Giving Away Spots

[nightstalker]

Hey everyone, put up a post about my North Coast snapper trip and had everyone asking about where it was - and a couple getting a little bit narky about me not being forthcoming.

Thing is, am i being a bastard. You could go thru my posts and work it out or look at what others are saying - i just dont want to come out and say it. Its taken us ten years to work this out and get consistent now to the point where we get reds over 4 kilos every year for four or five years now.

We got 10 snapper over 3 kilos in 20 trips to sea over 16 days - we put in the hard yards and i wasnt bragging so much as showing people that if they put the effort in to work out a system some great reds are there for the taking. My 7.3kg red was the 100th keeper of the trip (no we dont keep them all) so it takes some effort.

Personally, when others say spot X in the harbour or whatever, i love it - a bit of a challenge to work out a system at least knowing there is some hope.

Let us know your opinion on giving up the goods.

I said in my report that its more about working out the system than exactly where. We had prob ten boats fishing the same water as us over the 2 weeks - the ones who got the system worked out got the fish - the ones that followed us and anchored 50m away got nothing cause the reefs and peaks are small.

[luderick -angler]

No not all nightstalker,

try getting a red hot luderick spot out of a seasoned angler like me or the old man near impossible unless your part of the inner sanctum of the vatican!

I have given up well known spots but there are spots in Sydney that no one has a clue about and if they do there either dead or Roosterman and there is a way to fish them that few know how to. Secret spots have demanded hours regardless of specis andits always good to keep a few quiet!

Edited July 28, 2008 by luderick -angler

[Guest Big-Banana]

Half the fun of fishing is sourcing your own spots!!! Instead of being the guy who goes near the pack (and they generally aren't catching a thing) just stinks of laziness.

[stylo]

Hey everyone, put up a post about my North Coast snapper trip and had everyone asking about where it was - and a couple getting a little bit narky about me not being forthcoming.

The ones that get narky are usually the ones that don't catch fish ... stuff 'em. What people do like to hear though are things like tackle used, time of day/tides, technique .. and maybe the general area you are fishing, if you wish to share that.

I have not read your posts, but keeping it interesting is all that matters. No point in just putting pics up either.

Just my thoughts !

[humesy]

You are well within your rights there. Tell 'em nothing you don't want to. Having said that, I say kudos to Grant (Jewhunter) and a few others here who have helped me out previously with specific spots. Trouble is nowadays, you don't know who will respect the hard earned info you have gathered and will respect the places you fish.

There are spots I have told others about but only to those who I have come to know somehow or people who have helped me out. Then there are other spots I would never mention over the net and even in person.

Bottom line is, its a personal choice. Nobody should expect you to be forthcoming and nobody should ask specifics unless they have something to offer themselves.

[brickman]

give em nothing and take em noware

just joking yes a very delicate subject

hear's how i see it you do'nt have to give the exact spot away how ever a general location can be very helpful to fellow raiders

eg if i had a good trip up north i would say i caught the fish at crowdy head

what i would keep to my self is where, mermade reef,ashton bommy,gilles reef.the lighthouse wide

you get the idea.dddddooooooooo did i just give those spots away bugger there all on the back off the coastgard map anyway

as for the harbor well there are 6000 spot x just in the main harbor if you think you have found a spot x that no one fishes 20 people fished it last week and 120 people sounded the area last weekend

what i like to do is give everyone a shot at the fish there is plenty to go around and to give some one a few tips that is having trouble to me is what fishing is all about

i fished for 20 odd years off the rocks[there's not much i do'nt know]however in a boat was a differant matter and if it was'nt for the people on this site i would still be in the dark

gaffer with tides moons and jew habits

slinky for livey rigs and hooks

the list goes on and on

so do'nt feel you have to give away your spot x just the general area but more so the time tide and bait

gives fellow raiders a head start

anyway thats my 2 bobs worth cherrs gary

[roosterman]

hi nightstalker,

this is a good topic to bring up and i think alot of people could learn from it...

i think every fisho has the right to decide whether to name "spot x" or keep it quiet...

spot x is not whats most important in fishing success rather than techniques and finding structures and behaviours of species...

im sure that small reef/wreck you have would produce as good as other nearby structure within similar situations if you know what i mean....

i see it in the hawksbury where the hordes hit juno/flint and steal and ive had much better success from somewhere near there from looking at the things that would influence the chances of holding fish....

some places do require you to keep them discreet as if widely known you may miss out due to people caning it and theres some spots i know will never be broadcast unless your in the know so to speak or if its been passed on the same way.....

then theres the spots that for whatever reason its ok to share to hopefully help someone get a better fishing experiance from instead of catching zip when you know they shouldnt be.. i try to pass on whats been passed on to me within reason... but thats everyones right to choose..

this site has a wealth of knowledge published from many great fishoes and it can lesson the learning curve a great deal if you seek you will find so to speak.... and not follow the crowds to say shark island kingy spots when theres other spots nearby that hold them also...

pictures with tides/tackle/baits etc is really what helps and anything extra is a bonus i think...

just my 2 bobs worth anyway...so dont get put off as theres always people out there to winge and whine and those that appreciate the report for what it is ..

cheers...steve.....

