# to share or not to share?



## JW (Jul 31, 2006)

With fishing, all that separates you from the next bloke is knowledge. Although I appreciate the value of sharing knowledge in a forum such as this, where is the line?

At the end of the day passing on knowledge may increase fishing pressure in a given area or increase the efficiency of that effort. Both impact on fish stocks and your future fishing enjoyment.

Although the recent trend in catch and release reduces this impact on fish stocks, IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m sure if there were one or two other people doing what I was doing in my favourite bream spots, my catch rate of 40cm+ fish would decrease dramatically.

When considering your response, please frame it in the context of your preferred fishing style, as IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m sure a response from someone who targets tailor will differ markedly to a mulloway specialist.

Your thoughts?


----------



## aleg75 (Dec 20, 2005)

Good question JW

I havent got a hot spot of my own (yet) and have relied on people giving up some info in the past to get me on the right track. I know some people have learnt the hard way about giving away hot spots via the internet and forums. Most of what I have learnt is from research and reading! However if I would be lucky enough to find a snag that produced fish (yellow belly and Cod) there would be very few people I would tell, and it sure wouldn't be over the internet....However down at the coast I have a few spots the produce flathead and I am more than willing to guide someone to those spots, I guess becasue flathead are more common and what I know about my spots most people know about anyway.

But I also get pleasure when out with mates and they hook up to their first flathead on a spot i told them to go to.

Ash


----------



## Peril (Sep 5, 2005)

Like Occy, I don't have any hot spots or any record of pulling in lots of fish. I regard all good fish I catch as suicides so am happy to tell about them


----------



## shayned (Jul 12, 2006)

If I've put the hard work in sorting out a spot and the species there then it's my call as to whether I share the info or not. If someone shares this level of info with me than I believe that I have no right to share it with anyone else.

That said I'm happy to share techniques and general info with people I know.

I believe half the enjoyment of fishing is observing, formulating theories and testing them out. When this all comes together its a great feeling of personal satisfaction and I'd hate to deprive someone else of the same joy. :wink:


----------



## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

----

QlpoOTFBWSZTWaS+4mwAALffgAASQPeAEDko1AA////wUAODJHtatJUyGp6TITBAmjSjaj0jxJtJkGBkGQAGI0GQyAwaZCT0QINETRpoAA0GBkGQAGI0GQyAwSmkT0UeKNTNRiAAAAQ52AdT2UO+uni34XnVH9aeM0mPPikjGsRJv0TiWf7T8iamK2LXt+4NClsqdytqSoyds3vD0TJlUdXKg756G02+SItgNrsdIyvGkTfCerRmdeivwI4F0a4vsY1ro+pebpz1fgRq35GHkWzzqNNVpz0uDOFIWRGUQ5rjOHzG2N0IM4ExfMi0MYdG1Y0EW+ZrWbWVDtKVS1Y6FKXDyKypAXA6OiDAFiBDzFPQNO6Fkr1WlEyjemE7bYLhpUrRVru7R9LtCo7HbugdMuGoI7FfUsmA3Iv3HC1149I7A26r+Y+H6IzLgShZ0mTF9B73Zgbra81ArXvfy+8jyx6OEUDJckAkHb1lMYMAJxyjcDENQtEllAyRLpywcs9xXqufOeREOJZJaIds+d8kDzL1daZ0i8GEDq0zBg8SfEO5ecsZLl6v/1MXhQ9cHKXy54XlOdAiDVrKOYFnyfdv2bXVocvXEtVrWqU4eYgvkQC4MywmaqYhMyaD4MC7sgltoehHdrcyEZbcj+lkHCYByzOSHJiKEpyZIojZHMW25Is+zlQzYxUibV1vwtY6oYdofiRtTl4WK2mflgDDjMgZcP08rbDkthrNzBim2a1Qh8ghOW8b3o0IaRD8D3BcOMPWA+bKbkKwrUuhegMGIdMTCFgSOR8dkIqyBOQVCYMDO15AGR8Lg3vemSyQKY5IS8SuviQwo8qQiCHffisFAxxn1UYydkMxmwuf7e3P7Og7ca5I7mdVBMNOTfURcYS2G+7akcqjcPAQoQgJLA8NhcP8TkIfDv0LBEgkwWh1Qco23IZwIFIdi7ZORF4ZBXM7FMzWvJqQyPHZRK3LSUds98dRwUYySrmIdb5JuZGkJng9FSIqIqzoi3xVEZVaz1ZvTtD6Xc3FIPeA7iJUmDmF3QtXEvAZh66qiO5Aoayz3l0W30GOKpNWxecOxH8ZMJaFVOSZW5bSVxPaPvrK8aAoMbkZtI1PGknR6ICZeHfV51kLQSlI7re/R9Bn/xdyRThQkKS+4mw=


