Quote:
Originally Posted by GonnaCatchABig1
you had me sympathizing (not that you care, nor should you honestly) till this post.. and since you threw out your opinion i guess i'll toss out mine. i mean it's only fair we all get too right?
where you lost me... is in the selfish over tone of this post. i understand the frustration of being out all night and then it seems like someone wants an easy path to the fish. but at the same time, is catching a few fish really more important treating a fellow fishermen (person at the least) with some respect? if you were having a rough night and just wanted to be left alone fine. everyone has nights like that. but for the reasoning to be "i was there longer and studied the area harder, so those are my fish" (which you can vehemently deny, but thats pretty much what you said about the night in question) is just re-donk-u-lous. in the 20 years i have fishing (mostly fresh mind you) i think there is one spot i picked out all my own with no prior knowledge. and i was 5 years old at the time. since then every single spot i have found has been the result of some one else's knowledge. whether i got it from reading a book or listening at bait shops etc. at some point some one else had previous knowledge of the spot/conditions/structure type/etc.. it would be unfathomable to think that at some point in time that any spot i or you fished was not known to someone else at some point. and more than likely the same info that steered you to that spot probably steered others.
thats not say that their aren't instant tips that people chose to, or chose not to give for certain spots. but i am willing to bet with 125% certainty that you learned about that type of structure to fish from some one else willing to divulge the information about it.
let's look at it like this. you have never fished before. some one hands you a rod and reel. and let's say... a popper. keep in mind you have no idea how to fish. or even what fish are out there. and this person says catch a striper. with no further instructions. what the heck would you do? i am willing to bet you wouldnt be catching any fish.
point being fishing is a sport of information. for someone to assume that someone else is not going to be out there scouting and asking around for info is ridiculous. infact 90% of the sport revolves around the sharing of info and ideas. (the other 10% is radical new ideas that then ofcourse get shared) even that crap you read on the packaging of plugs was at one time probably "top secret" info. that is if everyone followed that same rational of "i found this out so it's mine". you probably wouldn't have a leg to stand on. and neither would i nor would 90% of fishermen out there today.
it's just like every other craft out there. trial and error. LOTS AND LOTS of ERROR passed on from generation to generation. with out any of the passing on of knowledge what do any of us have? a bunch of gear we have no idea what to do with.
i have learned sooooooooo much about fishing from other people i can't even begin to sum it up. but with out all those random people i have run into. including these boards. i would be beyond lost. i probably still wouldn't know to look for structure at all. hell i probably wouldn't even know what the fish ate. let alone where to fish for them.
like i said i understand a bad day wanting to be left alone. we all have days like that and go out and do what we enjoy to help relieve the stress. and will lie or ignore people just due to not wanting to deal with people. (though PERSONALLY the last thing i do when i want to ignore people is go outside, don't have the liberty of consistently empty spots) but to say you ignored this guy because (for whatever reason) you are entitled to the fish there, is in MY opinion, completely the wrong thing to do.
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At no point have I denied that there is a selfish aspect to the whole thing. I have enough respect for myself and him not to lie 5 seconds into a conversation. I could run into him again, and would rather be thought rude or secretive than a liar. I've said all along he wasn't paying his dues. I'm just PO'd over someone just showing up and wanting something handed to them. I've fished the spot for some 30 years. I've seen many "regulars" come and go, and here comes someone I do not recognize essentially asking for information. It wasn't as if he was there and saw me catching while he was struggling, and asked me what I was using or if I was doing something than he was. There is something to be said for putting some time in. Phrased the right way, in the right context, I have no problems answering questions and helping someone. But to show up and ask if fish are there, nope. Put the time in and maybe see some fish pushing bait, or maybe even see someone else catch, or
holy smoke, catch fish on your own!!!