[stylo]

Trouble is nowadays, you don't know who will respect the hard earned info you have gathered and will respect the places you fish.

Well said mate.

[arpie]

Well said LA & Steve - anyway Nightstalker, on any given day, the spot that worked yesterday may not work tomorrow for a variety of reasons! The idea is to have a few spots up your sleeve, so that you can move from one to the other & even back to the original, until you find one that is working today! Sometimes, you may not catch at all - but you know you've given it a bloody good go!

There are a stack of 'older' books around that have a lot of areas well marked for catching .... even the GPS points for offshore - if they do their homework, they'll find the spots!

It is not often that I will give top spots away unless actually fishing with the person up here ..... but it is still up to them to do the catching!

It is about bait choice & presentation, tidal flow, structure & ability to land the fish that you do actually hook!

There is nothing better than checking out a new spot & having it produce on what you have taken to it! You will continue going back to that spot for the next 20 years, (whilst mixing it up with other spots) hoping that it will produce again! Whether it does or not, is up to the fishing gods!

Cheerio

Roberta

[inhlanzi]

Good topic nightstalker!

Stay a bastard!!!

I will only tell those I know and have earned my trust.

I used to tell all and sundry and quickly found out by doing that a small armada would arrive at the spots!!!

Also after one good report I made the next day a bloke arrived and laid a 200m net right across the area!

Look what happened to the Kings in Pittwater two years back...

I have been told about some fantastic spots by others. If they arrive (those who told me about it ) on the spot I will usually move.

You can also give people spots but it is how and when they fish the spots that makes the BIG difference.

I have caught fish in amazing places that you would never think of fishing.

One of my biggest thrills in fishing is to find a "New" spot.

Great reds by the way!

cheers

inhlanzi

[Jiggy]

I totally agree with you, your spots and you choose who to share them with. Personlly I would never put on the net where a spot is; as Inhlanzi has experienced no one wins when that happens.

Also as Roberta has said it's not just knowing the spots but how and when to fish them. I know a pretty good bream spot at Merimbula that hardly anyone fishes properly. One year down there I told someone where and when as the had been there a week without catching anything. Bumped into them a day later and got told off for lying to them, they had fished there all morning for nothing.

They listened to the where but they paid no attention to the when, which I had told them! The when is:

at night and no lights.

rising tide

Ultra fresh bait (slimey/yakka etc)

light line

no sinker

burley (I use chicken pellets)

Went there that night and caught a swag - including a four pounder - and busted off on a jew that ran around an anchor line. You just can't help some people.

Keep up the good work!

Cheers

Jiggy

[Dreamtime]

Totally agree.

It's called fishing - it's meant to be a sport.

Develop skills, techniques and know how that will enable you to have an edge on the next bloke.

Like any sports person - you must train at least once a week - you can't expect to roll up on match day and have a win without putting in that extra effort.

With the knowledge that many Raiders impart on this forum, it's not that difficult to put them into practice.

Look for the "drop-offs", the reefs, the varying depths and bottom structures, etc, etc. The baits and rigs have all been mentioned regularly also.

Too many people are not prepared to invest the time needed to become a good fisherperson - they want to get to spot X in a short as possible time, and more than likely have passed over several spot X's on their way to their present location.

If you are so lazy as to request exactly where spot X is, then you might as well just go down to the local fish shop and purchase your requirements

It's not shopping, where you know you can go and get exactly what you want.

[Davemmm]

If blokes are pushing to find the magic spot with no effort then they will never find their own good spots when the fish move on.

Having said that there has been a couple of posts over time that simply say "caught this fish last night" that makes for a boring report if you dont know the area it was taken from. I dont need spot X but I would like to know that a fish was taken in middle harbour or botany bay or Georges river etc.

Dave

[shefford]

I enjoy finding my own spots, took dad out a while back and he lined up some highrises and a mountain and it was a little 50metre reef no1 knew of in the heart of the 24/36's off southport.

Was quite unique to see how people used to find reefs.

Still currently trying to find more reefs and my own spots, even though we don't produce much most times, with experience and testing we will get better knowledge of whats out there.

Keep your spots to yourself imo

But always help out a friend!

[sanger]

Im with everyone else.... share if you want as it helps others out and thats usually how you found out the information in the first place but if you decide not to pass on the spot dont feel bad for not doing so, but maybe throw a few hints out about tackle, technique etc as thats what fishraider is about!

