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Facebook vs B.F.W

Graham Hunt said:
I should imagine that people are reluctant to share their hard-won information with "lurkers" who contribute very little to the forum. With a post count of just 36 in well over two years perhaps you are one of these, Darren ;)
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Maybe I'm just a busy chappie, and with a post count of 384, maybe you should get out more ;)

I have no problem whatsoever in mentioning stretches I've caught fish from, people don't even do that these days, it's gone too clique and secret squirrel if you ask me and BFW is all the poorer for it.
 
Has it not occurred to that some stretches might have a disclosure ban? More to the point, why should it matter to anyone else where the fish was caught?
 
It's true that the river threads contain very little detail these days but that's because those of us who were posting information freely a few years ago have learned from bitter experience that it was a mistake, when you catch your fish of a lifetime from your quiet little backwater and choose to publicise it only to see your quiet haven inundated with parasitic instant specimen hunters you quickly learn to keep quiet.
As for facebook, I'm on it but I'm not a user; I'm sure there is a positive side to it but from what I've seen and read it's a vile place where one vindictive person can rustle up a lynch mob and destroy a fledgling business or even hound an individual to the point of suicide without censure.
Not for me at this time.
 
Adrian Williams said:
I'm sure there is a positive side to it but from what I've seen and read it's a vile place where one vindictive person can rustle up a lynch mob and destroy a fledgling business or even hound an individual to the point of suicide without censure.
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Sounds just like another site you post on Ade ;)

jerry
 
I don't get it, River reports are just that, Ok maybe, some saying well done to themselves but so what.
It's a river and just that, god I worked my ars*e of when I have had the chance through Oxfordshire to get a double and in a river not listed ;-) also the Wye, I have and no one told me which swim, but I knew through some craft over 27 years of angling and picking up tips on this forum.
In fact I met the OP on my first encounter with a barb, and Gary is a nice bloke and his mate too on Lucksall may moons ago.. I just do not use facebook, my job for one, I can claim that I used to fish Queenford lagoon, Dorchester lake and Orchid on an old ARC ticket and caught before Orchid was filled with 30lbers and Phil Smith was famous for his Bream.........does anyone like it? I doubt it, but are we entering a world of the instant angler...maybe.
 
That world already exists Adam. Fishing isn't immune to our ever expanding desire for instant gratification. Technology breathes oxygen into this rapid evolution facilitating our need to costume with ever more urgency. The pace of life is frightening and I am sure it contributes to the quick hit mentality. Less time to fish means making the most of the little time you have and in this small window, fish MUST be caught! But in the process something is lost. Just being out by the river, catching or not catching. And blanking is what makes catching so special. God forbid we ever get to a point where every time you fish, you catch 10 doubles. How predictable and dull that would be after a while.
 
Howard Cooke said:
That world already exists Adam. Fishing isn't immune to our ever expanding desire for instant gratification. Technology breathes oxygen into this rapid evolution facilitating our need to costume with ever more urgency. The pace of life is frightening and I am sure it contributes to the quick hit mentality. Less time to fish means making the most of the little time you have and in this small window, fish MUST be caught! But in the process something is lost. Just being out by the river, catching or not catching. And blanking is what makes catching so special. God forbid we ever get to a point where every time you fish, you catch 10 doubles. How predictable and dull that would be after a while.
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I like this
 
I'm not sure I agree about your river reports comments Darren.
Although not one of the original BFWers, I've been here for a quite a few years now, and I rarely remember seeing such wonderful pics/tales that the likes of Lawman/GE/Kenneth Thompson etc have posted recently.
I still get a reasonable idea of conditions on most rivers by looking at the reports, and feel confident that if I asked more specific questions I'd have a good chance of getting a helpful pm from somebody.
If you're talking hush-hush/secrect squirrel/cliques etc. then my local River Mole thread has never been as bad as it was 6/7 years ago :eek:
Still reckon there's a lot of good info on the river reports and a lot of helpful anglers if you ask.:)
 
Thing is with BFW, you tend to get out of it what you put in......

Mark is right, if he was to ask for help, on a river or an area he didn't know himself, I'm sure he's get a few PM's offering advice/info.


Attending fish-in's/charity days are also a good way to get to meet people and that way you build up a rapport and friendship.

