Need help planning a fishing trip for the big "50"

NG · Post by NG » Wed Apr 27, 2016 3:22 pm

Me and four other high-school buddies are all turning 50 years old in 2016. Since I'm the only die-hard fisherman in the group, I volunteered to plan a fishing trip. They all enjoy fishing but only go when I take them out on my boat.
Do you have any recommendation for a great fishing trip that will be filled with lots of catching and not just fishing? Please include the best time to take this trip.
Some things to consider:
- trip will either be early summer (June) or after August, can be 3-4 day trip.
- prefer any type of black bass fishing but open to striper in freshwater too.
- can be anywhere in the US or Canada
- will need to hire a guide as none of them have any fishing equipment and I don't have enough for all of them.
- friends have limited ability and only proficient with spinning gear, so trips requiring flipping, punching, skipping baits under docks is likely not a good idea.

Thanks for any suggestions for a fun and memorable fishing trip.

mrobinett · Post by **mrobinett** » Wed Apr 27, 2016 6:29 pm

How about some kind of pack in trip on horses like in the High Sierra. There are pack trips that would be guided and they do all the cooking and camp set up. That way you wouldn't need any specialty gear.

zdbm2004 · Post by **zdbm2004** » Wed Apr 27, 2016 8:25 pm

My in laws live in southern Ontario Canada and I've been wanting to fish lake St. Clair which is on the border with Michigan. You can fly in and out of DTO Detroit and it's right there. Been there a dozen times and haven't done it yet. The smallie fishing is world class 50-200 fish a day and can be caught all on spinning gear. I checked the interweb and there are plenty of guides in the area. Perfect time of year in June also. Or you could stick around and go rock cod fishing. Good luck.

ACRon · Post by **ACRon** » Wed Apr 27, 2016 8:53 pm

Check out Big K Ranch.

They have drift boat trips for smallmouth on the Umpqua River in Southern Oregon. Cabins, good food, great fishing, beautiful scenery, and wildlife. It is in the middle of some very large ranches so it is quiet and relaxing.

There is good smallmouth fishing throughout the summer. They also have American Shad fishing which can be a kick. You drift, have shore lunch, then drift. You could shuffle people at shore lunch or just switch each day and fish for a few days. I think they also have horseback riding. There are wineries nearby.

Don't know where you are at, but it is 7+ hours from San Francisco.

http://www.big-k.com

Robb R · Post by **Robb R** » Thu Apr 28, 2016 11:37 am

without worrying about budget , the best fishing trip I have ever taken was going to Alaska . I took my two kids on separate trips two years apart ( my son is an avid bass fisherman , my daughter not so much ) . I had always wanted to go and not only catch incredible halibut , salmon , sea bass and rockfish , it is absolutely the most amazing scenery ever . It was kinda a bucket list item that I am glad I checked off .
granted it's expensive , but so is a fully loaded Ranger boat .
I didn't do the river stuff , mainly because it can be really unpredictable from a timing perspective . I did the "inside " passage fishing ( South East Alaska) . You can fish inside waters that are relatively calm and don't get you seasick and if the waters are calm Oceanside , you can go to the "outside" waters and fish salmon , bass , halibut , lingcod etc...
I went with Eagle Charters in Elfin Cove . This is on Chigacoff Island and the owner is a mostly wealthy guy . He owns three different lodges and about 8 or 9 fully rigged boats . Great staff and captains. 4 or 5 fisherman per boat
We caught Halibut up to 130lbs ( on jigs ) , ling cod up to 50lbs , King salmon up to 35 lbs , Silver salmon up to 10 lbs and sea bass up to 6/7 lbs . The sea bass are a hoot , if you find a school , it's literally one right after another on light tackle . I think we had 60 bass in one hour .
Back when I did it , cost per person including airfare was $4500ea for 4 days fishing 5 nights there. You have to also consider that you will probably end up bringing home 100 to 200 lbs of fresh frozen fish fillets . If you like to eat fresh seafood , considering Halibut is about $25lb at Whole Foods that alone is worth it , I ended up bringing home 200lbs of fish I ate the next entire year and it was amazing . The really big Halibut( 100lbs to 300lbs ) don't taste as good as the 25-75lbers.
Imagine jigging a 12ounce leadhead with a 10" grub tail , 150/200 feet down on 100lb braid and having a hundred pound Halibut or a 50 pound Lingcod absolutely smash your lure ---- it's insane !!!! The fight can take 30-60 minutes and when your done ---- your totally spent !! Then you do it again .
Tight lines ,
Robb

g man · Post by **g man** » Thu Apr 28, 2016 2:43 pm

NG, A lot of great suggestions so far

. I have lived a blessed life and have traveled the world fishing,skiing, hunting, riding in rodeo's, scuba diving, flying ultra lights....blah...blah...blahh! That being said fishing with Matt Allen for three days on Clear Lake was one of the most awesome, fun, memorable trips of my life! I am turning 61 soon and I will always cherish my time fishing with Matt. NG, wherever you end up I hope you guys have a great time. Sincerely, g man

Otay Michael · Post by **Otay Michael** » Thu Apr 28, 2016 6:25 pm

Man, I'd do the Delta for two days, one on the water with Cooch and Bobby, then hit San. Fran. for a day, then Clear Lake for a day, with Cooch again, Bobby (if he does, if not someone local), then hit Napa Valley for a day.

M3AN Bass · Post by **M3AN Bass** » Fri Apr 29, 2016 7:42 am

I second the Delta. I rented a nice home via VRBO.com in Discovery Bay for my bachelor party. It was awesome. Close to fast water, guides available, and generally a very nice place to fish or just hang out.