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To Tell or not to tell

To tell or not to tell - river reports

  • I always post my catches including blanks

    Votes: 26 19.5%

  • I only post when I catch something

    Votes: 15 11.3%

  • I only post if it's something exceptional

    Votes: 38 28.6%

  • I never intend to post my captures

    Votes: 54 40.6%
  • Total voters
    133
Don't get me wrong lads, I am not talking about giving away stretches, swims or even all catches but the past collaboration, people posting info regarding river levels, conditions, issues, etc, allowed many to gain valuable info.

I have been involved with this forum in it's differing forms for about ten years and in that time it helped greatly with the increase of success and sharing of methods, etc... probably even being the main influencing factor behind the growth of Barbel fishing as a specialist area. I have made many, many good friends through BFW too.

I just think we need to keep it going, keep contributing and sharing, you don't have to give everything away, I never have and I have never harmed my fishing or that of others but I hope someone in some way has benefitted through interaction with me :)
 
I'll share catches and other info, but not the stretch or swim. Learnt the hard way that its best to keep certain details restricted to avoid a stampede and a blown swim!!
 
Good post Mr. Crook. I personally have found the river reports invaluable as it is about a hundred mile round trip to the Thames for myself. Thus I have decided to give back with my own contributions as much as possible. I think the more people who contribute, the better it is for everyone. Also the better quality the contributions, the same applies.

On the subject of "blown swims" then maybe a little too specific info or photos have been posted? If one details where a swim is and what is caught then those who are struggling will probably want to try and repeat the success and who would blame them?

Just be careful with your self takes or else put the fish on the mat if you are concerned. Personally I try and post a general location I am fishing as I think it is more helpful than "middle" or "lower" etc. If I post "fished near Windsor" it could be any one from hundreds of swims so there is little danger of seeing someone sitting in it next session.

Tight lines and happy river reporting!

Stephen
 
Keep posting Graham ! :D

I didn't vote in the poll because if we're talking pictures sometimes i do, and sometimes i don't, i suppose that includes a posting without pictures too.

Much depends on how much time i've got, or even whether i feel like sitting at the key board ! sometime i may not post if it's impossible not to give the venue away ! - actually there has only been once that's happened, but i had to keep my mouth shut ! for no other reason than i didn't want to ruin others fishing, and i likley would have if i'd posted, eventually months after, and close to the end of the season i put the picture in my gallery, but not the river it came from.

I have quite a few mates who wont contribute on a Forum, that's their choice, but for my part i feel ... what's the point of it all if you can't chat amongst mates, some who i've never even met in the flesh !, but the nature of internet forums in this day and age gives us the opportunity to make friends even in cyberspace ! Ok i know we've got the trolls, but the old (now) saying applies... just don't feed them ! :D

You carry on posting mate, i for one am always interested in what you've got to say, and show us.

You, me, and everyone else that casts a line, probably run more risk of actually being seen on the bank especially catching, and word getting out to the circus, than putting a picture on a closed river thread, with a carefully worded post.

I think the vast majority on here know the score, and are careful of what they post catch wise, whether others are actually posting catch wise, makes no difference to me. :p

Ian.
 
This is a bit spooky ! This thread has just come back to the top of the page, and when i looked it said i'd posted at 22.53, but i haven't !
 
I only report what I caught a year or more ago and even then I'm fairly cagey about it.
As things stand at the moment though I have nothing to report. I've sort of lost my mo jo for the whole of this barbel fishing lark and some of the characters who inhabit it at the moment.
 
Going on recent form I think it pretty obvious which option i chose! I do have a diary on another site but find it tiresome to report the blanks if nothing interesting has happened, so that has fizzled out a bit as i never catch anything. :)
 
Adrian, keep yer chin up mate and ignore the knockers and antagonists mate
you got a lifetimes experience, knowledge and know how of fishing mate, dont let it die with you and thats not inferring nuthin about you dying mate, onwards and upwards:)
 
Interesting topic.
As usual Mr. Grant has a sensible and very reasoned opinion on the subject.
If no-one posted catches the site would probably not exist. Personally I find reports of big fish an inspiration during lean times.
I can understand some peoples reluctance to post good captures but in
my experience it has made no difference to numbers on the bank after a big fish report. Maybe that's where I fish .

Richard
 
Hi men,

We have been a bit lax in our posting , but I'm sure that's due to the popularity of quick updates "as it happens" on Facebook pages , and in our case as we have had a quiet time lately :D , but must get back to it as it is what a lot of people think BFW is all about . I think the articles page is under used , and people with just a small amount of effort , no more than writing a letter can put something together , and this would give us an almost version of an online mag ?.

