Secret Spots? Yes or No?

Secret spots?

Do you tell other people where you fish?

Last month I did a little story for our local fishing paper about a stream here in Kaneohe that I flyfish. Talked about the tiny 4 to 5 inch tropical fish that I catch there.

Today I visited the stream and found 6 people... They were using shrimp for bait and had two 5 gallon buckets loaded with a variety of fish. They had driven from the other side of the island... this was not their first trip since reading the story. They had moved to the stretch of water I was fishing because the bridge a 1/2 mile up stream was already "fished out". This is the 3rd group of people I've met on the stream that were there because of the HFN story. Everyone catching... and keeping. (Catch and release is not practiced by very many people in Hawaii. It's an Asian thing)

When doing TV fishing shows I always tried to make the point that it isn't the location that you fish, its the technique. Try using the technique we've shown today where you fish. You don't have to fish where we fished.
One time, we showed a beach park where we were fishing. The next weekend you couldn't find a parking space at that park within a 1/4 mile.

Hawaii fishermen would invite us and our TV cameras to their "secret spots" only if we promised to not show anyone where it was. I don't blame them.

After eating shrimp, the fish ignored my flys. So I moved 100 yards away from the easy access and began catching. (I'm glad a 5 gallon bucket full of fish is not easy to carry)

So the question is... should we share with other anglers where to fish, or keep our "secret spots" a well guarded secret?

I will tell other fly fishers, but not others. I'll even tell them what flies worked for me. I send bait fishers to that stretch with all the snags on the bottom. :)

I tell my fly fishing friends where I fish, but only if they keep it to themselves. Once they let someone else know about the spots they are on my "Don't Tell" list.

REE

there are no secret spots!

If you want solitude or as close as you can come, you are a fool to tell anyone regardless of what you call your spot.

Oaths of secrecy are as good as the people entrusted with them which in my case means my secrets stay with me. I have told a few friends about a spot or two and later found out their ambition in life appears to be telling the online world how great a fisherman they are. As a result they get nothing from me anymore. I have a hard time understanding why burning a specific spot on the Internet or other media does anything good except stroke someones ego.

Let them figure it out for themselves or LIE! They will be better fishermen for it.

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Putting easy to access tiny creeks in a story, particularly amidst a culture that doesn't value catch and release, is simply stupid in my opinion. Honestly, what did you expect? It's one thing to tell a buddy, another to tell the world.

I admit to lurking on Chicago-oriented fishing boards looking for tips. Guy writes, "I don't know why, but I've never seen anybody else fishing here at such and such creek in such and such park...."

He will next week.

I love those pics, Bamboozle. I may borrow those for posting on our local Central Iowa Anglers message boards. ;o)

I try to know my audience before deciding what information to share. Are they conservation-minded? Are they local?

I think it all boils down to:

"I promised I would not repeat this, so, you have to listen closely"

For a long while I thought I was being a responsible and friendly fly angler by sharing my spots, and was dumb enough to think my on-line posts would not make a difference, but I was wrong, way wrong and some of my favorites have paid the price over the years. Now I list them as new or old favorites and leave it at that. Now, if it's a pretty popular water, then I'm with Normand - there are no 'secret' spots.

Secret Spots? Yes or No?

NO.

Kelly.

I "HAD" a spot on So. Fork of Bishop Creek I thought of as mine. I stumbled upon it quite by accident, having to break brush and crawling over and under deadfall to get to it. I caught a 5 1/4 lb Alper trout and several smaller holdovers there my first visit. I shared it with my buddy who only fishes with me, then my grandsons. Later that year I told a friend who was a Judge how to find it. That was about 13 years ago. Now when I go to it the trail is still hard to find but the bank and brush is pretty well worn from folks being there. I have never seen any other people there, but can sure tell they have been from the empty cans and bottles, worm cartons and other trash I pack out. Next time I find a spot I will keep it to myself.

If I had a friend who wanted to go with me to a secret spot, I would gladly take him, as Kelly was kind enough to do with us, but I wouldn't post it for everyone to see, or tell it to someone I wasn't sure would treat it as a treasure. On the other hand, I do get kind of irritated when I send a pm to someone asking about a particular area he has talked about and get a message back to get out my gazeteer and start looking.

When people ask me where I catch fish, my usual answer is in the mouth.
To many places messed up with people taking to many fish out.

Rick

My fishin buddy and I give very broad answers as to where we fish. (Like east of (name of town) and then add that we have permission from farmers who are very protective of their land). Normally that's enough for most people as it then sounds like too much trouble.;)

Kelly,

I seemed to have lost those directions you gave me for your no tellum spring creek
send them to me again will you....:)

I have no secret spots, everyone knows where I fly fish :)

At the Idaho fish-in 3 years ago a very good friend told me about his ultra uber mondo select super secret spot on the Lochsa river because he knew that I have difficulty walking and that even getting down to the stream is a struggle for me. He swore me to secrecy. I snuck out of camp in the early morning and drove to the milepost that he mentioned but no good access to the river was evident. So I drove on about 20 more miles till I saw a road heading toward the Lochsa. I took the road to its end at a good camping spot and found a really easy access trail to a wonderfull looking pool with as it turned out plenty of hungry cutthroat in it. I had a marvelous day. When I got back to the camp I told my buddy I couldn't find his spot. He said Oh yeah after you left I realized that I gave you the wrong mile post sorry! No problem, I described the pool I found on my own and He said, Wow that sounds like it. In the next 2 days While I fished that pool at least a dozen FAOL members showed up at the secret pool that it turned out everyone knew about. If a road leads to it ....... IT IS NOT A SECRET!!!!

The only reason why my spots seems to be secret is that there are seemingly no people willing to go where i go and tryto fish. It confuses me.