Thinking back to how much money and time I've spent out there without any luck makes me realize I should have just swallowed my pride and hired a guide. Whats $150 to learn from a master when the only other option is countless hours donating tackle and looking like a tourist for months. If I could do it all over I would have gone on a charter when I first moved here. If you don't want to learn the hard way, hiring a guide is the way to go. That being said, all the info you could ever need is in these pages you just need to be able to translate it all when on the water which is the hard part. I seem to think I know what I'm doing everytime until I actually get to the river and then realize I'm lost lol. Good luck man don't give up yet and stick to this forum like glue, you might just find that friend to show you the ropes.