We all have “hot spots” that we know we can go to and catch fish. We pride ourselves in having this information that we are in control of. We protect our secret spots like a mother lion over her new born cub. My question is “why?” Most fisherman have a deathly fear of his spot being over run by casual fisherman. If these non-regulars come in a catch fish before long the lake will completely out of fish. Outdoors man are the only people who share a hobby and do not share “trade secrets”. My wifes grandfather flies model planes, he would never not help a fellow flier find ways to enjoy his hobby more. Women who crochet don’t keep their stitch patterns secret. Why do we feel the need to keep all of our tricks, tips and spots a bigger secret than presidential launch codes. My own grandfather was one of these fisherman. He wouldn’t take pictures of his catch in fear that someone would recognize the background and find out where he was fishing. He would routinely give out false tips to fellow anglers so they would think they were getting a hot tip. I guess false tips are better than no tips. When I was in Florida fishing the fellow anglers in the pier were more than happy to give out spots and share success stories. The guys at the bait shop were more than generous with information. Here in Michigan it’s like pulling teeth. It’s like we have to prove our worthiness to get information. My classification rank us still relatively low, but if I’m privileged enough to have a fellow fishing enthusiast share his secrets with me I feel honored. And if said angler wants his secret to stop with me I’ll respect that. But if I find my own spots to catch fish I’ll share with anyone that asks. Hell, I will probably be so happy to have caught fish I wouldn’t be able to stop talking about.
Edit: After writing this I had a very successful fisher man share his secrets with me. If your reading this I thank you! And be assured I will keep your secret. I guess maybe I’m becoming a KGB agent of fishing. Guarding State Secrets.
Fishing Fails 