i Guide Club Blog Central

I Guide Club ’s Featured Guide - St. Helens, Oregon

Join Jay for a great day on the water. He will go all out to safely find the fish and make sure that you have a good time. All skill levels are welcome with Jay. He takes pride helping newer anglers find the love of fishing while treating them with the respect they deserve. The only fights will be with the bruiser fish. Share the good times, experience fishing in the Great Northwest waters, and meet some new fishing friends. Jay offer fishing trips for Salmon, Steelhead and Sturgeon in the Willamette, Columbia, and Coastal Rivers in NW Oregon.

Visit his page at I Guide Club here

November 2008

Fort Lauderdale Fishing - The Start of Sailfish Season!

Mid October was when we started seeing the occasional sailfish run through Fort Lauderdale, but within the past week, the sailfish bite has been consistent. These billfish are migrating from the North, heading South (our way, Ft Lauderdale), eating their way down. Generally, the bite is red hot from October - November. A few cold fronts have moved through the Ft Lauderdale area, triggering the bite.

The most common way to fish for sailfish is with live goggleeyes dangling from kites (No, not the kites you fly at the beach). The Lady Pamela II started off November right, catching 3 sailfish in one day this past weekend and it’s only looking to get better here in Fort Lauderdale.

Not only has the sailfish bite been going off, trolling for kingfish and slamming the mahi - mahi has been consistent, too. Wahoo, amberjacks and cobia are around offshore Ft Lauderdale as well. For the start of November, the mahi - mahi are still showing up in good numbers and the catches have been great. The dolphin are ranging anywhere from 6-9 lbs and we’re still averaging 5-10 fish per trip which is amazing.

The kings have been hit or miss (when it rains it pours?). One day the LP II will slam ‘em reaching their limit in no time, other days their isn’t a single kingfish in Ft Lauderdale. Live blue runners or planners with fresh strips in 90-140 ft of water is the trick.

The Wahoo have been biting around full moons with north current ripping in 150-450 ft of water, averaging anywhere from 10-15 lbs.

Ft Lauderdale houses several artificial reefs and ship wrecks. When dropping a fresh, bloody bonito, blue runner or speedo, it tends to works the best for the rod to bend over. It’s hard to say what your going to hook down there, maybe an amberjack, big grouper or the occasional bull shark?

Daytime Sword fishing is taking off here in Fort Lauderdale. Fishing in 1500-1800 ft of water with a variety of dead and live bait (Squid, Mackerel, Mullett and Tunas) on an electric reel, your likely to hook up with the Gladiator of the Sea. The swordfish is the toughest fighting fish in the ocean and with it’s cruel runs and deep dives, you won’t be disappointed. The Lady Pamela II set sail last week during the day and hooked up with a 200 lb’er. Wit h nighttime sword fishing picking up, you will find us out there frequently.


Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
Lady Pamela II

October has been good to us so far. Loads of mahi-mahi are being caught along with the occasional daytime Swordfish. King Mackerel, Wahoo and Black fin Tuna are showing up in good numbers here in Fort Lauderdale, too. A few Sailfish have been spotted. Our sailfish season this year was a little off, they didn’t leave until way late and are starting to show up again. Hey, we’re not complaining. September and October marks the start of Sailfish season because the baitfish pods are heading down from the North, and they tend to follow.

Tyler Stock and his gang from Indiana joined the Lady Pamela II crew for some South Florida Deep Sea fun. We headed out Port Everglades with rods in the water. Kings were hooked left and right. The Spanish Mackerels and Bonitos were around, too. After we reached out limit on those guys, we headed to a wreck and made a drop. We were successful; a small Amberjack ate the bait.

Kingfish are everywhere lately and we sure do catch our limit almost every trip. 8 - 10 lb’ers are common along with the occasional 15 - 20 lb’er. There are some nice ones being caught. Black fin Tuna’s have been small, little footballs, but every once and a while we catch some anywhere from 6 - 9 lb.

The Mahi - Mahi bite has been red hot offshore. Board’s and different types of debris drifting is a good sign. Baitfish hang around debris. Baitfish = Bigger fish. Anywhere from 500 - 800 ft of water is where we’ve been catching a majority of our dolphin. Fresh strips along with a milar skirt is the trick. Mahi - Mahi aren’t the only fish that hang around debris. Last week a buddy of mine, just fun fishing offshore, found a school of Wahoo underneath a board. He caught 10 nice ones all weighing in around 12 lbs.

