[carbonbass]

Hey guys, I enjoy posting and reading the forum but it amazes me that even though most of the reports get hundreds of views, there are typically only a few people consistently posting reports. Maybe we can put together a monthly derby for length or weight on a bass to get people to post more reports? Winner gets a BPS gift card or lure or something each month. Idk if anyone cares, but I'm feeling less and less motivated to post a report these days.. only to have a bunch of people lurk it and 3 +/- people reply to it (the same people posting mentioned above). I was on a surf fishing forum when I lived on the west coast and they did monthly derbies for various surf species, it definitely motivated more people to post reports (they actually had a section specifically for it).

 

[Longhorn314]

Yes, the same handful of guys post reports. I post almost every trip I make. I haven't had my boat in the water since May 12th so that's why you don't see some from me. As we all know fishermen tend to be secretive, especially tournament fishermen. I think that's one reason why the reports are limited. The reports on the Texas Fishing Forum are more limited than this site. There has been only two actual freshwater fishing reports since May 31st. I think it is what it is. I really enjoy the details and honesty of the reports here.

 

[Jeremy]

I think its a great idea, but one that is going to get little traction. Everytime I talk to my kayaker aquaintances on the lake they are usually fishing a tournament or derby, either a trail or a last minute deal. I’ve made them aware of my reports, but I don’t think they look at them that often.

From what I hear on the lake, I’m guessing most of the views are coming from people who occasionally fish, usually with family or friends and not competitively. The rest of the views are people outside of the Austin area. I’m sure some views are bots.

My watercraft and tackle are not set up for competitive fishing. I don’t own a net or a Hawg Trough and I’m not going to buy them, either. I like watching the Bassmaster tourneys on FS1, but I also watch American Flat Track and I’m not buying a motorcycle anytime in the near or distant future.

Honestly, I give up on this board about once a year, and then I’ll meet someone on the water who tells me how much they enjoy reading my posts. I like to write a story. Most people recognize it for what it is: a story. My reports are not “fishing reports” but rather a “tall tale” with some “humble brag” mixed in.

I fully agree with Longhorn about the disinclination of most tournament anglers to provide any information that may give away their competitive edge. I feel sorry for the pros that have to have a cameraman in the boat with them all day. Years ago I met an angler at Pflugerville that blasted me for writing about that lake. He insisted that fisherman should keep their cards close to their chest and keep the locations of their fishing spots a secret they take to the grave.

 

[welderdude]

I could be down. Reason I dont post is I still havent figured out how to post a new report, and not super up to date on sending a pic to my laptop to post here. PLUS, I dont always catch fish worthy of pictures, unlike Jeremy, and Longhorn...

 

[Liebersdad]

Good idea. My trips are few and far between in the summer because that's the busiest time of year for my line of work...plus my reports pale in comparison to those of the regular posters.

 

[Liebersdad]

He insisted that fisherman should keep their cards close to their chest and keep the locations of their fishing spots a secret they take to the grave.

the pros can do as they wish but if regular people who fish for fun don't post how will the next generation who doesnt have someone to teach them how to fish learn? case in point, my wife's cousin was an avid salt water angler, but wanted to learn how to fish in fresh water. i directed him here in addition to teaching him what little i know. he now guides on lake travis catching numbers and size. he learned from people like jeremy, longhorn and 512. thanks to y'all he can do what he loves.

 

[carbonbass]

Cool to see all the replies coming in, I'd like to play devils advocate around the argument about keeping a fishing spot a secret, I don't see it as a strong argument to not post a report for various reasons - 1. Fishing spots/bodies of water change regularly, depending on a million and one variables, you know the old saying don't go based on yesterday's report, make your own. 2. Just because you know where someone caught a/some fish doesn't mean it's easy to go poach it, you still have to get the bite and land it yourself. 3. In the tech era we live in, its easier than ever to block out location markers in the picture of your catch, if you really don't want someone to see exactly where you caught it. 4. Regardless of whether you're posting a report about that body of water, someone else is, there are tons of forums, fishing magazines/articles/services, instagram etc etc etc. Anyways it's cool to see regulars and not-so-regulars chiming in on this, I look forward to seeing unread-fresh reports every time I hop onto the forum, not even because I want the tea on the latest hot bite but because I like to live vicariously through other people enjoying what I enjoy, would be neat to see more people participating in it.