The Facts about "Savage Strike " Guide Service

The following statements should not be taken as "bragging or arrogant". Some of my comments may be controversial but should not be taken as extreme.Professional guiding is my life and I am proud of my past achievements and work hard for ALL my clients.  Mike Coley

Attention : This has NOTHING to do with fishing, is a personal opinion of Mike Coley. I live    near Virginia Tech. Recently Michael Vick, former VT football star was convicted, sent to prison, now released and has signed on with the "Eagles" to play pro ball . He and his accomplices were convicted of running  high stakes "dog fighting'" at Vick's multi million dollar estate. These animals were bet on till "fights to the death" and electric shock was used to dispose of dogs that "could not fight or no longer fight ". Vick was the main player in this. However, I would pay to see Vick on a football field------with about 50 pit bull's chasing him !

(above left) The newest addition to our family, Sable, a black boxer at 2 months old in the BIG snowstorm of 2009. (right photo) With Chloe.

 (1)      Started a full time striper guide service in 1987 at Smith Mountain Lake (22,000 acres) in Virginia. I no longer guide at SML due to major fish kill of 2003, overdevelopment of the lake and I HATE jet skis and wakeboard boats. Most have no respect for anybody. Regardless of what you hear the lake is a shell of what it once was and cannot "comeback" as a great striper lake with the number of fisherman, guides, club members, and dangerous numbers of recreational (non fishing) boats.

 (2)      Guided two clients (both novice striper fisherman) to "VA Game & Fish certified weight largest stripers caught in the state" on 2 occasions. { both fish missed breaking the state record by ounces} During my time there my boat accounted for more "citation" stripers than all the other guide services combined and I have this documented through Game and Fish records.

 (3)      Guided clients below Watts Bar Dam and caught 5 stripers in the last 2 years from 49 to 57 lbs during a "decline" in the fishery. We boated a lot of 35 lb to 45 lb fish also during this time. I'm well aware of the size stripers caught in the Cumberland River in TN but choose not to guide this river due to distance from my home and the fact that the Cumberland is a feast or famine fishery due to heavy spring rains. { I will Not guide below Watts Bar Dam in 2010 , fishery is in a dramatic DECREASE compared to past years }

 (4) 2010 I will guide all of March and April on Boone Lake near Bristol, Tennessee. I have spent a lot of time on Boone Lake. Our largest striper to date out of Boone weighed 51 lbs and was released. A  honest 50 lb + fish is rare out of Boone (you may hear otherwise from guides or other striper fisherman, no disrespect intended but they need to get some accurate scales) Boone does have  excellent numbers of 25 to 40 lb + stripers in addition to large hybrids and jumbo brown & rainbow trout. { our biggest hybrid - 16 lbs; our biggest trout - 13 lb brown }

 (5) I currently live minutes from the New River in Virginia. I guide on the New for Musky and smallmouth. I personally caught and released the largest musky caught in the state in 2008 . In 5 consecutive nights in 2008 I caught and released 5 musky from 45" to 54" and lost two " monsters". I have spent a tremendous amount of time chasing these big fish on the New and am certain I have the best guide service for musky on the New River. This is NOT arrogance --- this is confidence from sore muscles from hours of casting and many nights with little sleep.

  (6) I started guiding hunts in Wyoming in 1997. My clients have taken numerous mule deer from 170 to 185" B & C with the highest scoring being 193 B & C. Clients highest scoring whitetail was 183" P & Y . Best archery Elk scored 340.

  (7) I'm neither a wanna be or has been guide. I've guided for a living for more than 20 years and experienced the highs and lows. Found out that some people respect you for what you have accomplished and others think you have no business on what they consider "their" lake, river or land simply because they fished, hunted or guided in the same area. I have been personally threatened and had expensive equipment vandalized by one guide coward (who committed his cowardly act at night - didn't see him but 100% sure he did it ) in Virginia. If you experience one of these idiots while fishing or hunting "public" water or land I advise you to do two things. Notify Game and Fish and exercise your constitutional right to keep and bear arms . We DO have the right to defend ourselves and those we care about from enemies, foreign and domestic. Join the NRA.