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I'm not a fan of guides because more than once we have had guides(one mentioned on the thread) park their pickups within 10 yards of our pickup and then call after they got fish and half hour later 12 pickups were there. Their are some very shady guides now that just want to make a quick buck. If you are still thinking of doing a guide, i would tell your buddies to chip in for 1 person to get guided and then just text your buddies where the fish are. In my opinion guides are a waste of money unless you are in Alaska or the mountains. Best route is talk to the bait shops. Or be adventurous and find the spot yourself.
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My suggestion would be to look for the crowd on the ice. My son was in Minnesota visiting relatives last weekend and said when he was driving back home there were so many wheel houses coming here they looked like a train on the highway. I think they stay pretty mobile until they land on the fish.
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I think many of you guys are over thinking this. These lakes in SD are mostly basins with not much structure. And if there is structure the fish don't hold to that structure, they roam and move around and so should you. Go by some scoops of minnows and drill and drill until you find fish.
Its going to be awful out there after this cold spell that finally made good ice with warmer temps coming. With not a lot of snow cover to restrict access the thundering herds are going to be everywhere. It may be best to just sit and wait for everyone else to push the fish to you. Its going to be a zoo out there on some of these lakes.
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I think many of you guys are over thinking this. These lakes in SD are mostly basins with not much structure. And if there is structure the fish don't hold to that structure, they roam and move around and so should you. Go by some scoops of minnows and drill and drill until you find fish.
Its going to be awful out there after this cold spell that finally made good ice with warmer temps coming. With not a lot of snow cover to restrict access the thundering herds are going to be everywhere. It may be best to just sit and wait for everyone else to push the fish to you. Its going to be a zoo out there on some of these lakes.
Couldn't have said it better.
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I'm not a fan of guides because more than once we have had guides(one mentioned on the thread) park their pickups within 10 yards of our pickup and then call after they got fish and half hour later 12 pickups were there. Their are some very shady guides now that just want to make a quick buck. If you are still thinking of doing a guide, i would tell your buddies to chip in for 1 person to get guided and then just text your buddies where the fish are. In my opinion guides are a waste of money unless you are in Alaska or the mountains. Best route is talk to the bait shops. Or be adventurous and find the spot yourself.
UNBELIEVABLE