Honey Holes ?

[jbball50]

Yeah this is kind of a funny topic. I don't really care about giving up places where I consistently catch fish. Alot of the people that do ask about "honey holes" from what I have seen on this forum and site are people that have never been to the place and are going camping at the areas. If I can help them out to get some fish to enjoy their camping and fishing experiences I'm glad to help and it seems like many others on the site are helpful too.

[Mike Carey]

interesting comments all. Not sure I would use the word poaching as you apply it, but I understand the intent of your comments. Being an amateur that gets skunked a lot (today, for example!) I guess I approach fishing from a whole different perspective, especially lake fishing. I defiantly understand the concept of a honey hole when it comes to river fishing - there is certain holding water that is very consistent to hold fish in. But bass fishing has so many more dynamics involved than just location location location. I guess being an amateur and getting to go out just a few times a month the thought of this being an issue doesn't even register with me. I just load the boat, go out, fish, and relax. But I surely do remember many times steelheading going early knowing if I didn't someone would be in my favorite spot. With bass fishing, heck, I'm just working my way around the lake. I never stay in any spot for a length of time. Hmmm - maybe THAT's why I'm getting skunked, LOL.

Personally, I have no problem telling someone I had a lot of luck at a particular spot or using a specific technique. Just never seemed like a big deal to share to me. I would ask the guys that bass fish hardcore in tournaments - I'm really curious and please don't take it the wrong way - do you find that fishing for money and competition has changed the way you approach fishing as recreation vs. competition and that it's hard for you to "get casual" for lack of a better way to put it?

[fish4brains]

C'mon guys, the Trolls will go away if we do not feed them! I know, the temptation is great and most have great posts but we really need to not feed the Trolls.

Man Lou, can I call you Lou? Thanks Lou. You really got your *ss handed to you on this topic. Not expecting that I bet.
Now I to am feeding.

STOP FEEDING THE TROLLS.org.net.com.gov

[fishaholictaz]

When I was in Washington I told every one where I fished and even posted pictures of piggies, I did not notice ANY added pressure to my bassing areas. My point is that it isn't posting 5 lb + lmb bass that attracts people to a certain body of water or area I believe it is the WOW factor when people realize that there are better fish then they realized so close to home:-"
Then those people go there with some new skills picked up from paying attention and they to hook fish in the good looking holes they have found by also putting in time:bball:

[Desertcreek]

interesting comments all. Not sure I would use the word poaching as you apply it, but I understand the intent of your comments. Being an amateur that gets skunked a lot (today, for example!) I guess I approach fishing from a whole different perspective, especially lake fishing. I defiantly understand the concept of a honey hole when it comes to river fishing - there is certain holding water that is very consistent to hold fish in. But bass fishing has so many more dynamics involved than just location location location. I guess being an amateur and getting to go out just a few times a month the thought of this being an issue doesn't even register with me. I just load the boat, go out, fish, and relax. But I surely do remember many times steelheading going early knowing if I didn't someone would be in my favorite spot. With bass fishing, heck, I'm just working my way around the lake. I never stay in any spot for a length of time. Hmmm - maybe THAT's why I'm getting skunked, LOL.

Personally, I have no problem telling someone I had a lot of luck at a particular spot or using a specific technique. Just never seemed like a big deal to share to me. I would ask the guys that bass fish hardcore in tournaments - I'm really curious and please don't take it the wrong way - do you find that fishing for money and competition has changed the way you approach fishing as recreation vs. competition and that it's hard for you to "get casual" for lack of a better way to put it?

Mike,

I spent most of my life fly fishing rivers and you are absolutely correct about holes and the way a river fishes. It is about as staight forward as it gets. A fish can either hold in certain water or they can't. It doesn't take forever to figure that out.It may take a long time to figure out other stuff that will make it so you can catch fish but where they are isn't the hard part. Lakes are an entire different animal. They all look the same from the top side and the fish can literally be any place they want to be. Obviously they aren't everywhere and that makes certain places at certain times of the year better than others. It could take years to learn this stuff and finding the fish is the hardest part. Once you find them you are going to be able to catch a few, maybe not the most or biggest but if you are around fish you are probably going to catch one or two. That has definitely been my biggest challenge in this crazy bass fishing game. I have fished with some really great anglers and been able to catch a ton of fish behind them but I am not always able to locate fish on my own.