To be honest, most of the 'fallings-out' on forums (not just BFW) wouldn't happen if people had met before hand....

I'm glad to say I'm still best mates with a number of lads I met on BFW many years ago....like I said, you get out what you put in.....


Steve
 
Mark Nicholls said:
I'm not sure I agree about your river reports comments Darren.
Although not one of the original BFWers, I've been here for a quite a few years now, and I rarely remember seeing such wonderful pics/tales that the likes of Lawman/GE/Kenneth Thompson etc have posted recently.
I still get a reasonable idea of conditions on most rivers by looking at the reports, and feel confident that if I asked more specific questions I'd have a good chance of getting a helpful pm from somebody.
If you're talking hush-hush/secrect squirrel/cliques etc. then my local River Mole thread has never been as bad as it was 6/7 years ago :eek:
Still reckon there's a lot of good info on the river reports and a lot of helpful anglers if you ask.:)
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Some of the best river reports I have read on here are Rayo, Malc and mates adventures on the Wye.

They didn't give pegs away, but told of the stretches they were fishing, tactics used and bait, and the laughs they had.

All the river reports are now is "I fished the river today and caught some fish", PM for you, PM me.

The River Reports use to be a great read and would inspire you to try out a new river somewhere, I hardly read them these days.
 
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Exactly what I was saying Steve. I remember when a mutual friend of ours caught a 14 off the Trent and sent a text to a friend to tell him. The friend mentioned the capture on an obscure forum and the travelling circus actually turned up on the bank demanding to know the swim, the bait and even the rig before the lad had finished fishing.
That was a turning point for me, and apart from a well known 16 I caught last year from a club water with no day tickets I have not publicised anything for years.
 
Steve Williams said:
And why have Rayo, Malc et al stopped posting?

I'd wager it's because everybody and his son were turning up on the bibbs and making their fishing harder......

Steve
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I will take the wager Steve :) I dont post because i have been ill and unable to get out much at all, only been to the Wye twice in three years, both times never saw another angler.

Rayo

I am a casual user of facebook, lots of tat on there, but it has helped me to keep in touch with a lot of friends from afar. if used sensibly it can be a good thing.
 
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Ray Ellis said:
I will take the wager Steve :) I dont post because i have been ill and unable to get out much at all, only been to the Wye twice in three years, both times never saw another angler.

Rayo

I am a casual user of facebook, lots of tat on there, but it has helped me to keep in touch with a lot of friends from afar. if used sensibly it can be a good thing.
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Rayo, I will never forget spitting tea out all over my Laptop reading about the Beast of the Bibbs, some of the best stuff I've read on here was by you and the other chaps you were fishing with.

I didn't think you was being a secret squirrel, hope your very much in better health these days.
 
Although BFW have a Facebook presence, I have to confess it doesn't get much attention. Mainly because I just don't 'get it'! I think I set up the wrong type of account (a business one) so I don't get things from others appearing on my wall, so it all feels a bit lonely!

I'm happy to hear that people see BFW as something totally different from Facebook. I hear too many scary stories about it. I haven't put myself on there personally because I don't want to be passing people in Sainsbury's who's 'friend request' I've ignored! The thought of my kids getting involved with it in years to come terrifies me!

Cheers,

Andy

Ps I love Twitter though :) @barbelfishing
 
Howard Cooke said:
That world already exists Adam. Fishing isn't immune to our ever expanding desire for instant gratification. Technology breathes oxygen into this rapid evolution facilitating our need to costume with ever more urgency. The pace of life is frightening and I am sure it contributes to the quick hit mentality. Less time to fish means making the most of the little time you have and in this small window, fish MUST be caught! But in the process something is lost. Just being out by the river, catching or not catching. And blanking is what makes catching so special. God forbid we ever get to a point where every time you fish, you catch 10 doubles. How predictable and dull that would be after a while.
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I like this also. Made a "mistake" before about location and when i returned to the place i realised the lengths some people will go to catch a fish. I find this unfortunate as i would usually tell anybody anything, not that i know that much anyway:)

Stephen
 
So how about we say i caught a 16lb barbel from the Leeds and Liverpool canal and another at 13lb at 5 rise locks- some creative photshopping and they will all be off to leave us in peace :D
 
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