Kansas Fishing Guide Mike Cook

Spring 1999
Debbie Zeiner

Mike Cook is more than a "bit" of a river rat. He's been fishing since he was four years old. Chasing up and down rivers is in his blood.

Mike's grandparents were commercial fishermen on the Trinity River in Texas and Mike spent hours as a child helping them set wooden traps for channel cat, gar, carp and whatever else the traps caught. He loved it.

When he was ten, his parents moved to Kansas and young Mike had to find a new river to chase up and down. A died-in-the-wool channel cat fisherman by then, Mike spent hours on his new "home" river, the Arkansas River. Then something happened that happens to all of us, he grew up.

Three years ago, Cook says, "I became a born-again catfisherman. I went to Keystone Lake in Oklahoma with a friend of mine, Ben Harth. It was July, 102 degrees, not a cloud in the sky. And Ben showed me how to catch a ton of channel cat in mid-day in shallow water. It contradicted everything I believed about catching channel cat. I thought they could only be caught at night in deep holes."

Cook became "hooked" on channel cat all over again. "I've fished all over northeast Oklahoma since then. My family's freezers were full. We were catching so many fish we were giving them away," Cook said.
Last October Cook got the idea that he might want to guide in Kansas for channel cat so he decided to concentrate on Kansas to see if his knowledge would hold true. And sure enough, it did.

"My favorite place to fish for channel cat is the flats. There's so many times with my techniques that you'll have a fish on as soon as you put your bait in the water."

Cook says, "I started my guide service, Four Lakes Guide Service, because I want to make people happy catching fish." After certifying as a safe boating operator with the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks and taking a CPR and first aid course with the American Red Cross, which are prerequisites to applying for a guide license with the State of Kansas, Cook "hit the books!"

"I hit the books really hard," Cook explains. "I was REALLY prepared for the test and passed with flying colors."

Cook guides for all species except black bass. "I want to make people happy and I can't make them happy trying to catch black bass in the reservoirs I guide on. I'll give a group eight hours on the water. They pay me good money and we'll stay out for eight hours. If we catch a limit of channel cat in two hours then we'll fish for another species."

Cook guides on El Dorado, Marion, Cheney and Fall River and his service is year-round. He'll even take you ice fishing in January if you want to go.
"All I want to do is create an opportunity for people to go to the lake and catch fish," Cook explained. His service includes all tackle, life jackets, boat and gas. He cleans all fish for his clients. "All you need is your soda or water, lunch, fishing license and a cooler to take your fillets home in."
You can reach Mike Cook's "Four Lake Guides" Service at (316) 522-1720. Visit him on the web.

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