Spots and Secrets 2024

th365thli reply :

I recently got into an argument on another forum. A user had posted a catch report and another politely asked if he could share techniques slash baits used. The original poster blew off the question (in a very rude manner I might add....which is what I took issue with).

This got me thinking. What do you guys think of hoarding "spots" and secrets? I realize overfishing has started creep into freshwater, and some youtubers are already complaining about it.

Personally I could care less about it. To me, there are enough sizable bodies of water in my area with bass that you can catch them if you try. If you're hoarding techniques that just means you don't have enough confidence in yourself as a fisherman. There are so many areas and ways to catch bass it would take some astronomical freshwater overfishing for it to become a problem.

What do you guys think? Fair or not fair? We live in a digital age that is taking over fishing, if it hasn't already taken over.

Bluebasser86 reply :

It depends a lot on your area I suppose. In certain parts of the country, there probably is a pretty unlimited supply of fishing spots. What about others who might have only 1 public body of water within a few hours drive? There's parts of western KS that don't have a public body of water within 2 hours drive of them. Or ones that live in areas that don't have a good population of bass? The lakes in my area generally have poor populations of larger bass, or even bass in general. I've seen a single season of sudden fishing pressure on a hot lake tank the lake completely for the next several seasons.

I work hard to find my fish and what they're eating. Our lakes are mostly small and the good ones really take a beating. If I really figure something out, I'll probably share a little of the info, but I'm not giving away any vital spots or secrets. To me, asking a complete stranger on the internet to give away all their secrets, and then getting upset when they don't, is just being lazy. Not saying that entitles the person who was catching fish to be a jerk to someone who might ask, but it's easy to politely decline to share any information they don't want to share.

th365thli reply :

Definitely, I suppose I never lived an area that had scarce fishing. To clarify my specific situation, I live in the bay area where there are plenty of reservoirs. Hell the Delta is only a little over an hour away and we're talking a world class fishery here.

Oregon Native reply :

Guess I'm old fashioned and don't need the publicity....I can go fishing and share (word of mouth) with friends. Yes ... will do some on here with techniques but!!!! Can't see why I would want so many friends (!!!!) on the water I fish doing exactly what I'n doing and advertising it on a public forum....seriously!

Bluebasser86 reply :

On 5/7/2017 at 3:04 PM, th365thli said:

Definitely, I suppose I never lived an area that had scarce fishing. To clarify my specific situation, I live in the bay area where there are plenty of reservoirs. Hell the Delta is only a little over an hour away and we're talking a world class fishery here.

Yeah you probably have more fishable water in that one body of water than the entire state of Kansas. Our biggest reservoir is only 16k acres, and there's only 3 or 4 total over 10k acres with a few in the 2-7 thousand acre range. The rest are small state lakes under 300 acres, and there's not a ton of those.

12poundbass reply :

I could/would never ask for a certain location or give one up. Yeah I'd ask or give up a certain area (west side of lake) but that's it. That's the sport of fishing....figuring out where they are, when they're there, and what they want.

Catt reply :

If I know what your boat looks like or if I know what vehicle you drive, I will find where you're fishing!

2008 I started a thread "So y'all want to learn Toledo Bend?", 252 pgs, 6,287 replies, & 915,384 views.

No I don't mind sharing

BassWhole! reply :

I don't share spots or specifics with the world at large using any medium, high or low tech. I will share in person, with young people or folks getting started. I also don't take pictures or weigh most of the fish I catch, so folks often think I exaggerate, and that's just fine by me. I fish for either $, or because I enjoy it.

A-Jay reply :

I'll share What I caught, as well as How & When I caught but very Rarely (if ever) Where I caught.

That part is Always up to each angler to solve on his or her own.

IMO, 'Successful Bass Fishing' is a process by which one uses whatever knowledge, experience, and time on the water to get the job done. Once you know how to catch them, looking for them and eventually finding them Yourself, where ever that may be, is very satisfying.

One may be better suited to concentrate their efforts there, rather than hoping or even worse, expecting others, to do it for them.

So I say find your own fish. I'll never ask anyone where they got them. I may ask how though, and that's usually sufficient.

