Rule #1

[RSBreth]

I've had several complaints about posting about an entire stretch of river or nothing specific but a "bluff bank" on smaller lakes. My only response is wow - believe or not there may be fish in there. You may be able to catch them ( but most likely not).

[rps]

Those of you who read my posts know I often explain exactly how I catch fish. I sometimes say where the fish are. I have been known to describe the location/break/pattern. I have yet to see an ugly downgrade in the fishing because of this. Maybe it because no one believes me, anyway?

BTW, when it comes to creeks, sections of river, and coves that do not automatically "refill/replace" the above is very definitely not true.

[Mitch f]

BTW, when it comes to creeks, sections of river, and coves that do not automatically "refill/replace" the above is very definitely not true.

Bingo

[LarrySTL]

As somebody else already said, todays technology has a potentially big role in it too, especially on smaller bodies of water.

Long ago when the best technology was a Lowrance paper graph, I fished an Illinois bass circuit that always included Carlyle. For those who havent had the pleasure, its a mostly mud bottom, shallow, windblown and generally bowl shaped. The lake killed me, and killed lots of others too. Catching a keeper bass was a major accomplishment there. On the advise of one guy who generally caught one or two bass there, I went there long before the tournment, with a big notebook, every map I could find, and a lot of graph paper. I got in about 8 feet of water, turned on the graph, and ideled that 8 foot depth around the whole lake ( well, below the RR tracks, there wasnt 8 feet anywhere before the river above the tracks), taking tons of written notes. Then I repeated that in about 12 - 15 feet of water ( which was a lot harder to find). Those two laps at dead slow speed took almost 3 days. But when I looked at the maps and my notes afterwards, some specific spots, and some general areas clearly stood out, and fishing those areas and nothing else helped considerably.

Today you could do most of that in your living room much faster with maps and computer chips even on a much bigger lake.

[Feathers and Fins]

You mean like this one Larry?

Did not take long at home only took a short time to put it together.

[Al Agnew]

Yes, with the technology available today, few spots are secrets as in only one or a few anglers knowing about them. But...there are still an awful lot of lazy people who are always looking for shortcuts. They may not have all the latest stuff, or they may not know how to use it. So posting specific spots just might bring more people to those spots than would have found them on their own. And although you can figure that a lot of those people aren't going to be good anglers anyway, they are still there, cluttering up your spot and either keeping you off it or putting the fish down.

I'd rather people had to work a bit to find the spots on their own. I'd rather they keep spreading the pressure around instead of possibly congregating in one spot, one float stretch, one creek where I want to fish!

Even in places like the trout streams, the smaller ones at least, it might be a little counterproductive to tell both the access you used and exactly how you caught fish. Believe it or not, there are still a few things on these little streams that are not well-known. For instance, there is a certain small trout stream that shall remain nameless--it's well-known and publicized by MDC and others, so it isn't a secret stream. But what isn't generally known is that with the right timing and the right technique, you can get into some 18-24 inch wild trout on this creek, or at least you could a couple years ago when I fished it last. I don't fish it but about once every two or three years, so it wouldn't be much skin off my nose to tell all, but it would really tick off one of my fishing buddies who lives a little closer to it and has caught a bunch of those big trout.

[Old plug]

Al I would think hiding a spot in a stream would be harder than in a lake because if the nature of moving water. Here on LOZ you can a real good spot.then for some reason like movement of forage or something the bass just move. Sometimes you can find them back there when the conditions are the same the next year,but often you will not. Finding real bass spots on lakes is more like hunting than fishing in a lot of ways.

[ozark trout fisher]

I think it depends on the type of water you are fishing. On the Current River every pool is well known to anyone who knows a thing about trout fishing. There's nothing I can post that half of the trout anglers in Missouri don't already know.

However, there are entire smallmouth streams(not even just specific accesses or reaches) that I won't reveal to anyone I don't trust completely. Of course a few other people already fish them, but I'm not bringing anyone else in if I can help it.

So in other words, if a water is already well used, I don't feel the need for much discretion in revealing spots. If it lies in the middle ground, I'll reveal the general section of stream but not exact pools or runs. If it is highly fragile/unknown as a fishery, then you better be a family member or one or two of my closest fishing buddies or you'll have to find it yourself. I've given away good spots before and been burned badly.

[LittleRedFisherman]

I'm with Mitch on this, when it comes to "fragile" areas!

[Billfo]

#1 rule - I share 95% of my spots. The other 5% are the ones my friends tell me NOT to share.

Not trying to be a "nice guy". I figure most of my spots on Taney are already fished. If they're spots on other waters, I don't fish enough off my home waters to make a difference. If I find, say, a good crappie spots on Table Rock, I share it cause I'm not going back to it- probably.

But that's just me...

Awesome where's the best spot for LM Bass on Big Indian ?