ness

Yep - those were some good points too, Mark. I also wanted to mention Poke em's sentiment: I'd agree - I see nothing to gain, and plenty to loose by talking about it. Funny, I fished with a guy earlier this year. We're both active in a e-mail list and he posted a pretty generic report about our weekend. I knew when I started reading it that I had nothing to fear, and sure enough - he artfully glossed right over the very best part.

Hey Jefly, No offense intended, man. I wasn't lumping you or anybody into anything based on spin fishing. I spin fish too - it's a method, and as Tim said - it's often more effective that others. Now, if you're 'seedy looking', I apologize. My point was (and I know this is a bit of a stretch) these guys just didn't look like the types to worry too much about following the rules. I'll leave it at that, before I get into any more trouble. Tim: Ok - I see what you were getting at about the TV shows, magazines etc. My point was that I guarantee a couple posts here could really increase the traffic. For example, say I blew in here bragging about catching 40 fish, with 3 of them over 20-inches. You know the word would spread, and traffic would increase. And it wouldn't just be clean-cut, hard-working, conservation-minded, upstanding, principled men like Jefly, would it? Fact is - Crane is some tough fishing, and it will always be a small stream with smaller fish and that won't appeal to nearly as many people as some other places. An when you factor in the man-eating (rabid) otters, rattlesnakes, disease-carrying ticks...oh, and that meth lab down on the lower part, it's really not worth it to fish for those 6-inch trout. There's much better fishing over at Hickory Creek in Neosho. But, that's for another thread.

Tim: That's good that you have notified the authorities. I did too, earlier today, and her response was that they would put out the information and ask them to increase patrols out there. Will they, or will it help? Sure didn't hurt call. Squeaky wheel, you know. Not sure what you meant by 'many have tried' screwing up the creek. My only point was that internet posts can affect things, in ways we may not think about. Redbird: You make several excellent points. Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part that a good thing can be kept secret for too awful long. But I'm an optimistic guy. Greybear: My tummy tells me you're right about the locals being the biggest threat. Last time I was there, a couple seedy looking characters were fishing spin tackle, and although I didn't get close enough to see what was up, it was pretty big stuff they were launching. If I had to guess, it wasn't single-barbless. But...I wouldn't go so far as to say what gets said here has NO affect. Not everybody who reads posts. And this stuff lasts forever. I fished with a guide out in CO several years ago, and we went to some pretty sweet water in a National Park. Three years later I fished with him again, and he said he had been forwarded a link to a post I'd written on the old Conservation Cafe telling a guy where we fished, including where to park. It had been forwarded to the guide because I had mentioned his name. I didn't even remember writing it until I thought about it. So, something that I'd written in passing, with only a few minutes thought, lingered out there all that time. He wasn't pissed, but his point was clear. He blames me every time there's a MO license plate in the parking lot, I'm sure. So, like I said earlier - to each his own, just follow the rules. And if you enjoy some success, maybe think twice before putting it on the Wide Wide World of Web. I'm not trying to change the world, but if a few think twice about the effect a post here might have, I'd consider that progress. Happy holidays all. John

I'd rather have Conservation Agents police it - not fishermen. But agree with you that legal fishermen are preferable, and more likely to report something illegal when they see it. Depends on what you mean by overfish, I suppose. To me, one guy a hundred yards ahead of me and it's overfished. But, I'm selfish. But seriously - what is overfished? Always?? That's not a sure thing at all. I'd wager I could screw that creek up for you and everybody else, from right here in this chair... How about we worry about all three, and add poaching to the list? A few phone calls to the local CA would get the place front-of-mind. As a matter of fact - as soon as I post this, I'm gonna call the Game Thief hotline - 1-800-392-1111 - and tell them I've seen evidence of bait fishing there and see what they say.

Hey guys, New to this forum, not new to fishing or the internet though. I wanted to weigh in on the subject of talking about fishing spots on the web. Those of you that say it's a public place and well known are spot-on. That being said, anybody that has been there and given it any thought, probably realizes it's a fairly fragile place, and really couldn't take a lot of pressure. Of course posting a fishing report is going to increase awareness and most likely increase pressure, especially when there are big numbers tossed out there for all to see. In that regard, Poke em was also spot-on. Crane is some of the most difficult trout fishing there is in MO, so it won't ever end up looking like a trout park. But, it wouldn't take too much to ruin the place. Not being critical at all, Greybear and Tim - to each his own. Follow the rules and talk about it all you want. But my advice (and I know no one was begging for it ) is this: if you find a place you like, and part of the reason you like it is that you didn't have to deal with other people, you may want to weigh that into your decision to talk about it - especially on the internet.