A-Jay

lo n slo reply :

i generally dont mind. i've shared info with guys on the water. some dude in a kayak pulled up on me while i was fishing a long hump one day. "why are you way out here?" he asked. i explained and told him to start throwing. i threw a worm and he a crank bait. we both caught them. it was cool. he learned something that day.

Sam reply :

Th365, where are you? Can you add your physical location to your avatar?

As for sharing secrets and spots each member on this Forum has their own opinion.

I will not share spots or secrets with guys I fish against in tournaments as a rule, but the rule is not in concrete as I have assisted others fishing tournaments and they have shared their input with me.

As for guys on this Forum, I will help them as best I can on Virginia waters.

As for guys I don't know I usually keep my spots and secrets off limits.

The problem is that guys who fish specific of bodies know the "secret places" and what "techniques" work best so in actuality there are no secrets in bass fishing. You may think you have found the "magic pill" but others have it, too.

NHBull reply :

There is a few of us on the lake that tend to know the hotter spots, but tend to reserve them for when we have guest and want them to have a good time.

There are a couple tournaments on our lake, and if you really to get a head start, be on the lake for practice....... You will surely find additional places to fish.

As far as what is working, almost anyone with the exception of the elite tournament fisherman will share.

scaleface reply :

If I catch fish in an area then yeah i'll tell everybody that I caught my bass in cove three... If I catch my bass on a specific spot in cove three , such as a slight depression surrounded by four stumps , i'm keeping that a secret .

RichF reply :

I don't like to share a lot of specifics, especially with guys I compete against. It's up to all of us as anglers to figure out our own stuff. It's more rewarding when you do anyway.

frosty reply :

I fish all public water that anybody can fish so I don't mind sharing a body of water or what I used to catch them, but I'm definitely not going to show you any exact location. It's part of the fun exploring, finding the fishy places.

Jeff H reply :

I don't catch many fish so nobody pays attention to me anyway!

Darren. reply :

Sharing is caring! LOL...

Anyhow, locally I have had locations and techniques

shared with me, and with those who were generous,

I was equally generous with them.

I will not share with every Tom, Dick, or Harry that

is in a boat. There are knuckleheads out there and,

at least for me, I let my gut tell me about who I am

talking with. I'm sure others are the same, you get

a sense of the person you're chatting with and whether

they're "a good dude" or just trolling for info.

Raul reply :

Ok, I can tell you when, where, how and with what, I don't mind sharing, but that don't mean you'll catch them, hell, my compadre can't and he is barely 8 ft away in the same boat.

On 5/7/2017 at 10:21 PM, Darren. said:

Sharing is caring! LOL...

Anyhow, locally I have had locations and techniques

shared with me, and with those who were generous,

I was equally generous with them.

I will not share with every Tom, Dick, or Harry that

is in a boat. There are knuckleheads out there and,

at least for me, I let my gut tell me about who I am

talking with. I'm sure others are the same, you get

a sense of the person you're chatting with and whether

they're "a good dude" or just trolling for info.

Two of my favorite breeds !

Darren. reply :

On 5/7/2017 at 10:28 PM, Raul said:

Ok, I can tell you when, where, how and with what, I don't mind sharing, but that don't mean you'll catch them, hell, my compadre can't and he is barely 8 ft away in the same boat.

Two of my favorite breeds !

EXACTLY!! I shared specifics with a guy who later told

me he had ZERO hits in an area I was killing. Using the

bait I gave him, too. All in how ya fish it!

david in va reply :

you can tell with what and you can tell where, but you can not tell how.

NO two fish alike

sully420 reply :

I share all the time the only time i dont is if i feel that a fisherman is un ethical or fishes illegally ir is rude. But i understand people who don't because of heavy pressure or lack of good fishing opportunities. I dont have that problem im Minnesota especially with bass fishing its not a popular as walleye or panfishing.

2tall79 reply :

I told my brother about a new lake I found where I had been catching good numbers of large fish. The next weekend he was there with his boys enjoying the same kind of success. The difference being that he keeps and eats everything he catches.

