I pose the question "Why do people refuse to give information on exact spots to fish?"

I see two sides to this topic.

First side: I don't want a bunch of people over-fishing my favorite proven spots. I don't want to have to compete to get to those spots before someone else does. I don't want the fish in that spot to become accustomed to being fished heavily. I took me hard work and countless hours to find that spot.

Side 2: There is a high likelihood that we will never be on those lakes at the same time. The conditions will never be exactly the same as when you were there. If we are striving to make all of our cumulative experiences as good as they can be then we should be sharing. Someone may not be good at fishing and needs to learn what to look for and where, and then how to fish it correctly to have success. Why wouldn't I want to help them? There are an enormous number of lakes and fish in the BWCA and, with a permitted system, it would be difficult to over-fish any one lake.

When I list out the first side, I think to myself, man that sounds so selfish. When I list out the 2nd side, I see no fault in the reasoning.

So give them or not, what are your thoughts, and why? I'm curious as to the types of responses I will get.

And for added fun, this blue walleye was caught along with a bunch of other great fish on the Basswood River, just after Wheelbarrow Falls before getting to campsite 1547. There is a shoot of faster water before the river widens back out that is about 8-10 feet deep. Park in the current seam and toss along the bottom. We used jigs and a dark olive curly tail grub. Caught many great fish that day. About 5-6 hours of non-stop action in the rain between there and the falls.

I am always willing to share my good fishing holes. I want fellow fishermen to be successful on their trips that they have spent so much money and time to prepare for.

Telling people where to fish does not guarantee success. They still have to have to figure out what methods will work for that particular day and conditions. If I can tip the tides to the fisherman’s side a little bit, I am more then happy to help.

As a matter of fact, I am in the process of making a CD with over 100 of my honey holes in BWCA, Quetico and many other Northland lakes that I am going to share with interested fellow die hard anglers.

I give out my fishing hot spots all the time. You would have to duplicate the bait, time of day, presentation, weather, etc. Chances are I will not be going back there for many years anyway so it’s not that big of a deal to me. There’s too many other lakes for me to check out and fish.

I think everyone on this site bends over backwards to help other fishermen.

Beautiful fish! And thanks for the tip. I am going right through there next week. FWIW I choose the route so I could run a jig through all the waterfall tail outs. But great to know there's fish in there right now.

AmarilloJim: "I think everyone on this site bends over backwards to help other fishermen"

Yes, ALSO, last time I visited BW (from CA, in 2016), I posted up here for guidance and someone emailed a copy of their annotated map. People on this site are awesome.

I usually don't mind giving away my fishing spots. If it's a popular lake, then my spots are usually somebody else's as well. On the other hand, there are places I fish that I know no one else fishes and therefor, I will not give them away. There are spots that I fished this summer and I never saw a soul. These are places I found because I did my own research and through trial and error, found some hidden gems. Take some time to use lakefinder and a map and you can find some great fishing lakes that few people visit.

AmarilloJim: "I think everyone on this site bends over backwards to help other fishermen"

Yep. Hot one time and not the next. Current, pinches, reefs, benches, points, blown shores... they are everywhere and 'hot' sometimes. I also think many fishermen have that "Ace in the hole card" place that they hold close to the vest.

Just back from a week solo. I did a day trip to Rocky Lake just north of Oyster and caught 60 smallies in about 4 hours, sizes ranged from 8 inches to 19 inches. I was using a jig head with a black and purple plastic worm within 3-5 feet of shore. It was non stop and I only left when the winds picked up.

I have some spots I will give away and a couple I won't. In general I don't mind giving up a spot but I do mind people who expect that a spot be given up.

I have no issues sharing exact spots for the most part. I don't think the BW or Quetico is going to be outfished anytime soon. I've had several trips saved by a hot tip from other fisherman met on a portage or while out fishing. Those simple acts will never be forgotten. Plenty of community holes I'll share in hopes someone can get a fresh fish fry and enjoy their trip. Zero chance I'll share my sunken reefs or large boulder GPS coordinates that don't show up on a lake map though :)

I dunno.........Special spots dont remain special for long when you start giving them away. You tell this guy, he tells the next guy etc. etc.