As far as cometitive fishing changing your mindset....definitely. I think for some it is worse than others and competitive means different things to different people as well. As an example I mentioned in my post that I fish Long Lake and I give up a lot of information on that lake. The tournament I fish on that lake will never have more than 50 boats because that is all it will permit for. So the biggest first place purse you will ever get will be around $2,200-2,500. To some that is enough incentive to never say a word as opposed to the North West Bass Curcuit where you are never going to make less than $5,000-7,000 and typically it is more like $8,000-10,000 for winning and the fields are rarely less than 100 boats with the best bass fishermen in the NW competing. I am personally not going to get my panties in a bunch over winning a tournament in a field of 35 but some guys will for sure. I will however do my best to gaurd my stuff on big money lakes like Potholes, Moses, Washington, Columbia River or anywhere else where my winnings could pay off the rest of my boat. Most guys need breaks from that to maintain their sanity and that is why you hear tournament anglers use the term fun fish. They are saying that they are taking a day off from pre-fishing or intensely learning and they are out to fish just because they love to fish. I should have clarified my use of the term poaching. That term is understood as somone who will steal a spot from you and use it to take your entry fee.

Typically you won't find a lot of seroius tournament anglers posting on sites like this. They will read them, although never admit to it but rarely post. Most of them would tell you that they wouldn't learn anything by reading this stuff. Personally I think they are full of themselves and could definitely learn something by reading and sharing. Don't they say that the teacher usually learns more than the student? I think it's a shame they shy away from these types of boards because you can learn a ton from an experienced tournament angler. As long as they would talk about generic stuff they could be really helpful to the average fisherman and never really give up any thing that would cost them their luch money.

[Bigbass Dez]

Well put DC and i agree with your insight in reLation to tourney anglers, pre fishing, etc .. I tell guys all the time i look forward to just "fun fishing" when ever i get a chance to . What fun fishing means to a tourney angler , is simply just get out on any body of water and making a day out of whatever the lake or wheather conditions will allow .. No pressure of finding key detail staging areas , no attention to ever single action bass that has been caught that day .. Nope just flat out bass fishing , so on a day like that i dont care about guys going back to spots we found fish on .. Pre fishing is a whole different animal , Im lookinf for areas holding fish that i can re visit on tourney morning , i this case IMO i wouldnt suggest fishing with someone thats not your tourney partner or plans on fishing the same tourney , because in that case your just showing another competive angler all your water and yess more than likely he or she could use it to beat you .. In summery as you can read here , im basicly talking about two different ways of going about bass fishing and both situations have different meaning behind it .. as the tourney angler, it than becomes "MY" controll as to what info will be shared and areas that will be fished on any giving day .. EXAMPLE :Hey dez lets hit wa wa in the morning and do some fun fish fishing , sorry man but i cant because i gotta pre fish for the tourney next weekend out There .. Hey dez are you pre fishing this weekend ? can we do some fun fishing on wa wa ? No prob man , no tourneys so lets do it up bro see ya at the launch ... I cant make my point any more simple put than this .. Bottom line tourney anglers do have to protect there waters "AT TIMES" but it doesnt always apply each time we hit the water ..