And if that that wasn't bad enough, he told all his buddies at work and now they are doing the same. Never again.

scaleface reply :

If I know a good spot on public water that someone showed me , I'm going to fish it . The urge is just to strong .

WRB reply :

The reason I am on this site is to share what little I've learned over 6 decades of bass fishing. There isn't any secrets and with modern sonar/GPS and sat over head search tools and fewer closely held spots. Our lakes are so small and highly pressured you need to be able to catch bass others are missing. I have shown dozens of BR members exactly where to look for bass on the lake maps they fish. We have anglers who use spotting scopes or binoculars to see where and what you using.

I know anglers who try to keep secrets from thier boat partners to keep an edge on them, it's selfish narrow minded behavior and common among bass anglers.

Tom

BrianSnat reply :

I frequent a pretty active fishing forum for my state. The people there are pretty tight lipped. You see a lot of photos of their catch but rarely a mention of where it was caught. Some even go as far as blacking out the background of any photos so others can't figure out where they were by looking at the background.

Now if you have a secret spot in a lake or on a river that is always productive for you, or if you know of some off the beaten path stream or pond that produces for you, I can see not sharing it on the Internet. It would probably be fished out in weeks.

But generally in state like New Jersey, there are few truly secret spots. Pretty much everyone who has fished any time here knows the better lakes and rivers and if not they can go to the Dept of Fish and Game website for a list of them, as well as detailed about certain locations and techniques.

For me Internet fishing forums are a place to exchange ideas. I've been fishing for over 50 years and I think I have a lot to share, particularly with those new to the sport. And we anglers always have a lot to learn, no matter how long we have been at it. I've learned quite a bit here.

I think sharing various techniques is fine. That should be the point of this type of forum. I am willing to share generalities about places I fish. "If you want to fish for 'x', try 'y' River north of 'z' or "Lake 'a' has a pretty good population of 'b' and using a 'c' can be really productive there." Most people who come to these forums aren't expecting you to reveal your secret hole, but appreciate some guidance. They get that here, which is why I like this site. Without that open exchange of tecniques and locations these sites become little more than brag boards. "Hey look at all of the big fish I caught, but I'm not telling you where or how".

UPSmallie reply :

I think a lot of guys work hard to obtain their set skills and techniques for specific kinds of fishing. It may take months, years maybe, before they can find a consistently producing pattern. The learning curve usually takes a while to learn on your own. Is it wrong to keep some of your acquired information to yourself? No. With that said, I always give helpful hints or small details to those asking. I never share a specific honey-hole with others, besides close friends, but I'll often share what type of lure I used to catch the fish on. To each his own, but yes I would agree that there are more than enough people these days who want an instant answer of how and where that trophy fish was caught.

Mosster47 reply :

There are guys that will watch you pre-fish with binoculars. There are guys that will come pretend to talk to you after you take out to see what you have on your deck. It's pretty easy to spot the vultures and the guys who just want to have a conversation.

I will tell people everything I know about fishing, but you've got to be someone I know before I tell you when and where.

Team9nine reply :

As for specific fishing reports and catches, It depends on the species and the situation with me. Most times, all you'll get are generalities from me, especially in public posts. Just enough to point you in the right direction. A few friends will get more, especially if they ask, but I've been disappointed enough times by those who don't respect the info and all that went into it, so I've become somewhat guarded. More than enough "chicken hawks" out on the water these days. Kind of sad, really.

On the other hand, on forums like this where questions are mostly about equipment, approaches, experiences, etc,, I try and share as much as possible. I can get you all set up, help you with some baits, how I fish them, and tell you what areas to look for on the water...just find your own spots when you get there

Paul Roberts reply :

For me, it depends a lot on how much pressure a place might get. When you figure in timing and approaches, there's a lot more real estate out there than one might expect. That said, I've been burned before so I am cautious. I find that if I share good info with good people, it comes back around.

RoLo reply :

identifying seasonal patterns, pinpointing sweet-spots and perfecting techniques, all require

an enormous amount of due diligence and time on the water. Paradoxically, it seems only fair to me

that more than 'one' fisherman should reap the benefits of all that time and labor. As a result,

I freely divulge 'what' I fish, 'when', 'where' and 'how' I fish it. In the grand scheme of things,

the secrets I might disclose are not likely to affect me on the waters that I fish,

but may brighten the day of a fellow angler in the waters that he fishes.