----------



## reefcheck (Jul 20, 2006)

Hi JW

Think I have the same concerns as you about sharing, mainly on the level of detail to share

I'm happy to share the general info that might help somebody get started in a location or with a species I have good knowledge of, but I would not share quite enough to enable them to do exactly as I do. The stuff I would hold back is mainly for very selected spots vulnerable to pressure, targetting particular species, where the knowledge has been hard won personally over decades or passed down over generations. In those cases I might only fish a spot one a year, but it is nice to know the fish will be there when required.

I think it is a different matter if you actually decide to go fishing with somebody. In that case at least they know that you know where they live....


----------



## Marty (Mar 18, 2007)

It all depends on the species targeted , whether I devulge any favourite spots , for example Whiting and Flathead spots I would have no prob advising anyone of favourite spots  
However in regard to bass spots , I tend to work out first if the person is a catch and release angler or a knock them on the head sort of angler , I release all my bass , and have done for a very long time .
Hopefully soon I might be shown a few good cod spots , I will definately be releasing all cod caught   , and also be very discrete about locations , techniques.
It certainly wouldnt be hard for a small series of cod holes , to be fished out by the wrong type of person


----------



## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

I am afraid like Occy i dont have many secret spots as such,and it would depend on the species weather i would advise anyone of the spot, i have areas where i know there are certain species of fish , and will talk about those areas , but only to catch and release anglers that know how to handle their catch properly so the fish has a good chance of survival, even so , unless i know that person and respect them ., the information would only be fairley general and non specific, forum members of course are different, i have no hesitation in advising people on this forum of any info i have


----------



## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

I would love to have a spot that I didn't want to tell anyone about, but were i fish hundreds have fished before and will after me.

That said as with the others i wouldn't tell about someone else's fishing spot shared with me, but i would expect that person to make it know they didn't want to share it.

I have a couple of bream spots i have ear marked but being in such open areas i would share them if they turn out to be alright. Especially on here i think yak fisho's are generally more conservative than some other forums were they seem to think the more they catch and kill the better they are.

Cheers Dave


----------



## shayned (Jul 12, 2006)

pm's are a great tool as you can't always tell who is accessing the info on the site.


----------



## JD (Jul 2, 2006)

Who owns the spots? haha
I'm happy to share all but the barra spots close to Brissy. Not that it's a big secret, but there are only a few barra there and as we all know it won't take long for the "kill em and grill em" crew to clean the place out. Over the last few years we've c&r some nice fish to about 86cm. Yes we have kept a couple. I don't think it's wrong to keep a few special spots for yourself and/or close mates.


----------



## Guest (Mar 26, 2007)

Completely up to the individual angler I reckon....

I would share most places, but if I had a few special locations where there was a genuine concern about the place being abused then I would be a little selective about who I exchanged info with no doubt 

As one of the other guys mentioned, its a bit of a give and take type situation, and if you can find another angler who shares the same views about looking after a 'secret location' as you do, then those are the people you should share with 8)


----------



## Greg V (Sep 12, 2005)

I tend to keep my spots under the hat due to learning the hard way posting a report about 3 years ago of a good spot on the internet which led to a decline in fish catches By my self "big Resident Bream" This year someone was reporting the same spot and same tecqnique on the 2ky Radio fishing report Show not happy.

Sydney Area Can be a hard place to fish At times and it takes years Of trial and error to pick up tequniques and a knolege of where fish might be hanging out to catch fish constantley.
I would be happy to help anyone of you guys out but if i tell someone my fishing spots and tequniques they the will be over a beer and must stay a secrete.


----------



## sam60 (Aug 30, 2005)

I think if you have a secret spot or Spot X and think if you divulge its location then the repurcussions may mean that you no longer have the ability to recatch the fish I would be reticent in passing on the information. But sometimes Spot X can be bypassed because it does not look fishy or somewhere else look better.


