Frank Daignault states in one of his books, "You might be a member of the secret surfcasting society by day, but you won't be alone tonight."

Its one of the best surf fishing quotes I know and it goes to show most people will spill the beans to their confidants about where and when. Under what circumstances do you share info...in other words, how do you decide who gets the manure and who gets the oats?

Who puts in the most time themselves, and who I know can keep their mouth shut. They get the good info.

I dont like bird dogging bass for guys who dont put in their own time.

You scratch my back and I'll scratch your's. Thats how I roll.

If somebody is willing to help me then I'm willing to help them....and If someone helps me and says don't say anything....I keep my mouth shut.

One thing that always blows my mind about the whole secrecy thing.....I understand being tight-lipped about the "Where's" and "When's"...but I can't understand why people are secretive about the "How's".

Every once in awhile I get that "You Got 3 Heads" look when I ask somebody what they got it on :huh:

Well lets see here, if I caught a bunch of large fish in a particular spot I would tell somebody about it say, a year later. I would only tell a very select few at the time. You know how we are, word spreads faster than chlamydia in panama bordello around here (take that Frank D. quote!)

I will help someone who helped me. But never help someone out by giving them info someone else gave you.

I hope that made sense.

I have a personal rule:

If someone told me, then I don't tell another soul.
If I found a place myself, then it's my own choice.

I enjoy my time fishing with the guys I often fish with. And most of them are damn good fishermen. I also appreciate/respect their trust and know that loose lips means lost opportunities.

Well lets see here, if I caught a bunch of large fish in a particular spot I would tell somebody about it say, a year later. I would only tell a very select few at the time. You know how we are, word spreads faster than chlamydia in panama bordello around here (take that Frank D. quote!)

That avatar ain't exactly cryptic, though!

lloose lips sink secret spots ...... i love frank from the old days....if he's an a-hole ,so a lot of other peeps ......good bad and tell it like it is :shocked: ugly....:shocked:

If you tell anyone anything, you might as well come to the conclusion that it wont stay a secret for long. Also, the more you emphasize the fact that what you are telling someone is the utmost secret, the quicker it will become public knowledge.

Thats why I don't tell Eben ANYTHING :D

I will only share with the guys I know who fish like me. meaning having respect for the fish and other surfcasters.Even if they are just starting out untill they show me otherwise.Then there are things that are never shared until it is over.

If you tell anyone anything, you might as well come to the conclusion that it wont stay a secret for long. Also, the more you emphasize the fact that what you are telling someone is the utmost secret, the quicker it will become public knowledge.

Alas the Ben Franklin quote...."Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead."

I pretty much tell anyone I consider a friend everything. Not really concerned with getting anything in return. Secrecy used to be a bigger deal in the old days when there was a profit motive, but that's died on the vine too. Its funny sometimes people ask, I tell them exactly what's up and they assume I'm lying because I'm a striper fisherman..its quite comical.

I know it's selfish but most of the places I fish now can only handle a few people. So I would tell it like it is to people that I trust wouldn't feel the need to share with a mob. I enjoy too much the serenity of fishing with a few good fishermen who are not getting in each others way. As for my knowledge, no problem sharing thoughts, technics etc, from 40 years of avid fishing. Pretty much have tried it all.

If someone has put in their time i will help them out, probably because they have loosened up a bit as well. Ive only got one buddy that i have spilt my bean pot too, he did it to me and got me access to some pretty damn exclusive areas. Ive gone as far as drawing maps and referencing the log book for this guy. I think we all have enough spots, or know of enough spots that are well known that we can give a couple away to someone in need, if they are deserving. It a little tough to keep tight lipped if an older fella asks for a spot, or a dad and kid.

Between my group, information flows quite freely. It is sort of assumed that if you tell one person, the others in the group can know and vice versa. The info does not go to anyone if the person telling me requests it be kept secret. Also, it is sort of assumed between us that if one person puts the others on to fish one day, the favor will be returned on another hot bite. What I find really funny is when someone asks me about some fish that were caught 6 months earlier. I have had this happen a bunch of times if I would tell another person's secret outside the group. If you can't ask Joe fisherman, why can you ask me? Really, I find this to be insulting. I seldom ask where a fish was caught unless I really know the person.

