Do you have (fishing) acquaintances that are a one-way street?

[Darth-Baiter]

Im getting older now, and I kinda quit worrying about it.  But I do notice.  
 

I have one in my group that will reach out for places and techniques to catch fish.  He’s a teacher, so he gets summers off. He fished a lot at a local lake and gathered great intel. He still reaches out for advice, but when we ask….silence.  Haha.  
 

if we ask, he actually replies with a pic of a good bass and, “oh, they’re out there!”   So funny.  He is an athlete, so he has a natural competition spirit.  
 

I like him a lot, and I know what I’m getting.  But I’m holding back some. Shhhh. 
 

 

[WRB]

You reap what you sow.

Tom

[Susky River Rat]

I give nobody information. You are on my boat or you aren’t. I also don’t ask for others info.

[gim]

I have a couple trusted friends that I communicate with on bass and muskie fishing locations and techniques, specifically. They are not blabber mouths.

 

I rarely disclose my walleye and crappie spots to anyone. People will be all over those spots like stink on a monkey in days because they’re meat hunters. It back fired a couple times in recent years too so I learned my lesson.

[WRB]

I share fishing knowledge everyday with members on this site and any bass angler friends I meet. Tight lips sink ships doesn’t apply to fishing knowledge, it applies to specific spots you fish and today there are very few secrets.

Do you all look at Glenn’s video’s he took the time and effort to share with you...of course you do!

Tom

[bait__Monkey]

18 minutes ago, gimruis said:

People will be all over those spots like stink on a monkey

EyE thINK u STink!!!

[LrgmouthShad]

I won’t share spots but I certainly will tell someone information that will help them find their own spots. I’ll share lures, techniques, what I’ve been seeing on the water, lake information, etc. 

 

Edit: Only exception is if someone is fishing with me. I might reserve a couple spots for myself but otherwise they are free to fish my stuff

[T-Billy]

44 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

I won’t share spots but I certainly will tell someone information that will help them find their own spots. I’ll share lures, techniques, what I’ve been seeing on the water, lake information, etc. 

 

Edit: Only exception is if someone is fishing with me. I might reserve a couple spots for myself but otherwise they are free to fish my stuff

This is how I go about it as well. I happily share bait and pattern info, but you can count the number of people I'll share spot info with on one hand and have a couple fingers leftover. @WRB is right, secret spots are rare indeed, but how to successfully approach and fish those spots is a different story. I don't mind fishing behind most people, but now and then I'll watch someone on a spot I'd like to fish and know, that guy's got it figgered out, I'll hit something else.

 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

The longer I fish I realize there are only two ways to truly achieve success in Bass fishing:

 

1.)  Spending more time on the water than the other anglers that fish it and do so especially during the times where it's uncomfortable for others to be doing so.  This means fishing at night, during the rain, during the winter when it's freezing, and any other time you know others won't be on the lake.   

 

2.)  Get lucky, everybody has a story of a kid catching a DD on a Zeb33 and a Beatle Spin.   

 

I can tell you my exact honey holes, but if you don't put in the work, and get a splash of luck, you're not going to match my results.  

 

Legendary Big Bass hunter LJ Brasher fished for 72hrs straight at a time with the knowledge that during that window of time, eventually the big Bass will turn on.   He caught over 1000 DD fish.  Night Hawk Publications - John's Journal

 

Pat Cullen another Big Bass hunting legend, and another who caught over 1000 DDs, fished exclusively at night, all night, after working a full time job and raising a family during the day.   1,113 Giant Bass… And Counting – Georgia Outdoor News (gon.com)

 

 

Those two men could give you all the tips and honey holes in the world, but you can't substitute for their sheer dedication to time on water.    

[Catt]

59 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

I won’t share spots but I certainly will tell someone information that will help them find their own spots. I’ll share lures, techniques, what I’ve been seeing on the water, lake information, etc

 

Exactly! 

 

I have a "network" of friends, not acquaintances, we all work together.

 

Between my thread on Toledo Bend & a few PMs I've helped dozens of angles find there own spots. 

 

Ya want my exact GPS locations, you'll have to get in my boat & that's by invitation only...ain't many get that opportunity.

[Woody B]

I fish to relax, it's not a competition for me.   I don't hide anything.   I don't volunteer stuff unless asked though.    

