Oct. OTW

[rickhern]

When I read the first couple posts, I felt most of you were a bit out of line as these were not exactly secret spots. My magazine came the next day and MY favorite spot is listed as Number 1! Dohhh!!!!. I was pi$$ed at first but as far as that particular spot goes, I think Bloocrab has the right concern. It is a big area to fish and I have never seen more than 2 other fisherman out there, usually have the place to myself. If the magazine attracks some diehards that are willing to take the walk and learn some tough water, I will be happy to fish with them. My concern is the parking issue we have been having recently but I honestly don't think the lot will be full this weekend because of the article.

[tattoobob]

I think the postman must be reading my copy because I haven't got mine yet. and while reading this I wonder what is really in print.

[bassmaster]

Gene Im gonna tie up up and put u on the RR tracks on monday
Burn RI Haw HaYou all preach BullSh!t
Your all worthless info spot suckers

[Crafty Angler]

[Duke41]

I just got the issue today. Those that know me know that I do 95% of my fishing by boat. I read your posts with nothing but respect for the knowledge and love that all of you have for surfcasting. I have meet some pretty cool people on this site. I for one can't imagine climbing over rocks and logs and crap in the middle of the night to catch a striper. BUT I RESPECT IT. I read all the BS you guys put up with for the love of the surf and it kills me that Steve did this, I don't get it, he is a good guy and is very skilled. WTF I think that he may have had a brainfart. Hang in there you bastards and I will wave to you as I fish thsoe sites from my boat.

[Nebe]

Originally Posted by bassmaster

Gene Im gonna tie up up and put u on the RR tracks on monday
Burn RI Haw HaYou all preach BullSh!t
Your all worthless info spot suckers

toothless sand sissy.

hows your barbie jeep

[bassmaster]

Originally Posted by Nebe

toothless sand sissy.

hows your barbie jeep

its nice with out you out siders here thanks and have a great day
ha ha

[Clammer]

HOLY CHIT

[Nebe]

Originally Posted by Clammer

HOLY CHIT

sounds like clammer just read it over breakfast

[SeaWolf]

i still am waiting for my otw to be delivered and have tried to wait until it has come to post my comments, but i want to add some general input on this issue as i have done many times before. i will not condemn or applaud mckenna's article until i read it first.

that being said, i have tried for years to ask the internet media to ease up on posting detailed and "right-now"-types of reports or spot explanations by posting my input. as has been mentioned once already, there is a culture change with the newer generations. i've sent pm's, email, talked to people that have done posting of reports or spots. sometimes it's worked and helped, other times, it has not.

years ago one would never brag at a tackle shop, in front of a few unknown anglers or in a magazine about a particular spot or last nights catch. for some, it was due to commercial fishing (from shore) and others were brought up respecting what was told of them. that has changed it appears. people do what info today and now. if one posts about last night's big catch and now has a dozen more people fishing this spot (that may only comfortably fish say 15), how much good has this person really done? what of the 4-6 others that were fishing the previous night and are now trying to fish again that night? what will the property owners think of the added traffic, lights, noise, trash, blood, scales, mono, etc.? what have those that are coming to this spot learned about fishing it? do they sit back, watch, and learn to fish it? or are they jumping on someone else's success and to cash in themselves? now, will that same person/group go back to the internet and read more posts to go to spot "b" tomorrow night and do the same? what is that person really learning? are they developing as a fishermen or just doing what they can to catch fish and not caring about any repercussions? i have little respect for the person that does think like that. i have seen those that want the glory of saying they caught this fish, that size, here or there, but only exaggerate their catches or sizes to promote their status as a fisherman. if that's what you chose, so be it, but dont expect much respect from me. i know others feel the same. "give a man a fish and he eats for a day.teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime." those that do post details or reports about a spot have taught a new angler nothing that they can learn.

now, as far as a magazine selling more copies due to an article such as this because anglers want to here it, that's their choice. if i'm an editor, i want to sell magazines and make money too. i want the best articles and authors. but, are you hurting your magazine in the long run by publishing articles such as this (again, have not read it, but have read similar ones by otw)? do you care, or are you simply trying to sell more magazines? i will not cancel my subscription because i want it to be able to comment on issues and articles such as this. there is also other information by authors i really enjoy reading that is vital to our sport, such as conservation issues, coastal cleanups, fishery stocks data/reports/meetings, etc. just because i buy it, doesn't mean i endorse it. maybe otw may get a spike in sales this month, but will their subscriptions go down over the next year?

now, to say it is ok to write up or post about a spot because YOU dont fish it anymore is pretty poor taste. then to say you fish a private spot so you dont care about the other spot is even worse! as was mentioned, just because you dont fish it anymore doesnt mean others do not as well. respect those that still do fish this spot or spots. dont be mad when others start fishing your private spots because they are following you around now. one thought too, there is no such thing as a private or "new" spot. someone at some time has fished it before you.

for a thread that has 10 pages, almost 200 replies, and 5900 reads, how many of those are not even members but just guests? how many look just for threads like to go cash in on?

now, a question for those that have read this or posted - how many will do something about it, or will you just complain as so many do on the net all the time? i laugh everytime the asmfc changes the rules on a fishery and people go mad on the boards after reading it, but were told in these same magazines, forums, papers about PUBLIC meetings on the issue. how many rec anglers show up to show/challenge the issue(s)? 2, 6, 10? that's pretty sad. if you do try and do something about this or another issue, i applaud you. if you dont, you have nothing to say, but accept what was done. be a leader, not a follower.

[piemma]

Originally Posted by tattoobob

I think the postman must be reading my copy because I haven't got mine yet. and while reading this I wonder what is really in print.

