The benefit of crowded waters...

[DitchPanda]

So as we have talked on here a lot lately about covid making more people get out fishing we have all focused on the negatives: people in our spots, more idiots leaving trash, etc. But one positive I've noticed is I've been finding more goodies as well. I've found countless hooks and weights, a couple nice cranks, bobbers of all shapes and sizes and new pair of pliers. Anybody else have this?

 

[The Bassman]

A few days ago I was fishing one of my usual spots with a light ned. Made a cast and my bait didn't drop. Just figured I got bit on the fall. Surprize. I reeled in a pretty much new Whopper Plopper 90 with 2 ft. of mono. Probably would've been a good day to buy a lottery ticket.

[DomQ]

Stumbled upon a guy fishing a quiet little spot I fish. He pulled a 4lber out and dropped it... multiple times ? sad day for that fish. Safe to say my quiet spot isnt so quiet anymore. Trash, beer bottles, cans and buds scattered all over the place now, yup even in the water. 

[Teal]

The obvious thing for me over the past few years is observing other fisherman on spots offshore.  Since most of the hydrilla on my home lake is pretty much under control, most of us are being a little more creative.  I generally try to remind myself to go some of those areas and idle over them and see if theres anything under surface worth marking.  Not trying to sound like "one of those guys" but If I seen enough boats trying something, I'll look at it when the spot is open and not being fished.

[TcRoc]

Couple cranks.. if I put my yak on one lake I bank fish from could load up on weights ,hooks and plastics swinging from branches.

[DitchPanda]

1 hour ago, DomQ said:

Stumbled upon a guy fishing a quiet little spot I fish. He pulled a 4lber out and dropped it... multiple times ? sad day for that fish. Safe to say my quiet spot isnt so quiet anymore. Trash, beer bottles, cans and buds scattered all over the place now, yup even in the water. 

Yep this is present at my lake to. I've picked up a lot of trash..to the point where I almost won't do it anymore. Finding the goodies doesn't make up for the garbage but your gonna have the garbage anyhow. 

[Dens228]

I usually only find old line with a rusty sinker and hook still on it when I snag it. 

[DitchPanda]

1 hour ago, Dens228 said:

I usually only find old line with a rusty sinker and hook still on it when I snag it. 

Haha..yeah I find a lot of that crap too believe me.

[scaleface]

 Went wading for smallmouths yesterday on a secluded , hard to reach river . Water was a little high and only 1 rock bar showing . Before I got to it a kayak came down stream and beat me to it . Oh well , he caught a couple and moved on . I managed  three off of it .Too many kayaks on this once great smallmouth river .

[DitchPanda]

I honestly think that when this covid crap shakes out and life goes back to normal or at least closer to it a lot of these new people will stuff there rods and reels in a corner and never pick em up again. At least maybe I'm hoping that happens. 

[OCdockskipper]

9 hours ago, The Bassman said:

A few days ago I was fishing one of my usual spots with a light ned. Made a cast and my bait didn't drop. Just figured I got bit on the fall. Surprize. I reeled in a pretty much new Whopper Plopper 90 with 2 ft. of mono. Probably would've been a good day to buy a lottery ticket.

 

It is true, a Ned rig will catch anything!!  ?

[WRB]

Hmmmm more anglers is a positive. .....give me fewer.

The only upside is more kids are getting out and enjoying nature first hand in lieu of via a computer screen.

Tom

[Bluegillslayer]

4 hours ago, DomQ said:

Stumbled upon a guy fishing a quiet little spot I fish. He pulled a 4lber out and dropped it... multiple times ? sad day for that fish. Safe to say my quiet spot isnt so quiet anymore. Trash, beer bottles, cans and buds scattered all over the place now, yup even in the water. 

That sucks my fishing spot has lots of trash but barely anyone fishes it.

[Teal]

4 minutes ago, WRB said:

Hmmmm more anglers is a positive. .....give me fewer.

The only upside is more kids are getting out and enjoying nature first hand in lieu of via a computer screen.

Tom

Amen

[DitchPanda]

15 minutes ago, WRB said:

Hmmmm more anglers is a positive. .....give me fewer.

The only upside is more kids are getting out and enjoying nature first hand in lieu of via a computer screen.

Tom

It's pretty obvious if you read what I said that I don't want more people out either. Lemons into lemonade my friend. I'm trying to get something positive out of an otherwise nonpositive experience.

[Fishin Dad]

13 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

So as we have talked on here a lot lately about covid making more people get out fishing we have all focused on the negatives: people in our spots, more idiots leaving trash, etc. But one positive I've noticed is I've been finding more goodies as well. I've found countless hooks and weights, a couple nice cranks, bobbers of all shapes and sizes and new pair of pliers. Anybody else have this?

 

I would give away a full 3700 to get some people off the lakes.  Haven’t found a positive yet.  Glad kids are getting out and away from indoors.  I have brought more kids out this year than ever.  No regrets there, but geeeez.  The crowds are pounding on the lakes.  

[plawren53202]

4 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

I honestly think that when this covid crap shakes out and life goes back to normal or at least closer to it a lot of these new people will stuff there rods and reels in a corner and never pick em up again. At least maybe I'm hoping that happens. 