NIB's secrets are dark and taunting..:smash:

because that is what makes it a secret
:heybaby: :heybaby: :heybaby:

the Iron One told me two springs ago
when i posed the same question,,,,,,,,,,

and he said,
"how do you think we keep landing LARGE?
i fish with three guys and we share our BITE between
each other, but that's it. how well do you know this guy?"

"i met him thru the forums"

"tell NO ONE!! because if you do tell him, he'll tell his best friend~~
then that guy will tell his best friend, and then that guy will.............
and "your" spot will no longer be your spot,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"

that being said, there are sum surfcats i share spots with
usually because we are going there together or we know
that we will keep it between us~~ the where and the when.

i have no problem telling the HOW or WHY!

I would have to echo what T-Lap said as far as it staying within a certain core group and by that I mean the 3 or 4 guys I trust and fish with the most (all members of the CIA included) and depending on what the spot might be...maybe the guys that I see at those spots alot....I will share info back and forth with them! I have seen a few guys withhold information that I knew was there and if I find any deceit......the information train shuts down!

I actually stoped fishing with a friend of mine a few years back because he only wanted to go fishing when I was into big fish. In my book, if you do not put in your time, then you do not deserve to know where and when the big fish are biting. But, even then, I only pass on information to those whom I trust. And buy trust, I mean Trust.

People are always looking for shortcuts. The only shortcut to landing big fish, is the shortest path to the water's edge.

Thats why I don't tell Eben ANYTHING :D


:gorez:

Pretty hard to come away from a spot without someone seeing you.

...Now is the time to use the WALK OF DEFEAT...shuffling gate, slumped over, rod over the shoulder, looking at your feet, some glum tired expression. To pull this off, of course, all fish need to be released.

as i read through all this crap about keeping a secret i think that MOST not all would not last 2 hrs w/ that info .and most not all , have only had a great super spot in there own sick head

have a few spots that i was shown by a friend in his local area that i would never tell anybody about.it was his hard work over alot of years working these areas and he was willing to share with me.have a good friend who i have'nt fished with in a long time and he offered to take me to a secret spot,was unable to go with him and he would'nt give up spot unless i was with him.most of these spots only fish a couple of people,my sons aside these areas are never up.if your fishing a well know area that everyone knows and catch fish then the word is out and everyone knows.

Secrets, the original recyclable resource.:call:

No spot is "secret", it's just that the average fisherman/woman won't or doesn't want to put in the time to find where the fish are.
They will be more than willing to ask someone else, or let someone else do the "leg work" for them.

If someone shows me that they have put in the time, and is willing to share as well as listen to advice, than I'm open to that. If they expect me to spill the beans just because they're there and haven't gotten a keeper yet, all they get is my trademark "keep trying, and you'll get one eventually".

I learned myself by trial and error, and one of the best lessons I learned were from my father and his brother.

My dad taught me to enjoy fishing at it's simplest level: getting outside and enjoying the day, regardless of the outcome.

My uncle taught me to not be afraid to get off the beaten path. He was renown for his flyfishing trips in Maine, where he would hike through miles of woods to get to some of his favorite unspoiled trout ponds.
Some places where a 5 lb. rainbow was not uncommon. He gave it up when the loggers opened up the access to these remote ponds to overfishing due to the logging roads they created. He still has a journal he kept from back in the 50's, when he really enjoyed trout fishing.

If somebody asks me where I got my fish I usually give them one of Pt Jude Joe's spots...:hihi:

Just kiddin', Joe - :hidin:

Some years ago I gave a guy a tip on a frequently over-looked spot - the next day or so he's got a freaking map and diagram all drawn out on a piece of cardboard...needless to say, he never got the straight poop from me on anything ever again...:hs:

Outside the Old Guy Network, mum is the word - depending on my frame of mind at the time, one other guy in a spot can feel like a crowd to me and I'll just move on...unless it's another certified member of the OGN...:hihi:

No one knows better than me that there are no genuinely secret spots - most all of them have been fished long before we got here - they're just lesser known -

i'm not even good enough to share valuable info. but i only fish with 2 people and last year was primarily all solo missions. i'll exchange info with them only. anyway, share with noone except very close and trustworthy people. so basically share with noone.

