Helping hand

How do you guys feel about helping people that have been struggling at fishing. Will you guide them in a right way or tell them to get lost.

Why would someone tell someone to get lost??

You see where I live it seems like a lot of people don’t want to help others out.

fishing is gift meant to be shared..that being said i’m not likely to give out my gps numbers

That’s even a better reason to help… in particular those that seem like the good guys. Good karma can be priceless.

One of life’s great pleasures is to help someone become hooked on fishing.

I feel it’s all about helping and educating !!

I feel the same way. I help people out whenever I can. There is planty of fish in the lake.

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Why would someone tell someone to get lost??

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Greed is a terrible thing

I agree with ecnook ,it’s all about helping and educating

If you give someone good current information they might think your BSing em though. My family and I were fishing Red Lake over memorial day (like we do every year) and my FIL and I were cleaning our fish from the morning. A fella comes in with a rejected look and we asked how he did. he said it was really slow. We asked how deep he was fishing. he said 8 feet with an orange jig n minnow. we told him if you go out to 4-5 FOW on a specific shoreline and use something green (even gave him one or my jigs) you will get all you want. He looked at us like we were a bunch of jerks, nto really knowing what to think of us. That evening he came in with a net full of walleyes and came over to our campsite just bubbling like a little girl. Lots of fish and fun to be shared out there guys. life is too short to be an [censored] all the time.

I try to steer people in the right direction if I have something figured out on any given day. 90% of the time people don’t listen. I have found that people are creatures of habit, and they will not stray far from what they are familar with. It is the people that are willing to try new things that will end up better fisherman in the long run.

Every good fishing method that I know has been from someone else…just seems natural to me to pay it forward.

Now sharing exactly where the spot on the spot is after hours of searching for it…I might be selective about who I share that info with.

I would have been screwed if no one would have given me some help. It would be foolish and arrogant for me not to help someone else out. Sharing the old honey hole is for the ones that where there when I needed the help.

Hey guys, I am new to the board and really enjoy the wealth of information this forum provides. With that being said I recently got back in to fishing three years ago. I found the most rewarding part of fishing open-water or ice fishing is when you put in the time and research on a certain body of water and rewarded by catching fish. To me it seems like if someone told you everything to get you on fish it has cheapened the total experience. If time is a issue and your just out for a couple days hire a guide that’s what their there for. John.

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I would have been screwed if no one would have given me some help. It would be foolish and arrogant for me not to help someone else out. Sharing the old honey hole is for the ones that where there when I needed the help.

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I like to share. A bad day on the ice can change a guy’s attude towards ice fishing. I’ll show anyone the ropes, I’ll cut there hole or even let them use my stuff.

I help people when they ask. I don’t go looking for people to tell them where the fish are biting, but if someone asks me how I’m doing I wont lie.. and if they ask me what I’m using, what depth the fish are at or other questions like that I will gladly show them.

If someone walks up to me and asks to borrow my auger I’ll gladly offer to drill some holes for them. And if I see someone struggling with an old auger I always walk over and let them use mine to finish the job.

So I guess if you want some help you have to show it or ask, I’m not going to come to you and ask if you need help… that would be insulting.

helping people that have been struggling at fishing. Will you guide them in a right way or tell them to get lost.

Someone would have to be a real in order for me to consider telling them to get lost. But then as a kid, if I was mean to someone without being provoked, my mother wasn’t shy about knocking me up-side the head. Plus, if we weren’t into sharing information, what the heck are we doing on here?

I did not have to help somebody out by putting them on a spot to catch fish but earlier this year I had a guy pull up to my shack looking for some shiners. They were out and did not want to go back to town. We normally get 2 dozen shiners because thats about what we go through every night. We ended giving the guy about half of what we had left. They offered to pay, we declined. That night was by far the best walleye fishing we have had this year. Coincidence? I believe in karma and also helping out your fellow fisherman in a pinch. On their way back to the launch they made a point to stop back by us and and chat as well as offer us whatever bait they had left. What goes around comes around.

I see I am the only on here then. Kids are my weak spot if they have some on board I’ll put them on the good spots with the right info, other than that I have spent to many hours reading articles, books, mags, videos, and most importantly on the water experience to give away much of anything. All the info is out there for anyone to gain but people who go out thinking they can just catch nice fish any ol time won’t get it. Now if you have an ice cold bud offered for some tips….

