Fly Fishing - Opening Day!

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

Well it's opening day - Here in Maine it will be tough - but I am going to try a few of my secret spots that sometimes produce well for me on april 1. I have a business meeting at 9am-11am - and then i am going fly fishing. Anyone else gonna fish today or this weekend in maine, germany, ny, wyoming, alaska, utah, rhode island, ct, nh.....GEEZE i just started thinking about all the flyfisherman i have met through this site and it's amazing how they are all over the country and the world.....I stopped at NH because the list would just keep going and going....Florida, virginia, washington, mass, vermont.......

SO - who cares where your from are you gonna fish today or this weekend?????? Let's here your plans for the start of the season!

Austin · Posted: Fri 04/01/05 8:04 am Post subject: today

Howdy!
Hey Jeremy, gonna fish XXXXXX today. Maybe i'll see ya there. Might be also fishing with Caleb this weekend, but not for sure. How weird is it that I just so happen to have today off from school!!! See ya on the water! Tight lines

Austin

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

fisherboy - don't ever mention WHERE you will be fly fishing. we never want you to post that information for your sake and the sake of others. the internet is fun and a great place to communicate about fly fishing - but it can also ruin a fishery. i have seen it happen already to one of your other favorite fisheries --- the "p" - it's so crowded now and so well known that i don't even bother going anymore. alot of that is a result of people posting "WHERE" they are fishing on the internet.

now - in some instances it's ok - for example

I am going fishing in the ocean....no problem with that
I was fishing on the kennebec river.....no problem with that
I was fishing on the salmon river.....no problem with that
I was fishing in a great lakes tributary.....no problem with that

Any more detail than that is not doing anybody any good. part of the mystery of fly fishing is exploring and finding your spots. some of these spots, you may have known about all your life, but others may not know of them. it's part of fly fishing to find out about them through natural resources (a friend fill you in on a secret.....) but the internet is no place to post your secrets. I guarantee you that the internet WILL turn your favorite little spots in crowded - over fished places that you won't want to go to any more.

So - I am a little sensitive of this topic because we have worked so hard to make fliesandfins.com a place that is totally dedicated to fly fishing. we can all proudly say that we have fun and share information without giving away fishing spots. most people i meet are angry with the internet sites that are giving away fishing spots - i don't ever want fliesandfins.com to fall into that category.

Thanks for understanding - I am going to xxxxx out your mention of the location in your previous post - for your sake and everyone elses.

thanks fisherboy.

So - OPENING DAY! - WHAT YA GONNA DO? - (does not mean where you gonna go) Cool

Pete · Location: New York, NY

Very interesting point. As an editor who sometimes writes about fishing, I've had people threaten me with bodily harm if I mention specifics, particularly guides. As Jeremy said, it's generally ok to say "Palm Beach" or "Long Island Sound" but not "I was at coordinates ABC on the GPS" or "I fished the dock off Canal XYZ at this time and place."

Guides go crazy about this, because when you publish such specifics you directly affect their livelihood. A lot of them will terminate your fishing trip and ban you from their boat if they catch you with a handheld GPS aboard.

Granted, guides don't own the water, but nobody wants to see a honey hole go to pot. I just read a statistic that there are 44 million recreational anglers in the US, and it seems like every one of them will show up if you post a specific spot.

For the average Joe Angler like myself, it's important b/c most of the time I am fishing in certain locales dictated by where I live and the time I have to spend on the water. If those locales suddenly become overfished it seriously diminishes my opportunities. That's true for probably most of the recreational anglers out there, who don't have the time or the wallet to venture far from home often.

(On the flip side, if the place is ridiculously well known and everybody goes there anyway--like Montauk or Breezy Point--what's the difference?)

Either way, you all up in Maine seem to have amazing local fishing. Trout bums from around here in the Metro NYC area and surrounding exurbs will sleep in their cars overnight to get first crack at the water. It's not a stretch to imagine some of them driving allnight just for the chance to fish a few hours at XXXXXXX if they hear it's a hot spot.

OK, sorry for going on about a point Jeremy already made very well. For me, opening day is really April 15th, when striped bass season officially opens. If I can get out, I'll be wading the mud flats where the first schoolies of the season usually show. Look for me at XXXXXXX. (Kidding.)

