Where to draw the line

I did not grow up with a father that utilized the outdoors but worked to feed our family. I have learned to hunt and fish on my own after graduating high school. I never had a mentor in the outdoors. I can remember spending every waking minute reading books, magazines, watching television programs to gain knowledge on how to catch fish or hunt. I think that made me have the passion that I have today for the outdoors. I realize it is now my turn to pass it on, the burning flame to live and breath the outdoors to others and my children.

So when divulging or helping others I often wonder where to draw the line. I try to live and treat people like I want to be treated. I have noted there are people that are willing to help folks and a many that don't. Folks that say they want to promote our sport but get upset when someone posts pictures about "there" lake. I hear and see folks fish with ya one day to just turn around and talk about you the next day when you are fishing with someone else. I have seen some folks change for the better and others change for the worse. I am no angel and have done some of the things I mentioned in the PAST and have been also been close minded.

Fishing is a sport and should be enjoyed by all people. The folks that take fishing way too seriously just remember someone had to have helped you in the past! Take time to pass along some help to someone else and you will be surprised at how you are rewarded in the future. Your rewards may not be monetary but may be in great long lasting friendships that develop. I have had the opportunity to fish with some great guys from the forums and learned something from them all. At times they have learned from me too lol.

What does all this jabbering mean some may ask? You reap what you sow!!!! Help keep our sport growing and remember you you don't have to divulge all your years of knowledge gained through the countless hours on the water either to help someone!!!

I personally want to thank all of you who have helped me become the fisherman I am today!!!

Tight lines and bent rods to you.

I'm telling ya we need to help but don't share everything like in the past cause it hurt on several lakes. We can share information but there should be limits.

just pm me the gps # dont post on here:Rofl

amen!!!!!!!!!!

Amen Brother!! Good post Well said!! See ya at camp!!! Heard you moved to Mississippi:Rofl:biggrin!! My grandfathers both hunted and fished when hunting and fishing wasn't cool!! They taught me to hunt and fish to keep me out of trouble!! Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!! Go team Li-Bit!!:highfive

Well stated ABH. Enjoy reading your posts and seeing your pics!

good post. appreciative of all the good info on here.

Very well put.

Very well written JW. Keep doing what you have been doing, don't let some folks get to you. I promise you the good you do will be repaid many times over. I for one have a great deal of respect for you and the way you carry yourself.

Good post. I appreciative of all the things you have tought me over the past year. Thank you for the post and pics.

I use to be all about sharing info, and will do it without question on a 1 on 1 basis... I believe I sent you some info on duck hunting a while back.

I have seen the repercussions of posting something online that literally thousands of people will see in a matter of only a couple days.. You can smooth be overrun and pushed out, when people start getting thick they start getting stupid.

With that being said, I'm more referring to non active forum members that lurk or a guys buddy that told his buddy who told his cousin who told his boss who told his son.... And you get the idea.

I appreciative of all the good info you as well as other on here ave given me.

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Originally Posted by Billbob

just pm me the gps # dont post on here:Rofl

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Why not just get my boat and go there?:biggrin

I'm impressed.

Good job.

You gave some info not too awful long ago about where you went.......in general. I went there some time later. I caught nothing. (Not true, I caught one).

You know what that told me? It didn't tell me that you led me wrong. It didn't tell me that you misdirected me. It didn't tell me that I was special in any way. It DID tell me that you are a much, much better fisherman than I am.

Honest. That's what I think. In fact, I am convinced that I can name right now about 10 names on here of people that I have NEVER MET PERSONALLY that I would bet on to outfish me 10 to 1.......probably more.........and you're one of them. How do you do it? I don't know. Why? I don't know. Secret?? I don't know. I've crappie fished since before most of you guys were pooping yellow!!!! :) But I apparently haven't learned anything much. I do know what I like to do, and I like doing it, and it doesn't seem to work as well as most of you guys' methods. That's what I know.

Sounds like you tried to help someone out and they bit the hand that fed 'em. I hope I don't do that. If I do that to anyone, tell me.

Now..........if someone will just ignore all that and tell me where to launch, where to fish, and give GPS coordinates for Lake Dardanelle, I'll say something good about you!! (JK!!!!) :fishrotfl

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Originally Posted by Buckrub

Good job.

