Wanted to circle back on this thread with an update ...
The 4 of us ended up going out with The Reel Life, and I've got mixed reviews.
They split us up into two pairs - the owner taking us and another guide taking the second group, which was expected with 4 in our party. Keep in mind, none of us are experienced fly fishermen ... we've all been a handful of times, and not very recently.
The first thing that was frustrating was our guide had us so spread apart on the river that he was too far to even hear without shouting, let alone offer any any personalized guidance or assistance. On two occasions I hooked trout and had them on the line for close to a minute at least, but in both cases they spit the hooks before the guide could get anywhere near me with his net. There was also one stretch where I spent the better part of 30 minutes waiting on him to untangle the mess I made with my line. I know that's a "me" problem, but it's also the reason we hired a guide to begin with. He was just too far away to hear me yelling, and never looked up to check on me.
By all accounts, the other guide was significantly better and our other pair had no issue getting ample attention, instruction and help. Unfortunately for them, though, he said it was too hot for trout, so they fished for smallmouth bass instead. They were pretty disappointed about that when they heard we had plenty of success with the trout.
With all this said, it was still an amazing day on the Rio Grande and the conditions were absolutely perfect! I caught a beautiful brown and my buddy caught a wild rainbow, among others, while our other pair managed 5-6 smallmouths up-river.
As far as recommendations go, I'll pass on these guys and try another outfit next time. Not that I wouldn't use them again if I had to, but they sure didn't earn a dedicated customer. I'd find it hard to believe if there's not a better service out there ...