BBD

[BassDood]

Good points by all. I don't fish tournies, but I can understand the need to keep productive areas to ones self in that regard. I would if there was money on the line. Myself, I fun fish, tho I put a lot of pressure on myself at times to produce. I have no problem sharing places, lures, techniques with pretty much anyone. My own thought is...I can't be on the water every minute of every day...also, the fish won't always be in these areas...they do move, so let someone else perhaps less skilled enjoy some of it and maybe catch that personal best. I'm confident enough in my abilities that I can find fish most times out, so if someone was in one of "my" areas, I just move on. Who knows...might find even more "honey holes" Just my .02

[Bigbass Dez]

Good points by all. I don't fish tournies, but I can understand the need to keep productive areas to ones self in that regard. I would if there was money on the line. Myself, I fun fish, tho I put a lot of pressure on myself at times to produce. I have no problem sharing places, lures, techniques with pretty much anyone. My own thought is...I can't be on the water every minute of every day...also, the fish won't always be in these areas...they do move, so let someone else perhaps less skilled enjoy some of it and maybe catch that personal best. I'm confident enough in my abilities that I can find fish most times out, so if someone was in one of "my" areas, I just move on. Who knows...might find even more "honey holes" Just my .02

[Mike Carey]

Very good points.

[Anglinarcher]

Good points and different perspectives. I have waited some time before I chose to venture into this thread, so I hope my opinions can be viewed as well-thought-out, even if you don't agree.

First, fish do move, but they move between various structural elements. As long as the structural elements remain the same, the fish will vist them over and over and over again. This element my be a thermocline, or a log, a cliff, a hump, a weed line, a current break, etc., etc., but all fish relate to some structural element.

Second, 10% of the water will hold 90% of the fish, just as 10% of the fishermen catch 90% of the fish. I assure you, the 10% of the fishermen will be on that 10% of the water most of the time.

Third, on small bodies of water, if too many people learn about that 10% of the water, or honey holes if you will, it won't take long before the fishing is severly impacted. On even large bodies of water, if the average fishermen learn about the best 1 or 2 percent, then the fish in those area can be fished to a point that they either abandon the spots or the pressure make them all but un-catchable. Worse, we respect that which we find for ourselves, but tend to abuse what others find for us. I have personally watched a Walleye honey hole in Colorado get fished to death after I showed too many "friends" the how and where of catching them. Friends show friends, who show friends, who show friends, etc. Soon enough you may find yourself fishing with several dozen or hundred of your closest friends at YOUR honey hole.

I have my favorite bodies of water, and I post on some of them on this site. Rest assured, I do not give details of where, or how, I catch the fish. I do give water temperature, time of day, water clarity, and general conditions that a good fishermen can use to find the fish, but no X marks the spot information.

I also have my small bodies of water, some of them my very best waters, that I refuse to ever post on. In fact, I told the son of a friend just last week if he spoke of the place I was taking them, even mentioned the name, to anyone, I'd cut his tounge out and stuff it down his throat.

And yet, for the novice or occational fishermen, does it really matter if I do give you the X marks the spot? I have teken new anglers out and showed them the where and how, but their lack of skills and experience ment that I caught lots of fish and they either caught few, or none.

It is a balance, a tight rope act, that we as fishermen perform.

If I do take people to MY spots, I make sure that MY top spots are not fished until I am SURE that my new found friends can be trusted. Additionally, I find that it takes years to learn to trust my "fishing partners" to the level I demand. Remember Colorado - fool me once and shame on you, fool me twice and shame on ME.

If you discuss your favorite spot with, or show your favorite spot to, anyone then it is your responsibility to make sure that YOU trust them first. I like to remind "friends" that indeed "friendships" are on the line.

Wow, I guess there are issues I have yet to deal with in my own past.

[tagwatson360]

Excellent post, Anglinarcher.

I really liked your line, "we respect that which we find for ourselves, but tend to abuse what others find for us."

That statement couldn't be more spot on. Bass anglers are some of the very worst at this. It always shocks me with how much good information is available to bass anglers these days, how few anglers can actually find their own fish on unfamiliar water.

Desertcreek, great posts once again.

[AaronE]

It always shocks me with how much good information is available to bass anglers these days, how few anglers can actually find their own fish on unfamiliar water.

