The Ethics Finding Spots Through Observation

[Vilas15]

Thats fine. I've learned plenty just by watching where others go. I'd never drive by them and side scan while they're fishing it but just make a mental note to check it out in the future. With the sonar these days theres no point in getting right up next to them and drop a waypoint, you should be able to figure out what theyre on top of on your own at a later date. No triangulation needed like the old days lining up a post with a house window like my dad used to do.

[Tennessee Boy]

I must say I'm very surprised at how much everyone seems to agree that it's okay to fish the spot.   Maybe I need to stir the pot a little more to get some debate going here.  

 

What about the argument that it takes time and effort to find a spot and that it's stealing someone else's work to fish a spot that you didn't put in the work to find yourself?

 

Let's consider a different hypothetical situation.  What if I noticed a well known local guide is sitting on a spot?   Would that change anything?

 

Obviously,  it's wrong to move in on a spot when someone's fishing it.  There seems to be a consensus that you shouldn't move in and mark a waypoint either.  I'm pretty good with math and I can get the coordinates of a spot from two hundred yards away.  Is that okay?

[Choporoz]

I figured from the OP that you were in a slightly different place.   Could be that differing perspectives were developed on different types of water.  My 'home lake' in VA has main lake summer points where boats literally line up to wait their turn.  If I see that for years but don't fish it....then one day, pass by and there's nobody there....I think I'd be foolish not to figure out what's the attraction.   On my NC lake, I've figured out a lot on my own in 2 years.  But there's spots that frequently get plenty of attention and I haven't fished them yet.  Should I avoid them because I didn't stumble into them myself?  I pride myself on figuring stuff out.  But I got no problem if my seeing others in places is one part of the observation tool kit.  

[gim]

1 hour ago, GreenPig said:

Lights are the giveaway if you're fishing public waters. There's a couple boats round here that'll ease right up to you and say sorry I thought you were my bud. Those boys are making waypoints and are known for it. Our DNR frowns on us fishing blacked out.

Don't they require the use of lights at night there?  Seems completely unsafe without them.  Frowned upon isn't the word I'd use here.  I'd use the word illegal.

[TOXIC]

I’ve had people follow me around all day when I had clients in the boat and was guiding.  I had a very unique boat and everybody knew it.  I had no problem with it because as a good friend of mine used to say “You ain’t gonna catch another man’s fish”.  Lol.  I had a tree that I usually took clients to as my first stop. It was half submerged in the water and laying on its side.  It was always good for at least a couple 2 pounders and sometimes better fish were on it.  I was at the ramp one day and mentioned to another guide that I was heading out to my secret tree and he laughed because he lived fairly close to that tree across a small cove and said that every tournament that goes out of the marina, someone stops and fishes that tree.  But, he said, You are the only one I have ever seen catch a fish off it.  ?

[Zcoker]

I don't see how ethics has anything to do with it, more a curiosity, imho. And since it's on a public lake, you are entitled to the area as much as anyone else. It would then come down to how you approach this spot, which would probably be best when no one is around, that is, not moving in on top of someone else, which I think would be your least intention because of the way you brought up the subject on this site. So when you go out and if no one is around hit the area and fish it to see what all the fuss is about...simple solution, if you ask me.  

[1984isNOW]

I'm new to this part of MA. I'm pretty much relegated to shore fishing at present. I've bumped into people and hit'em with the "hey I'm new to the area, any places worth fishing around here"?

 

Now I get not wanting to blow a spot up, not but what about supporting the community? What about helping a fellow angler out?

 

 Most of the time I get nothing, I've ever been told it's not worth fishing in the place they clearly think is worth fishing because they're fishing it haha.

 

 Anyway, if another angler "did the work" and are visibly fishing a spot and you get curious you should absolutely fish it. Better yet if you see a guide fishing a spot you should absolutely make a mental note of that.

 

 There isn't a person here who would agree that you can't fish somebody's dock, that's absurd. But you tellin me if that person was on the water they get to claim a spot? At least the dock owner has a case against people casting a flub into their boat or hooking into some rope, breaking off a hook where their kids swim. A person, guide or not, gets no claim to a piece of water if the people paying bonkers water front property tax don't get a claim.

 

If you wanna respect people's spots stop hitting up docks, if you wanna catch fish follow a guide (but don't really actually physically in real time follow a guide - simply out of respect) [unless that's just the way the water is] and hit up docks. And when the poor shmuck stuck on shore asks if you had any luck at least five him half the equation, tellem what or where or how and letem figure out the rest.