[Mik]

Its very interesting to read who is supporting you & advising you to stick to your guns & not tell specifics. Most, if not all these persons are fishos, in the true sense of the word. They take pride in working things out themselves after a few small tips (Which we all receive from time to time) and generally are more likely the type of people who can fish succsesfully in many different environments by applying a few strategies they have fine tuned through many many hours of practice.

This is opposed to the type of people who would be likely to give you negative feedback and are noted by their absence here in this post. If you can't get enjoyment from taking some helpful tackle & technique advice rather than a gps mark on an exact location then I really don't think you can call yourself a fisho, lets face it your a passenger . You are probably more suited to purchasing shares in a fish farm & skull dragging fish out by the net full.

The knowledge & experience available on this site is astounding. Why the hell people must have exact locations is beyond me when everyone knows locations mean nothing if have no method to excersise when you get to these magic spots and yet if you took the time to read & learn from the information herein you really wouldn't want a big pink flare marking a spot for you.

For me, I am clueless in alot of areas when it comes to fishing. I love it, I hate it & I would be forever depressed without it. But one thing remains the same for me any situation I find myself in. What can I learn here to help me get to a stage where I can start to look at the environment, study my prey, apply a few neat little lessons I learned & pull a magical creature from the water because I managed to tie it all together, by myself. No better acheivment can come for me.......now all I need is to find that feckin' receipe & I'm set!

Disclaimer: This post by no means reflects the authors desire to commit to memory any delicious little secret coordinates that other members may wish to impart.

[andrew399]

I rekon if you want to tell us where you caught the fish thats awsome! Telling the body of water, or part of the harbour (ie Middle harbour, main harbour etc) is almost equally as good because it lets us know what fish are around and a rough indication of where to target them. If someone catches a fish in Middle harbour then there is a fair chance you will be able to do the same fishing anywhere in that area if you use fresh baits and light tackle...

On the other hand, if you want to keep your spots secret that is also fine. It shits me to tears all the people whinging about giving up spots. Spend a few days on the water exploring yourself and it makes the catch so much better. Dont hassle the blokes that put up reports of great catches about releasing the spots they fish. The amount of work that would have gone into sussing out those north coast snapper is amazing, and the tips he has given in the report are awsome and saves people that want to give them a go weeks of trying different things.

Blocking out photos is VERY annoying though!

thats my 2 bob.

[Davemmm]

What about if we had a section that we could post all the spots that failed to deliver.

My list alone is probably too long for this site to handle.

Dave

[diver1]

What about if we had a section that we could post all the spots that failed to deliver.

My list alone is probably too long for this site to handle.

Dave

Good one dave i could write a book!! but i guess i had to go thru the bad spots to find the good spots. although i aint got many

[Thunder]

I think a general idea of where you caught the fish adds to the interest of the story. There are that many Spot X in the harbour it is stupid, why can't you say around The Spit, Clifton Gardens, North Head, Quarantine, etc. Everyone knows spots in these areas and there are several spots to fish in each area. A "General" area is far more interesting than Spot X, South Coast, North Coast, etc.

Then there are the ones that catch a fish in NZ or SA and say they got them in the harbour !!!

It's a bit far fetched when they have their Maori Tats on them, or newspaper is still attached.

The Forum is here to help people, but you don't have to spoon feed them the fish as well.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people like me who only get to fish every now and again, so the more tips the better it helps us, as we don't have the time to put in yet. Lets face it, even if you knew the exact spot, exact time and exact method, it doesn't mean you are going to catch a fish.

We spent all day Saturday until 11am Sunday on the Hawkesbury with a Jewfish expert on our boat who has fished the river for 40 years. He showed us all the great spots, we fished them at the right times, had a mixture of live bait and good dead bait and had a cocktail of baits out at all times, and we did not get any Jew the 30 hours and 10 locations we were there.

I went on a charter with Ross Hunter after yellowfin and we did not get a bite the whole day. He put us on Browns Mountain, using his equipment, his methods, his bait and even with his experience, no fish were brought into the boat that day - not even a bite.

So when you offer information, it doesn't mean the people reading it will get fish. You have the skills that you have developed over the years and you catch fish. Us part timers, have no chance without help.

As someone else said, the only problems are that if it is widely known, you may have trouble fishing your spot as it may become crowded, and there are also the professionals to think about (not that they can net reefs).

Remember, you are volunteering information, no-one is forcing you, and they should not pester you for it. You should only give as much info as you are comfortable giving. Lets face it, fish stocks and quality have been decimated over the years, and thumpers are a lucky catch - like winning the Lotto. How many normal fish do you get compared to Thumpers? Some are fish of a lifetime and unless you go to an exotic location, you have got no chance of beating it. Look at Andy Z's snapper 28.5lb - I would love to know where that one was caught! I would love to catch one that was the weight of its head!!!