That's the one thing I've been focusing on this year more than I have before. I made it a personal goal to fish 10 lakes that I've never been on and to figure out common patterns in the bass in each one. I've fished 5 new lakes from my float tube and I was catching fish in each one on my first trip, caught twice as many fish on my second trip to each one.

It can be done. All it takes is the desire to do it, the patience to learn how, and the time to make it happen.

[tagwatson360]

That's cool. Keep up the good work, Aaron!

[fishaholictaz]

, and the time to make it happen.

I had 20 hrs a week on the water for a summer before I got the whole game and was breaking 5 lbs consistently... (hard on the wife though:-" )

[fishing collector]

Just wondering if you bass guys carry weapons?.... ...I'll forget those honey holes!... Some of you guys are scary!...:-) LOL

[bob johansen]

It always shocks me with how much good information is available to bass anglers these days, how few anglers can actually find their own fish on unfamiliar water.

That's the one thing I've been focusing on this year more than I have before. I made it a personal goal to fish 10 lakes that I've never been on and to figure out common patterns in the bass in each one. I've fished 5 new lakes from my float tube and I was catching fish in each one on my first trip, caught twice as many fish on my second trip to each one.

It can be done. All it takes is the desire to do it, the patience to learn how, and the time to make it happen.

When I started bass fishing, I would fish as many as 25-35 new lakes in a year. My goal on many lakes was to catch a bass on the very first cast. I would consider the time of year and judge the drop off by the shoreline, look for what I thought was the best cover, select the lure and make my cast. I was successful a few times.

[Dustin07]

Excellent post, Anglinarcher.

I really liked your line, "we respect that which we find for ourselves, but tend to abuse what others find for us."

That statement couldn't be more spot on. Bass anglers are some of the very worst at this. It always shocks me with how much good information is available to bass anglers these days, how few anglers can actually find their own fish on unfamiliar water.

Desertcreek, great posts once again.

I'm the exact opposite. I remember our track coach in high school told us to always leave a place better than we found it when we were guest at a new school for a meet.

If I fish someone else's hole I am WAY more likely to pick up garabage I see, fish less often to alleviate pressure, and catch and release.

If I bust my but to bushwack into a new lake that I found myself on a map I may be more likely to keep a fish or less likely to clean up after others.... but I always feel like i'm a guest when someone shares a honey hole and I do my best to protect it and be respectful.

[AaronE]

It always shocks me with how much good information is available to bass anglers these days, how few anglers can actually find their own fish on unfamiliar water.

That's the one thing I've been focusing on this year more than I have before. I made it a personal goal to fish 10 lakes that I've never been on and to figure out common patterns in the bass in each one. I've fished 5 new lakes from my float tube and I was catching fish in each one on my first trip, caught twice as many fish on my second trip to each one.

It can be done. All it takes is the desire to do it, the patience to learn how, and the time to make it happen.

When I started bass fishing, I would fish as many as 25-35 new lakes in a year.

If I try to hit that many new lakes this year, you're gonna have a new roommate, Bob LOL!

[jens]

"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink."

:thumleft: o:)

[Anglinarcher]

Excellent post, Anglinarcher.

I really liked your line, "we respect that which we find for ourselves, but tend to abuse what others find for us."

That statement couldn't be more spot on. Bass anglers are some of the very worst at this. It always shocks me with how much good information is available to bass anglers these days, how few anglers can actually find their own fish on unfamiliar water.

Desertcreek, great posts once again.

I'm the exact opposite. I remember our track coach in high school told us to always leave a place better than we found it when we were guest at a new school for a meet.

If I fish someone else's hole I am WAY more likely to pick up garabage I see, fish less often to alleviate pressure, and catch and release.

If I bust my but to bushwack into a new lake that I found myself on a map I may be more likely to keep a fish or less likely to clean up after others.... but I always feel like i'm a guest when someone shares a honey hole and I do my best to protect it and be respectful.

You are the type I would not mind taking out to a few of my own spots. Good man!:cheers: