My cabin is in NW WI, and I have had nothing but pleasant conversations up there. The neighbors gave me tips on generally where to find walleye, bass, and northerns, and how the lake changes, even how to get rid of the fish guts so the bears don't find em and dig em up like they did last week (ew).

Sure, folks are reluctant to give their specific spots up. They'll leave it at "Oh I was on the north end along the weedline" or something like that. In MN when i am fishing a lot of times people don't even look at you much less say hi or listen to or give advice. The exception being on the pier at Bald eagle or on my friends dock at White Bear when we see the neighbors.

Maybe it's a resident vs weekender thing. Everyone at the cabin is there to relax and generally have chill attitudes, while everyone where i live is there to get away from work/kids/wifey/hubby/dog/whatever they have dealt with all day long.

I am from the Twin Cities. The MN Nice thing has driven me insane forever. A minnesotan will give you directions anywhere, except to their house. I had the luxury of living in the Appalachian mtns in SW VA, and the people there were much more hospitable and friendly than those in MN..

In general, however, I do find that crappie/panfish enthusiasts are much more open and willing to help fellow anglers. Just another reason to keep on huntin the slabs