You gave some info not too awful long ago about where you went.......in general. I went there some time later. I caught nothing. (Not true, I caught one).

You know what that told me? It didn't tell me that you led me wrong. It didn't tell me that you misdirected me. It didn't tell me that I was special in any way. It DID tell me that you are a much, much better fisherman than I am.

Honest. That's what I think. In fact, I am convinced that I can name right now about 10 names on here of people that I have NEVER MET PERSONALLY that I would bet on to outfish me 10 to 1.......probably more.........and you're one of them. How do you do it? I don't know. Why? I don't know. Secret?? I don't know. I've crappie fished since before most of you guys were pooping yellow!!!! :) But I apparently haven't learned anything much. I do know what I like to do, and I like doing it, and it doesn't seem to work as well as most of you guys' methods. That's what I know.

Sounds like you tried to help someone out and they bit the hand that fed 'em. I hope I don't do that. If I do that to anyone, tell me.

Now..........if someone will just ignore all that and tell me where to launch, where to fish, and give GPS coordinates for Lake Dardanelle, I'll say something good about you!! (JK!!!!) :fishrotfl

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If it is Dardanelle GPS coordinates you need a ton of them have already been put on the board......if they haven't been fished out by now you should be able to find some hot spots in the bunch!

Buck rub glad to have helped ya out. Maybe we can get together and fish sometime. I know very little about dardenelle but posted all the govt piles on the moderated forum for folks. That is fishing here today and gone tomorrow. I have seen it too many times. Some places the fish move more than others for sure. No one made me upset or bit my hand lol. Just giving food for thought!! We were all green behind the ears once. I learn all the time from different folks. Different lakes require different techniques somerimes. I Used to swear not to use a minnow but since learned there are times, places, and lakes that you will simply do better using them.

Good job Bowhunter. White, red and black Stratos 150 Optimax

Where do we draw the line?? Anyone who can call himself a true sportsman will gladly help other true sportsmen learn what they need to know to be successful. For us, we get tremendous enjoyment helping other fishermen become successful and put fish in the boat. We fished an Arkansas River lake Saturday that had quite a few boaters....some spider rigging, some two-pole trollers, ect. The vast majority were catching very few fish. We gave out some jig/jigheads and plenty of tips to some of them when we found out they weren't being successful. I know all too well what it is like to make a fishing trip and not catch fish. When we loaded our boat we had four different boatloads of anglers follow us out and question us about how we were catching fish. We spend an hour at the boat showing them everything we were doing including how we had our rods rigged and why, what jig color and type we used and how we decided on that combination, depth, speed, ect. We gladly showed them the basics to enable them to go out there and catch some Crappie. I steered them all to Crappie.com in the hopes that they will join and use the board to become better fishermen. To me, the more the better! By the time I retire I want to see the CrappieMaster Tournament trail have 3-4 times the angler involvement that it does now. On the other hand, we do "draw a line" at the point of giving out what we refer to as "proprietary information" about locations, techniques and rigging that we feel is unique to us as a team that might give someone an advantage if we were to meet up with them at a tournament. Some of that information took years for us to learn and develop......We feel like we have done our part when we have taught someone the basics needed for them to continue their fishing education on a self-directed basis. Then they are "out of the nest" so to speak. I will also sometimes give out fishing locations on a one-to-one basis to fishing friends but saw too many favorite spots become quickly fished out in the past to publicly post those now. They are kept "at low breath or whisper" for those of you who know what I mean. We love to fish tournaments when we are able and they are fairly close. Don't get to fish as many as we would like because we both work fulltime during the week and usually can't prefish. That is a different ballgame from fishing for fun and most of those guys take it real real serious. That brings me to another "line to draw". We usually do a lot of joking and kidding around before tourney's but I would never ask even a close tournament friend for specific information on how they caught fish before a tournament.......I personally consider that to be rude and in poor taste to do so.....and puts that friend in an awkward situation if they will be fishing that same tournament........nor do I persistently pester friends of fellow tournament anglers for information they might have learned in confidence from that tournament angler (going behind his back so to speak). I am sorry for rambling and I hope I haven't offended anyone by anything I have said, that certainly isn't my intention but the topic was "where to draw the line" and I thought I would give my two cents worth on the subject.

We'll said bowhunter.

