I have been a member of this board for four years. I have never had a problem with getting reports or anything until currently. Someone will post a report and some one will reply and blast them saying well you will see a lot more people there now. Come on how childish is that. The fish are in the river the fisherman will come. It doesnt matter. Look at the Lewis come on everyone knows that they get an excellent run of chinook, silvers and steelhead every year. What makes you think they are not going to fish it. A report is just a little common courtesy saying hey this is whats going on the river. I like reading about how someone gets a 50lb chinook on a river. But just because he or she caught in one certain part of the river doesnt want to make me run out and throw my line in the water right there and were his was. Where they are one day dont mean that they are going to be there tomorrow. I like fishing stories I like seeing pictures. I just think a lot of you people are scared that you may see someone else on your sacred hole. There are alot of rivers and a lot of fisherman. People know the Cowlitz, Columbia, Lewis, Kalama it is not like it is a big secret.

Hmmmmm? Four years, 12 posts. The rest of us sure appreciate all the reports you posted.

Up in our area we have a nice little river. Not secret, but small. Handles a dozen people well, two dozen if everyone is nice. Last year two of the newbies here posted reports, comple with pictures. The following weekend a hundred people showed up. Watched them catch and kill dollies that had been released dozens of times earlier in the season. Within a week there was so much gear on the bottom you couldn't drift fish any longer. And then I gave up on it.

Sorry if I don't post a lot of reports.

On the sauk I appreciate your post but yes I went by abnother login because I had a inactivated log in because I was in Iraq for 15 months. Do you think everybody went up ther and fished the river becuase of one post. If it is the Sauk or the Skagit or Suiattle I fish up there all the time and I never see anybody keeping dollies. Dont get me wrong people do catch and keep dollies they are open people will fish for them if the Dollie population is hurting they will close them.

Yep.

Been there, seen that .

Well I didnt know the impact of this site. I got the sites info from a guide I hired out on the penisula a while ago. I appreciate this site but some people just are mean and horrible. I really dont ever remember this site being so full of hatred towards people granted there has always been heavy in depth conversations but this site has just changed

I am with the others on this. Post a report on line and the next time U go fishing there,U would think there was a article in the Times about your hole.

Lots of folks look to the internet for Where,What,When.

I'll follow up my comment with a statement that I will always share spot info via a PM, so if you see a vanilla fishing report from me and want more details, shoot me a message.

I'll tell you exactly what diving site I got all the info from. J/K Parkquito!

I know that during peak fishing seasons people surf these sites for info, and never share what they know or how they did following the use of that info. Why should they get the benefit of this or any other site without contributing?

thinking about the topic a little more so if you post a report on the lewis you fished the hatchery and limited in a couple hours. I have never been there am willing to go down and experience the COMBAT FISHING. You think more people will show up even though the fish are in there and every knows it.

I also came to reality about posting like I fish a little river named the Pilchuk my favorite river. You cant keep anything on it but if I posted a report how last year I caught 7 steelhead in 2 1/2. Do you think the people wouldve of showed up even though you cant keep the fish. That is why I fish that river and the sauk not a lot of pressure because you cant keep the fish it just depends what you like.

It's one of the reasons why Fishing And Hunting News isn't widely appreciated. They've printed up full detail maps of rivers which turned said rivers into combat fisheries.

stlhd_dreaming:

I too enjoy reading good stories about fishing trips, successes, etc. Fact is (and I hate to say this) the Internet is a place where lots of folks look for info on where, when, etc. to fish.

It is frustrating for someone to spend, literally, years learning a particular stretch of water and where the fish hang-out at high, low, colored, clear water, etc. and then, just because they shared this precious spot on the web to return there and find oodles of fishermen stomping all over it. That is a lot of effort and expense to pursue their favorite game fish. I for one would never jump on anyone for sharing info, but likewise would certainly respect a persons right to keep their "zipperlip" to themselves. They earned it.

Personally, I have never yet held back on providing what little info I could about where I fish...most folks know I spend 90% of my time in the back yard, and I never made any bones about exactly where that was. Since I have been posting here I have met a BUNCH of great fishermen, and have yet to see one floating past the yard.

