Troutbitten's Airing of Grievances

[Brown71]

I believe the internet is the bigger culprit. I didn't even know a Class A list existed until the internet became popular.
Festivus for the rest of us.

I agree, although I hate the go pro too lol.

The internet has negatively affected fishing in many ways. Too much to even waste time typing here. It simply made everything too easy, and a lot of what made fishing seem cool when I was younger is now just a google away. I don’t begrudge it, but I definitely don’t like it. And these people filming everything, I’m just not convinced they are doing it because they love it, they just want likes. That to me is not why you fish. I fish because it’s a literal addiction I’ve had since about the age of 11.

And it’s also spawned a generation of know it alls. But it can actually be pretty funny when you run into that type and show them they don’t know it all 😂

 

[Bamboozle]

The Internet and all of the wannabe fishing celebrities don't bother me because for the most part, I don't watch fishing videos so these yahoos can blabber on about whatever they want.

If their blabbering and videos help someone or makes it easier to learn a technique or how to tie a certain fly versus reading books and lots of trail & error like I went through, I'm all for that too.

I just HATE the spot burning!!!

Fish all you want, video all you want; you'll still be a famous fishing hero, you'll stick get clicks & likes...

Just shut the F up about where!!

I'm sorry, but anyone with the mentality that there are no secret places, therefore the exponential number of people that find out about a place on the Internet won't make a difference,...

Is delusional...

There a zillion examples that have nothing to do with fishing like the "Peace Rock" swimming hole on the Schuylkill or Glen Onoko Falls that became dangerous crowded madhouses because of the Internet.

They became such madhouses that access to both was closed, although Glen Onoka Falls will be reopening for any folks that have yet to fall off and waste the resources of first responders...

Bottom line, the next time you are dismayed at the number of cars at the pull-offs along your favorite creek, trail, camping or hunting spot; don't chalk it up to a natural progression of things, it's because someone on the Internet is making travel destination videos about your favorite places...

 

[Hilltop]

Probably the funniest instance of getting checked was getting waived down while we were in the middle of a lake and it took us like 15 minutes to get to the dock because the wind.

Buddy and I got licenses checked a couple years ago at Jordan creek not by WCO or anyone from PFBC but by a township cop, seemed strange, didn't know they could do that. I had a license button on my vest, he had no idea what it was.

 

[saltemose]

The invention of OnWater Fish, TroutRoutes, and Fishbrain doesn't help either. Although I have a subscription to all three.

 

[tjsingle]

I'll preface with I do not like spot burning whatsoever, however ease of access to information is a double edge sword.

On one side you have more foot traffic on streams that maybe didn't have the same amount pre-internet.

On the other side one having that access to information can allow for one to go places they maybe wouldn't have ever thought about otherwise, and maybe even gain a interest in protecting/caring about that place.

A few years ago a guide up in Maine told me that his goal when he took clients out was to hopefully get them to realize how special some of those fisheries were, and to advocate for them and to care about them in the same way they did.

Technology is a powerful thing, and when used in the right way can help bring people together to enjoy the outdoors.

 

[poopdeck]

Buddy and I got licenses checked a couple years ago at Jordan creek not by WCO or anyone from PFBC but by a township cop, seemed strange, didn't know they could do that. I had a license button on my vest, he had no idea what it was.

A police officer in PA is certified and authorized to enforce 18 Pa.C.S. (PA Crimes Code), and 75 Pa.C.S. (PA Motor Vehicle Code).

The fish and boat code is Title 30 and only the Fish and Boat Commission has the authority to enforce Title 30. However, Title 30 has a provision for delegation of that authority,

Ҥ 903. Delegation of enforcement powers.

Any person employed or elected by the Commonwealth or by any municipality, whose duty it is to preserve the peace or to make arrests or to enforce the laws of this Commonwealth, may be designated and empowered by the executive director, with the approval of the commission, to enforce the provisions of this title.”

So in short, a municipal police officer in PA can enforce the provisions of Title 30 but only after being approved by the Pa Fish and Boat Commission.

 

[The Rodfather]

I agree about spot burning. That also attracts more frontplaters, when they see that on the internet on some fishing video. Really grinds my gears.

 

[wildtrout2]

Buddy and I got licenses checked a couple years ago at Jordan creek not by WCO or anyone from PFBC but by a township cop, seemed strange, didn't know they could do that. I had a license button on my vest, he had no idea what it was.

No surprise there! 😆

 

[troutbert]

Did internet info on streams add to the total number of days fishing for trout?

Or has the total numbers of days fishing for trout remained about the same, but the internet info has just re-distributed where people are fishing, i.e. some streams getting more fishermen and other streams getting less?

 

[saltemose]

Did internet info on streams add to the total number of days fishing for trout?

Or has the total numbers of days fishing for trout remained about the same, but the internet info has just re-distributed where people are fishing, i.e. some streams getting more fishermen and other streams getting less?

I would love to see that data.

 

[ANF-Hiker]

I just finished up my fishing trip in Wisconsin (when I get home next week, a write-up of the trip will happen) and Wisconsin's stream access laws are amazing.

