ABOVE: Legends Guide Service Co-Founders Aaron Hill, Matt Hutchinson and Lucas Parsons kneel with one of their hauls on Budd Lake in Fairmont, as they bring people on all-inclusive fishing trips on all five Fairmont chain lakes and lakes in the Fairmont area. Submitted Photo.

FAIRMONT – Guiding anglers across Northern Iowa and Southern Minnesota, Aaron Hill, Matt Hutchinson and Lucas Parsons have made the lakes their livelihood with Legends Guide Services.

This livelihood comes from their lived experiences and enjoyment of bringing people out on the lakes.

“Before we started, we were taking friends out and hanging out on the ice, having a good time,” Parsons said. “For me, it’s the enjoyment of being out with people and having fun, but meeting a lot of cool people as well. We decided we have all the gear, we have the intelligence and we really enjoy taking people out, so we decided to get started.”

Currently, people can be brought out on four to seven hour fishing trips and items like poles, lures, the fishing house and pretty much everything except for licenses and clothing are provided. Behind the scenes, Hill said the business is much more than just fishing.

“You don’t have a single day of break,” he said. “Especially during the ice season, you’re always watching the weather, watching the ice conditions, making sure stuff’s going to be safe enough to take other people out. Seeing what fish are doing, how they’re biting, so we can give our clients the best time that we can.”

Right now, Hill said the majority of people are after yellow bass. With the implementation of a 30-fish limit a year ago, and even through the revision to 100 set to go through March 1, Hill said it has had a negative effect on their business.

“I don’t think yellow bass should have a limit at all when they’re in a lake system,” he said. “It’s definitely hurt us a little bit because some people still want to go and pile them up for the big fish fries they have. They only get to go out fishing a couple times a year. Putting a limit on the fish actually makes even more work for us, because we got to make sure we’re perfect on all of our counts.”

Even with this, Hill said plenty of people go out for bluegill, crappie, perch and walleye. Currently, they average 20 to 25 groups per month, with the winter season being their busiest.

“That’s the majority of every day we’re out with clients, or we’re on the ice, checking safety and fish,” Hill said.

Though they fish across Southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa, Hill said Fairmont’s lakes offer an amenity not many others can claim.

“Having a chain of lakes in town, everything’s so close you can do a bunch of different stuff when you go there and fish,” he said.

Overall, Hill said the quality of fish has always been good as well, especially in yellow bass and the upcoming batch of crappie. Parsons argued it’s not just convenience, but variety that makes Fairmont’s chain of lakes stand out.

“You’ve got five lakes to choose from,” he said. “You don’t have to fish just one. The opportunities are endless in what you can catch. You can go after all the species that are here, from the panfish up to the muskie. Each lake has its own different things you got to remember and try. It keeps you on your toes.”

It’s not just the main lakes they guide people on either. Hill said Fairmont and Okoboji-Spirit Lake are their two main areas, but they’ll also do any lakes in between that draw the eyes of clients. For Hill, being a guide means he can be an integral part of people’s memories.

“Seeing the look on other people’s faces at the end of the day,” he said. “Seeing how much fun they have, the enjoyment in a kid’s eyes when they start catching fish.”

On the flip side, Parsons said every day of being a fishing guide is a chance to learn something new.

“It’s about the teaching aspect, the learning aspect of being able to go out there with people and meet new people,” he said. “Not only teach them things, but you learn something new every day on the ice, whether it be from a client or something they know that you didn’t.”

To learn more about Legends Guide Services, visit legendsguideservice.com or call (641) 430-6041.