Striper Snatcher

Be very careful here and get all of the facts. I bought my child a Groupon guided trip for his birthday for him and his friend. The trip was canceled on us multiple times. First time was because the boat had to go into the shop because "the alarm is going off". So we rescheduled for another night.

3 hours before we were to depart I got the following text:

"It's going to be a sh#t show in the area we fish it's party cove naked women + music typical weekend".

I then asked what that meant, and was told we'd probably catch 5-10 fish, 20% of a normal night.

This is significantly less than their claim of "up to 175 fish per trip" they advertise on Groupon. But hey...it's OK, fishing is never guaranteed. I get that. But I have fished with other guides on the lake and always killed it...

I told him that information would have been nice to know weeks ago, not a few hours prior to our departure.

He then told me we would catch more if we went the next day at 5:30am. My son canceled his shift at work, and we coordinated the new time with his friend, who would now sleep over our house.

6 hours later, 9pm at night, I got a text saying his transmission on his tow vehicle wasn't working right and couldn't tow the vehicle, and I should get a refund from Groupon and we'll figure something out later.

I responded immediately, saying he could use my vehicle to tow the boat. I never got a response and he didn't answer his phone when I called.

Now it's 9pm at night, my son and friend are asleep thinking they will finally get to fish, and this happens.

My son, and friend, were so disappointed. And he lost $$$ because he took off from work for nothing. This is just not how a professional business should be run. As of now he still has not responded to me.

I'm not looking for anything here. It's not about the $$$, which Groupon should refund, but just wanted to share. My son was the one who took the biggest hit hear and I feel terrible. Lesson learned.

Derrick is the real deal when it comes to guiding you to catch inland striper. He is always reading the signs on the lake as well as his electronics to put you on big fish and that he does very well. And he gives you an education to boot. He is just an enjoyable guy to be with for a great fishing adventure on Lake Pleasant. Even if you are a beginner or are bringing the kids, he is the guide for you. You will catch fish and enjoy yourself. We filled the fish well and dragged in some lunkers .Lastly you can't beat his rates for a fantastic fish outing! We highly recommend him and will be going out with him again.

I booked Derrick for my husbands 40th birthday. We were't sure what to really expect as the lake is huge! He knew exactly where to go! We were fish on within an hour of getting on the water! He was incredibly patient and let us stay out a bit longer as the bite was so hot! My husband was hooked!! He bought a 2008 18ft Bass Buggy with a similar setup as Derricks!! We also had our other boat slipped at Canyon Lake and moved it to LP bc we loved the lake/experience soo much! I'd recommend him to anyone who wants to have a great time and catch fish! I cant say enough great things about him! Thanks Derrick!

I wanted to take a trip to a local lake and try my luck at catching some striped bass. Since I had limited bass fishing experience/knowledge, I hired Derrick Franks (Striper Snatcher). I am glad I did, all the pre-fishing communication was clear and I found Derrick very easy going and a pleasure to deal with. On the night of the fishing trip, Derrick was great. He got us to where the fish were at and as "Donald Y" said in his review, it was like fishing with a good friend. Derrick worked tirelessly to make sure we caught as many fish as possible (we all caught a lot) and were always having fun. Also, like others said, he answered all of my fishing questions and even explained some of the different techniques he was using until we found the technique that started reeling in the fish. I have kept in touch with Derrick and look forward to fishing with him again.

We were lucky enough to hire the Striper snatcher guide, Derrick Franks for a night fishing trip on Lake Pleasant. We love to fish. We try to find a fishing trip no matter where we travel, including China. We met Derrick in the marina at Lake Pleasant. Right off the bat we talked to a fellow who was taking his boat out of the water while we were launching. He said he had been skunked. He fished the lake all the time and said the fish were just not biting. We thought, "Oh well- it has happened to us, too- but ....". Derrick started us off to a cove in the lake and within 10 minutes we were catching fish, one after the other. My husband got two big mouth bass - good size ones too. We probably had 40 keepers. Derrick has a really nice boat, too. We are used to our jonboat. His boat made the long boat rides were very comfortable at about 35 mph. Derrick was very eager to share his knowledge. He told us about reading the depth finder, the type of bait/lure to use according to the fishing conditions, the winds, and the habits of the various fish. He helped me especially- even after I managed to wrap my line around his trolling motor. He just unwrapped it while saying, "that's ok- don't worry about it". That behavior alone should get him a guide of the year award! We had a great time. We fished into the night and learned different methods. Obviously, Derrick was much better at feeling or sensing that fish tap than I was. He hauled in fish before we did. But, we were able to do it too. We will use his lessons in the future. Would we go again? Yes! We had a great time and Derrick was an easy, informed fishing guide.

If you're looking for a fun fishing experience in AZ look no further. Derrick is a great guy who will fill the day with laughs, that is guaranteed. What made me decide to hire him was his candor, I was looking to fish in the middle of winter, when the fish aren't really biting and he was completely open about that from the start. I pretty much picked the worst time of year but hey, I'm from ND and it was -40 there so I just wanted to be on the water. Derrick said "fishing is a C- but I guarantee I will put you on fish" which he did. I ended up having a blast and catching some fish. I plan on going back during peak time and hiring Derrick again.