Northwest Fishing Reports

Been reading here awhile and have noticed a growing trend of honey holes and stealers. I thought this was a pro Seattle forum, and not a Pittsburgh one.

Some people on here should be ashamed. Riding the coat tails of others, abusing their spots... and sometimes even crossing those lines of the unwritten rules.

All I ask is why? Don't be shy, those people know who I am talking to, and know I am talking to them. To those who find their own spots; congrats and more power to you.

Hey Loucipher,

I'm not sure what fueled this post but I do have something to add. It has been my observation that VERY few bass anglers know how to find their own fish. I would encourage every bass angler to dedicate a portion of their fishing day to exploring new water. You can learn a tremendous amount just by idling around while keeping a close eye on your electronics to identify key structural features. In my opinion, there is a big difference between a bass catcher and a bass fisherman.

[quote="loucipher"]Been reading here awhile and have noticed a growing trend of honey holes and stealers. I thought this was a pro Seattle forum, and not a Pittsburgh one.

Some people on here should be ashamed. Riding the coat tails of others, abusing their spots... and sometimes even crossing those lines of the unwritten rules.

All I ask is why? Don't be shy, those people know who I am talking to, and know I am talking to them. To those who find their own spots]

tagwatson360 wrote:Hey Loucipher,

I'm not sure what fueled this post but I do have something to add. It has been my observation that VERY few bass anglers know how to find their own fish. I would encourage every bass angler to dedicate a portion of their fishing day to exploring new water. You can learn a tremendous amount just by idling around while keeping a close eye on your electronics to identify key structural features. In my opinion, there is a big difference between a bass catcher and a bass fisherman.

loucipher wrote:Been reading here awhile and have noticed a growing trend of honey holes and stealers. I thought this was a pro Seattle forum, and not a Pittsburgh one.

Some people on here should be ashamed. Riding the coat tails of others, abusing their spots... and sometimes even crossing those lines of the unwritten rules.

All I ask is why? Don't be shy, those people know who I am talking to, and know I am talking to them. To those who find their own spots]

I couldn't have said it better myself!!!!!

WCCT wrote:

tagwatson360 wrote:Hey Loucipher,

I'm not sure what fueled this post but I do have something to add. It has been my observation that VERY few bass anglers know how to find their own fish. I would encourage every bass angler to dedicate a portion of their fishing day to exploring new water. You can learn a tremendous amount just by idling around while keeping a close eye on your electronics to identify key structural features. In my opinion, there is a big difference between a bass catcher and a bass fisherman.

loucipher wrote:Been reading here awhile and have noticed a growing trend of honey holes and stealers. I thought this was a pro Seattle forum, and not a Pittsburgh one.

Some people on here should be ashamed. Riding the coat tails of others, abusing their spots... and sometimes even crossing those lines of the unwritten rules.

All I ask is why? Don't be shy, those people know who I am talking to, and know I am talking to them. To those who find their own spots]

I couldn't have said it better myself!!!!!

Huh!??!!? Well now, I'm still fairly new to Bass fishing, Actually its been about a year since I started! I enjoy reading reports and tips on how to catch and even where they have been biting...I can't say I go straight to the lake right after I read the reports...but I do use tips and make further plans to try to hit up the lake, or another lake...got to be honest, unless you bought the lake it seems fishable to anyone who finds it, especially if it is shared between anglers...I kind of get this feeling from reading you're worried about others "stealing" fishing spots...if the spots free, anyone can fish it...I'm sorry, but I think there is a line WHILE OTHERS ARE FISHING WITH YOU, however when it comes to fishing holes that are public and you're not interferring with someone's fishing next to you...the only line's that could be cross are the one's that think they own the whole lake and usually those guys are the ones that pollute, and damage the lake and water, and hurt the fish they catch...and not preserving this area for others that come after you....

I like the post, but come on, we're all on here to share, enjoy, and learn from eachother...if you're not, then why bother fishing.

