What do you do...?

[ribwart]

Well, with the advent of internet fishing forums and the renewed popularity of river fishing for salmon and steelhead, I thought it might be prudent to tackle this question....

Everyone here wants to fish. Right? Right. Some of us are die hards, people who trully love the sport....some are recreational anglers who get out from time to time, and love the sport, but realistically don't have, or put in, the time that others do...some are lurkers...looking for information on places to fish and better techniques, but really are quite new to the whole thing and, although may have the fishing "bug" so to speak, really are quite inexperienced, and quite naturally looking for a newer better fishing spot. Some here may frequent other fishing websites, like screamingreels, fishbc, sportfishingbc, flyfishbc, fishingwithrod, etc, etc, etc...I only visit two sites regularly, only in instances like these do I do a deeper search... many of those who frequent the many, many fishing forums, are in the category of the recreational angler, with little experience, but enough intelligence to use the internet as a tool to garnish as much information as they can...others are knowledgeable anglers who frequent all the sites they can, making friends, posting, or not posting at all...whatever the mindset you might be in, whatever category, listed above or otherwise, you appreciate fishing. You have been once, twice or a thousand times before and enjoyed it, and become addicted to it the second you experienced what sportfishing had to offer.

What do you do when you sportfish for the day on some river or lake or ocean somewhere and come home reminiscing about the days events? More importantly, what do you do the night before or even a few days before you are going to go fishing? Do you research as much as you can into what spots were fishing well the day before? Do you call friends, local tackle shops, fish hatcheries and such to find out how your spot is doing?

We are creatures of habit. I too, am reminded from time to time how much I am a creature of habit. Recently I realized how much so that might be. I found myself reading various reports on recent coho fishing in BC and noticed a vague reference to another site. I subsequently visited that site through my trusty "google" search engine and began to search for that vague reference. I found myself sidetracked. I began reading through reports just like ours here at BCFR, and I stumbled across one that piqued my interest. A report from a young man described a great day fishing when searching out coho on an obscure creek in the fraser valley...I was so interested in that report that I began looking at all my books and maps...I did internet searches of every relevant search word I could think of...I checked hatchery release numbers on every river and creek I knew, and even some I didn't know...I checked into adult fish returns all over BC...all because a picture that had been posted looked like a familiar spot to me, and I just needed to know where it was this kid had caught his fish.

Now...I know that many of the people that come here and check out this site probably never post and are just looking for info, but of all of you who read this post, be you die hard, lurker, guide, punk, metalhead or preppie...perhaps you could post a quick reply in return letting us know what you do...

How do people here get their information? Do you hear it from family, be it dad or grandpa or grandma or sister...or do you read magazines, and look at maps and do google searches and the rest...? What do you do before you go and explore a new fishing spot? What do you do to protect a spot once you find it?

There are a great many fishermen and women on the net these days...Many frequent sites like these and develop a raport and trust that comes along with familiarity...They post reports, exchange pleasantries with those they think they know, and go about their business...

I used to find out about spots by reading, pulling out a map, going there and hiking. I would take my 4X4 out into the middle of nowhere thinking "there's no river here, god damn it!!!!!", only to turn the next corner and see a beautiful little run with good depth and visibility and think....wow!!!! This place is awesome!!!!

Do I keep it a secret? Do I tell my buddy so he can come with me next time? I am in the midst of putting together a journal of all the fishing spots I have grown to know and love...I have everything from the vedder to obscure tiny little flows where there are only one or two runs worth fishing...the kind of spots where once you fish those select spots, you drive of to the next flow in search of that elusive steelhead or salmon...

I now, for the first time in a few years have a list of 3 new flows I haven't ever visited but would very much like to based on information I've gathered...I will visit these flows, and take my mental notes, and hopefully catch some fish too...but will I share those secret places? Would you? I recently visited a river I haven't fished in over 8 years...I find myself trying to keep that place quiet...is that wrong?

Tell me what you would do. Tell me what you think of this information superhighway we've created. Then tell me what you do to find new fishing spots...cause we're all looking for new fishing spots aren't we? So are the thousands of other people in the lower mainland who aren't as familiar with a back eddy, or riffle or trail or boulder...

Do those of you who do not have the experience fishing in BC, but frequent sites like these looking for the fruits of that experience have the respect and fear some of us feel when we consider how valuable this resource is to us? I'm sure some of you do, and am equally sure some of you do not.