I'm more guarded with local waypoints, but have often divulged the coordinates of hard-won local sweet-spots.

In fact, I've provided whole lake itineraries to several BR members in the past.

Truthfully, I'm not concerned about any holding site becoming public knowledge,

because there are more where they came from; and searching for new hotspots is my first love.

After you've boated thousands upon thousands of fresh and saltwater fish, cranking a fish to the boat

becomes anti-climactic. I'm very lucky though, because my favorite part of fishing is gathering information, studying all the exciting sciences that encompass our sport, and last but not least: "finding fish".

For that same reason I've never hired a fishing guide in my life, and never will.

What sense would it make for me to pay someone else to do the task I love the most?? (ain't gonna happen).

Roger

Bassin' Brad reply :

There is a difference between helping someone out by giving them tips on how to use gear and tackle and what gear and tackle is used when and where and pointing them in the right direction. That's different compared to lazy people that don't won't to do any of the work and want you to just tell them everything after you've worked hard to and put in time to figure that out. It's also different if 2 people who go out and do their homework share info with each other.

OCdockskipper reply :

Like many have already posted, for me it is a "depends on..." answer.

The earlier post where a person asked "What are you doing out here?" is an example that I would take positively. That sounds like a person curious to learn, wanting to understand what is happening and not necessarily infringing on the person fishing. My response would have been the same, tell him what is underwater and invite him to fish it with me.

It is the "entitlement" questions, the grilling for information, that rubs me the wrong way. Normally, I will give any & all information to youngsters who are fishing, but even some of them can be jerks. Just yesterday, I was 70 yards away from a designated shoreline fishing area when a young teen yelled as loud as he could "Are you catching anything?". Keep in mind this is a small lake surrounded by homes and it was still early morning, so I am assuming the nearby neighbors were still sleeping. I responded with a thumbs up, not wanting to encourage the kid to keep yelling. No such luck, he then yelled "What are you using?". There were other people fishing where he was and I didn't want to motor over there & disturb their spot to answer him & I sure as heck wasn't going to yell back, so I just held up the Ned rig. Kid must have eagle eyes, because he then yelled "What color?". That was enough for me, I just waved, turned my back and went the opposite direction.

ScottDB reply :

I wouldn't mind sharing unless it was a private pond.

lonnie g reply :

I don't mind shareing ,especially if its someone with kids or maybe a young person or couple. now my brother or buddies I might answer like in the mouth, or on a pole, or in the water with a hook. with a slight grin of course!!

gimruis reply :

On 5/7/2017 at 10:42 PM, sully420 said:

I share all the time the only time i dont is if i feel that a fisherman is un ethical or fishes illegally ir is rude. But i understand people who don't because of heavy pressure or lack of good fishing opportunities. I dont have that problem im Minnesota especially with bass fishing its not a popular as walleye or panfishing.

I have a similar experience. I generally don't give out specific locations where I'm catching ANY fish but if its a sizable body of water, I don't mind mentioning it to someone I know. Its the land of 10,000 lakes (plus lots of rivers) and bass fishing is about 5th popular on the target list behind walleyes, crappies, sunfish, and trout. I do think that if people started keeping bass more on a regular basis that the resource would get depleted quickly up here in the north. It takes a bass 8-10 years to get to 5 pounds/20 inches sometimes. That's not a renewable resource.

sully420 reply :

On 5/8/2017 at 8:08 AM, gimruis said:

I have a similar experience. I generally don't give out specific locations where I'm catching ANY fish but if its a sizable body of water, I don't mind mentioning it to someone I know. Its the land of 10,000 lakes (plus lots of rivers) and bass fishing is about 5th popular on the target list behind walleyes, crappies, sunfish, and trout. I do think that if people started keeping bass more on a regular basis that the resource would get depleted quickly up here in the north. It takes a bass 8-10 years to get to 5 pounds/20 inches sometimes. That's not a renewable resource.

