Paddle-Fishing.com

Secret spots? Are they really secret? Afterall, someone at sometime has fished every spot. Many of my "secret spots" I notice others already fishing. They must be their "secret spots" also. I usually don't mind sharing "spots" with others because others have shared "spots" with me! That's how it works. For the future of our sport, that is how it should work! Yes, we don't want "spots" to get blown out! But, I don't think everyone will be fishing every "spot" at the same time. So, remember if you are generous it will come back to you or maybe it already has?
P.S. Thanks for the destinations page!

Good fishermen only share their spots with a select few people (if that), and definitely not on an open forum. The more people that frequent an area, the more likely someone might see you catch a fish. That's always bad news. With the range limitations of a kayak, even sharing access points is a no-no in my opinion.

Sesame Street 101 = sharing
Although when I was six I did get a report card that said "doesn't play well with others"

The destinations page is very helpful for finding launch spots but IMHO..just a good starting point to find other places by exporing around and that is half the fun.

Snookfinatic..when you come down to fish Emerson Point I'll share some "secret " spots with ya if I am available.

The internet has made the world much smaller. We are all here to help each other but posting specific spots that are found due to hard work (or lots of money in bribes) isn't something I would expect someone to do. I have in the past and been burned. If I get email or pms from folks I know I'll be happy to help.

Dustin wrote:......definitely not on an open forum.....

IMO, that is the gist of this discussion. We all share 'secret spots' with fishing buddies who know treat the info with care. However, when you post on an open forum, you can almost be guaranteed that you will have many new folks at that secret spot who will not reciprocate.

There's a whole bunch of lurkers on every fishing site who are doing nothing but searching out spots. Some will eventually join the community but many never will. If you post about a secret spot, you will certainly see them there.

Most everyone would benefit more from what, when and how instead of where. Even the best secret spot isn't productive if you fish it wrong.

It might be fun to apply a little misdirection and see who ends up in the "Secret Spot"

Every time I try to post about a place it is always being ***DELETED BY THE MANAGEMENT***

I really don't know how to correct this problem!

loukiii wrote:It might be fun to apply a little misdirection and see who ends up in the "Secret Spot"

That's one of my favorites, or better yet, mention a creek or bay by name that doesn't exist . Have people scouring the map for hours...

Yes but you cant actually see them scouring the map. Problem is, most places around here you tell someone to go to, they could catch fish.

Most people just need to have a destination in mind before they will actually get out and explore. This whole area is kind of intimidating to someone just starting out. It took me 6 years living in Tampa before I finally got out fishing. I was a stranger to saltwater fishing, had no Idea how or where to get started, what tackle to use, anything. Finally a buddy of mine got a boat and took me out a few times. He didnt really know where to go either but we stumbled upon a few places by accident. I got tired of going to the same place week after week so I got my own boat and started exploring. I went out with a couple guides to learn about the different habits of various species and spent a lot of time online reading posts and asking questions.
I decided I wantd to try kayaking. Neil was kind enough to let me use one of his at the capmel tournament at Ft. DeSoto. I decided I liked it so I sold my boat and got a kayak.
Now I got all kinds of good spots and I get a few more everytime I go out.

I've posted my opinion regarding this subject before and I stand firm.

This is a great site/forum. But there aren't enough people that visit this site, live in your area or will travel, and will just happen to fish the same day as you to worry about "your" secret spot being fished the next time you go out.

Who says that person fishing "your" secret spot even knows that this site exists?

Maybe their family has been fishing that spot and passing that location down through generations AND YOUR THE INTRUDER!

Do what you want. Say what you want. Me personally, I get a little bit of pleasure by sending someone I don't know to a good spot even if they don't get me back.

So if I just happen to share one of my "secret" spots on an open forum and it's also one of your "secret" spots, you can pm me and yell at me until you feel better.

Be interesting to know how many hits this site gets in a typical day. Is that info confidential Jay? I can certainly understand if it is.

How many unique visitors would be valuable. I know I hit this site several times a day.

Most of the people on here are JayB posting under a different name so that he can show the corporate sponsors how many posters the board has. There are really only about 9 different people who post here.

JayB has like 200 aliases! Shoot I could be JayB for all I know

I have always been torn on this issue.....primarily because fish move. They are not always where I caught them the last time, although certain areas at certain times of the year can be more productive. Finding those areas is part trial and error and of course, part luck. No one fishing hole or spot is a total secret. I know since I have been back to a few very well kept secret spots only to see others (non-kayakers) fishing those same supposedly secret spots. Certainly if you were to broadcast gps numbers in this forum or any other, then it would get hit harder than it ever has before. Not too many things are secret anymore, which has made finding fish even tougher, if you believe that fish move from areas that are over fished. Which eventually they do, imo. But they will come back.

The biggest problem that I see is over crowding the launches, especially the out of the way not so obvious ones. When kayak fishing, you can only go so far and sometimes we stumble across a convenient launch to a good fishing area, only to have that shut off to us if it becomes over crowded or abused. I can think of three that are like that. For years no one had any problems, tickets, break ins, towing, etc....but once they became public knowledge...all that changed.

The destinations page is a great part of this forum. And I have caught as many or more fish fishing those areas than what I have caught in the two secret locations that I know about. The difference...when I just want some quiet time on the water and maybe will catch fish, I hit the secret spots....when I want to catch fish, I go to the more popular known areas.

Lastly, we are all here on this forum to share information and increase the popularity of the sport. As that happens, and it has certainly worked....then more people will be fishing in "our spots". Truly a double edged sword.

Well said Erick, you pretty much summed up my feelings too.

Without doubt it's a double edged sword, but one which we all must battle with.

I personally no longer post specific spots, but I will always help anyone with any questions they have regarding an area, or techniques.

I have seen my own and friends of mine spots become highly (or at least a lot more) pressured, due to revealing them on the site. The worst case example i know of, was a Friend of mine who took someone from the site to his, no miss Redfish spot. That guy returned every week, usually on more than one occasion, and often with with his wife and took a slot fish just about every time out there. In two years that spot was no longer anywhere near its prime. Of course this guys was not the only person fishing there, but he certainly made a large impact on the population.
Just doing the simple math, 2 trips a week, taking two fish, thats 200+ fish a year gone from that relatively small local population.
That's a lot of hurt on a small area, and the fishing there suffered dramatically. The real pisser, is that the friend of mine who found the place originally is all Catch and Release!


So there are dangers to revealing all, but like many have said before there are no "secret spots" in reality, just less pressured ones