No-Boat Bass Fishing

Editor's Note: For 32 years, Jackie Thompson of Eufaula, Alabama, has fished and guided on Lake Eufaula along the Alabama-Georgia border. He has helped many tournament anglers win tournaments. He has guided other fishermen to the biggest bass of their lifetimes and taught others how to catch fish. Thompson's winning personality, his knowledge of the lake and his ability to teach fishing have made him one of the most sought-after guides in the nation.

QUESTION: Jackie, don't you take out a lot of fishermen who don't own boats?
ANSWER: Yes, I have many people ride with me who don't want to own boats or take a lot of tackle with them when they go on a bass-fishing trip. These anglers can hire a bass guide and simply show up when they want to go fishing. Then, they have everything provided for them. Hiring a guide is a good way to get into bass fishing if you're not sure whether you want to be a bass fisherman. The guide generally will have the boat, the life jackets, the tackle, the bait, the rods and reels and everything else you may need for a day of fishing. You just have to show up and pay a fee for the day. Hiring a guide is the most carefree way to bass fish and the way that many anglers prefer to learn and enjoy the sport.

QUESTION: If I hire you as my guide, what will you provide for me?
ANSWER: I will provide whatever you want to fish with. If you like bait-casting rods and reels, then I'll provide bait-casting tackle. If you feel more comfortable with spinning tackle, then I'll have it for you. If you're a beginner, I'll have closed-faced spinning reels for you to learn how to cast. I will also provide the lures and baits that I believe will make you the most successful on the day you fish with me.

QUESTION: Why is hiring a guide the cheapest way to go bass fishing?
ANSWER: When you hire a guide, you don't have to buy any of the tackle you need for a day of fishing. You don't have to buy and maintain a boat motor, a trailer or a depth finder. You only have to bring what you want to eat and drink to go fishing. When you get out of the boat at the end of a day, you don't have to clean up or put up anything. You just go home.

QUESTION: Does an angler have a better chance at success when he fishes with a guide than he does when he takes his own equipment to the lake?
ANSWER: An angler with a guide improves his chances by about 100 percent. A guide fishes on the lake almost every day, so he should know where the fish hold and what they bite.

QUESTION: What do you do on the days that the bass don't bite?
ANSWER: My fishermen have one of two choices: we can continue to fish for the bass that won't bite or we can go after some fish that will. If the bass don't bite, we'll fish for crappie. If the bass don't bite artificial lures, then the crappie probably won't either. I would then go get a bucket of minnows and try to catch crappie from underwater brush piles. I know where to find those spots. If we fish in the summer months, we might put out some jugs and catch some catfish or try to find some schooling hybrid saltwater striped bass. If you fish with me and tell me that you just want to catch fish, then I'll find some kind of fish for you to catch. I can usually catch some kind of fish in a day of fishing.

To contact Jackie Thompson, write to him at 110 Marina Drive, Eufaula, Alabama 36027, or call him at (334) 687-9595.