Yea i think thats why we are on this site instead of fishing one more week and we can finally catch some bass

Gundog reply :

You ask and I will tell. Location, lure, weather conditions, color of the water, color of my underwear. Anything you wanna know, I will tell ya. Cause I know you can't catch all of those green and brown little beauties.

Cause I gotta biggggg mouth!

Quarry Man reply :

My area is limited to only small ponds, quarries (hence the name) and small lakes. Most are private property that I have worked to gain access to. I don't tell people about some really good spots, only family. I will share others though. Its up to you. keep some give some. give and take.

jimf reply :

On 5/7/2017 at 7:28 PM, A-Jay said:

I'll share What I caught, as well as How & When I caught but very Rarely (if ever) Where I caught.

That part is Always up to each angler to solve on his or her own.

IMO, 'Successful Bass Fishing' is a process by which one uses whatever knowledge, experience, and time on the water to get the job done. Once you know how to catch them, looking for them and eventually finding them Yourself, where ever that may be, is very satisfying.

One may be better suited to concentrate their efforts there, rather than hoping or even worse, expecting others, to do it for them.

So I say find your own fish. I'll never ask anyone where they got them. I may ask how though, and that's usually sufficient.

A-Jay

Yep.

fishwizzard reply :

On 5/7/2017 at 10:21 PM, Darren. said:

Sharing is caring! LOL...

Anyhow, locally I have had locations and techniques

shared with me, and with those who were generous,

I was equally generous with them.

Exactly. When I started out I struggled hard to catch anything and a few very nice guys online more or less drew me a map to show me a spot where I was sure to find some white perch. I try to return the kindness and face to face I will point out like a specific tree to help some one out. Online I am a little more vague, but do believe in being helpful.

And besides, my few actually "good spots" are at least a 3 mile hike from the nearest parking, so I am not too worried about the masses arriving.

th365thli reply :

Thanks for all the responses all.

So a summary:

1) Location. If you're lucky enough to live in a place with a ton of accessible water, then it doesn't really matter

2) General consesus is that techniques and baits is fine, specific location not so, for good reason.

I've been blessed to have only lived in areas with plentiful water. And it wasn't too long ago that I was struggling with learning how to catch bass. Paying my knowledge forward is a form of thanks to the people that helped me before. That being said some knowledge is hard earned and it's everyone's right to guard it, especially given some people's poor experiences with other people abusing the knowledge. I think for me I agree with the majority, techniques/bait specific information is fine, but specific location is iffy.

TOXIC reply :

It generally doesn't pay if you are a guide to give out where you are catching your fish but there are some things to remember. A good spot will always "re-load". When I was guiding more regular, I got a lot of tournament anglers who would hire me just to poach spots but you have to remember there is a lot of difference between tournament quality fish and what guides call client fish. Usually that is a milk run that you can put clients on fish pretty consistently. I got a lot of calls before any big TX asking for conditions and locations. I usually would be pretty forthcoming. You would think that after taking people to productive spots as a guide they would get fished out but that was never the case. As I said, good spots reload. My friend who was an Elite series angler would prefish looking for spots that were not normal fish holding areas. An old fisherman once told me "You're never gonna catch another man's fish" and that saying holds true. I had a spot on the lake that was always good for a couple 3lber's. Another guide lived on the lake within eyesight of the spot. He and I talked at the dock waiting for clients one day and he mentioned he saw me there. I told him he now knows my secret. He laughed and said every tournament he sees lots of boats fish that spot but that I was the only one he ever saw pull fish out of it.

Catt reply :

Within the 252 pgs & 6,287 replies of our Toledo Bend thread you will not find a single GPS waypoint other than ones on a map marking general areas.

What you will find is enough information about specific structure for the intermediate angler to connect with fish.

You'll also find accurate reports for specific areas with seasonal patterns, water conditions, depths fished, & lures used.