Ade , sort of know where you are coming from . The product placement in all mags is driving me mad , Facebook is getting a joke , with it becoming a very easy way of spamming a lot of people very quickly , with stealth ;). I have got on top of it by blocking stories I don't want to see , but I know people are probably told to do it to speed the word !. I re found my mojo when I went to France carp fishing in May , it was carping how I loved it years ago !, tricky with poor conditions . I wandered around in little stalking swims , in a fantastic quiet part of a massive country , loved it .

Hatter
 
I am a non poster I'm afraid, due to being on a day ticket stretch I find that if I do i get swamped by fish chasers. Too many lurkers on here I'm afraid waiting for vital info. Though its good now that the river reports are closed to non members as to limit this.
 
As a community with a common interest I think we have an obligation to help each other, however it would be crass stupidity to publish the swim, bait, set up, time of day etc. where you caught a big fish, or a lot of smaller ones. Personally I have no problem telling people on the bank where, when and how I have caught fish as anyone there has seen all of those things! If I did ever catch a barbel bid enough to tell all the world about I would make sure that the swim wasn't easily identifiable and say something generic, such as "caught on the Loddon" in order to protect the exact place.

Incidentally, thanks to Graham Elliot, Ian Grant, Ian Crook and many others who have helped me catch the barbel I have. I hope that I have helped others somewhere, sometime to do the same.
 
River Reports

I try and post my results, good and bad, as other people's posts on the river reports have helped me in the past. I don't give any location details away though, as you can never underestimate the laziness of others. Without some degree of sharing the boards would be a little bare.

Nick C
 
Well. It turned into a reasonable, informative subject.

Given the posting levels I think It probably reflects a fairly true outcome.

I think I'll join the 45% that don't bother.

Cheers

Graham
 
Graham Elliott said:
Well. It turned into a reasonable, informative subject.

Given the posting levels I think It probably reflects a fairly true outcome.

I think I'll join the 45% that don't bother.

Cheers

Graham
Click to expand...

That's a shame. You could always PM me your full catch details and I could then post, in summary form, on your behalf.
 
It was never a problem for me, posting my catch/blanking results on here, as the stretches I generally fished were either under very low pressure, or with a limited membership. I fished these stretches alone, hardly seeing another face, or with a trusted friend/member.

This was of course, mostly on the Gt Ouse, when one could fish anywhere between MK or Bedford and given decent angling skills and conditions, one would inevitably have a fish of three.

We all know that the river has undergone a huge change, and if I were catching now, I would never publish on here.
 
I'm really suprised by the amount of people who don't post any of their catches at all!

I can understand why no-one wants to give out precise directions to the spot they caught the fish, but surely a "general idea" of where the fish was caught is acceptable.
 
Throughout the whole membership of this site, you get a lot of varied opinions, soi think it's a case of each to his own, so long as you don't harm the fishing of others - on these boards or not i think it's ok, that should be the overriding consideration, even if an angler posting doesn't mind what he shares with others, you should never ruin others fishing.
 
Graham Elliott said:
Well. It turned into a reasonable, informative subject.

Given the posting levels I think It probably reflects a fairly true outcome.

I think I'll join the 45% that don't bother.

Cheers

Graham
Click to expand...

Hi Graham - I'm not so sure that 45% is a representative figure. Hundreds of site members didn't even register a vote, not feeling strongly (presumably) either way. I would wager (however) that those secret squirrels are more likely to vote, being, as they are, keen to influence people in their 'rodenty' ways. The rest of us are probably happy with the status quo, and not having to bother justifying why they post catches. :)
 
Richard Parsons said:
Hi Graham - I'm not so sure that 45% is a representative figure. Hundreds of site members didn't even register a vote, not feeling strongly (presumably) either way. I would wager (however) that those secret squirrels are more likely to vote, being, as they are, keen to influence people in their 'rodenty' ways. The rest of us are probably happy with the status quo, and not having to bother justifying why they post catches. :)
Click to expand...

Alternatively, it might be said that the many hundreds that haven't voted are also just the sort that never post a single thing, let alone a catch report. Perhaps some of them are the type that don't have any intention of contributing in any way, just harvest information.
However, I don't believe that anyone needs to justify posting catch reports, do as you will, and good luck to you. I really hope that it never bites anyone on the backside as it has with me in the past. Once bitten, twice shy.
 
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