Why keep a secret?

[stiff tip]

as i read through all this crap about keeping a secret i think that MOST not all would not last 2 hrs w/ that info .and most not all , have only had a great super spot in there own sick head

[HESH2]

have a few spots that i was shown by a friend in his local area that i would never tell anybody about.it was his hard work over alot of years working these areas and he was willing to share with me.have a good friend who i have'nt fished with in a long time and he offered to take me to a secret spot,was unable to go with him and he would'nt give up spot unless i was with him.most of these spots only fish a couple of people,my sons aside these areas are never up.if your fishing a well know area that everyone knows and catch fish then the word is out and everyone knows.

[Flaptail]

Secrets, the original recyclable resource.

[FishermanTim]

No spot is "secret", it's just that the average fisherman/woman won't or doesn't want to put in the time to find where the fish are.
They will be more than willing to ask someone else, or let someone else do the "leg work" for them.

If someone shows me that they have put in the time, and is willing to share as well as listen to advice, than I'm open to that. If they expect me to spill the beans just because they're there and haven't gotten a keeper yet, all they get is my trademark "keep trying, and you'll get one eventually".

I learned myself by trial and error, and one of the best lessons I learned were from my father and his brother.

My dad taught me to enjoy fishing at it's simplest level: getting outside and enjoying the day, regardless of the outcome.

My uncle taught me to not be afraid to get off the beaten path. He was renown for his flyfishing trips in Maine, where he would hike through miles of woods to get to some of his favorite unspoiled trout ponds.
Some places where a 5 lb. rainbow was not uncommon. He gave it up when the loggers opened up the access to these remote ponds to overfishing due to the logging roads they created. He still has a journal he kept from back in the 50's, when he really enjoyed trout fishing.

[Crafty Angler]

If somebody asks me where I got my fish I usually give them one of Pt Jude Joe's spots...

Just kiddin', Joe -

Some years ago I gave a guy a tip on a frequently over-looked spot - the next day or so he's got a freaking map and diagram all drawn out on a piece of cardboard...needless to say, he never got the straight poop from me on anything ever again...

Outside the Old Guy Network, mum is the word - depending on my frame of mind at the time, one other guy in a spot can feel like a crowd to me and I'll just move on...unless it's another certified member of the OGN...

No one knows better than me that there are no genuinely secret spots - most all of them have been fished long before we got here - they're just lesser known -

[american spirit]

i'm not even good enough to share valuable info. but i only fish with 2 people and last year was primarily all solo missions. i'll exchange info with them only. anyway, share with noone except very close and trustworthy people. so basically share with noone.

[Back Beach]

An interesting thing to note is much of what is dicussed on this board used to be considered "secret" believe it or not. Hook types, knots, plug building info,how to hook/rig eels etc. Some people would even lie about certain beaches being closed to keep other vehicles out and thus reduce competition.

People seem to confine secrecy to spots only, but there was much which was not shared in years past.

Some folks would go out of their way to mislead you, in fact. I remember one of the first "tricks" I learned was taking off the lure you slammed fish on the night before and putting a stinker on the end of your line by day while the rod sat spiked on your bumber. Making phony drag marks was another good one too.