good luck OAF, everyone else can suck it.. Eh?

[Johnsfolly]

He reminds me of Slim Whitman the yodeling cowboy! Back in High school I wanted to buy my friend a Slim Whitman album as a gag gift but they wanted $20 for his album! That wasn't recently either. I don't know how he sold more albums than Elvis at those prices☺!

Mitch - you'll have to post a YouTube video of Slim if you could find one☺!

[ness]

Una Paloma Blanca!

[ness]

 

[Johnsfolly]

Now that is some fine singing right there☺! Thanks Ness brings back memories of incessant laughing while listening to the Yodeling Cowboy!

[Chief Grey Bear]

On 11/27/2017 at 10:05 PM, joeD said:

Someone name one stream that has suffered, directly, from being mentioned on this forum. 

We've been doing this for years. Pictures, stories, lure choices, advice.

There are no secrets anymore.  Fish are still out there. Gotta go get 'em, simple as that brother.

I used to think you paid pretty good attention Joe. We all know the Mac has been gigged out. 

[Al Agnew]

My take on this talking about the spring branch smallies in the winter has changed over the years just a bit.  I remember really getting on Seth for talking about it a few years ago.  Yes, there are a lot of people who fish places like Bennett, and see those fish.  A pretty good pile of people who know about them and fish for them.  So no, it's not a secret, far from it.  

However, here's why I'm still uneasy about it.  Not EVERYBODY knows about those fish.  They are concentrated there, and if the conditions are right are very easy to catch.  And yes, there is a certain amount of mortality even when they are caught and released; we can argue about how much, but the most conservative estimates run about 5%.  And, of course, it's REALLY easy to get to, so that makes it even more attractive to many anglers.  So...they get pounded.  Some of them end up dying from all the pounding no matter what.  So maybe it ain't a good idea to promote even more pounding.

And yes, there's a certain amount of selfishness involved, too.  I fish one of the spring branch areas once each winter, almost never more than once.  I go during the week.  I don't quite expect to be the only one fishing it, though I've been there more than once when I WAS the only one.  But it is a lot nicer when I only have one or two other anglers sharing the spot than it would be if I had ten or twelve of them!

[fishinwrench]

The fish that move into the spring branch are not from way up, or way down river.  They are the resident group (30-40 Smallies + a couple buckets full of goggleye) that lives within a stones throw of the confluence, and they've seen plenty of pressure all year long for their entire lives.  It's truly no different than any other wintering hole.  Most of the Smallies are 10-14" but of course there is a small handful of better ones.  Keep in mind that you are restricted to "flys" only.  

Now, if you could go in there with a HD craw, slider worm, or a Senko then you might be able to actually do some significant damage.  

[Chief Grey Bear]

2 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

The fish that move into the spring branch are not from way up, or way down river.  They are the resident group (30-40 Smallies + a couple buckets full of goggleye) that lives within a stones throw of the confluence, and they've seen plenty of pressure all year long for their entire lives.  It's truly no different than any other wintering hole.  Most of the Smallies are 10-14" but of course there is a small handful of better ones.  Keep in mind that you are restricted to "flys" only.  

Now, if you could go in there with a HD craw, slider worm, or a Senko then you might be able to actually do some significant damage.  

Yes!!!! Now I'm not the only one! And who knew it'd be you!  This is how it plays out all over the state. There is no mass migration! 

The only thing left is to get you to drop the Senko and Slider. Those are ancient junk! It's the HD, Ned, or nothing!

[Seth]

14 hours ago, Al Agnew said:

My take on this talking about the spring branch smallies in the winter has changed over the years just a bit.  I remember really getting on Seth for talking about it a few years ago.  Yes, there are a lot of people who fish places like Bennett, and see those fish.  A pretty good pile of people who know about them and fish for them.  So no, it's not a secret, far from it.  

However, here's why I'm still uneasy about it.  Not EVERYBODY knows about those fish.  They are concentrated there, and if the conditions are right are very easy to catch.  And yes, there is a certain amount of mortality even when they are caught and released; we can argue about how much, but the most conservative estimates run about 5%.  And, of course, it's REALLY easy to get to, so that makes it even more attractive to many anglers.  So...they get pounded.  Some of them end up dying from all the pounding no matter what.  So maybe it ain't a good idea to promote even more pounding.

And yes, there's a certain amount of selfishness involved, too.  I fish one of the spring branch areas once each winter, almost never more than once.  I go during the week.  I don't quite expect to be the only one fishing it, though I've been there more than once when I WAS the only one.  But it is a lot nicer when I only have one or two other anglers sharing the spot than it would be if I had ten or twelve of them!

Mitch and Scott got on me pretty good about that too. I think that is basically how I became acquainted with all of you. Now that I'm not as green behind the ears about winter fishing, I totally understand why I got my butt chewed. Ignorance was bliss at that time. I'm glad I didn't shun you all for picking on me because you guys turned out well enough to at least associate with around and old gutter shack every once in a while.

[Greasy B]

3 hours ago, Seth said:

Mitch and Scott got on me pretty good about that too. I think that is basically how I became acquainted with all of you. Now that I'm not as green behind the ears about winter fishing, I totally understand why I got my butt chewed. Ignorance was bliss at that time. I'm glad I didn't shun you all for picking on me because you guys turned out well enough to at least associate with around and old gutter shack every once in a while.

I had a similar experience with one of my early post when I revealed just how easy it is to float a particular small stream that is commonly understood as not floatable. I took my lumps and worked out well, I’ve learned a lot and met some great fishermen.