----------



## troppo (Feb 1, 2006)

My hot secret spots are so secret I can't find em again myself let alone tell others how to find em.


----------



## Astro (Nov 27, 2006)

there is a lot of local recreational fishing pressure around mackay and i would never pass on the location of spot x since in no time at all others would take what they could. i fish mainly C&R only taking a couple for a meal that day, i don't freeze and stock pile but many do and there is a quite active black market in the area.


----------



## Biggera Yakker (Jan 25, 2007)

I'm with Dallas (and others) on this one.
If there is pressure on the area then no-one is going to benefit from knowing the 'secret spot'.
If I took a mate, or even someone from this forum, I'd show them what I know, but I wouldn't expect them to go and show a heap of other people and so on and so on so that it got 'fished out'!!
However, I fish the Gold Coast Broadwater regularly and catch heaps of keepers of decent size (+7cm on legal) and the amount of people who I hear or tell me they catch nothing is amazing!
I think a lot of it comes down to technique and learning about an area!
If I went down to where Ash or Paul or Red fished, I wouldn't have a clue, except for trying to apply a few things I do here at home, but they would know the area!
This is a tough and a good question!!!


----------



## fishbrain (Oct 19, 2005)

I reckon find ya OWN BLOODY SPOTS to fish ,that's what it's all about make each trip an adventure don't kill every thing you catch C&R is a good thing if you want feed just keep a couple. 
I never fish the same spots all the time I like explore different places keep things fresh & exciting.
Experiment try different techniques ,plastics & lures 
I have taken people to a spots they go back just & hammer it until the place shuts down BORING I reckon you can't beat going to a new place & catching no matter what size the fish are. Cheers FB


----------



## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

Think its generally accepted that 10% of the fisherman catch 80% of the fish, and as I come from the 90% of fishermen category, I'm happy to pass on whatever help I can as others did to me when I started fishing :wink:


----------



## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

I'm 100% with Fishbrain on this one.

I'll only share a location with my fishing buddies when I'm certain they can tell and/or enhance a well rehearsed boatramp lie.


----------



## Clarkos (Oct 11, 2006)

I've only got the one Spot X. It's a bass spot, and this river has been under a bit of pressure for a while, so it needs looking after. Most bassers are pretty responsible, but it only takes one to wreck it.

In saying that I've no issues showing people who are keen to fish with me. Just it's probably not something I'd advertise on open forums.

It's up to the individual. If you've put a lot of research into a spot, then you're entitled to keep it to yourself. These forums are a great source of info, but can be their own worst enemies sometimes. Look whats happened at Clifton Gardens this year once word got out.


----------



## JW (Jul 31, 2006)

Thanks all for your input.

There seems to be a general consensus that most people are willing to help out with general information and all seem more than willing to help others catch a fish.

I think this is extremely important and is questionably a key reason that this forum is in place. We all need to learn the basics somehow.

But those spots given in confidence, or those special spots (or baits/techniques, etc) found through many hours of trial and error, may be best held tightly, now matter how big the urge to brag.

I personally have many examples of a estuary perch snags that have been fished out because of loose lipsÃ¢â‚¬Â¦.and as mentionedÃ¢â‚¬Â¦. in this situation nobody wins.

Just to clarify, most of my fishing these days is focused on catching and releasing big bream. It has taken me literally years of fishing to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. It is not just fishing the right spots, but also the tides, times, lures, retrieves, and even down to determining the right place to cast (depending on light/shade, snag position, and water movement). Once these fish have had a hook jammed in their mouth, I doubt if they would fall for the same trick twice.

In summary it is not just the spot but also what you do there.

Although I am more than willing to help out others by sharing part of my fishing formula, only a couple of close mates get the whole equation.

After all, after you have the basics, half the fun is working it out for yourself. Those light bulb moments are priceless, and I wouldnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t trade them for anything.


----------



## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

kraley said:


> even if you know where it is, you still have to catch the fish.


That's a great point. I'm also pretty open with spots, as are the Canberra crew, and the Melbourne mangoes as well - I firmly believe we all catch more fish by helping each other out. I know I'd still be plodding around on LBG catching the very occasional redfin if it wasn't for the help of my AKFF mates. For some reason I don't feel quite so generous about providing advice to stinkboaters though :twisted:

The only spots I keep VERY closely guarded are my land based crayfish diving spots in Victoria :wink:


----------