An interesting thing to note is much of what is dicussed on this board used to be considered "secret" believe it or not. Hook types, knots, plug building info,how to hook/rig eels etc. Some people would even lie about certain beaches being closed to keep other vehicles out and thus reduce competition.

People seem to confine secrecy to spots only, but there was much which was not shared in years past.

Some folks would go out of their way to mislead you, in fact. I remember one of the first "tricks" I learned was taking off the lure you slammed fish on the night before and putting a stinker on the end of your line by day while the rod sat spiked on your bumber. Making phony drag marks was another good one too.

I don't tell anyone :laughs:

If it happens, it happens with my fishing partner and me, and that's it. I don't say anything until it's over and that's the truth. :eek:

I don't tell anyone :laughs:

If it happens, it happens with my fishing partner and me, and that's it. I don't say anything until it's over and that's the truth. :eek:

And he learned that the hard way....:shocked:

I do the same ......

Sho 'nuff did :rollem:

this is weird :err:

Like most guys I have a few close fishing friends that I "consider" telling but...I have found that they sometimes tell a close friend..who tells a friend...etc. and there goes the spot. It all depends on the nature of the spot...and if it's commercial season I only tell family....sometimes!
A funny story from back around 1970 shows how far some guys will go to get your spots. I had been hammering big fish at a Harbor UDL and a group of guys on vacation had seen me getting bait in the AM and bringing in fish later to the ramp. They asked the usual "where'd ya get em" question and as per my usual practice(my dad taught me how to lie at an early age:angel:), I always told them a good spot to try...but not my spot. The 2nd day at the ramp they tell me they went where I told them and I was no where to be found. ..and they were mad! The 3rd day I arrived to get my bait and these guys and another boat were waiting for me; when I left with my bait both boats are hot on my tail. Well a 16 ft. alum. Starcraft w/a 55 Johnson can go pretty quick through some skinny water and I managed to lose them but I feared for my 19 yr. old hide when I went back to the ramp later. Luckily they weren't there...and I'm still here. If "don't ask..don't tell" is good enough for the military it's good enough for me!:humpty:

Mike BB...you start the great threads...I think I said that before...food for thought type stuff...
Just like the tourney thread, I am done with the secrect squirrel stuff...I just don't care anymore (this is subject to change, obsession may kick back in.... it is winter after all :grins:)
I have a great circle of friends that will give me a nod if need be and visa-versa... I would never give someone false info...that is just wrong i.m.o. ...

One buddy who rarely fishes from the surf and my dad are the only ones that I would share all the specifics with. Aside from them I’ll generally try to point people in the right direction and might offer some well known spots & techniques to try but that’s about it.

Sometimes I think it would be nice to have a couple more people to fish and share more than just general info with but its tough knowing who to trust.
:confused:

sorry Mike ,, hate to break it to you but your spot is not a secret anymore.. all this eel talk and big fish pics have cast the eyes of many upon you .. Oh yea ,, expect shortages in eels also. Might as well build bleaches down there.. hate to be the bearer ,:eyes:but he told 2 friends and he told 2 friends ..

An interesting thing to note is much of what is dicussed on this board used to be considered "secret" believe it or not. Hook types, knots, plug building info,how to hook/rig eels etc. Some people would even lie about certain beaches being closed to keep other vehicles out and thus reduce competition.

People seem to confine secrecy to spots only, but there was much which was not shared in years past.

Some folks would go out of their way to mislead you, in fact. I remember one of the first "tricks" I learned was taking off the lure you slammed fish on the night before and putting a stinker on the end of your line by day while the rod sat spiked on your bumber. Making phony drag marks was another good one too.

Or take out your camera at nite and flash it a few times then leave. You'll have 10 trucks there in no time.

Frank Daignault states in one of his books, "You might be a member of the secret surfcasting society by day, but you won't be alone tonight."

Its one of the best surf fishing quotes I know and it goes to show most people will spill the beans to their confidants about where and when. Under what circumstances do you share info...in other words, how do you decide who gets the manure and who gets the oats?