 

Anyway, next time pull up alongside and say "I'm just dropping a way point and trying to see what you're using"

[BigAngus752]

7 hours ago, Choporoz said:

Now, on the other hand, I recently faced a slightly different,  but similar situation.   A club member has vaguely described a spot where he's done well.  On a non-tournament day, I fished an area that I thought he might have been talking about.  Hard to say, but I might never have been there without knowing a few things he'd said.  Had a great couple hours there.  BUT, next tournament on that water, I didn't even go near it....not even to check if no one was on it....just didn't feel right 

I'm the guy that holds the door open for anyone and helps strangers at every opportunity.  I say you are good to fish that tournament or not.  He opened his mouth.  End of story.  Don't want to share?  Don't talk about fish club. 

 

I will add that I would still view it as "his" spot because he found it first.  If I got there first during a tournament and he arrived I would immediately vacate.  Otherwise, it is your spot now. 

 

[Cbump]

Absolutely not unethical. Fish away. 

[ironbjorn]

2 hours ago, PUTitinYOURmouthFISH said:

I'm new to this part of MA. I'm pretty much relegated to shore fishing at present. I've bumped into people and hit'em with the "hey I'm new to the area, any places worth fishing around here"?

 

Now I get not wanting to blow a spot up, not but what about supporting the community? What about helping a fellow angler out?

 

 Most of the time I get nothing, I've ever been told it's not worth fishing in the place they clearly think is worth fishing because they're fishing it haha.

 

 

 

 

"It's me, hi, I'm the problem it's me"

 

 

I've just had soooooo many spots and techniques ruined by sharing the where and the what

 

 

[GreenPig]

6 hours ago, gimruis said:

Don't they require the use of lights at night there?  Seems completely unsafe without them.  Frowned upon isn't the word I'd use here.  I'd use the word illegal.

Yes lights are required after dark on public waters and running dark is foolish & dangerous. 

[1984isNOW]

31 minutes ago, ironbjorn said:

 

 

"It's me, hi, I'm the problem it's me"

 

 

I've just had soooooo many spots and techniques ruined by sharing the where and the what

 

 

Your Name+avatar+Taylor Swift fan= Sea slug in space

 

I mean I get it to a degree, but IDK man - just feels like there's a lot of fish and people ought to matter more than catchin'em. I feel you, I wouldn't be tellin no spots or baits to a couple of dumdums flickin butts into the lake or leavin plastic lure clam shells all over the place, but a grown ass dude just tryin to catch a fish while the kids are asleep - I'd probably throw'em a bone. 

 

You don't gotta post in on insta or anything, but if you helped me out with a spot I'd be tellin my buddies about this awesome dude who totally put me on some fish and made my night. Depending on the catch, you might be in my stories for years man, continuing to make other people happy with fish tales and fond memories. 

 

 

[Susky River Rat]

8 hours ago, GreenPig said:

There's a couple boats round here that'll ease right up to you and say sorry I thought you were my bud. Those boys are making waypoints and are known for it

Thanks for the great advice! Just kidding. Just gave me a chuckle.

[N Florida Mike]

It’s not unethical. I’d fish there in a heartbeat.

Whats unethical would be someone sharing a secret spot with you and then you go tell others or go there and keep all the fish.

The biggest speckled perch I ever caught was after seeing a guide and his client on a spot. When they left, we went right over and caught 2 identical fish that were nearly 2 pounds each… We didn’t even keep them. 

[WRB]

During the 90’s when the $1,000,000 reward for a all tackle world record Largemouth Bass was going on boats from nearly every state showed up at Casitas and Castiac lakes, circus time.

Both lakes are about 2,000 acres with roads that over look the lakes, plus parking areas with good viewing areas. Hopeful anglers would have buddies with 200 power spotting scopes stationed at strategic areas to watch (spy on) boats fishing. If you had a bass boat you were watched like a hawk..I. Tried to keep under the radar (spying eyes) by fishing out my 14’ Lund with MN tags and it worked! If I showed up in my bass boat it was a different story, even the locals showed up and fished nearby.

I had 1 spot called the “Old Folks Home” that I only fished with my aluminum boat during the week in rainy weather, It’s still my secret spot that few others know of.

There're few secrets on our local lakes!

Tom

[Catt]

I can almost guarantee y'all ain't got no ^secret" spots, someone fished it before you & someone will fish it after you. 

 

Look up my thread on Toledo Bend, I give general locations, not exact way points, or what I'm throwing. That thread has 1.6m views, many anglers fish those spots, get skunked, & say the guy Catt doesn't know what his talking about. 

 

I just grin & wink ? 

[MIbassyaker]

9 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I must say I'm very surprised at how much everyone seems to agree that it's okay to fish the spot.   Maybe I need to stir the pot a little more to get some debate going here.  

 

What about the argument that it takes time and effort to find a spot and that it's stealing someone else's work to fish a spot that you didn't put in the work to find yourself?

 

Let's consider a different hypothetical situation.  What if I noticed a well known local guide is sitting on a spot?   Would that change anything?

