Washington Fly Fishing Forum banner

Shhhhhh...

4K views 59 replies 37 participants last post by  Deceased 
#1 ·
Being "sort of" retired, I'll admit I tune in to this website almost daily, checking for deals, flies, and especially reports. So when I zero in on a thread that's clearly a fishing report, it gnaws on me when the author omits the body of water, likely with intent... While the reasons may escape even the wildest of comprehensive understanding, is there any angling soul out there who is truly fearful of having a "secret waterhole" invaded by the masses and fished to oblivion? Everyone AND their mothers continue to pound Pass and Lone; those two lakes are obviously no secret and continue to produce. And like the Seattle City Attorneys' Office and the KC Prosecutors' Office, we WFF members pretty much practice catch-and-release (but not nearly to the degree of the aforementioned circus clowns).

So what is it about hesitating to name the body of water where you've been dunking flies? Inquiring minds want to know...
 
#33 ·
I think that many people are just lazy. Get out and explore. Use Google Maps. Use Google Search. Email or call your Department of Fish and Wildlife office....often they are willing to give out information on specific fisheries if you ask them.

That said, I could give out the exact coordinates for the last several Tigers I've bagged and still wouldn't see anyone out there (well, maybe once) because there aren't a ton of people who are willing to grind out multiple fish-less days to maybe get one. I have some buddies who love targeting them because of the challenge and other buddies who just won't because they like to catch more fish.

I'll admit, there are some fisheries that you'll never hear me mention on this site or any other. You may see photos, and if you recognize the spot, then you already know about it.
 
#37 ·
Fishing is dying for a variety of reasons. Encouraging someone to learn and get involved in the sport is not one of them. If I can pique a newcomer’s interest and engage them in a learning process about fishing then perhaps, just maybe they also become an advocate. The point of my post was telling where they might encounter a steelhead but leaving out critical information on timing, river levels, water conditions just might get them involved. I have made other reports on here in regards to other fisheries without specific information regarding location but mentioning the body of water and was actually sent threatening emails. When I pressed those people where I was fishing they couldn’t come within 10 miles of the location. The hot spot police rarely take the time to learn about the report. They are more interested in complaining. This thread proves that.
 
#45 ·
Encouraging someone to learn and get involved in the sport is not one of them. If I can pique a newcomer's interest and engage them in a learning process about fishing then perhaps, just maybe they also become an advocate.
I agree! I think the best way of doing that is with face to face interaction and having them join me on an outing where I feel I can better assess and influence their values pertaining to fishing ethics and conservation of the resource, as well as help them increase their skills, rather than giving location reports on an uber-popular "fishing social media" website.
 
#38 ·
How is fishing dying? I'm seeing more and more folks out there getting after it and many of them are complete newbies. Go fish a popular hatch anywhere and you'll see more anglers than ever. Doesn't mean all of these relative newbies are catching all the fish, it's still the same people.
 
#44 ·
Maybe it's just me but I fish alone most of the time. I lived in Washington State many years. I always found places to fish alone. I was happy that way. About the only way I fished with somebody was when I either showed where the fish were or we would drive to that place. I was kind of picky as to who I told about it or who I went with. I always found out where the fish were.

I tell about places here in Montana but everybody bitched loud about it so I quit telling. But what I blabbed about I never saw anymore people fishing in those places. Since I moved to Butte( the fishless area of Montana). I haven't got out as much as I liked. I hope I can change that this year. But where I used to fish here in Montana, well those places are not close anymore.
 
#50 ·
Twice in as many months I have received PMs from "members" of this forum who have never posted and had just joined to be able to send me a PM for information about a place where I had posted a trip report a few years back (not in the PNW). Neither of the people who sent me a message were from Washington; both had simply found my TR by searching google.

If you think this forum only reaches members, think again.
D
 
#54 ·
A lot of discussion here but the bottom line is be one of those guys that "wont say shit if he's got a mouthful". Over 80 now I have been fishing since 1946 and fly fishing since 1951. Over those years I have seen a helluva lot of water go blank, much of it in the last 30 years. The next 30 years will see a lot more water rendered useless to fishermen so your best bet is keep quiet about what you have and stretch out it's longevity as long as you can. Bragging about the monster fish you caught on XXXX Lake will only bring you company and reduced opportunities to catch fish.

In today's environment of instant gratification people want to go on line, get a hot tip about a fishing spot, drive there and immediately start catching fish. It requires no effort or knowledge. And certainly little investment of time. I'm aware that a lot of guys work full time and claim they don't have time to look for good water but I worked full time too and lots of overtime yet still found time to find great places to fish. And way before the internet. And am still doing it today.

You too can start your own "Obscure Lakes Program" with a couple of buddies, call it anything you want and fish places that you will never see written up in a magazine or bragged about on line. And just like real life there will be wins and losses. Just keep quiet about either because this year's slow lake may be next year's hotspot.
 
#58 · (Edited)
In today's environment of instant gratification people want to go on line, get a hot tip about a fishing spot, drive there and immediately start catching fish. It requires no effort or knowledge.
Curtis Creek 2.jpg

I have three where I have never even seen evidence of another angler.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top