Oh dear God, I hope this proves to be true.

[DitchPanda]

8 hours ago, Fishin Dad said:

I would give away a full 3700 to get some people off the lakes.  Haven’t found a positive yet.  Glad kids are getting out and away from indoors.  I have brought more kids out this year than ever.  No regrets there, but geeeez.  The crowds are pounding on the lakes.  

Maybe I shouldn't have said the benefit..maybe I shoulda said the best part of a crappy situation

[flyfisher]

11 hours ago, scaleface said:

 Went wading for smallmouths yesterday on a secluded , hard to reach river . Water was a little high and only 1 rock bar showing . Before I got to it a kayak came down stream and beat me to it . Oh well , he caught a couple and moved on . I managed  three off of it .Too many kayaks on this once great smallmouth river .

Seems like it was just fine if he caught a couple and you caught 3.  He was probably thinking why doesn't this guy just get a kayak so he isn't hurting the riverbed and overfishing one area.

[Fishin Dad]

2 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

Maybe I shouldn't have said the benefit..maybe I shoulda said the best part of a crappy situation

I agree.  You have to find the good in situations.  I do like that people are outside and able to do something.  I have seen a ton of families spending time on the water together and kids learning to fish instead of electronics (fishfinders excluded of course).   
Definitely awesome to find some good in it!   Thanks for the reminder.   I hope to think of some positives next time I’m on the water.   
Good Fishin to ya!

[scaleface]

7 hours ago, flyfisher said:

Seems like it was just fine if he caught a couple and you caught 3.  He was probably thinking why doesn't this guy just get a kayak so he isn't hurting the riverbed and overfishing one area.

  He also took selfies with his fish .Probably posted it on Facebook along with location .Three fish isnt worth the drive , I use to catch them by the dozens . 

[Bluebasser86]

I found plenty of baits before all this stuff happened. These new people on the water aren't using anything worth finding anyways. Plus I'd bet along with a fair number of fish going home with them, some are finding baits that have washed up that I'd have found if they hadn't been there.

 

The only positive I see is the one Tom mentioned of kids getting out and new people being exposed to the sport. Not everyone is trashing the lakes and having a negative impact, those are just the ones that are easiest to notice.

[DitchPanda]

9 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I found plenty of baits before all this stuff happened. These new people on the water aren't using anything worth finding anyways. Plus I'd bet along with a fair number of fish going home with them, some are finding baits that have washed up that I'd have found if they hadn't been there.

 

The only positive I see is the one Tom mentioned of kids getting out and new people being exposed to the sport. Not everyone is trashing the lakes and having a negative impact, those are just the ones that are easiest to notice.

I'm finding more stuff now then normal...nothing great but better than I woulda thought...rapala shad rap couple bomber cranks and a nice set of pliers. Honestly I guess I never worry about fish going home with them...I mean these people don't know how to fish so how many are they really catching. The last sentence I agree with totally..not all people are bad but if 1 in 25 is a disgusting slob and you've got a hundred newbies floating around your gonna get some trash. And of course you notice that..don't even see the people respecting the resource.

 

I've received more feedback on this with a non positive tone  than anything else I've posted...and I get it but like I said before I'm an optimist but also a realist. I notice the bad but try to focus on the good instead...making a bad situation seem not so bad.

[TnRiver46]

The title of this thread keeps making this song play in my head 

[Bankc]

The way I see it, the increased revenue and exposure from having more anglers will get more funding for them, and perhaps they'll get a little bit more care from the government as a result.  The more people that appreciate the amenities, the more people who will back politicians who want to increase the funding for those amenities. 

 

My home state of Oklahoma has been cutting back funding for lakes for a long, long time now, and outside of a few of the bigger ones which receive most of the attention and money, most are largely left abandoned by the state.  The restrooms are boarded up.  The boat ramps are washing away.  The roads are almost impossible to drive on.  The banks are overgrown.  The water and fish aren't being managed.  If anyone takes care of them, it's usually the city.  And if the city doesn't have the means, or it doesn't belong to a city, then it's left to die a slow death.  Years of demands for lower taxes and less government haven't been kind to parks, forestry, water, and wildlife conservation departments.  And that's truly sad, especially coming from a state that loves the outdoors so much.

 

The lake closest to me is getting renovated by the city of OKC (started a few years before the pandemic).  It used to be a dangerous place where dead bodies were routinely dumped.  It was dirty, unkept, with terrible roads, and very few visitors outside of drug dealers wanting to meet in secret.  Now, it's a much nicer, safer, and cleaner place where families and friends frequent.  The difference was night and day.  Sure there are more anglers and other people on the lake.  But that's a small price to pay for not being afraid to be there.  It went from a crime haven to a safe haven.  And the only reason that happened was because OKC has much more liberal tendencies than the state as a whole, and they actually managed to pass a sales tax increase to pay for that, and other infrastructure improvements.  Most of the smaller lakes in my state haven't been so lucky.

 

My point being, you can complain about the increased number of people on the lake if you want to.  There's definitely a downside to it.  But I've seen both ends of the extremes.  And trust me when I tell you that too many people on a lake is a million times better than too few.  And as a bonus, I do often come home with more lures that I left with, which is a nice change of pace for me!