I will admit that I am a BIG A#$*#^* !!! I fish hard and figure out things myself.Why would I want to give someone any of my secrets? I too read,watch tv shows and go to seminars.Why should I tell you anything more than the basics? Color or depth is one thing,GPS coordinates is another. I will tell you what body of water and leave it at that. I have been spied on from shore,one guy went as far as to take my line of the water,only down 3 feet,kinda peed me off!!! So if you wonder why I don’t say much or look at you like you have 3 heads, … Ask me how they bightin and I will say the same thing,not much and finicky…NOW you know…Some times you just gotta make your own luck and fish,try something new… Just sayin… Paul

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I will admit that I am a BIG A#$*#^* !!! I fish hard and figure out things myself.Why would I want to give someone any of my secrets? I too read,watch tv shows and go to seminars.Why should I tell you anything more than the basics? Color or depth is one thing,GPS coordinates is another. I will tell you what body of water and leave it at that. I have been spied on from shore,one guy went as far as to take my line of the water,only down 3 feet,kinda peed me off!!! So if you wonder why I don’t say much or look at you like you have 3 heads, … Ask me how they bightin and I will say the same thing,not much and finicky…NOW you know…Some times you just gotta make your own luck and fish,try something new… Just sayin… Paul

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Wow what a nice guy..I suppose noone ever told you a tip or two??? Seminars,TV,sport shows…arent they sharing

I still remember when I had no clue what a bottom bouncer was and wasn’t having any luck on LOTW. An old couple had told me about them and how to fish them, ever since that if I can help somebody, I will. As stated earlier, if they don’t ask I won’t help though. I was brought up with the thinking of if a boat came close while you were fishing and catching, keep your bait in the water until they’re gone! I have changed my way of thinking.

Because of 2 IOWA boys in a pimped out ranger in full guide gear on may 14th, 2005 at the colville landing I got a major bump in the right direction towards learning the river. They had their 12. We had 0. It was my 2nd day of fishing the river in a boat. They pointed us in the right direction with very specific information, I had my map out, and I think they could tell how much I actually cared, and how bad we were struggling with a lot of effort. We had an AWESOME last day of our trip. We were used to the Missouri River system of SD, and holy moses it is quite the different ball game. If I have a bite figured out, I will always share on the water and at the landing, if someone is struggling, and is really trying, is polite, and asks sincerely. Some of the concepts the IOWA boys shared with me have helped me cash a couple checks after practice and a few years! I bet these boys are on this site, I still wish I could shake their hands and thank them for that day.

Hi All,
Lots of good comments here and it is an interesting set of responses. Now I am not a great fisherman and I feel in awe of so many of you here as I read what you do and how. I read all the magazines and watch the videos and things do not always work out as one would hope and sometimes I feel like I must be a jinx on the ice when it comes to good bites. We all have had the times when you sit next to your fishing partner and they are catching one after another and you couldn’t buy a bite. However I would not mind sharing info if it actually could help someone else improve what they are doing. Now, I do not know what it is like in your part of the world, but here on some of the small local lakes, when you share the info about a good bite we get almost instant broadcast of this across hundreds of miles and we end up with people from 100 miles away fishing our small lakes. Now you say what is wrong with that? The “what is wrong with that” is when you sit and watch these people slaughter the fish by not only taking their limits but sometimes 2 and 3 times the limits because they are on small outback lakes where there are no wardens. These are not isolated incidents and they really make you not want to share with anyone because we have a lot, which have been witnessed by many including myself, of these so called sportsmen that do not care about laws or the sport. So it gets really hard to want to care about sharing more if the result is not good for the sport. And for the next question about reporting these people, yes we have tried but they are usually long gone before any warden can ever show up if they ever show up in these remote areas.

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And for the next question about reporting these people, yes we have tried but they are usually long gone before any warden can ever show up if they ever show up in these remote areas.

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By using the TIP line and providing a license number of the boat or vehicle, the officials will go to their homes. Don’t let that excuse stop a person from calling in violations.

Helping another get on fish is what Ido is all about.

It wouldn’t be in the best interests of conservation to post in a public forum which small lake is kicking out 100’s of crappies as they often do, but posting general info on how to find those lakes is fine.

Large lakes and Rivers aren’t as sensitive.

What I find funny, is the people that don’t contribute but take and use the info to their advantage. Then call it “my spot”.

Everyone has been helped. Websites, friends or your own Dad.

