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The Unwritten Rule About Locations


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#1 Guest_Uland_*

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Posted 02 March 2009 - 09:50 PM

It was recently brought up (in a humorous way) that on a recent sampling trip, a fishing buddy was blindfolded and taken to locations to look at fish.
I'm guilty of asking my fishing buddy's to not reveal locations I take them to and always keep locations I was brought to private for the same reason.
Some locations I guess I just don't want posted on the internet and others are downright sensitive.

I guess I'm curious if I'm nuts for being so secretive with some locations and what rules you might ask fishing buddy's to respect when taking them to sensitive locations.

#2 Guest_rjmtx_*

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Posted 02 March 2009 - 10:14 PM

It depends on the context. I'm not going to go handing out my redfish/trout spots on the coast to just anyone. I will tell you where to catch a pure strain Guadalupe Bass. I won't go telling where to catch listed species unless for research purposes, but with enough footwork, this data can be figured out (in other words, I'm not going to help anyone break the law). If you want the best headwater catfish spots in the state, don't come asking me without a good reason. If you know where to consitantly catch Notropis potteri in the lower Brazos, by all means, tell me (I beg you-we need DNA). Amongst universities and state agencies, we trade info all the time on where to catch what... unless it's for eating. Then it has to remain sport.

If the site is in serious trouble, as in a seine haul could extirpate a population, the info is sensitive. However, this isn't the case with most fish, and I think if someone wants to legally go out and catch a pretty fish for a tank without doing any real harm or breaking the law, I see no reason not to let some minnow info out. At least around here, I don't think the native-fish-aquarium-enthusiasts will ever do any harm.

#3 Guest_CATfishTONY_*

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Posted 02 March 2009 - 10:36 PM

It was recently brought up (in a humorous way) that on a recent sampling trip, a fishing buddy was blindfolded and taken to locations to look at fish.
I'm guilty of asking my fishing buddy's to not reveal locations I take them to and always keep locations I was brought to private for the same reason.
Some locations I guess I just don't want posted on the internet and others are downright sensitive.

I guess I'm curious if I'm nuts for being so secretive with some locations and what rules you might ask fishing buddy's to respect when taking them to sensitive locations.

uland i would have to say this thread being directed at me right.
it was just a joke about the blind fold.
i was asked to not take people to that spot
thats why i said warren county little miami river it is a very large area.
and i made up the joke so i would have a cover story to not tell were it was
and I apologize if im to blame for this one fish i kept up setting you.
who would of ever thought 10 feet or ten yards made that big of a difference.


on a side note.every spot we sampled from i have netted for bait for some 30 years
I just did'nt know the Latin names of the fish then.

#4 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 02 March 2009 - 11:13 PM

Tony, you are fine. I am certain that your "blindfold" comment just made Uland think about how others feel about their "honey holes"

#5 Guest_rjmtx_*

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Posted 03 March 2009 - 12:23 AM

I just wish people didn't know that some of my favorite places to collect fish are also good for cooking meth and dumping dead animals at.

#6 Guest_Uland_*

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Posted 03 March 2009 - 12:46 AM

Tony, Indeed your comment is the reason for this topic and I didn't want to hijack that thread so I started a new one. I got a good chuckle when you jokingly used the term "blindfolded to the next spot" since I know Matt and we both pretty much have the same philosophy with sampling locations. In many cases I'm not really talking about threatened fish in any way...I'll never forget stumbling upon a lonely riffle one spring and seining huge Rainbow darters yet unable to find them in the many hundreds of yards of other nearby riffles. The next year I was excited to show people this oddity of huge fish. Now Rainbow darters are by no means threatened in the general area but you should have seen my face when some in the group wanted to take a few of these fish. I became a little protective of this particular group of rainbow darters and meanwhile learned the importance being selective with who you take where and what you say before you get in the water.

It depends on the context. I'm not going to go handing out my redfish/trout spots on the coast to just anyone. I will tell you where to catch a pure strain Guadalupe Bass. I won't go telling where to catch listed species unless for research purposes, but with enough footwork, this data can be figured out (in other words, I'm not going to help anyone break the law). If you want the best headwater catfish spots in the state, don't come asking me without a good reason. If you know where to consitantly catch Notropis potteri in the lower Brazos, by all means, tell me (I beg you-we need DNA). Amongst universities and state agencies, we trade info all the time on where to catch what... unless it's for eating. Then it has to remain sport.

If the site is in serious trouble, as in a seine haul could extirpate a population, the info is sensitive. However, this isn't the case with most fish, and I think if someone wants to legally go out and catch a pretty fish for a tank without doing any real harm or breaking the law, I see no reason not to let some minnow info out. At least around here, I don't think the native-fish-aquarium-enthusiasts will ever do any harm.


