Great topic.... And now for my opinion:

Human nature being what it is, people aren't going to tell you there favorite secrets for free. It's true in NASCAR, it's true in high school math class and it's true in fishing. This is neiher good nor bad.... but it is true.

That being the case, I wouldn't bend my pick trying to change human nature, because another piece of human nature is that people do share secrets with people they like. I gave up on steelheading about 20 years ago after never catching one. Didn't fish for them for five years. Then I met a guy who showed me how. He also befriended me enough to show me some real zippers. And in return, he only asked that I not blab about them. I still fish with him regularly. I've been hard at it for 15 years now. Expanded my knowledge. Catch a few now and again. Have great fun trying.

Now as for this board, I've met some great guys here. Hooked up with a few and had some great times. We've shared spots and techniques, and I've gained some guys that I consider to be good friends (even if I rarely see them).

Bottom line: Neither they nor I were gonna spill our guts out over the internet to someone we didn't know. But meeting up and making a trip out of it has been very successful for me. Not just for new spots, but for new friends which makes it much more enjoyable.

Go about it in a genuine and sincere way and you'll meet some great people to share the outdoors with. As with any friendship, it helps to put something into it as well.

I'm looking forward to putting more faces with names at F-IV, although some of the faces might not be al that purty