Why keep a secret? - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

HESH2 · 02-12-2009, 08:12 AM

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 · 02-12-2009, 10:10 AM

Secrets, the original recyclable resource.

FishermanTim · 02-12-2009, 11:07 AM

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 · 02-12-2009, 12:24 PM

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 · 02-12-2009, 01:07 PM

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 · 02-12-2009, 02:00 PM

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.

Canalman · 02-12-2009, 02:22 PM

I don't tell anyone

If it happens, it happens with my fishing partner and me, and that's it. I don't say anything until it's over and that's the truth.

vanstaal · 02-12-2009, 02:33 PM

this is weird

sokinwet · 02-12-2009, 02:45 PM

Like most guys I have a few close fishing friends that I "consider" telling but...I have found that they sometimes tell a close friend..who tells a friend...etc. and there goes the spot. It all depends on the nature of the spot...and if it's commercial season I only tell family....sometimes!
A funny story from back around 1970 shows how far some guys will go to get your spots. I had been hammering big fish at a Harbor UDL and a group of guys on vacation had seen me getting bait in the AM and bringing in fish later to the ramp. They asked the usual "where'd ya get em" question and as per my usual practice(my dad taught me how to lie at an early age

), I always told them a good spot to try...but not my spot. The 2nd day at the ramp they tell me they went where I told them and I was no where to be found. ..and they were mad! The 3rd day I arrived to get my bait and these guys and another boat were waiting for me; when I left with my bait both boats are hot on my tail. Well a 16 ft. alum. Starcraft w/a 55 Johnson can go pretty quick through some skinny water and I managed to lose them but I feared for my 19 yr. old hide when I went back to the ramp later. Luckily they weren't there...and I'm still here. If "don't ask..don't tell" is good enough for the military it's good enough for me!

Slingah · 02-12-2009, 03:21 PM

Mike BB...you start the great threads...I think I said that before...food for thought type stuff...
Just like the tourney thread, I am done with the secrect squirrel stuff...I just don't care anymore (this is subject to change, obsession may kick back in.... it is winter after all

)
I have a great circle of friends that will give me a nod if need be and visa-versa... I would never give someone false info...that is just wrong i.m.o. ...

MAKAI · 02-12-2009, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

Or take out your camera at nite and flash it a few times then leave. You'll have 10 trucks there in no time.

JoeBass · 02-13-2009, 10:08 AM

This is a in the same vein...I took my brother-in-law fishing for trout in Vermont. I took him to one of my favorite "secret" stretches. We have a field day....browns a brookies and keep afew nice ones for dinner.(I only keep 2-3 dinners a year) On the way back to the car we pass a house with 3 guys sitting on the porch. I say "let me do the talking". So they ask and I say "a couple real small ones". "that's too bad, that river hasn't really produced in years" They say....at which point the bro-in-law can't help himself and jumps onto the porch to show them our fish. Right on the spot they start planning their trip for the morning and talking about the guys they have to let know the river is hot again. Never took him fishing again.