Is There A "6 Lb Bass" Joke/myth Used On Beginners?

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Fish eyes is kinda like beer goggles, only without the beer. 

[J Francho]

It's usually 10 pounders where I fish.  It's not hazing, just guys without scales.

[MO_LMB]

Yeah, most people have no idea how much a fish weighs just by looking at them. 

[Lund Explorer]

Wow -- I understand that tournament fishering it's nice to have a honey hole...but let's step back for a second and think about what the OP is talking about.  He is a new angler asking about local ponds - he obviously is looking at his ability to catch the potential of the pond.  You say "any true fisherman isn't going to tell you about the pond...", I say why not?  Why not help a new angler become more successful by telling them good places to fish. I can out fish Bill Dance, Roland Martin and KVD all at the same time, as long as they are fishing water with no fish and I'm fishing a good ole' farm pond full of bug eating bass... In my opinion helping put new anglers on fish is a huge benefit both to them and the sport.  Imagine if no one ever shared good places to fish, or good techniques, with each of us when we first started - or if the magazines kept everything a secret - if forums didn't exist where people give advice... I'd be wiling to wager that some wouldn't be here sharing their stories today.

 

Let's be honest -- how many seceret spots are there that only one person knows about.  Unless it's on private property, probably very very few.  Sure there may be spots we "think" only we know about, but reality suggests that spot has been fished by many other anglers with varying levels of success over the years. 

 

Personally, I love to see new anglers catch fish, especially kids.  I will gladly tell a new angler a few "hot spots" to try in an area if I know of any...what do I have to be afraid of?  Maybe they will catch a bigger fish than me?  Good for them!  I'll gladly give up my next 5lb'er to a new angler if it means they will get to enjoy a sport for the rest of their life and hopefully pass along more advice to the new anglers they meet over their life.

I enjoy sharing knowledge just as much as the next guy, and have even at times given actual GPS numbers to spots

I've found to other members here(through pm's). But the fact remains that the vast majority of fisherman do not

disclose names of lakes, ponds, or rivers that they consider to be "their water". Look in the fishing reports and

see just how many reports show the name of these small types of waters. On bigger bodies of water, the reports never seem to mention the area those fish were caught.

Here's the text from another forum discussing disclosure on trout streams.

Policy Concerning River Reports:

No rivers may be named in your post(s) outside of the those that are specifically listed on the forum header for each region. In addition specific holes, access points, runs, etc. must not be named even on the large rivers. Small rivers and streams not listed on this forum's header must not be mentioned by name. Any posts that violate the letter and spirit of these rules are subject to editing, deletion or closure without notice.

If I'm missing something and people are really naming names, could you point me in the direction of such posts?

But don't look at the OP's as even he didn't mention the name or location of those ponds.

[roadwarrior]

Wow -- I understand that tournament fishering it's nice to have a honey hole...but let's step back for a second and think about what the OP is talking about.  He is a new angler asking about local ponds - he obviously is looking at his ability to catch the potential of the pond.  You say "any true fisherman isn't going to tell you about the pond...", I say why not?  Why not help a new angler become more successful by telling them good places to fish. I can out fish Bill Dance, Roland Martin and KVD all at the same time, as long as they are fishing water with no fish and I'm fishing a good ole' farm pond full of bug eating bass... In my opinion helping put new anglers on fish is a huge benefit both to them and the sport.  Imagine if no one ever shared good places to fish, or good techniques, with each of us when we first started - or if the magazines kept everything a secret - if forums didn't exist where people give advice... I'd be wiling to wager that some wouldn't be here sharing their stories today.

 

Let's be honest -- how many seceret spots are there that only one person knows about.  Unless it's on private property, probably very very few.  Sure there may be spots we "think" only we know about, but reality suggests that spot has been fished by many other anglers with varying levels of success over the years. 

 

Personally, I love to see new anglers catch fish, especially kids.  I will gladly tell a new angler a few "hot spots" to try in an area if I know of any...what do I have to be afraid of?  Maybe they will catch a bigger fish than me?  Good for them!  I'll gladly give up my next 5lb'er to a new angler if it means they will get to enjoy a sport for the rest of their life and hopefully pass along more advice to the new anglers they meet over their life.

 

Well, I have shared my local "honey hole" with the guys on this forum and several have caught their Personal Best!

I have caught the biggest bass in this pond and numerous 10 lbs bass, although I am 99% sure it is the same Walmart

Girl. Two other guys that I know have caught, weighed and released the fish. However, another guy kept a DD pet of

mine last year and I don't talk with him anymore.