WIGuide reply :

Personally, I'll share some info. I'm far more likely to give you general information than specifics. I'll leave out the weight, color, specific bait, as well as specific spot. Something like telling someone to try hitting some shallow points with a squarebill or whatever I've been doing that's working. If you're a close and "trusted" friend I'll be more loose about information. I've got a few trusted sources as well and we speak freely.

mllrtm79 reply :

I will share, with most of the guys I fish with. That being said, on the interwebs I will not really know who will understand "if you go up the deep creek fork just past where the clam factory dock was, there are docks and a bulkhead on the right side. When the tide is low the fish pull back into that area because of the mud flat on that one bend. Fish that from Mike's dock up to around the next bend where there the 4 laydowns are."

@Lendiesel22 and a couple of others that have fished the Nanticoke may be able to find it, but I doubt they'll hurt my fishing the next time I'm out there. (even though they probably won't know Mike they might find the area)

J Francho reply :

There really aren't too many secrets in fishing. Small bodies of water can succumb to pressure. Sometimes it's just ebb and flow of the health of a lake. Some spots just disappear, like the willows that a homeowner cut down, and dragged out of the water. I remember feeling heartbroken when I found my brush pile laying on the dock after we sold our cottage. With today's mapping and DI/SI tech, even the often super hard to locate wrecks on Oneida are pretty much community spots now. The times I get careful about what I share is when I'm stream fishing for steelhead. It only takes one off comment, "Yeah, I stuck 12 today..." and the next day that parking lot is full.

Choporoz reply :

I don't fish tournaments, nor 'secret water', etc...I've seen no reason to keep much to myself.

However, I'm probably the 'other guy' in these conversations. I've no doubt that some eyes have rolled and lies been told when I've asked others how they're doing/did. Despite likely skepticism of my 'motives', I'm just asking to be friendly, share...and especially to learn. I'm not trying to get in on anyone's 'spot'. I was just trying to understand....let's see...winds from south, recent rains...current down...were bass orienting to steep, slack side of main lake point?....if so, why?...are they chasing moving baits, or only hitting dead sticks? I like to discuss fishing for bass...and my motives are (mostly?) pure, but I know very well, that I meet up with guys view me as some sort of enemy spy or combatant. I read people fairly well, and know when to shut up, but if you wanna talk specifics about bass fishing, I'm going to listen...and ask questions...sorry in advance

geo g reply :

If you don't want to share a spot, don't post pictures of that spot on any site that promotes fishing. I am an open book, and almost always share spots, and techniques, on several web sites. But just recently a strange thing has happened that has got me on a mission. Four weeks ago I went to a small lake in South Florida that I have never seen anyone fish. It is a man made lake and very difficult to get to. My first day there I caught a 26.5 inch bass, and when I tried to take a pic of it my phone would not let me, because there was no gigs left. That bass was well over 11 lbs and I did not want to risk its life by keeping it out of the water too long. I released it healthy, and was so upset with no pic. I've been on a mission to caught that bass again, its only a thirty acre lake. Since that time I have deleted hundreds of bass pics off my phone, and while trying to find that fish over a four week period, caught a 23.5 inch, a 22.5 inch, a 22 inch, a 20.5 in, a 19 in. all from this small lake. The monster has still evaded me, but I know where she lives. Although I have pictures of all the other big bass, this little lake will just remain a secret between me and myself. A lake this small could be ruined quickly of all these decent size bass, and peacocks. When I find the big one again, I may release some pics at that time to good friends. It is an amazing spot!!!!!!!

NYWayfarer reply :

I will share information about spots, baits and techniques freely. I am a big believer in Karma and pay it foward.

A few weeks ago I met a fellow who saw a caught a trout at the local pond. He was fly fishing but had a spinning set up with him. He asked how I caught the fish and I told him I was using a jig and float. He commented he didn't have a float so I gave him one. He thanked me and said he would give it back when I was leaving but I told him keep it and help out another angler if he ever got the chance.

Bankbeater reply :

People fishing my favorite spots doesn't bother me. What really bugs me is when I tell someone about my spots, and I go back to find the place all trashed up.

shimmy reply :

On 5/7/2017 at 7:28 PM, A-Jay said:

I'll share What I caught, as well as How & When I caught but very Rarely (if ever) Where I caught.

That part is Always up to each angler to solve on his or her own.

IMO, 'Successful Bass Fishing' is a process by which one uses whatever knowledge, experience, and time on the water to get the job done. Once you know how to catch them, looking for them and eventually finding them Yourself, where ever that may be, is very satisfying.