So...what do you do when looking for new fishing spots? How much do you utilize these fishing forums?
Do others respond well to your queries? Do they share information with you? Do they tell you in no uncertain terms to figure it out for yourself? What do you do when you find your new spot? Do you share?
There aren't that many around here anymore, but there are a few...
:wink:
Rib

[roma9]

hey those are definatly some good questions your asking there!! I am defs a die hard I just love fishing but i dont fish dead water, if im fishing there, i have heard sumthin or have done well there a day or so before. I get as much information as I can the night before! If I find a place and do well there I dont go around telling people but if they ask I will tell them because I know before I asked people and still do ask people where they were fishing and people tell me so im just passing the favor on!

[troutchaser]

Since I fish mainly stillwater, the possibilities for me are endless in BC. I just hang out at my favorite fly shop, and drool on the merchandise. Then I spend more $ than I should! :roll:
This gives me the drive and determination to fish as many lakes as i can.(rivers and streams too, but I have some strange connection to lakes.)

I will share info, depending on what you want to know :lol:
cheers

[marko]

rib, I think I know where you're going with this one.You are what I beleave is the true meaning of the term
"avid fisherman"and lie awake at night dreaming about what to do next .
...... There is another word for people like us and its"finatics".
Think about the day before computers. People would have an elete group of friends that they would trust to keep
thier hard work and good fortune amoungst themselves until someone realized they had something.This maynot
be the direction but it's certainly one taken many times before.If one has the time and the drive... which I believe
you do...I 'd be making journals of every trip.People don't have the time anymore and are more than willing to
give up something in return. You appear to have the gift of the gab and a feel for the flow...mabe you should combine
the two and document your expeariences.I personally do alot of what you have described but you certainly kick it
up a couple! The best advice for any adventurous sole is to research the past and present then prepare for
the future . Marko

[RickB]

Well said marko!

[Steelie Trav]

Another great post rib! I know that I spend quite a lot of time researching new flows all the time, using map programs and, even better, satellite imagery. I tend to lurk on other sites but don't post, that would take too much time! I do however use these other forums along with BCFR as a resource to search for information and reports from river in which I am interested in visiting.

When it comes to the "honey hole" or fragile systems I tend not to post much about the experience. The one thing I have learned as a con with all of these forums is the pressure a post can make. For the most part I could post about a small river and tell everyone I landed a Hatchery Coho, and the next day or weekend you will notice a few more people on the river. But, these people will most likely leave empty handed. It takes time to learn and search for the holes in which I fish and when you do learn these holes, they should only be shared with friends. Thats not to say I won't direct someone to a good place to fish, unfortunately for them I will not tell them exact directions, instead I tell them to explore and find those spots. There is something about finding your own little spot that holds some nice fish, it adds a lot to the experience of fishing.

[ribwart]

Another point I should have zeroed in on to a greater extent in my initial post, is how people share their information. The site I had visited was strewn with great reports all year long, but rarely if ever was the river system specified...troutchaser touches on the huge numbers of lakes available to us, so they aren't as secret...of course the limited supply of rivers with salmon and steelhead runs leads to this trend of not naming where you fish. I have posted many times on trips of my own, where I would describe the type of water fished, the technique used, the lure, etc, etc, etc....but in many of those cases I didn't name the river, as these days that information has become less important. Some of us here are trying to gather as much information as possible in order to improve our skills, and learn new techniques, thereby increasing our success at catching fish... others are likely just looking for spots to fish with more fish in them, increasing their catch ratio simply by sheer numbers, not really increasing their knowledge of techniques as much. This case of not naming rivers is a good example of where peoples priorities lie...I found there were many posts on this other site where people were trying to illicit the name of the river from the original poster, and they were ignored, or quite obviously given the wrong locale...I keep journals, mostly under broad categories such as time of year to fish certain rivers, ie main run timing is different from river to river, water levels, visibility, and other pertinent information like prefered lures, or especially successful days, but as our more easily found rivers begin to get more and more crowded...less experienced anglers will start looking for new spots...so that they can increase their chance of catching fish, by avoiding areas of high pressure...whereas with a good technique knowledge base they can still catch fish, even in the high pressure areas. What are peoples priorities out of those of us who visit BCFR Do we recognize that we might be doing some newbies a favor by concentrating more on techniques rather than spots? How many of us look for location as their primary desired information from a post, how many read the fine print and absorb the more subtle points of technique? Which of these two types of information do you think predominates what people are looking for who visit sites like ours? What can be done to protect our rivers and pristine spots, while at the same time not excluding and thereby creating an irresponsible entity in newbies who don't know any better...?

sorry, I know there are a lot of questions there...I am interested in how people use the site. What's the giving and taking of information ratio...and what is the nature of that info I feel the better way to post is to exclude the trivial information of where, and concentrate more on the how and why...

