Telling others about your spots?

[TheSilverSlayer]

Here's the background guys.  I am a member of another forum, a fishing forum, and have been so for a number of years.  However, lately I have become frustrated at their policy of making everyone say where they were fishing, if you want to post on the main board.  The more I think about it, why not require people to say how they caught the fish, or what they caught them on, rather then where they caught them.  In fact, a good amount of members will litterally post driving dirrections to a specific fishin hole. Now we have all kinds of new members on there who seem that they just want people to tell them were to go catch fish.  It seems like alot of members who contributed quality how to's and info an techniques have left as well. This policy seems to foster a culture of guys who don't want to put in the effort to explore and locate good fishing holes on their own.

Anyway, I still like this particular forum, and I'm sure many of you are members there.  I just never post fishing reports anymore because most of my spots I don't want 30 guys showing up there to rape the fish.  

[NWBREW]

I usually don't give out the really good spots. But depending on the people I am telling (father and sons with a group of kids) I might tell them some areas that will produce.

It's no different than hunting. Any forum that would require me to post any info that I didn't want to post....well I just wouldn't be a part of that site. Total B.S. to me.

[Gutpile]

   However, lately I have become frustrated at their policy of making everyone say where they were fishing, if you want to post on the main board.  The more I think about it, why not require people to say how they caught the fish, or what they caught them on, rather then where they caught them. 

Thats BS. The members will start to go away. Or you could just lie. I do not agree with that policy though. That's just a huge a load of  as far as I'm concerned.

[Wenatcheejay]

I think we should compel by use of force for those who would not comply.

[Shootmoore]

Should be up to each individual.  I would not post on a forum if the rule was you had to tell where you were fishing, I don't understand the thought process on that.  I am happy to give out tips and location on a case by case basis, but to often I see what was once a low pressure quality fishing or hunting location turn into a combat fishing/hunting zone.

Case in point would be the Methow river this year.  I grew up on that river, and to be honest 20 years ago that river was a fantastic fishery.  The river was pretty good this year as well and has been since they re-opened it.  What I could not believe is the number of people fishing it.  It was all do to public write up in the fishing magazines and web blogs.  

There were even guides on the river  .  Why anyone would pay for a guide on the methow is beyond me, huge amount of public access and probably one of the easist rivers to spot good holes as there are plenty of vantage points to look over the river.  Even 5 years ago I would fish the river and have most of it to myself, I would see other guys fishing but most of the time was locals and there was plenty of elbow room for all.

When I did run into someone from out of the area I was more than happy to give them good spots and pointers on how to catch fish (usually get funny looks like I was giving away the pin for my bank account)  until they started hooking fish that is.

Now that river is going to turn into a combat zone for years to come, of course thats what the wdfw wants, clean out those nasty genetically inferior hatchery fish to relieve pressure on the natives.

Shootmoore

[Swiftkid]

First off, i don't fish much...but i look at fishing as a more giving sport, my dad fish's year round...walleye,salmon,sturgeon and steelhead. He's always fishing, hunting on the other hand is restricted to the season...i would never give someone a honey hole to go hunt on the other hand i might give them a fishing spot, in fact i have relayed information to friends of mine before walleye tourneys about where my dad has been catchin em.  I've taken a friend out hunting and we've been successful...he knows that only when i invite is he able to hunt the spot because its private. Fishing and hunting big difference though.

[TheSilverSlayer]

The whole idea of having to tell the whole internet where I fish seems like a bad idea.  Unfortunately this is the premiss the whole site is based on.

[Jerome]

First off, i don't fish much...but i look at fishing as a more giving sport, my dad fish's year round...walleye,salmon,sturgeon and steelhead. He's always fishing, hunting on the other hand is restricted to the season...i would never give someone a honey hole to go hunt on the other hand i might give them a fishing spot, in fact i have relayed information to friends of mine before walleye tourneys about where my dad has been catchin em.  I've taken a friend out hunting and we've been successful...he knows that only when i invite is he able to hunt the spot because its private. Fishing and hunting big difference though.

I dont think there is any difference.  If you have a good mountain lake or a spot on gps out in the bay for lings then you take it to the grave.  Fishing is becoming like hunting, way too competitive.  These days you even have to be quiet about where you are pickin morrels.

[tomy salami]

Deceit is the best when it comes to handing out the money spots.

He who asks "where?" feels good that he got some prime info, usually he will tell all his friends, like he knows whats up.

He who tells feels good his minty places will stay that way.

The ONLY way I ever tell anybody anything about where I am at, is after they trade a wonderfully productive spot themselves.

I have too many thousands of dollars, countless days, and years of experimenting in vain to get my go to places now.  There are so few left in this state, I could show somebody every place I have in my box of tricks in two hard days.

Knowledge is never free.......trade me a spot, or git to work like I did.

[boneaddict]

I like to help people and try to if I can.  Fishing has so many variables its not like hunting to me.  I do ahve a couple secret spots but its more for the privacy than it is the fishing. 
One thing I have seen is that eventhough I don't care about the spot, someone else on here it might be "their favorite" and eventhough I think I am helping one person I am ruining it for someone else.   I've encountered that with hunting more than I have fishing.

