Do you share fishing information as a tournament fisherman?

[KYSkipper]

I'm select in who I will share with. I let my guard down last year in a club tournament and let the wrong person know where my stuff was. He had a big mouth. Never again. From now on it's on the square to trusted, verified people only.

Back in the old days I used to blast off with "Decoy" rods on deck and would often not make the first stop my best spot. I remember once putting a couple fish in the livewell during practice, moving to a different location that I knew sucked and let people watch me catch those livewell fish again and again.

I once ask an old guy "Where did you catch them?" He said, "In the water."

[mean_dean]

Never spots, just generalities, drop shoting in 14 feet of water, neglecting to say on points or inside bends and the worm had to be a specific color. I've done my homework to find them, do your own but I will give you a few tidbits of where to look.

[WI-Bassin]

I put all my tournaments on YouTube so no secrets for me! There is one spot that I won't share on the video though, but everything else is a open book I guess.

[Flibs]

My Grandfather back in the 60's didn't broadcast his holes.....and it was a helluva hard time to keep secret without social media back then! Now-a-days it's just another waypoint....

[fishingram24]

I post most of my trips an another board and tell most of the story such as baits, depth, type of cover or structure and general area but don't name exact spots. Been doing this for over 25 years and has not made a difference in my catch that I can tell but I have made several new friends and sometimes fishing partners because of it. Always said nobody will believe a fisherman anyway so I've always told the truth.

[TNTroy]

When my son was about 10 we fished a Christian tournament trail and won a tournament. At the weigh in the director asked over the microphone what he caught the fish on, which he answered, and then asked where he caught them. My son responded with "in the mouth". I busted a gut laughing. After the weigh in the director and I was laughing about it and I kiddingly told him he was pushing it when he asked what he caught them on. We still laugh about it when it comes up.

[basscat21]

[Jeff Hahn]

I don’t share info on spots or baits with people I fish against. I do have some friends that fish other trails and we sometimes share general info on patterns, but not specific spots or baits.

[Squire]

Just curious how ya'll do it. I fish a few a year but it's pretty competitive around here. Seems a lot of the guys fish with each other and share information and no one really has any secrets. Then sometimes they get butt hurt. I am going to start fishing with my 13 year old in tournaments but besides him there are only 1-2 other guys I share info with. So are you guys "hush hush"?

this is, from my experience, a who you know game and are you competing with them? I share real "patterns" and "baits" with friends as allowed by Tx rules. Anything I hear from others, well, they are fisherman, and fisherman are loath to give out their hard earned information. I have had some of the most god fearing people lie to my face and laugh later.

[river rebel]

won a bfl tournament years ago, on a stump flat , in the spring, and between my co and everone seeing me there,can not catch any big limits off it , it gets hammered all the time,but guess its ok got my first place and fifthteen seconds of fame.

[trashmanssd]

with our tiny lakes someone always saw you catch them and can usually tell what type bait you are throwing and the general color. So not much you can hide here.

[basscat21]

[limitlong]

I share with my tournament partner and he shares with me. No one else.

[Bstandiford]

When I was in a club I would share info with anyone at anytime, even during the tournament, I use to tell guys fish against the fish not the other guys, I could hand someone a bait that i caught 5 fish on and they wouldn't catch anything on it... Confidence is the a big part of fishing,

This is my approach as well!

[Flip Flop Fisher]

no

[mjlambert23]

I will share all of my 2020 spots and techniques. Tough year.

Most of the time I'd rather listen.

[Spot-a-saurus]

I don’t ask people where or what they caught them on because it’s not something I care for. I don’t think I’m better than anyone or that I know more, just never have done any good with dock talk or someone else’s patterns/spots and I learned that lesson the hard way as a kid fishing wildcat weeknight derbies. I don’t get mad at people for asking but I don’t ask as a sign of respect. One of my better friends at our local lake is a hammer (I’ve looked up to him since I was a kid and he taken plenty of my money in derbies lol) and when we talk about lakes we compete against each other on, we have a rule we never mention specific spots or baits. We have had many talks about not wanting to know where the other person “caught them” because sometimes we are indeed fishing the same spots (it’s a small lake) in rotation and if neither of us “know” the other one is catching them at one spot or another, we don’t have to worry about getting on someone else’s fish or spot. Sadly I’ve seen more good friendships ruined over fish and fishing spots that I care to admit. That’s why I don’t share info with many people at all. Just an invitation for someone to get their feelings hurt or gut you for some tournament clout. My dislike for sharing info also comes from getting gutted multiple times by people who said “I won’t go there I swear...” lol

[woodz]

Thanks for the Info if I order direct from your sponsor will you get some extra cash from him?

no, just more of them fish catchin’ CrickHoppers.... YW

[steinybass]

Close to a day of a derby I share nothing.

[crawdadking]

I'd share in a heart beat but NOBODY ever asks.