I am similar to you in that my Dad isnt a fisherman or hunter. He enjoys the outdoors in other ways (camping, hiking, floating). So I also had to teach myself. I for one really appreciate the help and information that you and others have given me. I have learned more about crappie fishing in this past year, then in all of the previous years i have fished. I also understand why some folks are pretty tight lipped. However, if someone asks me something, I will tell them what I know. Sometimes it isnt much though. :biggrin

Good heart felt post but you need to know what the folks you're doing for would do unto you before you do unto them.

Thanks for your input Steve and good points made. There is a line with every one even among "friends or acquantances". Without input from both parties then no one ever knows where that line is drawn and feelings get hurt at some point.

The old saying give a man a fish and he will eat for one night or show him how to fish and he will be able to eat for life. It's like a double edged sword cause when you show him how to fish then your favorite honey holes get fished harder and by more folks.

The question I have is when a person supposedly "helps someone out" and intentionally gives them bad info, even by pm, which is worse, not giving any info at all, or directing them to a bogus location where you supposedly caught some fish? I suspect it does happen, but I don't know who would be guilty of such.

I really don't see where teaching someone to fish has anything to do with showing them a honey hole especially one that is already crowded. Doing this only promotes entitlement fishing and encourages bad habits of crowding close to people who they think are doing better than they are, or crowding those that are already in the only hole they know to fish. Learning how to fish involves NOT catching fish as much as it does catching fish and does not happen on one trip or even 2 trips. It is a process that happens over years and years of fishing trips.

Just for the record and for all the lurkers. This same thread is started every year about this time and rarely ends well. If you care to review last years version of this same thing, please go back and read through forum pages 100-106. The solution is no different then than now. Have fun.

As far as Lines, I just think of it as a "common sense" sort of thing J.W.. I truly believe a person reaps what he sows in this sport. I want to see this sport grow even faster that it already is......and love seeing a hundred boats at a local CM tourney......it doesn't bother me if the known honey holes get fished harder because there is always another honey hole for the one's with the ability to get out and find them! And THAT my friend is what true Fishing is.......using one's own resources and talent to figure out how, when, where and what to do to put those fish in the boat....whether for pleasure or money.....

I was tongue-in-cheek about Lake D GPS coordinates. I don't want anyone to give me that info. It was just a way to make a light hearted end to a serious post. Sorry to have been misunderstood. I generally fish where there's fewer folks. Sometimes that helps me, and sometimes it hurts me, fish wise. But it's just me.

I do appreciate the info given. If I ever get a kitchen pass, I'll give some info of my own here someday, hopefully.

Excellent post. I love to fish but am not very good at it. Nobody taught me how to fish but I sure like to get out there and try.

I draw the line at..... if I find/catch fish & I ain't gonna be able to fish for a week or so....

I usually let someone know where they're at..... I ain't to stingy.... :ThumbsUp

JW,

Great post and thoughts. When I first signed onto this forum you offered to help me learn to spider rig. We met at the trolling motor shop and visited for 30 minutes and I appreciated your willingness to tell me a lot of what you did and how.....shortly after that Nimrod sent me a reply about a trip I took to Nimrod and explained to me I did everything wrong.....why it was wrong and what to do next time. He didn't have to do that...but took his time to help. I now talk to a couple of others on the board from time to time that I know fish some of the same water as I do.....I enjoy it and hope they do also. What I have found is that if you active on the board....tell what you know in general terms and are pleasant...others will help you again in general when you need it. I appreciate everyone a lot.


W

thank everyone for sharing lot of insight given!

Great post. I'm in the military and have to move around a lot. When you show up somewhere completely new, sometimes you don't know where to start. With how much we work you don't have time to be chasing lakes just to find out they're barren or your Arkansas techniques don't work at all out there. I've been very grateful to have people help me get hooked up with hunting property or point me in the right direction for fish.

One thing people should consider doing is offer to guide someone new. You don't need to charge the $300/half day and a watermelon lunch. But offer to take them out and show them around for the day for $100 or so. Most people will be very happy to compensate you for their time.

And of course take as many kids fishing as you get a chance. I was lucky to have spent nearly every weekend on the water with my grandfather when I was a little kid. It's something that I'll never forget and helped shape my life. If you see a kid down on his luck or have a grandkid/nephew/cousin that needs a little direction and motivation then offer to take them out for a Saturday or a weekday in the summer.