 

At any rate, I fish with a lot of big sticks on the Tennessee River and they take me to their "secret" spots all the time.

I'm not going to specify waypoints, but I will give you the parameters. What I find to be the most important factors are

current, depth and cover/ structure. Sometimes, like right now, specific lures come into play, usually "moving", bottom

contact or live bait. Color is rarely a determining factor, but it is occasionally. It really helps fishing with retired guys that

are on the water nearly every day!

 

 

 

 

[Sam]

Bucketmouth King, there is a small pond by my house where I used to fish with unweighted pink Zoom trick worms and would catch 20 to 30 dinks on every trip.

 

I have fished that pond for a number of years and always caught the small 6 to 10 inch dinks.

 

One day I get a big blow up on the trick worm, set the hook, and have a battle on my hands.

 

Yes, the mother of all those dinks finally hit my pink trick worm.

 

She was about 3 pounds but to me she was a giant bass.

 

Released her and have never had her hit any baits since then.

 

Hope she is still alive.

 

Go figure.

[Bassun]

Yeah, I'm not saying that everyone does share their honey holes - we all know that doesn't happen. 

 

My point was that maybe if people did share a little more with newer anglers we would see even more people take up the hobby.  I mean really, what's it going to hurt to put a new angler on more productive water?  I know a lot of people try to keep things secret on a lake, but let's be honest.  Unless it's a tiny private lake that no one else has access to -- then someone else has fished your spot.  And chances are there are plenty of other "honey holes" around the lake which others are trying to keep as their secret -- which you've fished.

 

Besides, most of the veteran anglers are not looking for people to tell them where exactly to fish on a lake {if they really want to know, they will just hire a guide and voila} - they may be asking for where the fish are in terms of spawn, or maybe local info on what type of bite is on -- but most vets I know are looking for information to build a pattern from, not a specific point off the edge of a flat on the bend of the old river channel.  A few mins with a map and you'll find that anyway.  But having a heads up on the water temps, clarity, level etc etc gives you a much better chance of starting out in the right places vs pulling up to the ramp and beginning from there.  For a vet, that should get them started.  But what if you've only been fishing a few months? 

 

Chances are the same info in the hands of a novice would give them little advantage as they probably haven't been studying patterns for years or have much experience to draw from.  That's when saying, "Hey man -- yesterday we were catching a ton of fish in cove "X" doing "this".  They may not still be there today, but they should be close, just look for the shad ..." or whatever.  Setting them up for success, but giving them enough room to learn along the way. 

 

I don't know, maybe I'm crazy... maybe I share too much.  I do, however, agree that if someone is hurting the fishery by removing lunkers or damaging / littering the area that I won't share again.  But, I've yet to have that happen to me personally (but I know it absolutely does happen).  Generally if someone asks me about how or what I have no problem sharing.

[boostr]

It's definitely universal. Up here its also 6# in the lakes I've fished, but they usually tell me it's somebody they know that caught the "6lbr". I've only caught 2 and a half lbrs or Les in these lakes so far. In one lake I know there is a 5lbr because a guy next to me caught one during the Spring, and I weighed it for him.

[Paul Roberts]

Head Shakes - Rattling Sounds!

The OP clearly stated that the information he got wasn't working, hence it was bogus. It's a pretty simple

concept that a person can learn where to fish on their own instead of relying on second hand non-confirmed

bragging by others!

I am still of the opinion that any true fisherman isn't going to tell you about the pond full of hawgs he's found unless the guy is off his rocker. Of course in Colorado, perhaps all you need to do is hold up a bag of Taco Bell in front of them when they've got the munchies.

I guess I shouldn't have used your posts to jump off from. Apologies there Lund Explorer.

 

As to the fishing... I, for one, keep my ear to the ground, and share. It comes round. I can't be everywhere.

[Bucketmouth King]

Well it looks like I at least hooked an 8 page thread here. Glad you guys enjoyed the topic.

Or maybe its 6 pages.

Ok closer to 5 and a half.

[RSM789]

In regards to revealing lake or honey hole information, I would venture that it often depends on where you live.  In a rural setting with many fishing locations, you can be very magnanimous without creating much of a problem.  However, here in Southern California, especially in Orange County where 3 million people are packed into an area under 950 square miles in size, such behavior can be a nightmare.  The combination of a limited number of small lakes and a culture of aggressive behavior to combat the vast population is lethal to the person who lets the local fishing public know about his success.  Your small water will soon be highly pressured by an army of folks with no fishing etiquette or qualms about boorish behavior.  What has happened on Lake Mission Viejo since the 19lb. county record was caught in 2006 is a prime example.

