Is the old guard losing it?

[Squibby17]

Lots of great stuff posted on this thread.

I agree with most of what has been said. I 100% agree about spot burning. You would have to be crazy to post the size of fish and the exact location of your success. I have had my favorite hole get much more crowded in recent years and I'm not happy about it. I look at this site and think its very usefull in several ways. I gain lots of knowledge and different perspectives on fishing. I also think that just talking about something we all love makes me excited to throw my line in the water the next time.

In some ways younger anglers like myself can be bitter. I'm 24, I missed the glory days. In the early 90's It was difficult for me to get my first keeper, seeing the size had to be 36'' and the Striped Bass stocks were in troubled times. I honestly had to work a lot harder to get nice fish than many of you did in your youth. I don't see an older fisherman and think, "hey your almost killed the striper industry with your lack of conservation", but its something to think about. That said veteran anglers can pass on knowledge that is usefull to first timers etc. Most notably to respect one another, don't leave trash on the beach, move when the guy next to you has a nice fish on ... etc. There is a right and wrong way to surf fish.

[piemma]

Originally Posted by Squibby17

Lots of great stuff posted on this thread.

I agree with most of what has been said. I 100% agree about spot burning. You would have to be crazy to post the size of fish and the exact location of your success. I have had my favorite hole get much more crowded in recent years and I'm not happy about it. I look at this site and think its very usefull in several ways. I gain lots of knowledge and different perspectives on fishing. I also think that just talking about something we all love makes me excited to throw my line in the water the next time.

In some ways younger anglers like myself can be bitter. I'm 24, I missed the glory days. In the early 90's It was difficult for me to get my first keeper, seeing the size had to be 36'' and the Striped Bass stocks were in troubled times. I honestly had to work a lot harder to get nice fish than many of you did in your youth. I don't see an older fisherman and think, "hey your almost killed the striper industry with your lack of conservation", but its something to think about. That said veteran anglers can pass on knowledge that is usefull to first timers etc. Most notably to respect one another, don't leave trash on the beach, move when the guy next to you has a nice fish on ... etc. There is a right and wrong way to surf fish.

Man, what a great post!!!!

[BassyiusMaximus]

. . . from a kid whose father used to take him to spend entire weekend days fishing from jetties to catch scup and an errant bluefish, and on bridges on cold fall and spring days to catch what used to be endless winter flounder.

Those were the days.

A good number of topics are raised in this post. One is of pics and I have a couple of views on them since I just learned how to post them and have been doing so. I know some don't because they know they catch fish and don't need to share their image or post a fish for the world to see. Some don't want to or can't take the scrutiny involved, like Manny Ramirez who doesn't like people prying into his private life, some can't take reading when someone challenges them on the size of a fish or that they weren't wearing their PFD, etc. Some don't want to potentially harm the fish by taking the time to set it up and take the shot which humors me because they are harming the fish in a way just by hooking and tiring and fighting it so is the little time really doing anything in the big-picture? For all intents and purposes, a fish fighting underwater is no different than either snagging the bottom or having someone stand and pull on the end of one's line and reeling and tugging with the rod, but don't get me wrong, the thrill and uncertainty is what has us hooked. The main reason I see for posting pics is for other people to look at and to see what other people are doing, it is a very pleasant escape for some. Imagine sitting inside, like all us internet users do and be able to go online and instantly be transported to someone elses world, with a picture? It is why Hollywood exists as well as magazines. I post pictures because my neice and nephew as well as friends, relatives and all their kids can look and get so happy when they see either themselves or me with fish on the computer. They tell me to post the pictures so they can look at them and long for the day when they are old enough so I can take them at night to go fo the big ones.

With regards to spot-burning, aren't we supposed to share, to a certain extent? I know that I've gone to all my spots and in all my years I don't ever see anyone there when I go there, so I guess from my rose-colored boat-view I don't worry about a flotilla showing up if I give up where I'm catching and on what tide and time of day/moon phase, this could be vastly different from the shore/surf/pier/jetty fishermen but I'm solo and don't mind helping others get "close" to a good spot and getting some luck.

As with all the things I'm into, and being single and kidless, all my buddies who got married, had kids, gotten injured, there are so many factors as to why they can't go and do all the fun things they used to do it is hard to nail down.

I think most importantly that the number of people who fish and who go on these sites is so minimal that it makes almost no difference, at least in my eyes. Remember in the late 90's at the height of the dot-com/dot-bomb and " . . . the internet is going to change the world . . . " and that everyone would be online, well how wrong were they?, the vast majority don't go online and expecially fishermen, none of all the guys I know who fish check out any fishing sites, same goes for all the guys I know who snowmobile or dirtbike, while the forums are most interesting and informative for me, they could give a Bass's-behind about what is on the World-Wide-Web.

All in all this is interesting and I'm glad that sites like this exist. When it comes down to it it reminds me of a Law and Order episode where this mother against a "Shock-Jock" goes on to shoot the "Jock" and in the final scene it shows the lawyer just going over to the radio while the other attorneys/detectives were listening and just turns the radio off, the scene went right to black after that, the point being, if you don't like it, you don't have to listen/look. There are enough people getting offended by this that and the piping plover, no one wants it here.

And that's all I got to say 'bout that.

[capesams]

there was a time that surfer's were so tite lipped you could hear a frog fart under water 3 mile's away...not today,, ....information? deep dark secret's? my god men there's the internet/countless book's/mag./video's/fishing club's. the info. is endless.....and nothing has changed as to how to catch a fish...so where is all this nobody tell's us anything crap coming from...???

[vineyardblues]

I have to jump on this one

Burning a spot: A quick story from 10+ years ago, I was in a B/T shop (on MV) talking with the guys,when the old question came up.you going out tonight? Sure am, Well he told me to go to xyz "tons" of fish

Well I never did go to xyz spot I went to another one,and guess who I ran into in the middle of the night? The island guide who told me to go to another location! lol true story

Young fisherman taking over? Not in my book, Just that the older people have died . lol And them young kids can type a lot faster on the internet!

And lets all remember luck has a lot to do with fishing

VB

[Krispy]

old people smell funny

[vineyardblues]

KRISPY, NICE LURE

[piemma]

use to meet guys on the back and say where's the fish? Oh, we killed em down at Highhead. Run all the way to Highhead and there's nothing but Mung!

[Mike P]

I never believed in handing out snow jobs, altho many of my old crew did. I figured I'd get less grief in the long run by not saying anything than by sending people on a wild goose chase. At least I acted that way with the regulars. Pilgrims, well, yeah, I will admit to screwing with them a little

Years ago, some of my crew hit some nice fish (35 up to 50) at the opening to Edgartown Pond. The late Clyde the Guide was pushing them hard to get them to tell where those fish came from. They told him Pogue Light on eels

Sometimes you could tell people the truth and they wouldn't believe you. I stumbled over a pile of fish from mid-20s to low 40s bucktailing Wasque late at night. I kept one 38# for the table (we had about 15 of us staying at the campground), and even my best friends didn't believe me when I told them it came from Wasque