Meet the Crew – Matt J.

At Libby Camps, helping you find success on the water or in the field is something we take very seriously.  The North Maine Woods is a vast playground of beautiful but unforgiving terrain, and venturing out on your own in this unfamiliar landscape can be a recipe for disaster. Catching fish or tracking down birds, deer, or moose can be another challenge entirely.  The solution for our guests is simple – hire a guide!

Our registered Maine Guides boast over 200+ combined years of experience guiding hunters and fishermen in the North Maine Woods.  They spend their days off exploring new waters, finding new covers, checking trail cameras, and placing deer stands.  A few even name big brook trout before releasing them, because they know they’ll see that fish again at the end of a clients line before the season is over.  A few others can actually talk to moose – you have to see it to believe it.  They come from the far reaches of northern Maine, the coastal fishing communities of southern Maine, and everywhere in between.  Some have guided all over the state, a few have guided all over the country, and all of them take great pride in helping our clients have the best experience possible during their stay – regardless of skill level or expectations.

Beyond their diverse backgrounds and unique skill-sets, what makes our group of guides truly special is their ability and willingness to work together for the benefit of our guests.  Every night they sit together and compare notes, exchange experiences and ideas, and focus on making each other more successful.  They know that a successful day for them means a successful day for you, and whether success for you means catching your first brook trout, harvesting that trophy bull moose, or tracking down a big woods buck; we guarantee that we have a guide with the knowledge and tools available to help you get the job done.

Over the next few weeks you will have the opportunity to meet some of these guides that make Libby Camps such a special place.  To do this, we asked them each a series of six questions to help you get to know them a little better.  Some of them are candid, some of them are brief and to the point, and all of them are entertaining. We’ll call this series “Meet the Crew,” and we start this week with our 5th Generator Owner Matt J. Libby. Enjoy!

Name: Matt J Libby

Years Guiding:  21 years

Do you have any hobbies outside of hunting and fishing?  Skiing, Snowmobiling, Golf…

What is your earliest lifetime memory of hunting/fishing?

Age 9, catching a 5-pound brook trout in Labrador and not wanting to go fishing if we had to troll.  We were there for two weeks, and one day my dad asked if I wanted to go fishing and my response was, “are we going trolling or are we going fishing?”

When did you first become and registered Maine guide, and what led you down that path?

1999, Do you really have to ask? 🙂

Describe your “perfect” guiding day.

Any day when the coffee is black and strong, the equipment doesn’t break, and someone caught a fish, shot at a bird or harvested an animal because of something they did that I suggested. No better feeling in the world!

In your mind, what makes Libby Camps special?

Over 130 of history at the camps and not a lot has changed in those 130 years.  The camaraderie between the guides is an added plus too, not to mention the location. We really do live and work in a beautiful place.

Do you have any advice for someone looking to book a guided trip?

Always book a guide for your entire stay.  They will take care of your every need and make sure you have a good trip.  There will be no question if you are hunting in the wrong spot or fishing over the right water.  And listen to the guide.  They have a ton of experience.  Just look at how old they are!