John, you’re so right about the need to protect access. It’s like loosing your favorite rod overboard when you drive up to a spot you use to fish for years and find there’s no room for you.
Believe me I’m not immune to it either. One July 4th I pulled up to a spot I’ve been diving for 34 years, only to find that there was no parking; the limited parking area was filled to the brim with mostly out of state cars and they had even spilled out onto the shoulder of the road. I was furious and sped off to my second spot down the road. I was starting to put my wet suit on when I saw a cop go by. I jumped in my truck and chased down the patrol car. I flashed my lights and pulled it over (it felt good being the one doing the pulling over for a change). The officer got out and walked over to my truck -- SHE was a Latino officer in a pretty Waspy town – boy things HAD changed a little over the years. I pleaded my case to her and explained that with the holiday and all, there was a spill over of parking onto the side of the road and I was wondering if I parked there would I get a ticket? She explained that she would normally let it go, but that as soon as she got a call complaining about the situation, she was duty bound to ticket the vehicles. Then she got a call from the station and asked me to wait a second. When she returned she said, “That was the old woman that always calls and I’m surprised she hasn’t called already. Now I have to ticket.” I resorted to asking her if there were any reasonable, perhaps younger people that lived near the water's edge that I could talk to about getting access. She gave me the name of a family down the road; I thanked her and in 10 seconds I was knocking on the door. I explained the circumstances, my long involvement with fishing, diving, and filming in the area, and quickly got access that put me right on the edge of the water. Obviously I treasure that privilege and never abuse it. I’ve been lucky enough to be granted that same kind of access to a number of other highly trafficked “spots.”
The planet is getting smaller. There are way too many people on it now and it’s only getting worse. There are more people in the sport and they’ll continue to be growth in surf and boat fishing until we mismanage the fish into non-existence (that’s another story for another time).
What can we do? We live in an information age where you no longer have to befriend some old sharpie and then wait a few years before he trusts you enough to show you where to go. The info is out there. It’s in OLD magazines, not just new articles. Spots are divulged in OLD posts and it only takes a few minutes of searching to pull up the skinny on hot places to fish. And there will be new books, stories, where-to articles, and even TV shows blowing the lid of so called secret spots. What can we do?
First, let’s remember that learning a new spot is like learning where a bank safe is located. The safe might be loaded with cash, but you need the right combination to get at the booty. Going to that spot at the most productive time of day or night is “14 to the right.” Knowing what tide to work is like “two turns and 6 to the left.” Knowing what lure or fly to use is like “25 to the right.” Knowing how to present that fly or lure is like “three spins to the left, stop at 5 and bingo the safe is open!” However, if you fish that same spot in February vs. October you might find the vault is empty. Those that come and are looking for instant gratification will probably get skunked and never return. However, some youngblood might put it all together and start catching fish. He or she might turn out to be your next best fishing buddy. Isn't that how you've met some of your best fishing companions in the past?
Second, people don’t protect things they don’t care about. Nobody has done more to protect and save ducks than “Ducks Unlimited” -- and they kill em’. With more people in the sport, we should use our numbers and our collective voices to keep access open and to ADD NEW ACCESS…remember, we pay a lot of excise tax on all the expensive gear we buy. But, it’s the squeaky gear that gets the grease. RISAA, has an access committee. Get involved with the process; don’t just grumble about some new illegal barricade at a right of way. Work within the system to get these areas re-opened, then police the area and keep it clean, organize a clean up effort, talk to offenders.
Your final option is to walk from house to house asking, “Do you like to eat fresh fish?” You might be surprised at how often that will work. Just make sure you have a clean pair of waders on when you approach the landowners and keep bassmaster in the truck
Mike