[quote="loucipher"]Been reading here awhile and have noticed a growing trend of honey holes and stealers. I thought this was a pro Seattle forum, and not a Pittsburgh one.

Some people on here should be ashamed. Riding the coat tails of others, abusing their spots... and sometimes even crossing those lines of the unwritten rules.

All I ask is why? Don't be shy, those people know who I am talking to, and know I am talking to them. To those who find their own spots]

Nice Troll work!

get a life, and your own private lake and you can be a douch bag w/ out people stealing your PUBLIC fishing hole. Thankyou and have a good day.

If your spot gets fished out and no fish are to be caught what will you do? If it's a honey hole I am sure you are not the only one that knows about it! If your spot gets hammered press on dude it will only make you better. Find that new honey hole.
BMD

Some people are getting quite defensive. Is it possible you are defending your actions, or someone you know?

I've seen some people on here actually earning their own spots and breaking new 'ground'. My hat goes off to you!

I was talking more about this people who merely piggy back.

I am not defensive whatsoever no harm no foul. Nor am I protecting anyone I know. I will tell you that as I was learning to fish and didn't have very much knowledge so I watched people. Sure there is a chance that someone is on someones hot spot but maybe its a learning experience in their mind! What will they learn? Well maybe the spot turned out good or they didnt fish it right so it didn't even pan out.

Now if someone is doing nothing but coat tailin than I will tell you that it will not help them in the long run. Especially when they get on new waters!
JMO
BMD

loucipher,

while i understand what you are saying and while i'm guilty of such, I have to say, the reason why I come to this site is because of the information that many anglers are willing to share. Sure, sometimes I'll goto such honey holes and sometimes I won't but to me, meeting new anglers (online and in real life) and sharing my experiences and information is what makes things so fun and interesting to me. I've shared many PM conversations with members of washingtonlakes.com and I have to say I've never hesitate one second to share the information.

Let's be honest, fishings fun but is it really that fun if you keep going to your "honey holes" and catching the same fish over and over? Exploring for fishermen can go for both veterans and newbies. Exploring new places and finding new catches is what makes fishing fun and sharing this exciting news with others is another fun aspect and great part of this website.

If I were to go back to one of these honey holes and find it compeltely fished out, will I be bummed? Of course, but tough luck, no one owns these lakes and if someone else had a great time fishing these areas, then thumbs up to them, I'll find new places to fish.

Anyway, I just ask that you consider what alot of people love and enjoy, which is sharing experiences and new, exciting information with many anglers.

Wow what a thread. LOL. I will have to agree with Tag on his addition. I am mostly a bank fisherman and have been a proud member of the Longlake Bass Club for a quite awhile and have cultivated a number of "spots" over the years. I have seen that when I post my reports I will ocassionally see someone on these spots that I have located. My fishing is limited to what I can cast to or wade to therefore my spots are precious. However I would be sorely mistaken to think that I own them. So if you post a favorable report on an area, what you were using and a photo to boot don't be suprised to pull up to your favorite cove and see six boats packed in there. While I understand your frustration please keep in mind that you are showing EVERYONE where you were fishing.

Ryan2202. I dont think this guy is saying he bought the lake. He is talking about the unwritten rules! If I pull up to a stop that I showed a person and they are sitting there, I will have no problem with crushing your day.

Fish are all over the LKs . There are times I know that there is a nice bass that hangs in an area and cant get a bite. Did someone catch it? Come back days later and catch the fish. If the spot is a great place for fish to hold they may not bite today so move on and try another spot and come back later. This will make anglers better fishermen or not. I like the spots that never have fish, or is there fish there. These spots can be an anglers fish of a life time areas. Dont think a large body of water can be fished out over a summer. If people are keeping the fish more will take there place. Keep fishing, I will ! Don't let little things bother you lifes too short.

