at what point do u trust someone.

[salvelinusfontinalis]

just a question. because i fish wild trout streams all over the state all the time. i get alot of pm's asking for info. i dont mind questions about a location and talkin hatches, but i get alot of questions about where to fish for wild trout. i spend so much time hiking, driving, searching, mapping and bushwacken. i do alot of work to find these trout. also ill drive 2 hrs and fish half a stream and return the next day and fish the next half. trout most times are in sections rather than an entire watershed. after all the work and trying to protect these guys......iam always reluctant to give up locations. on this board i have only ever done this 3 times. once yesterday. good luck by the way =) after talking with someone for awhile and i get a feel for thier fishing ethics, i sometimes will release locations. when do you guys trust someone? after talking on the board for awhile? or over the phone?
i owe Maurice one for that great stream he shared with me.THANKS AGAIN! that stream was awesome! BTW Maurice ill be in york county again next week. still got 15 streams to hit. keep ya posted;-)
i owe squaretail for a location.
and troutbert for all the great advice and conversations. BTW troutbert call me sometime!
anyways, dont take it the wrong way if i ignore a pm asking about wild trout locations. talk fishin with me instead and other stuff. if i start to trust you i might share. :-D just so ya know :-D

p.s. and i owe sandfly for advice and havin a great shop up near my cabin. although you gave up my bucket of worms secret! :-D :lol:

 

[FarmerDave]

Well, I don't trust you yet! :-D

Just kidding.

My views are about the same as yours although i don't do as much wild trout fishing as I used to. I don't believe in spoon feeding. If someone asks me a vague or general question, I give a vague or general answer. But if someone askes a specific question, it usually means they have done some homework and I will give a more specific answer. Besides, I'd rather answer a question like that off line than in an open forum.

Disclaimer: If I owned or worked in a fly or bait shop, I might be more inclined to spoon feed. that is very understandable.

 

[MattBoyer]

I wouldn't divulge any of my secret streams in a public forum, but for the most part I will help most contributing members if they find themselves in my part of the state. The guy with 3 posts asking for 100$ to fish probably isn't going to be fishing my wild trout streams, but any reasonably contributing member can count on me for at least some direction, probably a guided trip. All I would ask is reciprocation some time. It's like a stream exchange program, and we each get to learn more water.

Boyer

 

[OhioOutdoorsman]

Well, this is an interesting topic. I hae gotten a lot of "pointers"....however, none of these tips were about streams I'd didn't know about from my guidebooks, gazeteer, and PFBC website. I may not have fished them yet....but I know of them already.

I feel free to post about any ATW that doesn't contain brook trout. I freely pm those b/c others tend to get cranked when I post brook trout streams. Honestly, this is why I don't post more stream reports, because most contain decent wild brown populations and a few brook trout, and I know from experience that people get cranked about me posting these streams, especially if I went there to fish based on someones tip. For the few non-ATW streams I know, I have to meet you in person first, because they don't have the PFBC stamp as a viable sportsfishery.

I do only give one or two streams per person and try to spread my reccomendations around.

 

[JackM]

I think the "internet effect" that supposes that posting a stream name on-line will cause a pilgrimage of hundreds within days is a fantasy. That said, I have become somewhat jaded about going far out of my way to help strangers after having done so for several people who after having received the information, lacked the courtesy to take a few moments to thank me.

 

[Stone_Fly]

In most cases I won't reveal streams in a post on this or any other message board. There are just too many lurkers around here that have no ethics. I work hard for the streams I find and fish, I'm not about to give up valued information to a stranger, especially one that doesn't say thanks. I will help people I know if they ask, or I may even take them to a favorite stream, but only with the promise that it won't be revealed to others. I'll not reveal streams on private land.

 

[Padraic]

I don't think anyone is required to post more information than they want to divulge.

Of course, if all you ever post is "caught 8 yesterday, man! I rock!" Folks are going to have a pretty predictable reaction.

But I think discussions of mountain trout fishing can be limited to techniques, equipment, tactics, conditions, etc without naming particular streams and still be very valuable.

 

[mattd]

Well said everyone. Most people don't realize how much research and time some of us put into finding streams. For every hour I've spent on streams I probably put at least an hour of research into. I've been after trout for 10 years now and used to spend 300 days a year fishing as many streams as possible before getting a normal job. Alot of my friends ask me where I fish and I tell them I will take them instead of just giving them locations. I fish with quite a few people and there is only one of them I will take anywhere and he is the one who turned me on to trout. Sometimes I will take friends to a stream about an hour away and take two hours to get there making weird turns a get them all mixed up so they dont find their way back there. I will also change my route when leaving. I don't mind taking anyone fishing. I will start them on a stocked stream and see how they handle the fish and the surroundings before taking them anywhere special. So I guess if I wont even give friends of 20 years my secrect spots I'm sure as hell not giving them up to just anyone. I just tell them to get on the Pa Fish and Boat site and grab the Delorme just like I started.