[LrgmouthShad]

Finding good structure fishing spots is hard. I would say I’ve explored somewhere around 50 or more structural elements on Stillhouse, and of those, I’m semi-confident in some form of long-term success on 1-2 of them. Doesn’t mean I won’t catch them on other spots. I just kinda don’t consider them honey holes 

[ironbjorn]

There has never been a single time where I have shared the where, when, and what, that it didn't burn me in the end. Specifically in regards to where I personally fish, and not generally speaking on a forum such as this. So I no longer share. Humans ruin good things.

[crypt]

I really don't give specific spots. but do share what I caught them on.cause tomorrow they may not hit on same thing. 

[papajoe222]

I misunderstood the title. I thought you were asking about relationships that only share the one interest, fishing.  I do have a number of those and all but one of those relationships was initiated by me. They've lasted for a while, a couple for over two decades and we are all okay with the parameter as we enjoy the sport and each others company. 

As for your intention, I don't have any one way acquaintances. If I take someone fishing and they ask advice or want to learn a new, to them, technique, I'm always willing to share knowledge. If this happens a few times and I haven't been invited to fish out of his boat, or just go fishing with him, that's where it ends. As I said earlier, I have more than enough acquaintances that share my passion.

[Massachusettslargemouth]

8 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

I won’t share spots but I certainly will tell someone information that will help them find their own spots. I’ll share lures, techniques, what I’ve been seeing on the water, lake information, etc. 

 

Edit: Only exception is if someone is fishing with me. I might reserve a couple spots for myself but otherwise they are free to fish my stuff

I'm with LrgmouthShad.  I love giving people what little knowledge I have about fishing, but I'm not going to share any "secret spots" I have.  People are leeches and if you ever need some help, they will not reciprocate it.  So help out people with your knowledge and tips, but don't do it at the expense of your time and convenience.  

[N Florida Mike]

It takes time to build a trust. I will tell you specific baits that work and how to fish them, but I won’t give specific spots unless I trust you…

I usually give more than most of my friends that fish because I’ve been doing it longer in the same area than most of them have. I don’t hold it against them.

But once in a while…

I was at church yesterday, and had a random conversation with someone Id never talked fishing with before. He told me his son had caught a 13.10 in our church pond 10 years ago. He told me exactly how he  caught it, which was different than the way I’ve fished it.

Guess where I’ll be focusing on in the days to follow ???

[GRiver]

I’ve got a few good friends that we exchange “spots”. I mostly well tell people the area, like “the backside of Hog Island on the Ocala side”…..It’s a pretty big area. 
I’ll tell people what they’ve been biting on, color, size, type. I run into people that have traveled a long way to fish, especially in the winter time.  I really hate to think of them going home skunked.

Besides all of us are friends on one level or another, some more than others,  some not enough,…..to give up “the spot”

[thediscochef]

Most of the people I fish with are more novice than I am, most of the spots they know are places I've shown them and they're pretty much just there with me. If I knew more people with boats it would be different. I would be willing to share a deeper knowledge of Roberts with active BR members via DM if they were ever fishing there

[MIbassyaker]

I don't ask anybody for information, but I also keep things to myself, so if you give me intel, I suppose I become the one-way street.

[Alex from GA]

The only thing I ask is "how deep are they".  I do have buddies that we share specific information with.

[TOXIC]

Y’all have seen my posts here, it’d take me 2 hours to explain.? As has been said, fishing is not a competition to me.  I’ll gladly give any info I have because as my old tournament partner used to say,….”You ain’t gonna catch another man’s fish”.  I also gave out all my spots guiding because a good spot is going to be a good spot regardless.  Patterns and locations on a tidal river are so specific that I could give you the full 411 and you may not catch a thing. ?

[Skunkmaster-k]

I’m still a bucket mouth. Most of my fishing buddies get the scuttle butt , and they’ll dish it back . Most of them have less experience on my lake, so it’s kinda one sided but that’s okay. 

[looking45]

I be talked to several guys regularly. Over the years, I’ve learned who I can “talk” to and who I can share info with. I have three guys who I will give any info they ask for, including specific areas or even spots. They will do the same in return. Lake Shasta has 375 miles of shoreline, I’m not worried about someone catching “my” fish. 

[N Florida Mike]

6 hours ago, GRiver said:

“the backside of Hog Island on the Ocala side”

That actually is a good area …