On the other hand, in hard to get to fisheries where most of the fish will be let go anyways I dont mind being generous with knowledge.

On the other, other hand ;-) there is a part of me which understands the WORK and TIME which often goes into figuring out whats going on. And then to just dish it off to someone who might not have any idea of what it took to earn the spot just seems sort of wrong.

I have learned the hard way that to take somebody to a secret back in the woods spot that nobody fishes.........only to see him and his pal there just leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Geez, really?

When I was a kid, my dad, brother, and I would fish ponds created by building overpasses for freeways. Those ponds were great for a year or two, but more and more people fished them and you'd see them leaving with stringers of 14" bass and then 12" bass and then 8" bass.

I fish lakes north of Quetico and if I catch an 8" bass, I stop and photograph it. It's likely the only such fish I'll see all week and whereas it's funny to see such a small fish nowadays, if another people start fishing those lakes, that's all I'll see. So, I don't fish and tell.

I notice that QM doesn't name lakes too and I understand. Those are big bass he catches and he wants to keep them big and coming.

missmolly: "When I was a kid, my dad, brother, and I would fish ponds created by building overpasses for freeways. Those ponds were great for a year or two, but more and more people fished them and you'd see them leaving with stringers of 14" bass and then 12" bass and then 8" bass.


I fish lakes north of Quetico and if I catch an 8" bass, I stop and photograph it. It's likely the only such fish I'll see all week and whereas it's funny to see such a small fish nowadays, if another people start fishing those lakes, that's all I'll see. So, I don't fish and tell.


I notice that QM doesn't name lakes too and I understand. Those are big bass he catches and he wants to keep them big and coming. "

Exactly. I will tell friends about certain spots and lakes, but I will never tell them over a public forum for thousands of people to see.

There is a lake by Isanti, MN. (I bet some on here know about it) It is a smaller lake right off the road that no one fished. Then word got out that there were 15-16 inch crappies being caught. You could go out there on a weekend during the winter and not even need to bring an auger. 100's of holes already drilled. I even had a little kid walk up and put his line in my hole I was fishing:) I just laughed. Only time I fished that lake. Now there is not a crappie to be found in that lake.
Word of a hotspot does spread.

Walllee, let me know when your CD is ready.

I asked a question about fishing on the big lake on another forum. A fella replied with some general information but offered to provide more details if I called him. I had to track him down, he didn't provide his phone number. I called and told him who I was and introduced myself. He told me specifically where to fish, location, depth, and color of spoons to use. He commented that he once posted detailed info on the forum and the next day there was a flotilla on the spot. He no longer provides detailed data on any forum. He still offers to help if someone takes the time to call him, also said almost no one ever calls.

There is a way to share fishing spots, just take it off line and don't post specifics on the forum. Not only will you help someone out and possibly make their trip much more enjoyable, you may just make a new friend in the process. I think I have.

JAT

I think for me it depends on the species....lakes and/or spots with high numbers of big pike or plentiful and large lake trout will not be divulged in a public forum. I am only very minimally concerned about running into someone in "my" spot, but I see enough pictures on this website of people with 40''+ pike in camp or big lake trout on stringers to worry about the long-term effect of publicizing lakes, especially small ones, in a public forum. Fishing pressure matters, even up nort', (compare quality and size of fishing and fish in BWCA vs. Q, or pictures of the stringers of old timers compared to what's available now, for example), and I have no intention of speeding up the decline of trophy fishing in canoe country.

Now, a species like smallmouth is spreading so fast I'm not sure anything will stop them (plus, not a whole lot of people eat them and I'd guess hooking mortality is lower than them than in trophy-sized fish). You can have all my great smallie spots...Just ask. :)

Sharing online is different than telling someone face to face. Also, some of my spots are tiny and on marginal lakes; I keep those under my hat. Sometimes there are enough to go around, sometimes not.

Exactly lundojam. If I were sitting with you over a beer or dinner and liked you, I'd probably gladly spill some beans. ;)

Hot spots get hit and everyone eats the big fish then all the fish get small and it isn't hot anymore. We catch and release, most people do not.

I tend to share my spots with people especially if face to face or in private. I would not share info on an easy to get to lake or entry lake. Those lakes already get hammered enough and I am not going to add to that.

