“My father and I fished two days with Scott Whitaker in June 2023. I've never had so much pre-trip communication with a guide before. He reached out to me well beforehand to understand what we were interested in doing. We had back and forth and were on the same page about what kind of fishing we would be doing well beforehand. Scott fed us well both days, kept us safe, and found us some amazing fish. Rangeley and Western Maine has some of the best fishing in the country, and Scott is as good as it gets for showing you the area. He helped us find a nice place to stay for a couple nights too. A memorable trip.”
David from Massachusetts
“Scott is an excellent guide, and a great guy! We went fishing with him for a second time and again had another great experience. He takes the time to show you exactly how to cast and is extremely patient. After I had lost a couple of fish while reeling them in we talked about what happened and came up with a different plan of how to land them, and sure enough with success. Overall another excellent trip!”
- Tara and Mike from Maine
“Scott was extremely professional, very knowledgeable, and great company on our first time fly fishing. We all learned a ton from his experience and strongly recommend bucktail guiding to anyone looking for a great fishing experience.”
Josh from Maine
“Scott met all of our expectations for our first-time fly fishing. He explained the equipment, rod, reel, and line, we were using and how it worked so we really had a good understanding of how it works together. When we got to the water he knew where we should fish and what the best options were for getting the fish to strike. We both caught fish and Scott helped us land them quickly for a photo and get them back in the water for another day. We can’t wait to get back out there.”
Phil and Mary from Maine
“My brother and I had a great day with Scott. He really knows his stuff and took us to a few spots where we caught some beautiful native brookies. We also learned different techniques for fishing with streamers, nymphs, and wet and dry flies. Highly recommend!”
Geoff and Phillip from Maine and Vermont
“Scott was a fantastic guide! Went up to Rangeley, Maine with a group of nine. My cousin and I were lucky enough to have Scott be our guide for the weekend. We were out for two, half-day trips. Our first day was a canoe trip, and day two was a wading trip. Scott arrived on time and came fully equipped with an assortment of gear for us to use. His overall knowledge and experience is top-notch, and were very valuable to us as my cousin and I are novices at fly fishing. Scott was very patient with us and showed us different casting and rigging techniques, and explained everything as we went. He is also extremely knowledgeable about the area where we were, and knew right where to take us. His stories, and anecdotes about the surrounding towns and areas also brought another level to the trip, especially for some like me, who enjoys history. All in all I would highly recommend Scott when booking a trip up to the Rangeley area, you will not be disappointed. He also serves as a guide in Montana and we are hoping we can make it out there for a trip with him in the future. One of the first things Scott told us when we met was, was that he never had a day without a fish, and thanks to him we did not break that streak. Thank you again for an awesome weekend!”
Mike from North Carolina
“I couldn’t truly express how great of an experience it was being guided by Scott. He is one of the best guides I ever met!”
Scott from Connecticut
“I know everyone had such an incredible time on their trip and it is a memory to last a lifetime. Thank you for all of the hard work and effort you put forward to make this trip a possibility.”
Clare from Maine
“I recently had an epic full day of guiding from Scott that delivered in every way possible. We fished a single river in the Rangeley area that he felt offered our best chance for success on that day. My goal was simply to fish a ton and take guidance/instruction as offered. Scott was super dialed and we homed in on various sections of the river, trying different rigs/presentations and experimenting to see what worked. Scott’s Orvis rod/reel combos worked flawlessly and allowed me to keep fishing even as we changed things up. We ended the day having netted several very nice brookies and a Jurassic land-locked salmon. I look forward to fishing again with Scott and cannot recommend him more highly as a guide and a fun hang for the day. His approach to guiding is very professional and well thought out. Quality all around.”
Mark from Maine
“Scott was great on and off the river. He arrived with hot coffee and snacks at the appointed time and freely shared his knowledge of the area while answering our questions as we made our way to each day’s destination. To say he was busy with our rigs is an understatement, a testament to his strong desire to ensure we solved the math probabilities and got into some nice fish. The wind on day 1 was relentless - my snarled nymphing rig will attest to that; not my best performance. Reading the river on day 2 was both a joy and a relief following the wind of day 1. Scott was patient and direct with his guiding comments. I walked away from this trip having learned a good deal and honed my approach to variable waters. Also, saw a few moose on the logging road!”
Paul from New York
“I was a bit apprehensive about this day of being introduced to the mysterious art of fly fishing. Scott had obviously put a lot of thought into the day's plan from finding me waders to preparing my uncle's fly rod to how to respond to me when I fell apart in the afternoon (she was tired). He is methodical and responsive too. he was a great teacher...providing me with the right amount of information for each step in my lesson. Scott was patient and did not make me feel inept every time he had to remind me"tip down". I still think about the day, am carrying my flyrod in my car, ready for my next opportunity to practice. I am "hooked".
Kim from Kittery