 

Don't get me wrong, I am not a scrooge.  There are other fisherman on my lake who I have gotten to know & I freely share information with them.  I'll chat with homeowners on the lake, people who I know have a sincere interest in the well being of the fish population on their lake.  However, when I am at a tackle store or around folks that I don't know, not much information comes out of my mouth.  I'd like to believe if I lived an hour outside of Austin, Texas or in the middle of Florida that I would be a bit more open, I just can't do that here.   

[Paul Roberts]

There are other fisherman on my lake who I have gotten to know & I freely share information with them.  I'll chat with homeowners on the lake, people who I know have a sincere interest in the well being of the fish population on their lake.  However, when I am at a tackle store or around folks that I don't know, not much information comes out of my mouth. 

 

Same with me. A network of shared info can be a great thing.

 

 

[SirSnookalot]

6?...........I think I surpassed that one yesterday, 7 or 8# would not have surprised me.  I'm only hung up on the fight, not the actually size and the fight is exactly what I had.  We have other people fishing here, they seldom catch anything like that, they focus on the numbers.  For the most part the other fishermen fish plastic worms, they catch plenty of fish but they go thru a lot of small fish to eventually catch a 20" one.  Don't think I catch good fish all the time, I don't, last nice one was about 10 days ago and I bass fish daily.  What I do that the others around here don't is I fish exclusively with ul or light spinning and a top water popper, lots of times I go an hour or more without a strike.  Yesterday it was the ul, as good fight as I ever had with a bass in my life, had to unhook the fish while still in the water, couldn't lift it.  Strike is one thing, the hookset with a limp noodle is another, then the fight, I don't land them all this way, but I'm there for the challenge, not dragging in lots of small fish.

[Bassun]

In regards to revealing lake or honey hole information, I would venture that it often depends on where you live.  In a rural setting with many fishing locations, you can be very magnanimous without creating much of a problem.  However, here in Southern California, especially in Orange County where 3 million people are packed into an area under 950 square miles in size, such behavior can be a nightmare.  The combination of a limited number of small lakes and a culture of aggressive behavior to combat the vast population is lethal to the person who lets the local fishing public know about his success.  Your small water will soon be highly pressured by an army of folks with no fishing etiquette or qualms about boorish behavior.  What has happened on Lake Mission Viejo since the 19lb. county record was caught in 2006 is a prime example.

 

Don't get me wrong, I am not a scrooge.  There are other fisherman on my lake who I have gotten to know & I freely share information with them.  I'll chat with homeowners on the lake, people who I know have a sincere interest in the well being of the fish population on their lake.  However, when I am at a tackle store or around folks that I don't know, not much information comes out of my mouth.  I'd like to believe if I lived an hour outside of Austin, Texas or in the middle of Florida that I would be a bit more open, I just can't do that here.   

 

You bring up a good point.  I am in a rural setting along the New River.  I suspect you are right in that has certainly changed how I share information vs someone in a cityscape. 

[BaitMonkey1984]

I agree that many people over embellish the size and weight of a fish, though I do not believe there is any malicious intent to do so. Quite simply I believe that many people are so excited to catch a big bass coupled with little to no experience with landing decent size fish, that they figure it must weigh more than just a few pounds. Then you have those that just like to tell fish stories. Many of us fall into both these categories at some point in their fishing career. Or even week.

 

I had the very opposite of this initial thread happen to me, and wonder if it has happened to anyone else. I always carry several scales. Mechanical and digital, so I can get a true weight/length measurement for my own log. It was spawn and I was fishing 20 yards off shore with a wacky rigged GY senko, and had been slaying the fish in the early morning. A guy on shore was fishing with his wife. I landed a few fish in front of them, and then ended up landing a nice fish a little over 5 lbs. I was fishing solo, and went Ike during the fight/netting of this fish. I took some pictures and weighed the fish. As I was revving the fish, he guy from shore asked me how big it was, and so I told him, just over 5lbs. He apparently believed I was telling him yet another fish story, and quite candidly told me no way, it was a 3lber tops. I was approx 50 yards from this guy at this point. Part of me wanted to tell the guy to feel free to swim over to my boat and he could see by himself, instead I said that's what my three scales said pal, I don't know what to tell you. Really left a bad taste in my mouth...until I hooked up with another fish and forgot about his comments.