I do have an internal policy.  If I find it on my own, I can and will sometimes share.  If I find it becasue of someone elses tip...mums the word.  This might exclude places like hoodsport....

[walt]

I share spots with friends, depending on the spot and the friend.  I don't share much on the web unless it is a well known, stocker lake.  Occasionally I will post pics of trips on this site but only well known places and I usually don't name it.  Most of the guys that know the rivers don't have to ask where.  I don't post on that site anymore and rarely go there.

[sisu]

Just post your story, pictures if you wish and keep the location to yourself if you wish. I just like reading the adventure and seeing nice pics.

[Firstlight]

This sounds like a topic that just got booted off ifish.net. Seriously, you dont have to share your spots if you dont want to. For others that want to go ahead. Any serious fisherman is not going to spill out his favorite holes, but he might give up the name of the river for others to go do some homework.IMO

[wildmanoutdoors]

This particular case was about gloating which the owner hated if it was over and over. Mostely by the same people. If its a report it has some credible detail to help someone else. The rule was at least name the body of water and a method to be on the main board.

If ya need a pat on the back and nothing else, use the other forum. Pretty easy.

Me, I dont report or gloat on nothing, I fish for me...

[TheSilverSlayer]

Nope not ifish

[tomy salami]

There is this secret river on the south peninsula...........

If you hit it right, you will knock the fecal matter right out of em.
You can even catch and release all day, then get real picky at the end of the day and bonk a dime.

There are a lot of guys reading this, who are still cutting their teeth. They need a secret spot of their own.

This spot is very near an indian reservation..............

If you go there, do not park near the river, don't want to let anybody else know whats up.

There is an old farm nearby.........then you know yer gittin close.

Start lookin for a place to ditch the truck somewhere, after you cross over the river.

Be covert, do it in the darkness of morning. NEVER tell anybody this info....

Just look up Washington State Route 106, and git excited when it crossed a small river. That is how you will know you are there.

Good luck. Post pics. Make sure the background is of some nondescript foliage.

Can you feel the power?

[JBar]

Bad idea but you could always lie about where it was, who would know! Haven't heard that rule before and if its Gfishn.com I won't go back there though those guys don't seem to be that way.

[WDFW Hates ME!!!]

Force me and you will never get another report out of me... I believe that there should be some amount of learning. Everybody wants it right now, and doesn't wanna have to work for it. I fish new areas every year and i have been skunked a few times but once i figure a hole out why should i pass that on to anybody outside my son and fishing partner. I did the work and now someone else wants to benefit from my work, sound familiar???

[tomy salami]

A generous portion of the gratification I derive from the out of doors is the hunt for my "spots".

Surely, I can't be the only one ever to know about them, but when I show up, aint nobody else there.

There is sumptin special bout taking a close friend (who doesn't fish) or the wife to a spot where they will catch or kill, knowing full well my competitive juices won't git flowin by seeing another sportsman.

I would rather catch 2 fish all day, on a lonely little river, than catch 6 fish, and have to rub elbows. Not to mention racing on I-5 to get there, and not being able to piss..... as not to lose my spot.

[DOUBLELUNG]

Okay, y'all, here it is.  Cowlitz river between Blue Creek and the Barrier Dam.  Keep it on the QT, though, ok?

[jdb]

Okay, y'all, here it is.  Cowlitz river between Blue Creek and the Barrier Dam.  Keep it on the QT, though, ok?

i dont even fish and i know that spot!

[Airnip]

 Here is a spot almost a sure thing for catching the BiG one.  Year round seven days a week no reservations required. 10:00Am to 5:00Pm. Only $22.50 for a trophy. No catch and release allowed.
http://www.troutlodge.com/index.cfm?pageID=422F2ECC-3048-7A03-392223712C0EA1BF][url]http://www.troutlodge.com/index.cfm?pageID=422F2ECC-3048-7A03-392223712C0EA1BF[/url]

[Dmanmastertracker]

 First off it's crap to "force" someone to say anything about anything, as far as I know there is still freedom of speech (including silence). That said, I have no issue with giving a fishing report - as long as I am done with a particular spot for the near future. I am less guarded about fishing spots than hunting spots, I guess it all depends on how a person has been burned in the past by helping others .

[cohoho]

Are you sure they demand specific locations to post?  Or general areas are what they are after?  Maybe, Just to get an ideal of where folks are catching fish.... 

Like if I was on the Columbia and stated up by the Dam would that be good enough or are staying they are asking for more like: exactly 2.3 miles down river from marker 85, follow Oregon shore till the big rock juts out 30 feet from the shore, anchor 10 feet behind that rock and let out 272 foot of line before tying off boat, put one medium drift anchor on your port side to keep your boat in the current, cast 35 yards to the left and begin reeling in the fish...   