 

Obviously,  it's wrong to move in on a spot when someone's fishing it.  There seems to be a consensus that you shouldn't move in and mark a waypoint either.  I'm pretty good with math and I can get the coordinates of a spot from two hundred yards away.  Is that okay?

 

I'm having trouble understanding what makes this concern an ethical one as opposed to just a concern about social norms.  If I want to know about ethics, I ask, what is the harm vs. benefit.  Who is harmed, and how, by the act?

 

I don't recognize any meaningful sense in which spots on public water can be "stolen" -- that is, harm via loss from theft of property does not apply.  If I spend time and effort to locate a spot, this does not mean the spot is my "property".  Nobody should spend time, effort, and other resources to find a spot on public water with the expectation that they will have it to themselves. The expectation is by definition, wrong and unreasonable, and there is no ethical problem to violate it. 

 

Even a local guide who makes a living putting people on fish, surely does so with an understanding that common knowledge is a natural hazard of public water -- a cost of doing business, as it were.  If the guide is well-known, that implies they are successful, and thus the magnitude of harm for fishing their spots is likely minimal anyway. 

[T-Billy]

14 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

now I’ve got some younger readers wondering what in the world is a newspaper 

I know what a newspaper is, but could you please explain "sloppy seconds"? ?

[Jleebesaw]

The old bent pole pattern! Nothing unethical about it. If nobody is already there, fish it. If you have seen hundreds of boats there, it's a community hole anyway. If it's next to a bridge, there's probably some old concrete down there or an old bridge piling. 

 

I fish water that has all the big name tournaments on it. I will take a few days off during the week the elites are there and ride around seeing where they fish. Guess what. For the most part, they are fishing known community holes. With the low cost(relatively)  electronics available today, there are no secret spots on public water anymore.

[Captain Phil]

I often fish a small Ocala National Forest lake north of our home. This lake is one of the most beautiful lakes I have ever fished. It has a small dirt ramp and the fishing pressure is light.  It's a typical dish pan Florida lake without much bottom cover.  On a few occasions, I noticed a boat parked out in deep water away from anything that I could see.  This is not common in Florida. One summer day I decided to check this out.  I couldn't see much on my electronics but I decided to make a few casts with a Carolina Rig.  What I discovered was a huge shell bed in 12 feet of water loaded with hungry bass.  The weather that day was hot with the temperature in the nineties.  The water in that lake is stained almost black.  As I sat there sweating in the heat, I caught and released bass after bass for well over an hour.  It was crazy fishing.  I have been back many times and that spot always produces.  I have never showed that spot to anyone and I'm not going to.  ?

[TriStateBassin106]

On my home lake there's these grass flats and flooded timber I had no idea existed before I saw bass boats out there on it. This was before I had electronics so one day I took the 10ft bass raider with the 55lb thrust out there and to my shock I had a really good day just hovering around the timber. I'm always observant of where the bass club guys fish on my lake, sometimes I'll see them fish spots I know for a fact that are dead water. It's kinda hilarious actually. 

[Pat Brown]

You guys with your giant lakes!  ???

 

Here in central NC, the lakes are glorified ponds and the ponds are mud puddles with parking lots and sidewalks.

 

There are no 'spots' you can have to yourself.

[LrgmouthShad]

One thing I learned quick on Somerville recently when more boaters came out: Everything that I know, other people do too. The tire fields, the rock lines, boulders, underwater trees, all of it. I have a bunch of waypoints, and I would go from waypoint to waypoint and there would be someone sitting precisely on something I marked. It was a very eye-opening experience for me. 

[flyfisher]

17 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I must say I'm very surprised at how much everyone seems to agree that it's okay to fish the spot.   Maybe I need to stir the pot a little more to get some debate going here.  

 

What about the argument that it takes time and effort to find a spot and that it's stealing someone else's work to fish a spot that you didn't put in the work to find yourself?

 

Let's consider a different hypothetical situation.  What if I noticed a well known local guide is sitting on a spot?   Would that change anything?

 

Obviously,  it's wrong to move in on a spot when someone's fishing it.  There seems to be a consensus that you shouldn't move in and mark a waypoint either.  I'm pretty good with math and I can get the coordinates of a spot from two hundred yards away.  Is that okay?

You can't unsee what you saw so it doesn't really make sense to me to not fish a spot that someone else was on.  Sure, you shouldn't go up on them and start fishing or maybe if it is a tournament you would leave it for them on the next day if it is a multi-day tournament but there is nothing wrong with checking out spots you see people on, it is more about being respectful of them while they are fishing.

[LrgmouthShad]

25 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

You guys with your giant lakes!  ???

 

Here in central NC, the lakes are glorified ponds and the ponds are mud puddles with parking lots and sidewalks.

 

There are no 'spots' you can have to yourself.

There are big lakes in Central NC