Guide brings excitement to world of fishing!

May 10, 2010

Guide brings excitement to world of fishing
By Mannix Porterfield
Register-Herald Reporter

There was a time when a fishing trip came down to a fiberglass rod, a discarded coffee can filled with nightcrawlers and a red-and-white bobber to let you know if something with an appetite had pulled up to the table.

Live bait is unheard of when Bobby Bower takes his clients on an outing on the river.

And don’t expect to see some Huckleberry Finn types in straw hats and tattered overalls stretched out lazily on the bank, eyes open only wide enough to watch the tell-tale jump of a bobber.

What you do on one of Bower’s trips is pile into a 14-foot raft, built with aluminum and stainless steel frames, and equipped with swivel chairs, while a guide rows in the middle, carefully moving in all directions.

“You’re not just sitting around with a bobber and worm, bored out of your mind,” Bower says.

“It’s real exciting. The guides are telling you to throw here, or 10 feet toward that rock, catching eddies. You’re running small rapids. It’s constantly moving a different scenery at all times. It’s not boring. After a day, you’ll be worn out.”

Bower has been fishing since a grandfather and uncles took him as a youngster, back when the waders were a few sizes too large and he wound up getting an unscheduled bath in the streams.

A Beckley native, he began guiding rafts within a year after graduating in 1987 from Woodrow Wilson High School, engaging in sort of a trial-by-error, learn-as-you-go experience on the finesse of hooking fish with delicate dry flies.

“I kind of got into fishing for smallmouth bass out of rafts,” he explained.

“I found that was the ultimate way to do it. I spent 15 years or so guiding fishing rafts part-time for a lot of different outfitters. Eventually, I decided to go on my own.”

Bower runs his own business with wife and partner Carla, and is the concierge of activities at The Resort at Glade Springs, spending summer months hosting corporate groups in town for a meeting and some relaxation once they’ve taken care of business.

Fishing is the main part of his itinerary, although Bower might also arrange some other adventures, such as zip lining.

“We show them a good time,” he said. “They can’t wait until next year after they’ve had fun on the river.”

Right on the Glade Springs property, Bower conducts fly fishing classes using the well manicured golf course, since it features elevated tee boxes and greens that afford his students the perfect environment for learning the intricate art of fly casting.

“Within the first couple of hours of picking up a fly rod for the first time, you can catch some fish, and it’s instant gratification,” he guarantees.

Yet, it might take a novice fully a decade to really become adept at the art.

Pro River Outfitters, as Bower calls his business, provides a variety of custom raft trips on the New, Greenbrier, Elk and Gauley rivers, traditionally productive streams for smallmouth bass, walleye and several species of trout. To reach his website, go to www. profishwv.com.

Trout have been called “the Cadillac of freshwater fish,” but seldom do any of Bower’s customers keep what they catch. It’s basically a catch, photograph and release approach.

“Every now and then those guys will be wanting to keep one,” he said.

“I’ll just talk them into just taking a picture and we’ll put it back so it gets bigger the next time. We pretty much use all artificial bait. On our float trips on the New River for smallmouth, we still use flies or spinning gear. It’s all artificial. It’s easier on the fish. If you’re fishing with worms, a lot of times the fish will swallow them and it’s hard on them.”

Last summer brought some keen disappointments with constant rainfall, but so far, this season looks more promising, he said.

Bower has witnessed a broad spectrum of executive types occupy seats in his rafts. In fact, about three-fourths of his clientele are energy firms, coal mining companies, insurance, law and medical firms, and contractors. Local businesses rely on Pro River Outfitters to help them show the corporate leaders from out of town a good time.

“It’s a good way to show them the country and it’s a natural team-building,” he said.

“It’s a convenient way to meet, on the river bank, have a big lunch. Everybody has a good time. And sometimes there’s a little friendly competition.”

Until a modern revolution, fly fishing was once the sport of the wealthy, given the high-priced bamboo rods and assorted equipment. Nowadays, just as tennis has come down to the working class, fly fishing is an affordable avocation.

“You can get into the sport of fly fishing for $200 and $250,” Bower said.

“You don’t really need to go out and spend a whole lot of money until you find out if you’re going to like it and keep up with it. You can invest a lot of money in fly fishing. I’ll help them and guide them the right way with dealers to find what’s best for what they’re going to fish for.”

Bower has seen the beginner arrive after throwing out big sums on gear and outfits before casting the first dry fly in his course.

“You don’t need that to go out there and catch fish,” he said.

“It doesn’t have to be a rich man’s sport. You can do it affordably. Once you have your basic gear, it doesn’t really cost much other than your gas and your fishing license to go out there and enjoy yourself.”

Flying fishing has undergone another 21st century change, it appears. More teenage girls are showing an interest, arriving with either mother or father to learn the art.

Bower tailors his float trips to the paying customers. That means a brief outing of three to four hours, which would cover up to 4 miles, or the more challenging dusk-to-dawn trip.

“This is not for the weak of heart,” Bower warns. “It’s a long day. If you sign up, I’m not going to let you take a nap any way through it. If you’re going to get me out there that long, you’re going to have to fish hard. I’ve seen people laying on the floor, arms falling off at the end of that day. I’ve also seen people catch 100-plus smallmouth a day on the New River, which is awesome.”

Nor is the river a place to stay attached to the aids of modern technology.

“I’ve see my corporate business types have their Blackberrys out, and the first five minutes see them shaking them this way and holding them up, trying to get service, and 30 minutes later, that thing is in the bottom of the dry bag,” he said.

“They’ve got a cigar lit and a cold drink open. Their feet are kicked up and they’re having a blast. It doesn’t take long when you’re fishing to lose all that technology.”

For Reservationg Call:304-575-5252
www.profishwv.com