[BigGoonTuna]

the power of the internet should not be used when it comes to river fishing in this state.  now that we've got cell phones, online river gauges, and fishing boards with up to the minute reports, anywhere with a good bite going on becomes the next "go there" destination for the masses.

go back 15 years, and you basically had none of those.  small rivers with decent runs of fish had small followings of fishermen who knew they had a good thing going and usually kept things quiet. you tell somebody about your hole, and he might show up with a friend.  with the internet, you talk about it in public and the next thing you've got 40 guys in your favorite drift.  worse yet, along come the slobs and poachers.  since a lot of these areas are on private land, next thing you know, you've lost that access.

i know i'm ranting, but this situation has happened to me and i'm sure it's happened to many of you as well.  seems like some need to learn what discretion is.   i'm all for sharing techniques and stories, but don't go around telling everyone about the little pieces of heaven that still exist out there.

[Dmanmastertracker]

 I think of the Puyallup this year. It may have just been coincidence, but I had a nice, very small spot to myself about two days in a row, made the mistake of posting my success and location and no BS there was a pillaging horde there the very next time I went about 3-4 days later and it was not the weekend. I tend to think there are a ton of folks who will read something, grab their gear and flame ass right out the door after a good report .

[TheSilverSlayer]

Well obviously they can't force you to do anything.  I think the policy is something along the lines of you must state the body of water.  That being said, I have in the past, seen guys say they caught em' in the columbia, and they get flamed for not wanting to say anything more.  Honestly I am just sick of hordes of idiots standing elbow to elbow in the middle of the river just to "floss" a salmon or steelhead with their 15 foot leader.  This type of "gotta have it now" mentality really takes away from the fishing.  Take for example minter creek.  95% of the guys there just snag the piss out of the fish.  But when I go down there, I always show people how to get them to bite on prawns or jigs, and they are amazed to find out that they catch just as many this way and they are way brighter.  I just get the feeling that the same guys who go around chasing peoples reports are the same fools acting like this.

What happened to the good old days when fishermen lied about how big the fish was and didn't tell anyone their fishin hole?

[fishcrazy]

Deceit is the best when it comes to handing out the money spots.

He who asks "where?" feels good that he got some prime info, usually he will tell all his friends, like he knows whats up.

He who tells feels good his minty places will stay that way.

The ONLY way I ever tell anybody anything about where I am at, is after they trade a wonderfully productive spot themselves.

I have too many thousands of dollars, countless days, and years of experimenting in vain to get my go to places now.  There are so few left in this state, I could show somebody every place I have in my box of tricks in two hard days.

Knowledge is never free.......trade me a spot, or git to work like I did.

WELL SAID!!!

Kris

[tomy salami]

...........well placed subterfuge has most definitely got the boys to go left............


...All the while the Salami was goin WAY right, only to smoke the holy hell out of the fish. And nobody was around to witness it.

Log that.

Street Credibility aint needed here. I will git the job done, believe me or not. (or just never knew it happened, until next years Christmas card).

 

[Galpster]

...........well placed subterfuge has most definitely got the boys to go left............


...All the while the Salami was goin WAY right, only to smoke the holy hell out of the fish. And nobody was around to witness it.

Log that.

Street Credibility aint needed here. I will git the job done, believe me or not. (or just never knew it happened, until next years Christmas card).

 

Huh? LOL

[washelkhntr]

 

[MtnMuley]

Loose lips sink ships........right?   Sharing info to an extent is fine with me, but if everyone's like me, there's a few secrets that don't get shared.............

[walt]

Loose lips sink ships

yep.  
If its the site I think it is its geared more towards the stocker lakes in the state, which is fine to share info IMO.  When it comes to lesser known lakes and rivers with self sustaining pops of native fish use some discression.  It seems there are a lot of younger anglers on there that haven't yet learned what can happen when you tell the world which rock to stand on, where to cast, what to use and when to go.

[Dmanmastertracker]

...........well placed subterfuge has most definitely got the boys to go left............


...All the while the Salami was goin WAY right, only to smoke the holy hell out of the fish. And nobody was around to witness it.

Log that.

Street Credibility aint needed here. I will git the job done, believe me or not. (or just never knew it happened, until next years Christmas card).

 

 Dude...     What in the crying hell are you smoking?

[tomy salami]

MacNaughtons and Rainier.

Poetry will be understood by all who git my Christmas card.

Then they will see the fish we caught on one side of the state, while they were beating their head against a claybank, a couple of degrees latitude to the south.

[Dmanmastertracker]

MacNaughtons and Rainier.

Poetry will be understood by all who git my Christmas card.

Then they will see the fish we caught on one side of the state, while they were beating their head against a claybank, a couple of degrees latitude to the south.

 OK then. Merry Christmas.

[jackelope]

what forum is it?


its a stupid rule.

[BigGoonTuna]

sounds like gamefishin.

that place has ruined more areas that i used to fish in the past 5 years than i'd like to think about.

[Dmanmastertracker]

 The owner of Gamefishin would like to do away with the Reports section, he is not a fan, I have to agree. Too often the Reports section turns into a pissing match, or is made up of non-reports that have to be deleted. Other than that I haven't seen anyone over there force anyone to do anything to stay on the Site, now the Flyfishing site on the other hand.........