I love finding new areas, and have often been accused of not fishing as much as I should because I'm staring at my graphs and idling all over the lakea all day. If you can afford it invest in an underwater camera and a good graphing unit....here is a cool tip for you... set your unit in manual mode and set the depth to about 4 times the depth of the area you are fishing (if water depth is 25' set unit to 100' etc.,). idle around until you find a transition zone from soft to hard bottom and when you start getting 3-4 bottom echo lines, you are likely over a really hard bottom or rock! Drop the camera down and check it out, you'll be amazed at the cool structure you can locate doing this, and many of them are isolated and have fish stacked on them! I have alot of spots, but I don't know that I'd consider any of them honey holes in the truest sense of the word. The weather, season etc., are all going to dictate whether those spots are holding fish on any given day, most don't just live there indefintely, waiting for the next guy to come along and catch them! have fun!

The is a big difference between giving tips and tipping people off. Some people whom have replied have realized the difference between the two, and it also seems that they are the ones seeking new water.

[quote="loucipher"]Been reading here awhile and have noticed a growing trend of honey holes and stealers. I thought this was a pro Seattle forum, and not a Pittsburgh one.

Some people on here should be ashamed. Riding the coat tails of others, abusing their spots... and sometimes even crossing those lines of the unwritten rules.

All I ask is why? Don't be shy, those people know who I am talking to, and know I am talking to them. To those who find their own spots]some people that are still in the beginning curve of the learning, need people to show them those spots and why they produce fish. once they realize thats why the fish are there it will help them find new locations and how to read new waters.

theres some people that are just bait drowning meat eaters then you have the fisherman that really cares about the fish, we use lures and practice cpr for a reason. we love the fish, we respect the fish, and we will continue to learn always on how to beat the fish.

the only person on this site who should be ashamed is you pal.

Loucipher ,

My first question to you is how did you come up with your screen name in relation to this fishing forum ? Well like all new members i would like to to say hello and welcome to the site . This thread that you started is a real touchey topic IMO , And even more so because it's coming from a member like yourself that has only posted a handful oF comments/advice on here . I say that because if you have been mainly monitering this site and have witness what all anglers get from it day in day out , including yourself. Its a pretty bold satement to say that you have witness on many counts that you personaly have been on any particular body of water here in washington and you personaly have seen guys from this site sitiing on, which is it ? your holes or My holes ? Have you ever talked about a spot on honey hole on this site and you later saw myself or other members on this spot the next time you were out ? I would be quick to say that this WEBSITE is all about two word and two words only "INFORMATION SOURCE" .

Now if you choose to take a member out on the lake in your boat and you share your spots with that angler . What goes on water is between the anglers and the fish ! Yes there are unwritten rules when it comes to other anglers sweetspots , honey holes etc . But i say you personaly must take responsibilty for your on actions , Me personaly would not take a meateater to my best spots . But that is not to say that i would take a C&R angler to "some" of my better spots ! I dont stand behind guys that are looking for a easy way to catch a bass from there lazy boy at all . But you can ask a number of guys on here that i personaly have giving insight on bass fishing in general . I Dont do this to later find them on my holes , no my friend not at all , the benifits is so they can have a better start as to what they personaly want to achieve on a weekend outting ! No differently than a fishing guide , No different than attending a Bass Pro Siminar , No different than reading a fishing report !

I would be quick to tell you about the baits i like to use to catch bass , and if we fished toghether i would most likely give you some of these same baits to use more . My sponsor would not have it any other way ! so yess i use WCCT baits alot and i like them and i can point out a few great colors . (no secret) If you wanted to hit up washington saturday and get some pointers from me as to what to look for out there and how to go about finding fish , i would make sure that you got your rod yanked on for sure .(no secret)

So this kinda brings us both back to the "main" reason behind why this thread was started !! Do you have a problem with one angler on here or all ? Are you being honest and you are truley concerned ? or are you just tring to ruffle a few feathers ? We are mostly all adults , so lets talk about it and get to the bottom of this .. because i wouldnt want a new angler to feel like it's not okay to share info on this "imformative fishing source" !!