Last week the Lady Pamela II went Daytime Sword fishing two days in a row. We fished 6-7 hours each time and not one bite. I got a few reports from friends of mine that went and it was fairly slow for them as well. There was one Sword caught during the day last week weighing in around 200 lbs.

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide

September 27th, 2008

The Frequent Flyer II crew headed out Port Everglades bright and early this morning with a full day of deep sea fishing ahead of them. There was a local tournament going on and most Lauderdale charter boats were involved in it. We ran 3 miles offshore to fertile grounds with trolling gear set and ready to go. We came across a nice edge in about 700 feet of water and immediately got a quadruple header of some real nice size mahi - mahi ranging anywhere from 18 - 25 lbs. With trolling gear back in the water the deep line went off. A small Wahoo really started pulling some line. The “wee-hoo” weighed in at 6 lbs.

Daytime sword fishing was next on the list. On the first drop the rod bent over. Captain Paul yelled down to Darin, the mate, “hit the button!” Electric reels are a beautiful thing when the bait is down 1800 feet. No swordfish for the FF II, it was a 14 foot Thresher shark. We still wanted to catch a sword so we made our second drop, waited about 20 minutes and the rod bent over. We couldn’t believe our eyes, it was an 11 foot Thresher shark. Thresher sharks are a very rare catch and two back to back is even more unbelievable. That’s the beauty of deep sea sport fishing, you never know what your going to land offshore fishing in Fort Lauderdale.

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
LP II

Brainerd fishing guide Royal Karels is the fisherman’s fisherman. As a Brainerd, Minnesota native, Royal has over 61 years of fishing experience and is entering his 45th year of guiding. An original member of the Nisswa Guides League and featured in Joe Fellegy’s classic “Minnesota Fishing Stories” and Minnesota Explorer”. Royal fishes all species of fish in 40 different lakes within a 30 mile radius of Brainerd including Gull Lake and Mille Lacs Lake. He has a special emphasis on walleye fishing, bass fishing, northern fishing and muskie fishing. In addition, Royal is a popular seminar presenter. He initiated the first fishing classes for elementary students in Minnesota, taught community education classes for adults and currently gives weekly fishing seminars at several area resorts. Royal believes Minnesota fishing is some of the best in the country, and is happy to prove it to you on one of his great guided trips. Save time and money, let Royal take you to the fish - plus you’ll fish in comfort and style on his amazing boat.

Visit his page at I Guide Club HERE

South Creek Outfitters has guided trophy mule deer hunters for more than 30 years. They commitment to their hunters, the fun they have, the success they enjoy and always a comfortable camp, keep hunters coming back year after year to hunt with them.

Their knowledge of mule deer hunting is unmatched and definitely gives South Creek Outfitters a competitive advantage. When you’re deciding which outfitter you will use for your next hunt, make sure you visit our testimonial page and remember that over 75% of their hunts are booked in advance by previous clients so call ahead of time for reservations.

Visit his page at I Guide Club HERE

Fly fishing with Uncle Jammer’s gives you an opportunity to catch beautiful rainbow trout, feisty browns or native brookies. From the bank, drift boat or canoe … you decide. A chance to relax and unwind in good company and storied countryside. Along with a great trip you will get a chance to share Uncle Jammer’s fly box and his personal time-tested strategies, care-free fishing experience with a respected professional and competent woodsman. And as always children and novices are always welcome.

Create your own trip with Uncle Jammer’s pick from drift boat, canoe, float tube, or wade. Either a 4 hour or 6 hour trip on Western Lamoille and Winooski Watersheds or Uncle Jammer’s personal favorite Northeast Kingdom rivers by request. Of course flies, snack and beverage provided

Visit his page at I Guide Club HERE

Fishing offshore Fort Lauderdale!

September has been good to us here in Fort Lauderdale, besides all the hurricanes. TS Fay and Hurricane Ike just missed Fort Lauderdale, but we still felt winds up to 45 mph and rough seas. We’re in the clear now, seas are calm and the fish are around.

After storms, fishing is unbelievable. The North current and the Gulf Stream brings all the debris right to Fort Lauderdale and debris usually means FISH! When trolling around debris, it’s a win win situation; dolphin, tuna and Wahoo are present.

Trolling offshore has been productive lately, too. King Mackerel’s, Spanish Mackerel’s, Wahoo’s, Black fin Tuna’s and Sailfish are showing up in good numbers.