 

[shipnfish2006]

I agree with everything said so far. Normally when I've gotten PMs about wild trout I'll just direct people to the Class A lists and Natural Reproductions Lists and say try the streams on the list without saying which streams are busts and which aren't. However I have about 20 streams on my own personal list that aren't on either of those lists and I refuse to ever give them up to someone other than a close friend that I truly trust. Heaven forbid I ever list them on here. Now if someone asks me about a specific stream in a private message then maybe I'll say yes or no to it being good or a bust, but the rest they need to figure out on their own.

 

[thedude1534]

I have a few spots that I wouldn't talk about on an open forum, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't share that information in a one-on-one conversation with someone who appeared to be a decent guy.

If some guy PM'ed me who I didn't know, I would research their previous posts to get some sort of judge of charactor. If they seemed like a jackass who would want to exploit my secret spot, I simply wouldn't give them the time of day.

Otherwise, I don't see the big deal in helping out someone who will give the stream the same respect and admiration that you would.

 

[dryflyguy]

I don't do a lot of fishing on the small native streams anymore -kinda hard on my rickety knees. But I still have a few that I try to hit once a year or so, and I only share them with my close friends,- for the same reasons given by the rest of you.
I don't think that's being snobby - just common sense
I should also point out that I freely discuss 90% of the streams I fish on this site

MattD - you got to fish 300 days a year? Man, you were truely blessed.

 

[mattd]

dryflyguy,
I do consider myself blessed. Not many people have the time to devote 300 days a year. I was single and worked 4 evenings a week for about 3 1/2 years. I am now married with a normal job and my first child due in Sept. So those days are over with, at least for a while. Most people say I'm sick in the head but if thats the case then we probably all are.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

i see you guys feel the same way i do about the subject. i dont mind helpin out someone that pm's me. we all just gotta becareful thats all. :-D thanks!

 

[ryanh]

Like someone else said, it is a 2 way street. I have learned a bunch from other people, and I try to return the favor.

All of our 'secret" spots are someone else's home water. Which in turn makes you the da$N guy who is ruining their favorite spot. I don't believe that there are still secret spots in PA. You didn't discover it you were just the next guy to find it. So in that spirit if I can help someone else find a good place to go and enjoy "the people's" fish I believe it is my duty to do so.

Unless I don't like you then I will say nada. :-x

 

[RLeeP]

Just about the time we think we have a problem with this sort of thing, we run across somebody who knows more than we do...

That's good because it keeps us real.....

I wouldn't think it's ever been easier for somebody with the time and the inclination to become pretty well versed in the where of wild trout in PA.

Hell, it's all on the in-ter-net.

And the better part of what isn't there can be acquired and kept current by having a good relationship with the Commisssion AFMs, DEP water quality guys and by achieving a reasonable understanding of the terms and measurements the Commission uses to express trout population data.

At least that's how it seems to me.

 

[OlyphantLacky]

I only trust a few people telling them my favorite holes,i told someone that i didnt know where a good spot was and i ran into this person there and he had a wild brown on a stringer good thing the fish was still alive or someone might have drowned that day

 

[OhioOutdoorsman]

I don't think anyone is required to post more information than they want to divulge.

So would it be OK for me to publish a report with a title like:

"Venago County Freestoner 7/11/07"

in the stream reports section?

What do you guys think?

 

[jayL]

OhioOutdoorsman wrote:

So would it be OK for me to publish a report with a title like:

"Venago County Freestoner 7/11/07"

in the stream reports section?

What do you guys think?

I don't think anyone would stand to benefit from a report like that. If the story is worth telling, post it in general IMO.

For me, I agree with the dude's stance. If someone seems decent, then I'll tell them. I'm just a personable guy I guess... I'm ready and willing to fish with or give advice to anyone I meet provided they are a half decent human being. I would say that every person from this forum that I've met in person was great, and I'd openly share info with any of them. Also, I'd share alot of info via PM if I feel the person isn't going to go and kill the fish and litter. I pride myself on trying to be a nice guy to my fellow fisherman.

I guess I trust too much sometimes, but it works fine for me.

I understand the 'secrecy' point of view but it often strikes me as kind of stubborn.

 

[JackM]

Post general fish tales in the General Forum. Unless you can answer "yes" to the question "Will a reader learn something useful about a particular stream by reading my report, I would keep it out of the Stream Reports forum. This is how I understand Dave Kile's preference anyhow.

Since no one will fault you for posting the "report" that fails to mention the stream in the General Forum, why not post it there and avoid any issue of appropriateness?

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

I understand the 'secrecy' point of view but it often strikes me as kind of stubborn.

that iam :-D no, no not at all what i meant. just a friendly reminder to be careful. in fact i gave all sorts of info to a guy here in lancaster county yesterday and today.