One may be better suited to concentrate their efforts there, rather than hoping or even worse, expecting others, to do it for them.

So I say find your own fish. I'll never ask anyone where they got them. I may ask how though, and that's usually sufficient.

A-Jay

Summed up better than I could have said it. For me, I have experienced too many times on a body of water 100-200 acres where we were the umpteenth boat there and it was obvious people had fished/spooked the bass there all day. I know Catt likes to say how open he is about sharing info, but it's another thing on a giant body of water where even if 100 guys read your post and tried to fish your spot that day, you have a 1,000 other spots to fish. Perhaps the rebuttal is, "well if your good enough, It doesn't matter if people fish your spot...you can still catch the ones they miss." Sure, but even a blind squirrel finds a nut and if you get enough blind squirrels, we'll that would make a funny looking forest and some strange tree climbing in your neighborhood AND your chances have drastically decreased for catching your big fish; especially on smaller bodies of water.

Spankey reply :

Everyone has a different comfort level as to what they want to share. Everyone doesn't fish with the same intentions. I C&R all my bass. I don't want to kill one or see one killed. But realize things do happen. I've been on that end of things like everyone else. On a local level I don't share much info at the dock, ramp or parking lot. Whether I do well or not it's "I didn't set the world on fire". I'm not a troll, or going to be trolled. I don't leave a lot of tackle lay all over my boat deck when I come in so not much info shared there. There is only two guys that I've known for years that we really get into how things are going, stratigies, got a nice one here, bunch of runts there, color patterns choices and lure actions, structure. We are one in the same as to how we fish. My comfort level on a local level stops there.

Some of the above may sound negative. But mostly it's not being a socialite at the dock or by engaging in a lot of running my mouth as to how it's going. My good time and mental relief doesn't get spread across the county.

But, this is a great site here. This site has great guys on it. I like dealing with people on here. I don't hold back on anything, like to help and like being helped. Guys in my own backyard are going to have to find out on there own or the DB at the tackleshop who doesn't even fish.

GORDO reply :

Sharing information isnt a problem to me. Maybe if I was on a 300 acre lake I would be more tight lipped but Ill share pretty much whatever you need to know. I cant count how many times ive followed a boat down a set of docks and caught fish on the dock they just flipped to. All I want to know is are they shallow or deep and ill figure it out from there. Thats half of the fun of fishing is trying to find the fish!

BassGirl71 reply :

On 5/7/2017 at 5:42 PM, 12poundbass said:

I could/would never ask for a certain location or give one up. Yeah I'd ask or give up a certain area (west side of lake) but that's it. That's the sport of fishing....figuring out where they are, when they're there, and what they want.

I agree. I will tell people - main lake points or grass lines in 12-14 feet - something like that, but I don't give up specific spots, etc. Or I might divulge a color I found to work well, but I won't do another angler's work for them. To me, that's not what it's all about.

Ratherbfishing reply :

On 5/7/2017 at 2:10 PM, th365thli said:

I'm unsure how you define "hoarding" but the implication that NOT sharing everything one knows is somehow selfish is, in and of itself, selfish. Put your OWN time in on the water.

th365thli reply :

On 5/11/2017 at 10:05 PM, Ratherbfishing said:

I'm unsure how you define "hoarding" but the implication that NOT sharing everything one knows is somehow selfish is, in and of itself, selfish. Put your OWN time in on the water.

You need to slow your roll my man. Nowhere did I imply that not sharing every little bit of knowledge is selfish "and of itself selfish" (redundant much?)

Read my previous posts please, I believe is stated that what you share or not share is your own business, as long as you do it respectfully. It's not like we all didn't start somewhere. And please do not "imply" that I do not put my "OWN" time in the water. I fish extensively and I fish hard and I figure things out. I put my dues and time in.

brgbassmaster reply :

When i lived in northern michigan i wasnt worried at all. There are thousands of lakes and most the time you are lucky to see another boat let alone another bass boat. In arizona heck no i aint sharing nothing LOL. There is like 3 lakes here. My closest lake is 1 hr 15 min.

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