September and November is the start of Sailfish season. Sailfish migrate moving down from the north right to our doorstep = South Florida! Live bait dangling from the kites really catches their eye. Sailfish season is one of my favorites, watching them jump behind the boat and reeling them in is a blast.

Just a few miles offshore Ft Lauderdale, there are several ship wrecks and artificial reefs. These wrecks are home to thousands of fish, large bottom fish, game fish and sharks. Large tackle and a large weight is the only way to go when fishing these wrecks. When live bait hits the bottom, it’s usually an instant bite if some bodies home. Your catch may include Amberjack’s, Warsaw’s, Mutton Snapper’s, Cobias and Bull sharks. These are large fish we’re dealing with and man do they put up a good fight.

Several long hours of daytime sword fishing have been spent aboard the Lady Pamela II lately. Daytime sword fishing is a recent trend off the Fort Lauderdale coast and we have been innovative in tweaking our own strategies and it’s working out well for us. Swordfish are primarily night feeders, but apparently they eat during the day as well. A long leader, a 10lb lead and a 400lb test with a dead squid sitting on the bottom in 1800 feet of water is the trick. Manual or electric reel depending on your preference, but that bait is a long way down and you will most likely be handing it off to your buddy!

Sailfish season here we come.

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
Lady Pamela II

August 24th, 2008

First thing on the list this morning = cut fresh strips! Keith, the mate, cut tons of strips for the day ahead of us. Repeat anglers, George, his wife Deborah and their two kids, boarded the LP II to fish with Captain David Ide. We headed out Crazy Greggs Marina making our way towards Lauderdale Marina to pick up live pilchards for dolphin fishing. Live bait was in the well, we were ready to go. We ran 5 miles offshore looking for debris and there was none to be found. As we continued to scope out the area, trolling gear was in the water. Finally after two hours of trolling we ran across a nice current edge with a weed line in 750 feet of water. Weed patches are usually a good sign! We spotted 3 real nice size mahi - mahi swimming right on top. I turned the boat around, pitched live pilchards out and before we knew it, we were catching dolphin left and right. George and his family reeled in at least 30 mahi, about 10 were too small, and we walked away with 20 good ones….not too shabby. Time fly’s when your having fun! Heading back towards the dock for our afternoon trip, George and his family caught a barracuda. This morning was one of the most exciting days of dolphin fishing we’ve seen and had in a long time!

This afternoon we had six people on a split charter. First three baits in the water we got the bite; 2 bonitos and a black fin tuna. To spice it up for our anglers, we ran north, dropped our two big bonitos down hoping for a BIGGER bite of some sort. We soaked them for close to an hour and didn’t get a bite. Plan B - Wreck fishing. We hit 6 wrecks with live blue runners, but it didn’t appeal to anybody down there. One more wreck was in route, we dropped a dead bait down this time and it did the trick. We weren’t sure what we got ourselves into; 15-20 minutes had gone by and I thought we were hooked on the wreck. The bite was that big. It took a good 45 minutes to fight this fish. Our angler reeled in a 95 lb Amberjack. It was HUGE!

Fishing off Fort Lauderdale this month has been great. Bring it on September!

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
LP II

Pope Brother’s have been in the business now for ten years and have built a solid reputation of providing top notch hunts, with a success rate of over 95% across the board. Their goal is that you will want to come back and hunt with them every year or as often as you can then go home and tell all of your hunting friends about the excellent experience you had with PBGSO. They offer year round hunting opportunities on well over 2 million private acres in North, West, Central, South Texas and Mexico for over sixty species of native and exotic animals and are always expanding. If you have done some research you will find they have very competitive pricing. They are in the outfitting business because they have a great passion for hunting, not to get rich.


Their motto is “Tell it like it is and we deliver on what we advertise.”

They will work for you, all hunts are set up to be customized by you the hunter. Tell them what you want and that is what they will deliver. They have put together basic packages that include animals, amenities, etc … which can be added to or taken away from. They allow rifle, pistol, muzzle loader, or archery equipment as means of harvesting game on your hunts. Some of the most common methods of hunting are spot and stalk, safari style, blind hunting, still hunting, and calling. There is no age limit on the hunts that are offered. If you can fire a weapon of proper strength to harvest the animal of your choice you can hunt with them. PBGSO is capable of accommodating handicapped hunters as well, and they do offer discounts for military, children under 16, large groups, referred clients, and multiple animals harvested.


Visit his page at I Guide Club HERE