I do have a policy though if someone else told me about an area or spot, out of respect for that person I do not share that information. It is theirs to decide to share or not.

As others have said, telling people spots isn’t always helpful. Time of year, technique, current conditions all play a role. Funny thing is often you can find a better spot on your own or better spot based on that time of year. I remember one trip this group was coming out of Insula and shared how they just slayed the big walleyes and were so excited...we wasted 1 day trying to reproduce what they were doing but the pattern had already changed, we switched gears and did well eventually on our own...valuable lesson.

T

missmolly: "When I was a kid, my dad, brother, and I would fish ponds created by building overpasses for freeways. Those ponds were great for a year or two, but more and more people fished them and you'd see them leaving with stringers of 14" bass and then 12" bass and then 8" bass.


I fish lakes north of Quetico and if I catch an 8" bass, I stop and photograph it. It's likely the only such fish I'll see all week and whereas it's funny to see such a small fish nowadays, if another people start fishing those lakes, that's all I'll see. So, I don't fish and tell.


I notice that QM doesn't name lakes too and I understand. Those are big bass he catches and he wants to keep them big and coming. "

I do everything I can to help people fish better in the northwoods, but I am not going to give out exact locations. I found those locations on my own by fishing. I feel others should find their own fishing spot as well, and they can do that by fishing. I can tell you what lures to use, when to use the lures, how to use those lures with the correct presentation, what structures to look for, but I feel you should go fishing to find those special spots of your own. Isn't that part of the fun? It is for me. Good luck! And if you ever have any questions feel free to ask. If you ever want to read any of my articles just send me an email - queticomike@yahoo.com - and request them.

I am 100% with Mike on this. I love to help people catch fish but refuse to actually specify exact locations. THAT is supposed to be one of the fun parts, actually finding the fish. I will, however, describe exactly what kind of spots you should be looking for. I cannot stress enough that the absolute best way to become a good fisherman is to fish... a lot. And if something isn't working TRY SOMETHING ELSE! I am convinced that the number 1 mistake up there is to fish over the top of the fish. A few weeks ago we watched 6 anglers in 3 canoes fish below a rapids on the Malign river for 1 hour and catch 2 small fish. We went in immediately after them and caught over 30 fish with some being real bruisers. We caught quality pike, walleye and smallmouth for 2 hours on various lures. On our tow out to Crane lake we rode with a bunch of anglers that had not done well fishing, and we felt that the fishing was pretty darn good for August. When talking specifics, it was obvious that they were fishing too fast, too shallow, and not looking for specific deep water structure. We gave them a LOT of information, but NO specific spots:)

The park is not going to get overfished. No fishing pressure 7 months out of the year. The spots I give out have pretty much zero trophy potential for walleyes, pretty common up there on smaller lakes given the forage base. No amount of eater walleyes kept or traffic from this website is going to have a negative impact on those spots. I wouldn't give out exact spots outside the BWCA for reasons already mentioned. Overfished spot on a river system with an entry point quota of two per day I'm not seeing it. The casual fisherman which most are just want a meal to enhance the trip.

1/2 the folks visiting probably don't fish. 1/2 the remaining fisherman probably only have a realistic chance of catching smallies. 99% are not going to use the search function here to rehash the same old what lures, locations, and baits discussed weekly by many folks who haven't even wet a line in the park in years.

When paddling out and passing people on a portage with fishing gear, I will always ask what lake(s) they plan on fishing. If they say a lake I was fishing on, I will always tell them what depth we had our best luck on. If they ask and have young kids with them and have a map handy, I will give them a couple spots to try. I always use leeches and have a depth finder. Most of the places I fish are mid lake humps and will use a marker buoy to mark the spot on the spot when fishing and pick it up at the end of the day. I don't feel these spots will ever get over fished as usually those I'm giving the info. to don't have leeches or a depth finder. Without that combo, it is often times tough to catch fish in late July/early August.