From my experiences so far, the only way to truly get out and find those "money holes" is to put out the effort personally. Heck, I have seen folks drift right by some of the best spots on the Skagit, only to then spend time flogging dead water where only suckers and smolt live. (But had not a few knowledgeable folks [from this board] taught me the differences I probably wouldn't have known either!)

Best suggestion? Now that your home, be active on the boards. heck, I have only been on this place a few short months but have racked up a bunch of posts...and by participating have learned, learned about, and put into practice (with some success!) so many tips, pointers and suggestions for newbies to river fishing that I'm in the process of putting it all into a book, meant for rookies.

There will not be any zipperlips spoken of in its pages, however...as that is one of the fruits of ones angling labor and the proof of growing in the knowledge of the quarry we seek.

Mike B

BTW: THANKS for your service in Iraq.

To give you some sense of lurkers, ifish has stats on each thread showing number of posts and number of hits. Not unusual to see a dozen posts on a thread but hundreds and hundreds of hits. Have no reason to believe the stats here would be that much different. Have no particular reason to provide reports for these folks.

Stlhd_dreamin.
So you just got back from Iraq,huh?In the military I assume.Thank you for your service.Glad to see you home safe.Hopefully for good.My nephew just got back after a year.Thank God.Have another cousin thats been there a little longer.Hope he gets back soon.Good luck on your fishin.If I was right on the above,you deserve it.

stlhd drmn - Thanks for your service. Fishing right now in the rivers is pretty limited, most are closed. There is springer fishing going on in the tribs of the Columbia. Cowlitz, Kalama, Lewis, Wind. I'd be happy to pass on what I know - none of these rivers are zippers. I was on the Kalama Sunday evening and saw some bright springers caught - the one bite I had, I missed If you want more information, PM me and I can direct you to a couple of holes on the Kalama where there are fish.

being new here I don't have alot if any pull, I can however say that I agree fully with the rest here. I fish alot and spend alot more money than I catch fish. I put in alot of time for the few fish I catch. If someone wants info on a common fishery i.e jeffs head, point defiance or anywhere like that, I would more than happily post what I know, since the info most people want is whether the fish are there yet and if people are catching them. everyone already knows where those sites are and so its not a secret, that is when coutesy is appreciated for instance you may live in seattle and cannot get down to point defiance everyday where as I might be able to and can let you know not to waste your trip down yet, at the same time, you may have insight into the runs around the seattle area, and my trip next month may benefit from the info you provide. people tend to draw the line and rightfully at telling you exactly where to fish when its not a broadcasted spot. I have several spots I fish at and there will be a circus of boats a half mile away thinking I am an idiot for not being over with them "where the fish are" or so fishing and hunting news says! do you think i am going to run on this site and say hey guys saw you out there not catching anything oh by the way I caught 10 yesterday at these coordinates.I am probably not going to becasue them tommorrow I am joined by 20 other boats and I spend my time avoiding collisiions and not fishing. just my two cents

Maybe I'm just selfish but alot of us have put in alot of foot work to figure out timing and the river that we fish. We have all seen it in one way or another your fishing a river one weekend and are the only boat or two on the river. Someone posts that the fishing was HOT and next weekend you see the fleet pull up and there you go. It not that I don't like to fish around other people though but there are some rude lowholin SOB's out there. My thoughts are if you want to know if a river is hot go fish it you might be pleasantly suprised.

Tight lines

Kevin

ONTHESAUK, I think I know the two rivers you are talking about. I guess for some people the urge to talk about themselves is more important than retaining the quality of a fishing spot.

What I have learned is just like hear say by the time you read or hear about it you already missed it so the best thing to do is just go fishing and enjoy the good days along with the bad days, I never never fall into the looking for a report because it isn't going to happen. The good thing about the internet is making a few friends that you can enjoy just being with in any day on the water!! You need to stop whining and maybe just appreciate what this board does have to offer and believe me good things will come!PEACE.