I am also wondering how you sign on here as a guest? Can anyone just come in here and read and post without registering?
Can our posts influence how they think of fishing just by the content we put forth? Do we take responsibility for how our posts influence the reader?

[troutchaser]

Interesting read here Rib,

The thing I find the most hilarious from my observations from other anglers who are adapting to new techniques, is that a half an hour of unsuccessful fishing always regresses that person back to their original methods, regardless of destination or research.

Patience is the ultimate wild card in fishing. It's not gonna matter if you lead someone to the best run on earth with 2 g's worth of gear, if they have a.d.d to begin with. :roll: Steelie Trav is right, it is far more special to find those "honey holes," on your own, or better yet, with friends.

The research that I do is almost purely done to occupy time that I'm not able to go fishing, but would rather be fishing than doing whatever else i might be doing. (bad sentence i know, but i think it's applicable.) Anything new that i learn is simply a bonus that makes it time well spent. Maybe not if you ask my boss though.

cheers

[sarg]

I am not sure I would call myself a fanatic but I do love fishing enough to sacrifice work, health, and money just to get out on the water :wink: . I can't say that I have too many honey holes in my bag of tricks as most of the places that I travel have been travelled before by a bolder individual. I really like to get out there and explore I just usually don't know where to start. I use this site to first and foremost to read experiences and stories of fellow fishermen that are out there doing what they love to do; however, I will also admit I use this site to find potential starting points of new places to fish. I don't want or need to be told exact GPS directions to the "perfect" fishing hole because I agree with most of the other members in this thread that doing the leg work yourself provides a different feeling of accomplishment...it just feels better when you land that 15lb steelhead from a nice piece of water you found on your own compared to the line up at the vedder. I would trade 5 fish from a crowded river for one fish caught on a stream I found on my own. I would willingly share information to anyone who I felt would not abuse it. I have been given lots of information from other people that I have bumped in to and would willingly extend that courtesy to others. With that said if I thought all a person was out to do was fill their freezer well I would be much tighter lipped. Most members on this site are willing to give people a starting point and I feel that that is more than generous. I can't compare that to any other site because this is the only one I use.

[Chris]

Hello, good post. I don't know how to describe myself, most people call me a little crazy :lol: I fish whenever I have free time, about 2 - 3 times a week depending on the time of year. I guess most people describe me as "avid". Usually when I browse this site I read all of the reports then kind of generalize from all of those. For example, I will read all of the reports on one river and then based on the success of the authors, decide whether the system is doing good or not, rather than deciding by reading one or two reports. All I really look for is numbers of fish, water conditions, and ocassionaly techniques. I am fairly confident in my own techniques, but if I read something that interests me I may tweak my own techniques or try something new. Exact locations never concern me, I have this thing where I can't stand to fish near anyone else unless I know them. I'm always hiking or driving into crazy places just to get away from people. This could be why I'm not super successful, I'm always exploring and never fishing the well known holes. From all this exploring I've found countless "secret" spots that I fish, and I only tell my close friends of these places. I usually post a report when I am sucessful, but sometimes I will just to let people know whats happening. I usually tell what I was using, but almost never where my exact location was. This is the only site I use, I don't have time to frequent more than one, and this one seems to be one of the best!

As for what I do the night before I go fishing, I usually go over my gear, carefully setting everything up and double checking that everything is in place, I find the excitement before the trip to be almost as exciting as the fishing. I got alot of my knowledge of fishing, as well as many of my secret spots from my grandfather who is now, unfortunately, too ill to fish :cry:

Trying to answer as many of your questions as possible here.... Anyways, overall I spend most of my time and money fishing. It's what I'm most passionate about and all through my teenage years I forgoed most of my social life just to spend time fishing .

Probbably missed some stuff here, but thats that for now :!: