Guides

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Book a bass guide in East Texas

Three anglers fishing from a bass boat on calm marsh water in late-afternoon light
Anglers at Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana. Not one of our lakes, just a good-looking afternoon. Photo: Steve Hillebrand, USFWS, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

A good guide is the fastest way to learn a lake. You skip the part where you spend three trips fishing water the bass left last Tuesday.

We cover three lakes: Lake Fork, Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend. Pick yours below.

Call a guide direct

Online booking: coming soon

We don’t have online booking set up yet. For now, call a guide from our direct list below, or start on your Lake Fork, Sam Rayburn or Toledo Bend page.

Lake Fork Guide Service

Led by guide Jay Eichler. See their own website for trips and contact info.

Half day or full day?

  • Half day (usually about 4 hours): cheaper, cooler in summer, good for beginners and kids. Also good for anyone whose back has opinions.
  • Full day (usually about 8 hours): more time to adjust when the morning pattern dies at 10:15, which it will.
  • Most guides on this page price trips for 1 or 2 anglers and charge extra for a third. Check each guide’s site.

Questions to ask before you book

  • What’s included? Rods, reels, lures, boat, fuel?
  • How much is the deposit, and what’s the cancellation and weather policy?
  • What time do we meet, and where?
  • Is the trip catch-and-release? (On Lake Fork, the slot limit makes that decision for a lot of fish anyway.)
  • Can you teach a specific technique, like forward-facing sonar, flipping or deep cranking?

Don’t forget your license

A guided trip doesn’t skip the paperwork. TPWD requires a fishing license to fish Texas public waters, plus a freshwater fishing endorsement for public fresh water. Several guides also say this on their own sites.

Current fees: TPWD fishing licenses and packages. Fishing Toledo Bend? Read the border-lake rules first.

Guides we call direct

These guides don’t pay us anything. We list them because you can call them yourself. Rates and phone numbers are as shown on each guide’s own website on October 7, 2026. Guides change prices, so confirm when you call.

Lake Fork

  • James Caldemeyer
    Full day $650 (1–2 people)
    Half day $400 (1–2 people)
    903-736-9888 · Rates
  • Rick Carter
    Full day $600 (8 hr, 2 people)
    Half day $400 (4 hr, 2 people)
    903-850-4007 · Rates
  • Andrew Grills
    Full day $650 (8 hr, 1–2 people)
    Half day $375 (4 hr, 1–2 people)
    903-638-1170 · Rates
  • Mike McFarland
    Full day $600 (8–9 hr, 1–2 people)
    Half day $450 (4–5 hr, 1–2 people)
    602-826-1524 · Site
  • Jacob Lang (Lang Outfitters)
    Full day $650 (about 8 hr, 2 anglers)
    Half day $400 (about 4 hr, 2 anglers)
    214-926-5876 · Packages
  • Greg Hill (FOB Lake Fork)
    Full day $550 (8–9 hr, 1–2 anglers)
    Half day $375 (4–4.5 hr, 1–2 anglers)
    See website · Site

Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend

Sources

Checked October 7, 2026.