FlambeauForest: "The park is not going to get overfished. No fishing pressure 7 months out of the year. The spots I give out have pretty much zero trophy potential for walleyes, pretty common up there on smaller lakes given the forage base. No amount of eater walleyes kept or traffic from this website is going to have a negative impact on those spots. I wouldn't give out exact spots outside the BWCA for reasons already mentioned. Overfished spot on a river system with an entry point quota of two per day I'm not seeing it. The casual fisherman which most are just want a meal to enhance the trip.
"

The BWCA *is* "overfished," though it depends what we mean by that term. Look at photos from the ol' days (Dorothy Moulter, Bob Cary, etc.) or read the stories of their catches. Look at the significant number of lakes chock full of dinky northerns and walleyes. Ask an outfitter who's been around a while if fishing is better today than it was when they started (not including smallmouth fishing, of course). You're certainly right to point out that other factors contribute to the frequency of big fish and the size structure of a lake, but I can't imagine it's a coincidence that many of the busiest lakes (especially the smaller ones) have "zero trophy potential," as you say.

I was actually discussing fishing pressure with my friend on my last trip. We were considering popular BWCA lakes like the Number Chain, Agnes, Polly, etc. I would guess the pressure on these lakes is quite substantial, and possibly higher than on the "average" MN lake. Just a guess, of course.

I am heading to BWCAW next Monday (from Texas). It will be my 8th trip (would be more except for the 1500 miles between us). My first few trips were with BSA, and 100 milers so there was little chance of fishing. My latter trips were "adult" trips in Sep with a focus on fishing (and solitude).
My purpose is only to catch enough fish to eat and no more. On my last trip, I released a half dozen fish because I had eaten enough.
I am not inspired to trophy fish but I would like to catch a variety of species. I have caught lots of smallies and pike BUT HAVE NEVER CAUGHT A WALLEYE!! GRRRRR
On this trip, I am taking a noobie to the BWCAW. A friend gave me some locations for walleye (and other) which he had gotten from an outfitter. I am also taking a depth finder this time.
We have our canadian papers, so will fish into Quetico and hoping against hope that we will catch some Walleye.

Isn't there a pride factor involved? I know there is with me. I take much more satisfaction in finding my own hotspot and figuring it all out. For me, that rivals the actual catching part. I will seldom gravitate to a known spot that someone tells me about preferring instead to make my own luck.

Hardheaded? Perhaps, but there is nothing quite like the feeling of finding a really productive spot on your own, plugging in the information and the clues, and then having it pay off big time. Very satisfying IMO.

On the other hand, when all else fails I might slip over to where somebody else is catching the crap out of them. I remember spending a couple days at the Bass Islands in Lake Erie (legendary smallmouth fishery) and doing rather poorly. I recognized a charter boat which was anchored and went a polite distance away and we ended up going through our minnow supply in short order. So pride does have its limits I suppose ;-)

1.Freedom of Speech.
2.None of Your Business -if I tell someone or don't.
3.Please get over the drama of it all.
4. I've seen a few people who are "hush" "hush" ask "where did you catch all those fish?"
I tell them and then they catch fish and don't tell anyone when asked and tell me I shouldn't be blabbing the spot around. People come on????

My favorite is asking good sticks who don't lie but don't want to tell you anything.
When you bring up a lake and a subject change is immediate you know that is the lake with a good bite going on. You can extrapolate a lot of info from these fellows.

It's all so funny to me from years of talking to baitshop guys, fishermen and others. I find great humor in the humaness of it all LOL.

The further away and harder to get to the fishing honey hole is the more likely I am to disclose it to others. If someone is willing to put in the time and effort to get to the spot then I'm more than happy to reveal the secrets. But I will be more tight-lipped about spots that are easy to get to... including BWCA spots that are only a portage or two in from entry point lakes. There is no way the remote lakes are going to get enough pressure from canoe-camper-fisherpeople to damage the fishery.

