We have never gone salmon fishing before so I was nervous about being on a boat by myself with 3 young children who were 5, 8, and 11. I looked up guides online and called them in hopes of booking a trip to Buoy 10. However, each guide turned us away saying that the 5 and 8 year olds were too young to be on their boats, yet on their websites it said they loved kids and welcomed them. Then I found A Better Catch Guide Service on Groupon. Expecting to be turned away again, Willy said he loved kids and welcomed them. In fact, he said teaching kids how to fish is why he still does this today. I looked up his website and was amazed by his credentials yet when we met him, he was the most down to earth humble man you will ever meet. He showed up waiting for us on time with a smile on his face. It was nice that we had the whole boat to ourselves. Willy made us feel so welcomed and he truly did enjoy fishing with my children. He even taught them the "fish dance."
Well that "fish dance" worked. The kids caught 6 salmon that were keepers (10 total if we counted the natives we had to let go) when other guides were still trying to catch the first one for their clients. I saw the guides who I called (their names were plastered all over their boats) and was so happy that we didn't fish with them. It was jammed packed like sardines and no one caught any fish or looked like they were having any fun. We screamed with joy each time we caught a fish and you could see them staring at us wishing they had our guide. We were doing so well that those guides all called up Willy for tips. Willy told us he had taught those guides to fish when they were young kids, long before they became guides, but obviously Willy kept some secrets to himself.
There is no point in paying the other guides $200 a person to maintain their fancy boats when you can pay half that and catch more fish with Willy. My friend went out fishing the same day we did with another guide, the same guide he has used for years, paid the $200 and only caught 1 fish. In fact, he was the only one on the entire boat who walked away with a salmon. He told me there were a lot of unhappy people and his guide looked stressed out. He felt really bad for him. I'm guessing he was one of the guides that called Willy.
When I asked Willy why he sets his rate so low compared to the other guides, he said it was the right thing to do in order to share his love of fishing with others. Willy does this because he loves it; his passion is to teach others, but especially kids how to fish. He even volunteers every year to teach kids how to fish on free fishing days.
Judy, his wife, is extremely kind and went out of her way to accommodate us with our booking. I was so impressed with both Willy and Judy that I booked another trip this coming Wednesday. With the money we saved by booking with them instead of the more expensive and ineffective guides, we are able to have two trips for the price of one. We now have another day to create memories that will last a lifetime.
I highly recommend A Better Catch Guide Service to anyone. We caught six fish to my friend's one. My friend says he's going to call Willy the next time he goes fishing instead of his guide. If you want to catch fish and have a great time, you should too. read more