So I believe you should pass on "General" Location info and make the story interesting.

One day I might want to go on holidays and go fishing - the North Coast is a very big place, so at least you could narrow it down a bit !!! Most reefs usually cover square km's so the chances of them finding your exact spot are pretty slim, even if they know which reef. Then there are the times, tides, baits, gear, etc. Sometimes this is more important than where.

Lets say you go there every May and you tell them May is the best time. 20 extra boats might be there in May every year when you are there, and if you tell them the tides and times, etc they will be there at the same time as you.

I hope this helps

Cheers

Greg

[Nolongeramember]

I dont like giving away too much information myself and I dont expect anyone else to if they dont want to. If they want to then thats ok too I dont mind

It takes alot of time and effort to find a productive area to just then give it away to potentially hundreds of people who read here and there friends. Next thing u know your favourite spot you sussed out is taken over and theres nothing left.

I would like to hear there side from the people who are pestering for locations and why they should be given up if asked for.

[caranx]

Google earth, some books, some research over the net and some time out fishing will help work out whats best...Being land based I'm not keen on coughing up my fav spots , but am all too willing to help out on tackle, rigs, and techniques.

[jim77]

A great topic!

I have fished all of my life since i was a young kid, and until i saw common sense and emigrated from England to come to Sydney 8 years ago, nearly all of my fishing had been done in freshwater!

I have asked for specific GPS marks from people and other guidance but as many raiders have already mentioned - part of the fun of fishing is just exploring and finding out things for yourself. I am lucky in that i get quite a lot of time on the water in the week when it is generally a bit quieter. I have only recently had a sounder on my boat and it is amazing being able to see what is under the water. From the information on this site i have a pretty good idea of most of the productive areas around the harbour and then with the help of the sounder you go and check them out yourself.

As Roberta mentioned - there are plenty of books available that list GPS spots. Once you have the general area you will often find a better spot of your own. For example I had numerous GPS marks for the Peak - but when i actually used them 5 or 6 out of the 7 i had were rubbish... so all i did was spend a bit of tim,e sounding around and i found some great marks of my own. I have been back to the same spot 3 times and everytime it has produced big style - but its not mentioned anywhere in any of the books or marks i got off the internet. I'm sure other people have found the same spot but i won;t be handing it out.

Hints and tips are always useful as are tackle and techniques but if you want to keep it secret then why not!

[nightstalker]

So I believe you should pass on "General" Location info and make the story interesting.

One day I might want to go on holidays and go fishing - the North Coast is a very big place, so at least you could narrow it down a bit !!! Most reefs usually cover square km's so the chances of them finding your exact spot are pretty slim, even if they know which reef. Then there are the times, tides, baits, gear, etc. Sometimes this is more important than where.

Lets say you go there every May and you tell them May is the best time. 20 extra boats might be there in May every year when you are there, and if you tell them the tides and times, etc they will be there at the same time as you.

I hope this helps

Cheers

Greg

Greg, that is the point and i have answered a number of personal emails giving some more specific info based on direct questions that show that the fishos have some initiative.

If i was too specific there may be 20 extra boats there next year, we may then find it harder in future to book our house, launch in the morning and so on. We do get fish and we do get followed around because of it. Reefs do cover square kilometres but several times this trip there was four other boats fishing right on us - driving up and anchoring in our berley trail and stuff like that right on peak time when we had been already berleying for an hour and just starting to get some takes. We had run the bar in the dark based on observations and hundreds of bar crossings so we can get set - then they motor up at first light and bugger us up. This is partly cause they see us with fish at the tables but also cause we fish two boats together - often on the same small reef or kelp bed and this brings them from miles - 2 boats - must be fish there.

So to even say this town or that one could encourage 10 or 20 more knobs to come and do that.

Its about systems and knowledge and working it out. If i thought everyone did that then no probs. Some days there were 10 boats out on this reef system - all with a clue and none within 150m of each other - all keyed in and all getting fish.

[slinkymalinky]

G'day Nightstalker,

Your spots are just that.... your spots. You put in the effort to work them out and you have every right to be secretive about them. Anyone who gives you a hard time about not divulging them us just plain lazy and ignorant.

I made the mistake of posting a few pics at one stage of some harbour kings that stupidly showed background landmarks. The couple of times I fished the spot before the post there were only ever 1 or 2 people fishing the spot, the following weekend there were about a dozen.

I don't mind sharing info to a point in public but my thinking is to guide people on the path, don't take them to the destination. If they don't enjoy the journey, they're not the kind of fishos I want to share water with anyway. I sometimes give away marks to raider friends, but that often becomes a 'sharing' thing anyway. The more information people share with me, the more I'm happy to return the favour... but I'd only ever give a special mark to someone I knew wasn't going to abuse the knowledge.

Mate... stick to your guns.

Cheers, Slinky