This is a pretty easy answer for me...I have a "circle of trust" if you will...bunch of guys that I fish with...and next to...I share every little detail that I can with them....but basically we all LTJ and we all fish the same way...so the detail thing is not that important..it's location...
When I post reports I put "midbay" as most of you know...that won't change...I have been "burn't" way to many times..
I don't worry about the rec guys as much as commercial boats everywhere...
(Pete this doesn' include you...I wanna ride in your new boat):D
Last year I have never seen so many "hook + liners' in my life....on a typical wed I used to see maybe 1 or 2...last year they were in the dozens...
They also may be the hardest folks to fish around...they think the water is theres...trust me...
Now there are alot of people that you could tell where the spot is to LTJ and they couldn't catch a fish there if it jumped at the jig.....:D
But they are also the same ones that motor in front of you...or run their motors etc....
I see the point that alot of people are making about JP's post...I don't fish that area so it doesn't matter to me but I get it...
I will say my circle of trust has gotten bigger the last couple of years..there are some really good young fishermen out there and they are great to fish with...they aslo know how to keep a spot quiet..
But I know JP very well and he wasn't trying to "ruin" the spot he was just excited about his personal best...
You haven't seen Uncle Phill post about anything...I'm sure he feels bad as well...they are both stand-up guys..just didn't work out the way
it was intended....
I fished in the harbor once with JP in the winter and couldn't belive how small the fishing area was...1 or 2 boats tops....so I can see how this is a problem
The other thing is that I know Skip always says that only a few people actually go there...I forget the formula..X# of guys read it but only so many go there...with trollers I think it's a a litlte different...they are all over the place...LTJing is pretty precise...that being said...Stay Away from my boat!!...:D
BTW there is ZERO chance I would have posted this reponse on the other board....I would have 200 bmails by this afternoon.........:cool:

Thanks Jamie. :)

I just have to give my little 2 cents to this. I have been fishing the Patapsco River for over 15 years now and when I first found TF I started to post my reports in detail. I will have to say I did get burned several times after posting a report and found boats in the area that I had caught fish and when I was fishing those spots there was not a boat in sight. I also know JP very well and I guess he was very excited about catching his personal best. I’m not sure I would have posted a pic like that but sometimes the excitement just gets to ya. As a lot of you know Uncle Phill fishes with me almost every weekend over the last 6 years and I ask him to post a report for me and when he does you will see that he does NOT give any locations but that we are just fishing the river. Phill and I have put our time in the river and have found some good spots that not many guys knows about, humps ditches and so forth. I learn my lesson over the years and as many of you know I will help anyone I can. I’m ready for Spring so we can get some good fishing reports……

Is a WWD in the winter REALY a secret?:rolleyes: There is a BIG click on these boards,some great fishermen, some average fishermen, some lurkers and some trouble makers. Do you really expect EVERY ONE to get along. The internet has helped and hurt the sport of fishing. Fish have tails and boats have motors. If a fish never opened his mouth, he would never get caught!............Gary

Gary...No it's not a secret but some of the pics gave pretty detailed spots...but you're right you will always have clicks...I call them friends etc...
Anyone that has ever sent me bmail after my reports on Wed has gotten info..but I won't post it on the main board........

Spot burning.....a silly idea.....it's a big Bay and people have been fishing it for 400 years.....there are no secrets......just gotta find the feesh and quit whining.

My humble opinion:

- Spot burn can happen (lurkers are really the issue in my opinion)
- It's a free country, people can post or say what they want
- No matter how much of a jerk move it would be, everyone has the right to screw up fishing for everyone else (as long as their actions are legal)
- Everyone has the right to be pissed at someone who screws up the fishing for everyone else
- People should be considerate...but people should be a lot of things

So in short - there is nothing wrong with keeping the info to one's self, and there is nothing wrong with sharing info. The fish don't belong to an individual, but everyone has the right to keep their experiences private if they wish. To each his own. In fact, isn't spot burn really how most truly "secret" spots have been found. Tired of dealing with all the people at location X so I drove around and found something new...

I'm new to the bay so maybe I'm wrong.

I have learned to have many many spots (that I put in lot's of time and effort not to mention gas to find) just in case someone is their already..
Example...a few years ago i took a fellow fisherman to a topwater spot...we killed'em...next day I went back..his best friend was there and every time I went back there after that his friends friends and their friends were there....bottom line..spot was ruined...has never been the same..been there many times since...

But thats why I always have a Plan A..B...C etc...
goinsfishin....I think you made the point extacly...go find the fish...thats just it...75% (maybe less or maybe more)or more of the fisherman don't want to find the fish...they want U to find them and tell me where?.........

But I'm with u it is very exciting to find your own fish for sure....

I have only fished the Patapsco one time and Steve F took me to many of his hot spots. There is NO way that I would post or even tell any one of HIS hot spots. I have fished with Skip, Mlag and Dritchitt and would never divulge any of those locations. They are not mine to divulge and out of respect and thanks, I keep quiet. That to me is a given. When I fish on my boat in their spots, I keep quiet. If I am fishing on my boat in a GENERAL location or area, I will tell other folks that I know about it being hot. It's a touchy subject in certain instances but in general, " Loose lips sink ships "...........Gary

can anyone tell me exactly where the bite is right now. I havent been fishing in about a month and dont want to search all over for fish? Thanks :)