I have not got mine either. I had a problem awhile back when someone from the Post Office was stealing my fishing mags and reading them. One of my OTW showed up 2 weeks lake with spagetti sause all over some of the pages inside the mag. I filed a complaint and I started getting them on time again. If I don't get mine today....another complaint!

[bloocrab]

Originally Posted by rickhern

,,,My concern is the parking issue,,,,

...Parking which is a big part to Access.


Illegal parking ...along with trash, campfires, a bloody/scaly causeway, etc... all add up to one thing . . ... LOSS OF ACCESS. How close it the closest trash barrel? Obviously, it's NEVER close enough for everyone.

No, they won't close it permanently. It will stay open during the summer months during sun-bathing hours, it will only close from sunset to sunrise...they will replace the existing fence with a much higher one and one that extends past the rock-edge not allowing passage at all...but then who needs to go there during the night-time anyway ? The fish are only there from 8am to 5pm... ...

Like someone else stated, there aren't really any secret spots. Someones' fished there before at some point. Whether they've become forgotten or are now on someone's property, they've been fished. Anyone with a brain and map can do ALL this legwork themselves. With computer technology it can almost all be done from home. Aerial images with depths and structure points. You can't track a sandbar as closely but you can get the gist of where to try. It's not rocket science.....finding the better tides/times to fish them is the science, per say.

This thread is too long to search for it, but someone else stated the question, not exactly like this...but this is how I interpreted it..

..."did you find all your spots yourself, or did someone show you a couple?"....

Of course people have shown me spots...and I've come to learn that you can't share all those spots with everyone or sometimes ANYONE. There is an etiquette about fishing when you take it seriously. Like my other post stated, we don't all look at fishing the same way. Some of you will be collecting baseball cards again in a year or so...or perhaps even antique Barbie Dolls perhaps, to each their own....but some of us will still be wading the large boulders that cover our shore lines in search of that last fish. Unfortunately, a couple of seasons (trash-wise,parking, etc..) could seriously impact just one more fishing spot...and I've seen WAY too many spots lost.

QUESTION: By losing just 1 legal parking area, do you realize how many actual fishing spots you lose?

ANSWER: ...take a walk on the beach and start counting each step through the sand.....hop from rock to rock and count each rock.


There are places in Newport that to this day, I will drive by and think to myself.......WOW, I remember when we used to be able to fish this area.... .....hopefully my child will own a boat and won't have to worry about access.....

[JoeP]

The posts are getting very long on this post.

This is my 3rd and last post on this, I'll sum it up short & sweet:

Public ... Spot ... Burning ... is ... bad ...

and

Where ... the ... he!! ... is ... my ... magazine.


I also sent a "corrective" e-mail to On The Water and have NOT gotten a response.

[bloocrab]

The sad thing is...the more attention we give this thread the more people will think there are really fish at those spots.... , which the reel fishermen already know............FISH MOVE, and you gotta keep moving withem' if you plan on cathcing any....

I don't bash the Steves' of this world. Sometimes it makes for interesting reading...he was a little too detailed, but the milk has already been spilt...life goes on.

As a matter of fact, there was 1 X on his map that I haven't casted too...

[SeaWolf]

bloo - unfortunately, if a town puts up trash cans, they need to empty them constantly. people other than fisherman use them and abuse them. fishermen should be responsible and pick up THEIR OWN TRASH! few do and many walk right by garbage in the rocks. sad...

jimmyct - you should know some of what's been talked about here. i've seen you put "x's" yourself on spots, put up mapquests for a location, give detailed explanations on how to fish a spot, have pictures of the spot, and where to cast. what have you really taught that person? how about that group that now fishes there since you have done that? what have they learned? how to read the internet and now come back for more. tackle shops do give out reports and some have changed their reports after being talked to. and, do you really think all of them are truthful? they are in it for the money as they own a biz. when they give a report to a customer, it is usually a thank you for shopping there and come back again. that's business. if you post details up on a spot for 10 of your close friends, guess what, 200 more are lurking those same boards and are now fishing next to you that night. again, what have they learned? to sit in front of their computer and wait for today's "hot spot"? magazines, how old are those reports? a week? month? i care to disagree w/ your interpretation of, "The large majority of decent fishermen out there have no opinon or care about this type of topic.", as we are seeing in this thread just how much it does in fact mean to some. some have never registered before and are for the first time to chime in. some haven't posted in weeks or months and did.

there is a reason it is called fishing and not catching. by posting detailed reports you only are adding to the "catching" part of that phrase for that angler. they may or may not ever learn the "fishing" part of it. they sure as heck will not learn the ethics rules that some have talked about already.

i will help another angler after seeing them a few times and seeing them being unsuccessful. i see them trying to learn. that's different than someone coming down to a spot after reading it on the net.

i think johnr even said one time that this site is to help out anglers to be better fishermen. being better fishermen includes learning how to fish from people that have been fishing for a while or are successful or bring new ideas. not those that post daily reports or detailed maps. as you said jimmy, the maps are out there, do some homework and be that better fishermen.

as far as this thread being too long, i disagree. many, many good points are being brought up and continue to be brought up. one of the points of this thread is to stop the next "steve mckenna" from writing something similar in the future or possibly on a forum. and, again, i am not trying to slam steve as i have yet to read the article, i'm trying to stop or ease the idea that detailed reports and detailed spots are not a good thing for our sport.

now, since some have mentioned access as an issue, 2 foods for thought. 1st, do you know how much public access is available in connecticut? that's an oxy-moron in ct! e extremely thankful for what you have in ri and mass. now, next, how many people here belong to risaa? if you do, dont you know that there is a right-of-way committee? how many are part of it? last time i went, not too many. why dont you help and learn what issues are involved with public access/right-of-ways and help out instead of complaining here when it's taken away.

[ThrowingTimber]

Well said. I owe you a frosty beverage.