I will give info on walleye smallmouth northern pike and some panfish spots but
the chances of me giving up Brook Trout info is between slim and none and slim just left town :-)

haha to me I have hierarchy of spots sure their are areas and spots I’ll tell on the internet. And then the spots I’ll give out if someone emails me. Then you have your spots. These typically have very special memories attached. These spots are what make fishin so special. BTW I’ve always had real good luck on the reef just east of beaver island on Bayle Bay. Peace Love.

carmike: "

FlambeauForest: "The park is not going to get overfished. No fishing pressure 7 months out of the year. The spots I give out have pretty much zero trophy potential for walleyes, pretty common up there on smaller lakes given the forage base. No amount of eater walleyes kept or traffic from this website is going to have a negative impact on those spots. I wouldn't give out exact spots outside the BWCA for reasons already mentioned. Overfished spot on a river system with an entry point quota of two per day I'm not seeing it. The casual fisherman which most are just want a meal to enhance the trip.
"

The BWCA *is* "overfished," though it depends what we mean by that term. Look at photos from the ol' days (Dorothy Moulter, Bob Cary, etc.) or read the stories of their catches. Look at the significant number of lakes chock full of dinky northerns and walleyes. Ask an outfitter who's been around a while if fishing is better today than it was when they started (not including smallmouth fishing, of course). You're certainly right to point out that other factors contribute to the frequency of big fish and the size structure of a lake, but I can't imagine it's a coincidence that many of the busiest lakes (especially the smaller ones) have "zero trophy potential," as you say

.


I was actually discussing fishing pressure with my friend on my last trip. We were considering popular BWCA lakes like the Number Chain, Agnes, Polly, etc. I would guess the pressure on these lakes is quite substantial, and possibly higher than on the "average" MN lake. Just a guess, of course.
"

You are joking right ?

mastertangler: "Isn't there a pride factor involved? I know there is with me. I take much more satisfaction in finding my own hotspot and figuring it all out. For me, that rivals the actual catching part. I will seldom gravitate to a known spot that someone tells me about preferring instead to make my own luck.


Hardheaded? Perhaps, but there is nothing quite like the feeling of finding a really productive spot on your own, plugging in the information and the clues, and then having it pay off big time. Very satisfying IMO.


On the other hand, when all else fails I might slip over to where somebody else is catching the crap out of them. I remember spending a couple days at the Bass Islands in Lake Erie (legendary smallmouth fishery) and doing rather poorly. I recognized a charter boat which was anchored and went a polite distance away and we ended up going through our minnow supply in short order. So pride does have its limits I suppose ;-) "

100% agree. I tend to enjoy the satisfaction of locating and catching my own fish, and will usually stay away from the clusters of boats, canoes, and ice shacks piled on a hot spot in lieu of finding my own slice of heaven. However, sometimes you gotta go where the fish are, and sometimes that requires you to join the mob...

The beauty of putting in the work and effort yourself is that once you find the fish, you often have the spot all to yourself, along with the satisfaction of knowing you were able to piece the puzzle together all by yourself. I find this extremely satisfying.

Now, I have no problem sharing the general patterns that have been working, depth, and perhaps the lake depending on who it is I'm talking to, or if I think the lake can take the added pressure. I generally don't give out every detail of my hard earned spots, especially on public forums. Even my close fishing buddies sometimes get frustrated with me because unless I'm actually taking them in the boat or ice shack with me, I generally don't cough up the location of where I have been hammering them.

I'm not as concerned about spots in the BWCA, as others have mentioned, many times I never return to the same spot, as I enjoy traveling to different areas and lakes. Local lakes are a totally different story. These spots CAN AND WILL get over fished, especially with how fast word travels these days.

A prime example is about 10 years ago I had a winter crappie hole on a remote lake near Duluth that my roommate at the time and myself discovered through drilling hundreds of holes in sub zero conditions. I have never seen so many quality crappies, even to this day. I'm talking 13-15 inch crappies, average, in good numbers. We fished that spot several times, never told a soul. It was clear nobody EVER fished this spot, or anywhere near it. We didn't even see a person on the entire side of lake besides the occasional x-country skier or snowmobile passing by.

One afternoon an old retired guy came walking out from his house across the lake. Obviously he was curious why were fishing several days "in the middle of nowhere". Unfortunately for us, we didn't see him coming, and we just happened to double up on a pair of 14 inch crappies the second he walked up. I could tell by his response he was incredibly surprised and excited. After he left, I remember telling my buddy I had a really bad feeling about what just happened....

The next day, I pulled up and there were 2 permanent shacks right on our old holes. The next weekend, there were about a dozen hard houses and 9 or 10 portables... All right on my numbers.

