Can't disagree with what you say about how many lurkers are on the site FFG89, but there's a lot of new-comers like myself that are just looking for information regarding rigs, gear and technique rather than a spot off your GPS. I could spend hours upon hours reading books,(which I do anyhow), and searching on line for information, but I prefer to talk to, or chat on-line with, people that know what they are doing. It saves tons of time sorting wheat from chaff regarding the information and what works. Case in point is the thread on here regarding your top ten salmon lures. When it boiled down to it there were about 7-8 lures that almost everyone had as proven performers with a smattering of others thrown in the mix. As a newbie to west coast fishing, I could not even begin to calculate how much money this thread may have saved me in buying any of the gazzillion lures out there, experimenting with them, burning the boat gas, etc, only to find that with less than 20 lures in my tackle box, I could have all of the ones that are proven performers here. Yes there may be days on the water when only one of the lures not in that mix is the magic one catching fish, but for the most part I know with some degree of confidence that if I have those 20 lures in the box, the odds of me coming home with a fish are greatly increased on average.
It's no different on this Hali fishing thread. I can now eliminate a ton of water as unproductive area knowing the most productive depths and bottom structure, on average. I now know that the heavily scented baits will perform better, and to watch for large structure on flats that creates eddys in current where the big ones lye in wait. I also have learned that by knocking bottom I can potentially not only attract fish but trigger a strike that would otherwise be missed.
And I'm sure that there is more techniques and info out there.
Those of us that FISH want to learn what works and then try it on our own. Nothing beats the satisfaction you get from doing things this way.
The people out there that follow the guides, or park on someone else's butt are not fishermen to begin with. They are boat owners with a rod. Don't give them the satisfaction of being classed as sportsman. If they were sportsmen they would not behave the way they do.
And to the guides that share info between one another in order to put clients on fish, GOOD ON YOU. You are providing a valuable service not only to them, but to your communities as the clients spend their money with you and the other businesses in the region. There's nothing like successful word of mouth advertising to generate new and return business. But sharing your spots with another operator is far different than posting that info here. It is equivalent to inviting someone aboard your boat. That's the difference.
I doubt that many of the people who are participating members of this site, if any, ever drive up the butt of the guides to find a spot to fish. And those of us that are new to the sport appreciate the wealth of knowledge you provide us with on here. So as a newbie I say thanks and keep the flow of info coming.