He should know - he was chased up and down Nauset during the days when we fished for money:eyes:

i will have to agree with the
no secret SPOTS sentiments,,,,,,,,,

yet the thing that IS kept SECRET is
the where and the when of the BITE.
:chatter :doh: :doh: :chatter

most spots that i've been told about were
places that i would've found out about, anyways.

the best part of this "secrecy dilemma" is that my biggest producer,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

i DID find on me own and i've had the thrill of my surfcasting life
discovering it a little bit more with each season, while improving
at this surfcraziness we DO because of the consistent opportunities to catch!!!

GOOD GOD!! i shore do LOVE this thang that WE DO!!!
:jump: :jump: :jump: :jump:

Why keep a secret ?Loose lips lead to crowds,aggravation,trash,beach fires,drunk people,ignorant people,fences,combat fishing.It's fine to tell random people you've been catching big fish.If they ask for location you just tell them a pre determined place.I hate to lie but I've seen full blown spot burn and it's consequences.I say nothing or lead the crowd in the wrong direction.Its a touchy situation with me and always will be.To each his own.

sorry Mike ,, hate to break it to you but your spot is not a secret anymore.. all this eel talk and big fish pics have cast the eyes of many upon you .. Oh yea ,, expect shortages in eels also. Might as well build bleaches down there.. hate to be the bearer ,:eyes:but he told 2 friends and he told 2 friends ..

Not sure what you mean Ed, but most of the places I fish are usually bustling with people at some point. Sometimes you just have to take a number and wait or try to stay out of step with the crowds. I usually find fishing the 11pm to 4 am shift makes just about every place "secret."

As for the he told 2 friends, so forth and so on, I've experienced that since day one 20 plus years ago. Kinda what this thread is about....I don't play the secret game any more, at least with guys I'm friendly with. They're only fish for christ's sake....

They're only fish for christ's sake....


exactly. Problem is... when people start surfcasting for reasons other than simple enjoyment, issues arise.

I don't play the secret game any more, at least with guys I'm friendly with. They're only fish for christ's sake....

Thats true.
If you fished closer I'd mug you every night :hidin:

Thats true.
If you fished closer I'd spoon with you every night :hidin:

IM CRUSHED!! :(

Luv ya to. hows philly?


not to completely hijack I think the secrets game is dangerous, who do you tell, who do you not.... I've learned to keep it to a select few friends, who fish similar spots, techniques and hours I do, and I trust. Otherwise, I'll show ya the slips (done in my best Framingham Mike accent :)

This is a in the same vein...I took my brother-in-law fishing for trout in Vermont. I took him to one of my favorite "secret" stretches. We have a field day....browns a brookies and keep afew nice ones for dinner.(I only keep 2-3 dinners a year) On the way back to the car we pass a house with 3 guys sitting on the porch. I say "let me do the talking". So they ask and I say "a couple real small ones". "that's too bad, that river hasn't really produced in years" They say....at which point the bro-in-law can't help himself and jumps onto the porch to show them our fish. Right on the spot they start planning their trip for the morning and talking about the guys they have to let know the river is hot again. Never took him fishing again.

In-Laws :wall:

Thats true.
If you fished closer I'd mug you every night :hidin:

You know where I like to hide. When I tell people they don't believe me though.:huh:
Its a stigma(secret squirrel) from years past...I really do tell guys what's up, but they either keep their distance out of respect, or simply think I'm misleading them.:angel:

BTW, its FRANKLIN....

Good thread - Lots of lessons learned with this topic over the years. Been burned by some very good friends - they're still good friends - just no longer grapevine worthy.

Here is one scenario where a "secret" good bite was ruined by a trusted friend.
Many years ago we had a great bite in an area just over an hour's drive from my home. We discovered this new location and fell in love with it. It had everything, off the beaten track, consistent action, quality bass, and we never saw ANY other casters while fishing there. Four of us, all plug/eel casters, agreed to keep our yaps shut about the place.
Next season we start poking around the area again. One night I take the long drive over, park where the buggy can't be seen, walk 15 minutes, wade 100 yards sweating my ass off, look up and there are three guys (that I know) bait-fishing on a large rock perch. Two of them ran a bait-shop where I lived. One of my other "trusted" friends had just started working part time at the same bait shop. I was fuming as it was easy to figure out who spilled the beans.

