Backwater Outfitters Book a trip

I'm Ben Sather. I guide and film on Pool 8.

One boat, one guide, and the stretch of the Mississippi between Lock and Dam 7 and Lock and Dam 8. When you book a trip, you fish with me.

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An angler in waders casting a fly rod, reflected in still green water

How this started

I grew up in Stoddard, a few hundred yards from the boat landing. My grandpa ran lines for catfish below the town and let me steer his boat long before I was tall enough to see over the console. I have fished this stretch of river in every season since.

Guiding came out of people asking. Friends of friends wanted to know where the walleye were, then their friends did, and eventually it made sense to get licensed and do it properly.

The show came the same way. Clients kept asking for the clips I shot on my phone, so I bought a real camera and started posting an episode most Sundays. It is still just me, the boat and whoever is fishing that day.

Licences, insurance and safety

  • U.S. Coast Guard captain's licence

    The OUPV licence, often called the six-pack licence. It is required to take paying passengers on the river.

  • Wisconsin fishing guide licence

    Required by the state for anyone guiding for pay on Wisconsin waters.

  • Insured boat, checked every month

    Life jackets in every size, a throwable cushion, fire extinguisher, first aid kit and a VHF radio on channel 16.

  • Ice trips on safe ice only

    I check thickness with a spud bar every few steps and do not take anyone out on less than five inches of clear ice.

Filming on trips

Being on the show is optional. I only film your trip if everyone in the boat says yes, and I will blur anyone who changes their mind before the episode goes up. Most trips are never filmed at all.

The fish

Bass, pike and anything big go back. We keep a few walleye or panfish for the pan when you want them, inside Wisconsin limits, and I clean them at the landing.

The river

Most of the backwaters are part of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. I pick up trash on every trip, and in duck season I keep out of the closed areas.

Call, text or write

I answer between trips: before 6 a.m., after 3 p.m., and all day Monday. Texts are the fastest way to reach me.

Where we meet

The public boat landing in Stoddard, Wisconsin, off Highway 35, about 20 minutes south of La Crosse. Park in the trailer lot and look for the grey boat with a teal stripe.

Open the landing in Google Maps

Come fish with me

Half days from $375 for two. Pick a date and I will text you back within a day.

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TripsHalf days, full days and ice fishing EpisodesA new episode most Sundays GearWhat works on this river, and why ConditionsRiver stage, water temperature and what is biting where