Hotspotting ...

[Silver Creek]

Regarding hot spotting, look at the photo below from a blog. It was one of the largest trout taken in this river in 2007.




Now look at my photo below. Check out the group of mountains in the background and compare with the photo above. I know exactly where this spot is.

But you will note on the left side of my photo, a parking lot full of cars. So this is no secret spot. There are people fishing this stretch every day of the season. You can't hot spot a hot spot.

[Derik]

I'm on an ice fishing forum when the water gets hard up here in Maine. Most people call it "spot burning" around here, early in the season good ice is a secret for some and sometimes just the bold depending on one's idea of safe ice. But it is a point of contention among some anglers when someone tells others publicly that they caught some nice trout be it open water or hard water. I've been burned before, had a nice little pond that you had to hike into. Me and a couple friends caught many a nice trout there while going to college, and I go back at least once a year. But one year we took a new freshman out to the pond explicitly telling him that it was a relatively unknown and un-utilized trout pond, proceeded to catch fish all day steady. I graduated that year and went back the next year come to find out from some mutual friends that the freshman had a big mouth and took quite a few people into that pond and since then haven't caught nearly as many nor as large fish, and had to bring out plenty of others trash. So I can see how spot burning bothers some people a lot, but when someone is complaining because some guy caught a big salmon on a large lake that has guys in boats on it trolling everyday, is telling people to fish it, I don't really consider that spot burning, as people are fishing it in large number anyway. I caught a big brown out of a local lake a couple weeks ago in my canoe and told plenty of people about it, but plenty of people were already fishing that lake. Kind of funny to see all the guys trolling out there in their big boats and me in a one man canoe haul that thing in, got a lot of stares, and I'm sure many of those guys watching me catch that fish "Spot burned" Lake George in Canaan, and it might of had a few extra boats on the water that weekend.

[caddisfly777]

Nicely put, Larry.

I think there is a regional component to how folks view "hotspotting" as well as the personality traits thing.

The further West someone is from, the more likely he / she is to share information. The further East someone is from, the less likely he / she is to share information.

Some folks are generous to a fault and some are selfish to a fault.

Well put John.

I personally do not mind sharing where I fish (maybe not the exact spot) but I have no problems sharing streams.

My son, unfortuneatly doesn't share my views on this. That could be because he, as an aquatic wildlife biologist, has access to data/reports most of us never see.

[caddisfly777]

... a couple days ago while reading stuff on one of my favorite websites - www.westfly.com, which is a major Western fly anlging site.

Thanks for that link John ... I signed up and really appreciate the fly pattern "Rockworm" as I can see using that on Rock Creek and a couple others in the area.

[Uncle Jesse]

That is a very good statement from Westfly. Although I have not seen such a statement on local BB is visit, along with several other FAOL members, I know some of the local guys get their panties in a wad if too much info is given about a mountain stream. Info on the Chattahoochee River, which is the place I fish for trout most frequently, is readily available, although it has over 2 million residents within a short drive in an automobile.