Austin · Posted: Fri 04/01/05 2:31 pm Post subject:

Howdy!
Jeremy, everyone knows of this place, even channel 6- and EVERYONE was there. People had worned me about it before having it being packed, you just can't prevent it. If you have ever fished there you would know what I mean. On the other hand, different places that are hardly fished and stuff, you won' t hear a word out of me. This place has been known for a while now for being able to actually fish it on opening day and catch fish. It is NO secret
As for fishing today I did not catch any fish. The camera crew from channel 6 news was there and unfortunatly video taped me Sad

It was a good day on the water though. Tight lines

Austin

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

fisherboy - everybody does NOT know about it - read pete's comment. i am sure there are plenty of people in mass, new york city, connecticut etc... that do not know of the spot. don't forget channel 6 is a small news channel that broadcasts to a tiny insignificant maine population. so even though channel 6 was there filming and they will air it on the television - there are still lot's of people who will not know about it.

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

well - did not fish for long today - too much work to do - but i got a couple hours in 11am-1pm. water was high and ice was still half in most of the ponds. hit all my spots with polarized glasses and fly rod - did not see anything and did not catch anything either. still had fun.

kray · Location: Casper Wyoming

Well I am disapointed to say I will not be fishing this weekend but instead working in the fly shop of Saturday and Sunday.
Also the outdoors sportshow is in Casper and i have to go win the casting contest for the second year in a row. Smile

But trust me this summer will be one of the best fishing seasons, "the", river has ever had.
Well fish hard and fish smart to everyone heading out this weekend
Trout Bum 101
Kray

Pete · Location: New York, NY

Not to belabor a point, but by shear coincidence, another fishing site I visit a lot, www.midcurrent.com, had a post today about the effects the internet has on fishing spots. Here's the link:

http://www.midcurrent.com/news/archives/001655.html

Looking back, I've been guilty myself of sharing too much information a few times. It's a fine line, because you're excited about something and want to share with fellow anglers, but sharing the wealth too much can ruin the very thing you're excited about.

Austin · Posted: Fri 04/01/05 8:11 pm Post subject:

Howdy!
Yes, it is a blessing and a curse, the internet. This will make you happy, today I met someone who goes to the ffo forum and said, "hey, where did you get those big bows?" And my answer was- "just another river in Maine Very Happy

. I know how to keep secrets and guess I was wrong about sharing that spot. And more good news, I plan on fishing somewhere in sothern Maine this weekend! Jeremy, I think you already know where i'm talking about. Over these times out I have had fishing I have noticed that I hate crowds, and if people give away their spots the crowds will just grow. My Apoligies. Tight lines

Austin

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

now fisherboy - it is by all means - PERFECTLY acceptable to call or email ME and share your hotspots Very Happy

-

maybe we will take a few casts this weekend - drop me a line or email - let me know if your gonna fly fish sunday - maybe you, me and caleb can meet up at XXXXX.

KodiakCommando · Location: Kodiak, Alaska

Pete i know what you mean! I have a friend who used to work for fish alaska magazine and he got all sorts of threats because he would write articles on hot spot locations.

I don't have an opening day here in kodiak and trout fishing is open year round because there are not many trout fisherman on the island. Most people just don't know how good the trout fishing is here and i hope it stays that way. As for the rest of the states top bow waters where the rainbow fishing is very well known trout fishing has been open all winter and doesnt close till may and then opens June 18. I used to think i was one lucky son of a gun but to tell you the truth i kind of miss opening day. Something about looking forward and planning obssevilely about it. It's almost like a holiday!

mike-c · Posted: Fri 04/01/05 10:22 pm Post subject:

Thank you Jeremy for making that very true and much needed point. And thank you, Fisherboy for being tuned in to it. One thing folks don't always think about is that even a popular spot will get mobbed following a simple "I did well yesterday at 'xxxxxx'. Thing is, anyone may do well anywhere, anytime, but to someone seeing it on the internet, suddenly it must be the only place fish are biting!
Maybe I'll see you at xxxxxxx sometime....

Mike

Marcel_Karssies · Location: Enschede - The Netherlands

I try to be non-specific when posting about fishing trip back home.
I did share information once for one secret spot and now everybody wants to fish there, stupid thing to do for which I am very sorry.

Since I have created a forum for our local flyfishingclub people communicate more because of the forum. One section of the forum is shielded off from outside visitors. That is the place where people can share locations if they want to. I generally prefer to call rivers, ponds or lakes stream X, pond X andsoforth. When I take pictures I often take care not to show any easy recognized landmarks. Paranoid ? maybe, better safe than sorry.

Sometimes people question me why I use those silly names so I always tell them I do not want my favourite places being overrun and destroyed by people who red or heard about it. Down here there are numerous places that can not stand to much fishing pressure due to the small scale of the streams.