Be altruistic as much as possible to help others live their dreams as you live yours.~Nikos

I have helped many times, only to see later same person with over limits ect… Then again some very gracious persons too.
I never give spot on the spot locations. But will give other information, baits line size, and such. Some times people are gracious and learn and some times not. I have found and made friends with some good sportsman doing this.

Wow what a nice guy..I suppose noone ever told you a tip or two??? Seminars,TV,sport shows…arent they sharing

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I am a nice guy,or can be…LOL
If I have seen you on the water before or know you,it isn’t a big deal. If you are a complete stranger and ask me the specifics it is another… Color or depth I will give you,style of jig or how I tweek them is another…( I fish muskies and love to modify lures,even ice fishing jigs.) I have my favorites and if you have ever fished with me it is NO secret. I use Flirty Girty jigs bit I modify them to MY style,what I, and I mean MY way of fishing them! Why should I tell the world the modifications I have made to my FAVORITE jig??? After all,it was my time and effort into making it work the way I want! Is that ok???
On here I share info but like was said before,I will not give out specific spots,I did that before and learned my lesson… If you want to learn from me,fish with me,not a big deal… Do your homework,watch some fishing shows,read posts on the internet like I do. I am sure your learning curve will shorten! Enough said,I am an AS#*@*# and I DO Admit it!!! I have been one all my life!
Paul

prime example of what I consider a helping hand…. around Christmas time this year i was going up to Wisconsin for a Job interview and I posted and asked for any advice in the area i was going to. to find some fish for an afternoon. Randy Wieland Gave me his number and i called him and he gave me some basic info on a lake in the area. Good colors for the lake and where people normally fish on the lake. nothing specific but enough to give somewhat of a clue as to what i needed to do. He didnt give me waypoints or exact baits times the fish normally bite what bait to use or how to fish the lake. i took this general info and went out and put the hammer on some gills…. Thanks by the way randy i had a ball. to those who are reluctant to share info. Yes you do put the time in and maybe you shouldn’t share the specifics but if everyone just sits on the ice tight lipped then no one is getting any better or making and progress. Like said earlier humans are creatures of habit we will do the same things over and over again. the really Good fisherman i Know have networks of guys who all share info even if its on different bodies of water hundreds of miles away. Not sharing the little stuff will just end up leaving you behind the eight ball in the end. you will eventually be the guy who is still using the same baits 20 years from now because all you want is info coming in. some of the best tips I’ve ever received have come from people i was sharing my experiences with. if your so worried about fishing next to someone it really just shows how insecure you are about your abilities to catch fish. Just my two cents ill invite anyone to come fish next to me and in fact one time i let someone use my minnows and tip ups because they were not having any luck on what they were using. i let them use the sm in fact. seeing someone else catch a fish using my information is almost as good a feeling if not a better feeling than catching it myself. just my 2 cents keep up the sharing but don’t give em everything. And a major thanks to all who have helped me out along the way

Nathan – Glad to hear you had a good time! How did the interview go?

Interesting to check back here and read through the various opinions. Many different ways to to look at it. I agree that there isn’t much worse than seeing someone you help out raping the resources.
But I still believe the mass majority of people are good at heart and sharing the basics to get someone on their way to success is the way to be. It doesn’t mean to give exact locations and 100% of everything you know. Most people can not duplicate exactly what your doing anyways.

I don’t believe there are many people out there that have achieved the level of skill sets they have by doing it alone. They may in their mind think that they “invented” a technique, or the first to try something. But in the hundreds of years that man has fished, nearly everything has been done by someone else. We merely take what we see/read/or was told and expand upon it.

For myself, I’ve been very fortunate to have great mentors around me when I was a kid. My neighbor took a trip every year to places like British Columbia and others to learn about steelhead and fly fishing. Another friend Dave Pinczkowski poured his heart and soul into fishing the rivers and learning all he could. Back in early 70’s fishing the tributaries to Lake MI (and the lake) was all new to many of us. The techniques Kieth brought back and the things Dave learned and shared were the building blocks of what many see done around here today.

I made the mistake of hording information when I dove into tournament fishing. I was good, but not great. Caught a lot of fish and was getting frustrated on why I was still getting beat out on top finishes. As time progressed, I began to learn how important networking is. It’s not that anyone tells you specifics such as GPS cords or anything else down to that level. It’s sharing enough information to make informative decisions based on the ecosystem and habitat. From there, someone still needs to develop the self confidence to go out and make it happen.