Split-Fishing is a superb teaching tool for
our challenging spring creeks, and a tremendous guiding value for clients who
already have basic fly-fishing skills.
You and I will split fishing time, roughly 50/50, at a major discount to you. You
benefit by seeing and experiencing, to a much greater degree than in
traditional guiding, how I adjust water choice, fishing pace, presentation, and
many other variables to the conditions at hand. I benefit by getting to fish
more often and by having the opportunity to teach spring creek angling at a
higher, more engaging level.
Too often in the traditional angler/guide
arrangement, valuable time and opportunity slip away as the angler only vaguely
approximates the presentations that the guide is after, and a day winds up
being less productive than it should have been in fish caught and skills
learned. Too much is sacrificed to the notion that it’s bad form for the guide
to fish. That’s unfortunate because I can better teach the many specific skills
of spring creek angling when I have my most valuable tool—a fly rod—in my
hands.
Demonstration is particularly valuable for small
streams because water type and angle of presentation change every few yards
requiring you to constantly alter your presentations as you travel. That makes
small-stream angling and guiding more complex than fishing big, relatively
uniform flows, and makes on-going demonstration by the guide more valuable.
I’ve long known, from teaching fly-fishing to
friends and family, that demonstration trumps explanation as a teaching tool.
Demonstration is highly visual and is quickly absorbed on many levels.
Explanation is often tedious and slowly absorbed. When you see me successfully
execute a given technique you’ll quickly become a believer and, in many cases,
you’ll absorb enough to quickly replicate the fundamentals of that technique.
Some of my presentations will surpass your present skills, but you’ll still see
them employed and you’ll understand which skills you need to develop.
Ironically, splitting fishing time with me will
usually result in you catching more fish. Compared to traditional guiding,
Split-Fishing is loaded with practical advantages. For starters, with a rod in
my hands I can quickly determine if a given fly and presentation will produce
(when I’m limited to observing, that same determination can take much longer).
Once we’ve zeroed in on a productive strategy we’ll cover water at a productive
clip. That doesn’t mean that we might not park on a trout-filled run for an
hour and take turns subtly micro-nymphing inactive fish. It does mean that when
aggressive trout are there for the taking we want to accelerate our pace and
take them while conditions are ripe. Knowing when and how to speed up and fish
aggressively,
and when and how to slow down
and fish subtly, are vital spring creek skills that you’ll absorb through
Split-Fishing.
In traditional guiding I find that few anglers
actually cast or function well for eight hours. In Split-Fishing you can kick
back half the time and observe. That keeps you fresher and learning/executing
at a higher level throughout the day. Since Split-Fishing is limited to one client, we
don’t have other clients wandering around disturbing water (a common problem
when guiding multiple anglers on small streams). For the most part we’ll walk
together and make strategic approaches to undisturbed water on run after run. In addition to being a great
teaching format, I’ve designed the Split-Fishing option to make my
guiding/teaching services inviting and affordable to more anglers.
Think about it. For $500 (which
won’t cover a weekend with most area guides) you can Split-Fish with me for four days and really build your
spring creek skills while greatly expanding your knowledge of area waters. In
Split-Fishing we’ll visit some good waters that I rarely guide on because
they’re not well suited to entry-level anglers, less mobile anglers, or groups.
If traditional guiding services
don’t square with your fishing budget or have failed to improve your spring
creek skills by leaps and bounds, Split-Fishing could well be your perfect fit.
An 8-hour day of Split-Fishing is only $125.
That’s nearly a 50% discount from my regular low
guiding rate. Add additional hours for only $10/hour. Anglers furnish their own
food and drink.
A $50 deposit is required to reserve each
date. For complete details on my deposit/refund policy, see my regular Guide
Brochure at www.richosthoff.com (a guide brochure can be mailed on
request).
Split-Fishing is limited to a single angling
client (NO GROUPS), and is available on any open date on my guiding
schedule.
Split-Fishing is best suited to anglers who
already have basic fly-fishing skills and are looking to boost their spring
creek presentation and strategy.
My traditional guiding service is better suited to teaching/practicing
basic fly-fishing skills. For Split-Fishing you should be able to walk
reasonably well as we’ll want to cover some water when that’s to our advantage.
Feel free to call if you have concerns about whether Split-Fishing is a
suitable option for you.
Reservations
and Information, contact:
Rich Osthoff
N6868 Sandstone Drive Mauston,
WI 53948
Home Phone: (608) 847-5192 Cell
Phone: (608) 547-9075