That spot has never again produced the size or numbers of fish when we first found it. COMPLETELY fished out. So sad to see, especially because we understood how special and rare that spot was, and we were releasing all the fish in attempts to sustain that honey hole. Obviously it didn't matter in the end...

That has always been a bitter reminder of how quickly word of hot bite spreads. This is why I tend to keep a closed lip on my hard earned fish producing spots - especially in the winter when its easy to trace your footsteps.

One only has to compare the overall quality of the fishery in Quetico with that of the BWCA to get a real world idea of what steady fish harvest will do to individual lakes. What many people don't realize is that the productivity of Canadian Shield lakes (in pounds of fish produced per acre/year) is often pretty low. For some lake trout lakes it can be as low as 0.5 lbs of fish/acre/year.

This compares to several hundred pounds per acre/year on many southern waters.

I could name many BWCA lakes that have a near-DAILY removal of fish biomass for at least 90 to 100 days every year.

Also, it takes TIME to create large fish, even where habitat is good. The harvest of mid-sized pike in lakes with good trophy potential has ruined many once-great pike fisheries in northern Minnesota--probably in the BWCAW as well.

In my view the State of Minnesota should should have more restrictive fish harvest regulations for the BWCA (except for smallmouth bass) to better reflect the low productivity of the area's waters, as well as to restore the fishery to something closer to it's historic quality.

Yes, the BWCA still has some GREAT fishing, but it could be better. The LAST thing a good fishery needs is for it to be exposed to the teaming masses via cyberspace.

According to old timers and the local biologists the BWCA has already been badly hurt by fishing pressure, especially pike and lakers. If any of you doubt this go to remote areas in Quetico, it is night and day. I have many, many, times had hot spots as well as entire water bodies ruined by fishing pressure. Even though I am tight lipped to the general public, I will certainly help out certain individuals, especially when they are not fish hogs. One of the problems with both pike and lakers is very high delayed mortality. Many idiots think as long as a fish swims away strong that it will survive. Quite often this is not the case as has been shown by countless studies. One has to be careful.

Look at Wollaston lake, and many lakes in north eastern Manitoba and Ontario. Catch and release and not nearly the pressure as the BWCA. Monster Pike still there.

Frankie_Paull: "You are joking right ? "

Nope.

AmarilloJim: "I think everyone on this site bends over backwards to help other fishermen."

Agreed. I think this site uniquely (in a positive way) lean towards option 2.

Bump

AmarilloJim: "I think everyone on this site bends over backwards to help other fishermen."

Agreed, especially compared to other fishing sites in MN. Lots more chatter and participation here. Lively.

Consider me old fashioned, but happy to share any and all information except for exact spots. I get wanting folks to have the best experience possible, but at the same time this is called fishing and not catching. If someone cant handle a few hours searching around with no luck to find a good spot, maybe fishing isn't in their future anyways.

CityFisher74: "Consider me old fashioned, but happy to share any and all information except for exact spots. I get wanting folks to have the best experience possible, but at the same time this is called fishing and not catching. If someone cant handle a few hours searching around with no luck to find a good spot, maybe fishing isn't in their future anyways."

+1

My thought process is most people don't visit the BWCA solely for fishing. I love fishing however, I don't enter the BWCA with any expectations. I consider all walleyes caught a bonus. I've been on a couple trips where I caught zero walleye, and I consider myself a fairly good fisherman.

I've found very good spots over the years. I've found these spots through a lot of research and trial/error. I personally wouldn't share exact locations because I do most my fishing from camp or near my camp. If I posted the exact campsite, there is a much higher probably that campsite will be occupied when I arrive with family or friends who have never experienced that type of fishing.

Although I'm not willing to share exact spots, I am willing to share techniques. I don't think it's selfish at all. In the mid 2000's the "fishing forum community" was flourishing. I've seen what posting exact lakes/spots has done to some crappie holes/lakes.

Nope, I've been part of the online fishing community for 20 years now. I've seen what a post can do to a lake, especially ice fishing. I might have a little more leeway when it comes to the Bdub, but I sure as heck don't post spot on spot spots. There will always be meat hunters who do not respect the resource as it should be respected. I have personal slot limits that I adhere to.