Hi my name is Jimmy Everett. My day actually starts when I get in off the water. Keep in mind the time varies during the year, and it can range from 6pm during the winter and early spring to as late as 9pm in the summer time. This is where the work starts, when I tell my clients good-bye for the night and head off to the gas station to fill up the bass boat and truck for the next day of fishing. Hopefully I have enough oil for the motor or it’s a late night trip to Walmart. After a few late night trips you learn to buy a lot of oil at one time. After the bass boat is ready for the next day’s fishing trip it is parked in the storage and batteries put on charge for the night. I then have to take all the rods that need to be restrung into the house so I can get them ready for in the morning. When I walk thru the door it’s time to spend a little time with my kids before they are off to bed. Once that is finished I then hurry to reline the reels that need line and make all the phone calls that I need to make such as potential clients who called for trips and sponsors to give them updates on how things are going. As soon as I’m off the phone it’s on the Internet to answer any emails I get throughout the day. When that is wrapped up its off to the shower to bathe so I will smell good he next day (can’t smell bad for the fish). By now it’s getting late and if I have to run to Walmart at this time it will be 11pm or later when I get back home. I make sure the alarm is set and it’s off to bed because 4:45 am comes early.
RING! RING! RING! It’s time to get up and throw on some clothes and make sure they are professional for that day. I make sure I have water for my clients and it’s off to Axton’s Bass City to meet my clients. When I arrive at the marina I make sure to rig up all the rods with the baits we need to fish for the day. By now my clients should have arrived and we step inside to have breakfast. During the time we eat I try to get to know my clients as good as I can so that I can be the most enjoyable person for them to be around that day. Some of the things I have to take into consideration are what kind of conversations to hold, how much fishing experience they have, and things like how to run the boat. Some like to go fast to see how a boat handles and younger people like the speed too, some want to just ride on plain and not fly across the lake.
When everyone is done it is time to launch, and get everyone in the boat and settled for the ride. From the time you arrive at the first spot until you get to the last spot it is work. You must teach people how to cast, how to work every type of bait you throw that day, telling them at each spot what they are fishing, why, and where to throw to, retying baits, taking off fish, getting pictures, and making sure they are having a good time. Take it into mind that you get some clients who get the Lake Fork hype and think we should be able to go out and catch 50 fish and 5 over 10lbs. These unrealistic dreamers are very tough to fish with. Imagine catching 25 to 30 fish a day for 2 weeks and all from 3-9lbs and then out of the blue the fish decide to shut down and you can only put 10 fish in the boat and not one is over 2lbs. It happens and it makes it very stressful for myself. I think to myself, You are a guide for a day so you know what we go thru everyday for the most part. Especially when the fish aren’t biting because it’s fishing not always catching.
Guide Jimmy Everett
www.fishinlakefork.com
903-765-3980