Normally I could share this spot with other pluggers as plug casters tend to move around - but bait guys tend to sit in a spot for hours. By the next week there were a half dozen guys chunking there every time I took the drive over. It became so crowded that it wasn't worth the 2 hour roundtrip drive anymore.

Secrets, keeping them (and figuring them out) are part of the surfcasting puzzle - without them it wouldn't be as much of a challenge. There are guys who've shared valuable intell with me over the years and I'm always grateful for volunteered info - the unwritten code for this type of help is not to share it. When I do go to a location that someone has shared with me I always seek their permission - if I get there and its occupied or if the caster that clued me in arrives I vacate the spot so he can fish it.

As far as secret methods/techniques are concerned: I'm happy to tell you that they do exist. As far as sharing techniques with others it comes down to what the motivation is for the person that asks me. If they are going to use it for the purpose of filling up a bass coffin it is a red flag - I won't share info willingly with someone who kills cows consistently. If I know their ideals/ethics are closer to mine I'll willingly share info.

I'm much more impressed by a casters ability to keep a low profile than how many cows they hang.

DZ

If a friendly person asks I will tell, if I know. But I usually won't go out of my way to offer info to strangers. Grapevines are very important to me as I haven't lived across the street from the ocean for a long time. I have several long time friends, retired and non retired , and talk to them weekly and sometimes daily about conditions and their input is invaluable. Gets me in the ballpark and that is all I am usually looking for, not looking for their exact rock, gps position, or stretch of sand, although most of these people will offer me much more than that usually, their good friends. I won't give out anything I get from them if they say so , but rarely do. My goal is to try to supply as much recon in return as I receive and to be honest I get more satisfaction giving them good info then I receive.

You scratch my back and I'll scratch your's. Thats how I roll.

I second this.

I have 2 secrets that will blow your mind,
1. Fish eels at night in rocky areas or current
2. Hook bunker in head, let swim near rocky shore.

Other than that, its mostly logisitics for me. Where can I park, will I get mugged, can you wade there, etc. I reached out to a few folks last year on some canal info, I wasnt looking for secrets, having never fished it, I wasnt sure if I should wade out in the water, or if it was a dangerous area to fish. With limited time to fish, some basic info could save wasted time.
From the boat, any idiot with a basic understanding of teh fish can find good spots by looking at the map, but just like from the surf, sometimes they're there, some times they're not. I will give info to those I feel are decent people, either who I met or conversed with on the site.

I don't live close to the ocean... thusly I work hard for everything. I share info w/partner and... no, that's about it.

This is a in the same vein...I took my brother-in-law fishing for trout in Vermont. I took him to one of my favorite "secret" stretches. We have a field day....browns a brookies and keep afew nice ones for dinner.(I only keep 2-3 dinners a year) On the way back to the car we pass a house with 3 guys sitting on the porch. I say "let me do the talking". So they ask and I say "a couple real small ones". "that's too bad, that river hasn't really produced in years" They say....at which point the bro-in-law can't help himself and jumps onto the porch to show them our fish. Right on the spot they start planning their trip for the morning and talking about the guys they have to let know the river is hot again. Never took him fishing again.
Just where was that spot in VT
:bgi:
:hidin:

Just where was that spot in VT (asks Pete F)

Well Pete, you just make a left a the big 'ol barn that burned down 11 years ago and it's up on the right a bit down the road.

A secret is a secret. I once kept a spot secret for 16 yrs. because my partner showed me the place and we crushed the fish there for years. He got a 50 which made it even more prized. Well anyway, one day he told me I no longer had to be mum about the place so now I will tell. That's the way it goes. Secrecy is nothing today compared to years ago. Back then the $ was involved and nobody said anything, even about methods. Today, it kills me, and I see it alot, an angler comes in the tackle shop to weigh in a nice fish and inevitably some one asks the dreaded ? - where did you catch it and on what. Usually the fisherman with the prize says nothing or lies which one should never do. If you don't want to tell, just say so. People should respect that. It's just surf fishing etiquette. If someone tells me they caught bass I never, never ask unless they tell me. And if they do I will never jump in their spot that night unless they ask me.