I absolutely agree that folks around here won't hurt populations and should stay within the law, but I can't help but think of a someone collecting bait and seining a headwater stream, wiping a pool clean of SRBD. I guess it's not the end of the world for the stream SRBD population as adjacent pools will repopulate but that's a practice I want no part of.

#7 Guest_Dustin_*

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Posted 03 March 2009 - 08:44 AM

I have some spots that I would give to a very small number of people. I think it is important to both protect the trust of those who took you to these great spots and to protect the integrity of spots that you just stumbled upon that are sensitive in some way.

I disagree with the notion that no one here would/could do damage to a site. I have been on trips where individuals have kept hundreds of fish, despite the recommendations not to do so by others. Granted, these people were never invited back, but in some instances tha damage was already done and they knew where to come back when those hundred died on the way home. I am pretty secretive about my best spots and this is the reason why.

#8 Guest_mikez_*

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Posted 03 March 2009 - 09:03 AM

Are you kidding me? Yer talkin' to a striper fisherman here. I have mastered the art of landing, unhooking and releasing a striper at night without a flashlight just so no one can see where I'm fishing. I've been known to change the fly tied to my line before I carry a keeper back to the car so no one knows what I'm using. I habitually obscure the background in photos posted to the fishing sites. And, totally true story... I HAVE shut off my own brother from spot sharing after running into too many of his friends in my top secret spots.
Blindfolds is ole hat. I make guests ride in the trunk. :tongue:

Herpers are just as bad. I spent a day in NC with a guy I met online showing me some secret spots deep in the heart of a huge state forrest. I'm sure he had me drive round and round the maze of dirt roads for hours just to be sure I couldn't find my way back. When we were setting out to find the next spot. he'd consult his elaborately hand marked atlas while turning away so I couldn't see the page! :rolleyes:

On another note, I have recieved some negative feedback, including field encounters with law enforcement, after posting photos of some of the rarer New England herps. The Powers That Be do not always have a forgiving attitude of public "outing" of protected species, even if all photos are legally obtained.

#9 Guest_andyavram_*

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Posted 03 March 2009 - 04:31 PM

Although I have always been interested in the smaller darters, minnows and other overlooked fish species, it wasn't until last year that I went after them with gusto - to collect a few common species and also just to see whats out in a particular stream. As a result I have very few good spots. But like Mike Z I am a big herper and have many good spots that I keep a secret from all but the most trustworthy of people and I suspect this attitude will carry over into my seining spots once I get a few more.

I would also be leary of giving a good seining location away if there are no imperiled populations of fish if I knew the area harbored rare herps like Hellbenders that might turn up when people fish collect.

Then my birder part kicks in and I see people publically giving directions to the exact blade of grass a rare bird has been seen on. Crazy.


Andy

#10 Guest_Brooklamprey_*

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Posted 03 March 2009 - 09:34 PM

You'd have to torture me (Even that might not work) to get me to tell you some locations of sensitive fish and especially Sensitive herps.

#11 Guest_BTDarters_*

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Posted 04 March 2009 - 12:25 PM

I'm very secretive about my collecting spots. One of the reasons being that it's illegal for the average person in Wisconsin to go out and collect their own fish right now. I don't want to encourage illegal behavior. Besides, I'd rather that they get their fish from me anyways :tongue: !

Brian

#12 Guest_nativeplanter_*

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Posted 04 March 2009 - 01:24 PM

uland i would have to say this thread being directed at me right.
it was just a joke about the blind fold.
i was asked to not take people to that spot
thats why i said warren county little miami river it is a very large area.
and i made up the joke so i would have a cover story to not tell were it was
and I apologize if im to blame for this one fish i kept up setting you.
who would of ever thought 10 feet or ten yards made that big of a difference.


on a side note.every spot we sampled from i have netted for bait for some 30 years
I just did'nt know the Latin names of the fish then.


Don't worry Tony, you did good. The topic of locations comes up every now and then. In the past, some unscrupulous individuals have collected at spots where they were told there were very sensitive species. It's bound to happen again sometime, so members are a bit sensitive. But you did perfect - not giving the exact spot, but rather listing the river or drainage. Job well done.

#13 Guest_Jim_*

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Posted 29 March 2009 - 09:35 AM

I think, for what thats worth :smile2: , That the bottom line here is, The friend or fellow NANFA member you take to a certain area, probably understands the importance of keeping certain secrets, but the domino effect that could result is the scary part. I, for example take Joe, he tells Sam, He tells Rico, and as is mentioned above Rico starts cooking meth there and throwing all the leftovers in your pristene honey-hole, which starts fish floating to the top.......So being careful is never a bad thing.



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