Yes, in Pennsylvania, stream access is what needs to be improved. That's where the lion's share of their focus needs to be.

The access laws there were pretty great, indeed. They also have a crazy amount of publicly available data on their streams out there. I guess cutting my teeth fishing in the PA Wilds spoiled me a bit, but I generally felt like I didn't have enough places to fish to make up a good long weekend (at least considering the high fishing pressure). The Driftless had smaller fish with higher pressure and the Central Sands bigger fish with very difficult fishing due to overhanging trees and deep sandy muck bottoms. I'll be curious to hear how you did.

The other frustration was seeing several hundred (not an exaggeration) fish in a hole and catching exactly one because they all spooked immediately when you hook the first one. 😂

 

[ANF-Hiker]

Did internet info on streams add to the total number of days fishing for trout?

Or has the total numbers of days fishing for trout remained about the same, but the internet info has just re-distributed where people are fishing, i.e. some streams getting more fishermen and other streams getting less?

Trout stamp sales look to be pretty flat for quite some time, so overall trout fishing hours is pretty likely about the same. It's perhaps a bit possible that the average person who watches videos on trout fishing spends extra time fishing directly because of watching a video about some stream, but I would guess that's not much of a bump, if any.

It's very likely that the number of people complaining about the extra attention on their favorite stream has skyrocketed since the advent of the internet, but that's of course a function of the internet itself and not extra pressure.

 

[dudemanspecial]

Did internet info on streams add to the total number of days fishing for trout?

Or has the total numbers of days fishing for trout remained about the same, but the internet info has just re-distributed where people are fishing, i.e. some streams getting more fishermen and other streams getting less?

I look at it as a supporting factor in the big picture of fly fishing growth.

The absolute biggest factor in days / bodies fishing for trout has to be the ease of access to step by step instructions to flyfishing available online for free. This is what gives me a bad taste in my mouth for the blog in the title of this thread. I saw them giving a not really all that popular PA youtuber a hard time for naming Penns Creek in the comment sections of a video a few years back. Meanwhile they are posting hold your hand style instructions for vacuuming fish out of the river for their own monetary gain. Hypocritical to say the least.

 

[The Rodfather]

I look at it as a supporting factor in the big picture of fly fishing growth.

The absolute biggest factor in days / bodies fishing for trout has to be the ease of access to step by step instructions to flyfishing available online for free. This is what gives me a bad taste in my mouth for the blog in the title of this thread. I saw them giving a not really all that popular PA youtuber a hard time for naming Penns Creek in the comment sections of a video a few years back. Meanwhile they are posting hold your hand style instructions for vacuuming fish out of the river for their own monetary gain. Hypocritical to say the least.

The absolute biggest factor in days / bodies fishing for trout has to be the ease of access to the streams that the trout are in.

 

[dudemanspecial]

The absolute biggest factor in days / bodies fishing for trout has to be the ease of access to the streams that the trout are in.

Hard disagree. The learning curve has been reduced substantially and the curb appeal has been increased substantially. There have always been plenty of places to fish. From the posts I see here it sure seems that access is getting reduced, not gained.

Edit: in case you are being a smart alec, the discussion is in regards to the internet's affect on angling pressure.

 

[greywolf]

My biggest grievance has got to be getting high holed. Last week I drove 90 minutes to fish a central pa river and got on the water at 6:30am. Only car in the lot. Hiked in about a quarter mile or so to the section of water I wanted to fish and had been fishing for no more than 15 minutes when these two guys get in the water about 20 yards below me. They then proceeded to walk up to where I was, asked me how the fishing was, and then continued walking around me before stopping no less than 30 yards above me, at which point they started casting. Based on their appearance, they didn’t look all that inexperienced either. Seemed to me like they knew exactly what they were doing.

Mind you, there’s like 2 miles of water in this section of river to spread out on and we were the only people out there. I just said screw this and got out of the water and got back in probably 50 yards above them and fished quickly for the next hour to avoid potentially playing leapfrog. Tired of bs like this

I see the same thing all the time when fishing. I have been on creeks whete there is good open water for 200 yards in either direction and a person will show up and start fishing 30 feet away. It seems to be an innate drive with many people to go wherever another person already is. If you park your car in an big empty parking lot the next car entering parks right next to you. Go into a Bucee's restroom with 40 urinals and the next person in chooses one next to you, etc.

 

[SBecker]

Go into a Bucee's restroom with 40 urinals and the next person in chooses one next to you, etc.

Bet they are Penguins fans.

 

[dudemanspecial]

Bet they are Penguins fans.

Well you would know if they were Flyers fans when you see their foot slide over and tap on your side.

 

[greywolf]

Bet they are Penguins fans.

At least half the people's at Bucee's in Virginia when we stopped were English here for the World Cup. They were taking pictures of everything and commenting on how low gas prices are, how they have nothing even close at home, cannot belief the air confitioning and ice in drinks, and how clean the bathrooms are. Puts things in perspective on how good we have e it in this country compared to rest of world.

 

[wildtrout2]

Did internet info on streams add to the total number of days fishing for trout?

Not in my case. But, it pointed me to streams that I wouldn't have normally gone to without it.