It Really Boils Down to a Matter of Honor

A few years ago, I had a young fella holding down the back seat of my boat during several Dewey Mullins Memorial Bass Tourneys. His regular partner had been called out of town on business, and he wanted to keep fishing.

Before we ever left the dock the first time, this angler offered some ground rules for our partnership. He said he wasn't going to divulge any of his regular partner's favorite spots and similarly promised he would not share any of mine, either.

I can state without hesitation that he never told me where he and his regular partner used to fish, and I have no reason to think but that he also kept his promise to me. I've never once found him on a spot I showed him, even since he bought his own rig.

Unfortunately, I've had occasions when less honorable fellas shared my spots with a host of their buddies. You know you've been had when you go back to your spot a week or so after taking a buddy there for the first time and find four or five other boats camped out in the area.

The idea for this post came from a recent discussion I had with a friend beside the ramp at West Neck Marina. He explained the way he and a frequent tournament partner handle situations in which they both fish an event but not as partners. They simply have a conversation before the tournament and agree on a plan that keeps them from being at the same place at the same time.

As you might expect, though, there are some folks with other takes on this matter of "private spots" on "public waters." For example, consider this response: "I'm probably in the minority here, but when it comes to tournament fishing..., I'm a believer in first-come, first-served. They make those big 200+ hp motors for a reason. Now that doesn't mean we can't share. As long as you're not crossing my line, I wouldn't care if you fished behind, or even ahead, of me."

According to another angler, "If a boater showed me a brush pile he personally had sunk, and no one else knew about it, I wouldn't fish it. But many of his 'spots' are probably well-known areas and free for the fishing. What are you supposed to do--stay away from every ledge...just because he took you there before?"

Yet another angler had this to say, "I've learned to limit my info to 'how' and 'when' but keep the 'where' to myself... . Let the people figure it out by themselves. When you find somebody on your favorite place, just move and find another one... ."

And finally, there was this perspective: "As one of the 'old guys' in tournaments..., I know how it used to be. There was still courtesy and sportsmanship, and the guys acted like gentlemen. If someone was on a 'hole' or small area, it was honored, no matter what the draw. You never went back to a spot your partner took you to without an invitation, and you never tried to take a spot from a fellow fisherman who'd found it first."

While I'm never protective of my spots when I'm on a fun-fishing day, the same can't be said of a tourney day. Just ask my current tourney partner, Rob.

We were fishing a productive little area during one tourney when a couple of young boys in a johnboat happened along and asked if we were having any luck. I thought Rob was going to choke, trying to contain his laughter, when I nonchalantly responded to the boys' question by saying, "Nope. We haven't caught a thing." My plan worked. The boys were gone in a flash, and we continued on our way, catching fish.

There also was one spring when I was having an unbelievably good tourney day in one of the canals down south on the North Landing. I was circling the canal while flipping soft plastics and catching 2- and 3-pounders nonstop. Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of another boat starting into "my canal." I quickly modified my approach by putting the boat in the middle and flipping to both sides, rather than going up one side and back down the other. That fella likewise got the message and left, much to my delight.

Even my kayaker buddy, Charlie, who shares oodles of info on his blog about different fishing spots has his one "secret" place. He talks about the "how" and "when" from his trips there but withholds the "where."

I know where Charlie's secret spot is, but a stampede of wild horses couldn't drag it out of me. His secret will remain just that because our friendship means far more to me than any fishing hole.

Let's face facts: There's no way anyone can lay claim to a public waterway or any spot in it. However, I would like to think that every tournament angler has enough personal pride and honor to stay away from a hot spot someone else showed them, especially if they know that person is fishing the same event. And never give away someone's secret spot under any circumstances. The Golden Rule is as valid today as when it was first coined.