DAN SIMMONS Sportsman's Quest MORE COLUMNS DAN SIMMONS / SPECIAL TO THE PVT Clutch works at his computer, before going out and doing what good guides do. Advertisement

You've read in past articles of my respect for good hunting and fishing guides. I've known many, and I've been one.

Most are competent, well trained, and can save you days and weeks of getting to know the lay of the land, the behavior of its wildlife, and making the adventure more comfortable and efficient.

Some guides are even magical in the way they are able to predict the best times and places to find fish or game.

In the case of fishing, the selection of the lure or fly for a particular piece of water is vital. Knowing how to present the lure, its speed, depth and action are also things that are site and species specific. A good guide is worth every cent (and sometimes many cents) they receive.

Then there is the other guide. One like my friend Clutch. He is a pleasant fellow, ambitious and always anxious to meet every clients needs.

But, it was a little disconcerting when he stepped over the gunnel of our fishing boat and exclaimed, upon seeing the new Lawrence depth sounder, GPS and all in one navigation monitor, "Oh great, it's got a TV on board."

Surely he was familiar with marine electronics. He was, after I showed him how to turn it on and program the correct coordinates so that we could find our way to the fishing location -- and return home.

He had a little trouble with the compass, though; it kept moving on him as we motored. He said "It's that little needle thing, it's loose."

After that, all went well, even when I had to show him how to tie an improved clinch knot to the hook following our loss of a couple of nice fish to his "granny knot." Then we began catching fish; "Oh great, my first fish," Clutch shouted.You know you're in trouble when he asks, "Is that what a salmon looks like?"

But, we caught fish and Clutch was becoming my new friend. He's really a nice guy.

He does have a unique way of practicing catch and release, though, from the net.

I know he's had a lot of practice because I saw him knock several big fish from the line, with the net, and he didn't even get it dirty, and he's probably right; the fish didn't know if a reel has ever been cleaned, or oiled, and perhaps it did come in that natural rust brown color.

We even caught a big halibut, big enough to need the harpoon to land him. Clutch harpooned him well, and we brought him on board; we can patch the hole in the hull later. We made it back to camp fine and it's OK that he didn't like to get dirty cleaning fish, after all, he's probably right; it wasn't his day to take a bath. As he said, " It's probably gonna rain tomorrow anyway."

I'll wake him early tomorrow, and every morning of the trip, make him some coffee and we'll be on our way out again. We do catch fish, he is a nice guy and my new best fishing pal, "Clutch the Guide."

If you meet Clutch, or a guide like him, be patient, tolerant and smile a lot. Then run away as fast as you can, or make a new best friend. We just do the fishing and hunting stuff for fun anyway. It's not really an obsession. Is it?

What's new

The Original Rapala and Magnums continue to be the classics for salt-water fisherman and their popularity is unlikely to ever be surpassed.

But, I'm discovering, in my travels, that Rapala's Shad Rap diving lures are not only the premiere bass lure, but becoming more widely used as a standard in both fresh and salt water. They're used in the north for the large deep-water rainbow, lake trout and pike, but their equally effective in salt-water on tarpon, rooster fish and dorado.

I'm even taking a few along on an upcoming trip to Brazil's, Amazon River, famous for its peacock bass and piranha.

I won't be the first to find these effective, but I'll be pleased to follow the trend of those fishing aficionados who were.

For more information on Rapala and Shad Raps go to www.rapala.com.

Upcoming

The Las Vegas chapter of Ducks Unlimited is planning a youth activity at the Desert Lake Shooting Club. For more information, give Todd Pesavento a call at 1-702-838-2204.

Recipe of week

Clutch, who was also the cook at this camp, and a really good one I'm told, hurt his hand the first night out, but he really liked my cooking.

Here's one of my halibut favorites, and his too. It must be somewhat medicinal, because his hand got better on the last day, as we were leaving to fly home.

Grilled Halibut with Caribbean Marinade

Ingredients: 4 halibut steaks, about 1 inch thick; 2 tbsp red wine vinegar; 1 large onion, sliced thinly; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 5 garlic cloves, minced; 2 tbsp packed brown sugar; 2 tbsp red chili paste.

Combine all ingredients, except for the fresh catch, in a bowl and mix well. Place halibut in a large glass baking dish and pour the marinade over the steaks, ensuring that all sides of the halibut are equally covered.

Marinate for at least 3 hours. Grill over hot heat for 6 minutes per side, brushing the fish frequently with the remaining marinade.

Serve hot, topped with the following tropical salsa .

Tropical Salsa

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped pineapple; 1 cup chopped mango; 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper; 1/3 cup chopped purple onion; 1/3 chopped cucumber; one stalk sliced celery; 2 tbsp fresh lime juice; 2 tbsp fresh chopped mint; salt and pepper to taste.

Combine salsa ingredients in a bowl and toss gently. Cover and refrigerate while halibut is marinating.