Tell them to take up golf or bowling :nailem:

I've seen so many guys fishing I've never seen before out there. This time of year brings 'em out anyway. There's always been magazines or books telling guys where to go and they'll always be guys or gals writing to make a buck. But being on the web I see so many guys looking for clues and spots and what to use, it's pretty unbeleivable. That's what happens with all the modes of communication and information. What ever happened to going out there and learning the hard way. Everyone wants instant gratification. It took me years before I was able to learn spots when I was younger. Meeting the right person on the water or just getting lucky and finally figuring things out. When I see guys spouting on the web or guys writing specifics in a magazine to make themselves look like they're some kind of master fisherman makes me sick. What about all those guys who've spent years learning to catch fish with their mouths shut. I'm not gonna discourage anyone from fishing because over time the people who fish to be trendy will fall to the wayside and the guys who really enjoy and respect the water will keep at it. As a person whose passionate about fishing there's a time to open your mouth and there's also a time to keep it shut.

When fishing on a Jetty, leave the radio at home or in the car.

good post :D

If you travel to another state to fish take the time to learn the fish size regs and limits.

It is true that larger females of any fish species do tend to produce more eggs in one season than their smaller counterparts. But reproductive potential also comes into play -- the number of mature offspring a fish can be expected to produce at a given age or size. The smaller fish actually have a better probability of living to the next year (and onward) and reproducing again, so that leaves them with many years of fish babies ahead of them, and, therefore, a higher reproductive potential, which can be just as important as straight up fecundity. But guessing which individual fish is gonna die first? It's a crapshoot. If you're gonna eat it, keep the legal fish that you fought the longest and/or seems least likely to survive.

More rules:

1. Please don't assume I'm a man and address me as such. It's especially disconcerting if you still deny my gender once I and my exclusive-to-women parts have turned around to face you.

2. If you feel you must give me advice, be helpful and not condescending -- no matter how good a fisherman you think you are.

3. Don't set up to fish a cooking current just 20 feet away from me unless you want to spoon later.

4. Leave your lantern/bat signal at home.

5. Realize that some people are much more serious about fishing than others, and heed the collection of rules. It's way easier for you to not piss them off than for them to get their panties out of the knot your presence/googan-ality/newbie-ness will cause. Think of the greater good, and reduce the grump section of the board.

PS I had a real good fishing teacher and majored in fisheries, so I got to hop, skip, and jump up the learning curve a bit, but technically, I am still SO new that it feels weird, like I should be the one these rules are directed towards, and I should have a bucket of chunk and upside-down spinning reel, shining a light in the water. :hihi:

the last line.....
 

should be....

.............be excellent to everyone....





and great thought Mako.... your on the "perfect" quest.

-->
 

thinking....

one think I dont like is people who leave their head lamps on while they are fishing or shine lights into the water.

people casting over other lines is not a big deal, it happens and generally people spread out if it happens enough. What I dont like is people who will intentionally cast over other peoples lines in effort to displace people who were there first and then brag about displacing the people to fish "their" spots. It seems to happen alot these days.

People using the dark as an excuse to pee just about everywhere is not necessily good. It tends to leave a stink by morning and its not hard to figure out where it came from.

The thing about spot burning is not something that everyone agrees on. There are limits to how much pressure a spot can take and to much pressure is not good. For guys who consider themselves local experts, its probably good to find out of the way places with rights of way to fish rather then public spots that are common knowledge. Most of the public spots are listed everywhere, from newpapers, internet reports on bullliten board sites, tackle shops, online tackle shop fishing reports, shore fishing books/guides (on the water and Daingaults), online magazine fishign reports (ex: on the water online report), newspapers, surf fishign club reports and lectures, private message from bulliten boards sites, and magazines like on the water and the fishermen. Some people do try to over exaggerate the extent of influce of one source without looking at the whole and those people are probably new the sport or ever had to take the time to learn it on their own. .. There really is about 90% more people out in the last 5 years and most of them are new to the sport and dont even know it.

its true, i witnessed this random act of kindness :btu:

Great! Keep them coming guys, after you all wear yourself out I'll print out the whole thread and consolidate all of the advice.

from my experiences this weekend
 

If you come to a spot and someone is already there fishing lures, particularly in an area with strong current, do not place yourself 8 feet downtide and spike two rods with bait directly wher ethe other person has been casting all while you cast lures on a third rod with every two casts over the other persons line. Also, Do not allow your 13 year old to repeatedly run back and forth on the rocks 2 feet behind a person perched rather precariously on his own rock all while he swings a long rod with a rather heavy lure with a rather sharp hook. it is neither safe for your child or the person already established at that location, particularly at 1 a.m. :rocketem: :thanks:

Can we get these suggestions printed in Spanish, Portugese, Creol and Vietnamese ?

Are you guys done now?

Surfrat666, I liked # 2 (so true). All great comments, I would like to add, have the proper gear for the proper situation (example: always wear korkers on a jetti, always have life vest while fishing on a boat, ya know the common sense type stuff that people seem to leave at home sometimes). Jetti etiquette, now that might be a whole 'nother article in itself. I've seen both the good/bad when it comes to jettis and I must say the "good" outweighs the bad...."mostly"

Ice