BBD

If you fished on a small lake or river and give up the skinny on where you caught your fish you should expect to see an increase in pressure. On a larger system the pressure won't generally increase but you may see areas getting more interest than they used to. I look at it this way, when I put up information on this site, I do so knowing that anyone could look at it and use it for their own purposes. If folks use your information take pride in it, as a you just touched the lives of that many more people. Teaching and sharing information is truly the greatest gift of all. Keep in mind that this sort of thing has has been going on since fishing was invented and believe me it goes round robin. I've seen plenty of guides and pros poach spots and lure tips from regular Joes. If you don't take binoculars with you when you fish, your not a serious fisherman. My guess is that someone on this site has given up one or more of your proclaimed "honey holes" and your a bit miffed. Whether you showed the person this spot or they found it on their own, it's their prerogative to share the information with others. There is so much water to fish in this State go find another place to make hay! If a bunch of folks flock to a spot then that surely means several more are unoccupied!

What we all need to remember is, that if you are fishing a public lake/stream/creek/river/etc... you are not fishing in YOUR honey hole.

You are fishing in a PUBLIC honey hole.

No harm meant by the comment above....just my opinion.

This is a touchy subject but will forever be dabated as long as we are all still allowed to fish. I think this falls into a similar catagory of threads that I started a few months back and took a ton of flack for. My perspective always comes from the tournament angle simply because that is what I am into. I will make these statements out of my PERSONAL opinion not gospel. I am certain many of you will have a completely different take on the subject because we all have different motives behind why we fish.

I believe if you are fishing for money you should fish your own stuff. That does not include known "community"holes.
There are 2 reasons I believe that should be the case. The first is that I would not feel good about myself or my performance if I had poached (spot stealing) somones water to get a paycheck. As fishermen we all use the phrase "good luck" but we also know when we did well becuase of luck or because of our skill. In my mind poaching is about as predictable as luck. The second reason is that you will never figure out how to become a great angler if you are relying on poaching. You may find a good spot for that particular time of year but you are never going to figure out patterns by poaching and pattern fishing is truly the only way to become consistent. I'm sure we have all whacked em on a spot and come back two weeks later to find less fish or lesser quality of fish. Ever wonder why that is?

I also believe that if you post something on the world wide web you should expect it to be seen by the whole wide world and if you aren't comfortable with that then don't post it. Some of you may notice the only fishing reports that ever come from me are from Long Lake. That's not the only lake I fish. In fact I don't even spend the majority of my fishing days on that lake. The rest of those days are spent pre-fishing other lakes for tournaments that I am hoping someday I will win. I don't care what anyone thinks about my personal insecurities around posting those reports. I'm simply not going to post them. I post my days at Long because I fish one tournament a year on that lake and there isn't enough money in the kittie to make a big deal about IMO.I also see a ton of families out there getting there kids involved after work and on the weekends and I like that so I help if I can. I have run into a few guys recently that have given me a hard time about those reports because that tournament is their superbowl for the year.

I think that most of us , whether we are willing to admit it or not, want to catch as many big fish as we possibly can every time we go out. If you disagree ask yourself the last time you headed out and told your partner, " I hope we get skunded today and if we can't get skunked I hope we catch a ton of rats." There are people out there that don't take fishing seriously but they all want to catch a good one if they go and they may not think about things like poaching and etiquette. They also don't publish a handbook for this stuff and everyone has their own take on it. I get frustrated when I see somone watching me and pull in after I pull out. It is particularly irritating when you have never seen that boat there before but it doesn't neccesarily mean the guy is poaching and you could decide that it is flattering rather than irritating.

In the end whether you are a tournament angler or not we all want to catch fish and we all have our own personal reasoning behind our approach. This is only my opinion and I personally don't care how you go about your fishing as long as it's legal. Wow, that's a lot of words....sorry