Radio fishing

Yesterday I was going crazy trying to locate fish. Trying to decide whether I should put about 2 hours (round trip) on the boat at 8 gallons per hour or stay close to where I found them last week. In the morning I was fishing next to a rigged out trophy who took off up the lake. A few hours later he came back down the lake and kept going. He had a VHF antenna up and I soooo badly wanted to hail him and ask if he had found schooling fish and where but I didnt feel comfortable asking a total stranger for info over the radio.

Exchanging fishing info is similar to a poker game. You never know if you might be getting misled because nobody wants to give out too much and have 75 youpers fishing the honey bucket. Face to face in a tackle shop, on the dock or in a campground works for me because I can get a feel for a guy just by saying howdy but bugging some dude on the radio just feels weird.

What are your thoughts on hailing a stranger for for fishing info. Conversely, what are your thoughts on giving info to a stranger on the radio.

With the exception of tournaments when I have a vested interest in the potential outcome I don't mind telling anyone what i'm using or where i'm fishing. I actually prefer to share techniques and locations because it makes us all better in the long run.

I agree with Trophy taker.

Unless I know the other person on the radio personally,I wont say s#%t about what I'm catching fish on and here is why. To many times in the past I have told someone what was working,where I was ,how deep the whole nine yards,only to have 15 boats up my six within a few minutes. On a lake that is 90 miles long I won't play bumper boats. If some one was to ask me at the cleaning station or the ramp or the parking lot,I'm more then happy to help any way that I can.

Propnut69 said:

Unless I know the other person on the radio personally,I wont say s#%t about what I'm catching fish on and here is why. To many times in the past I have told someone what was working,where I was ,how deep the whole nine yards,only to have 15 boats up my six within a few minutes. On a lake that is 90 miles long I won't play bumper boats. If some one was to ask me at the cleaning station or the ramp or the parking lot,I'm more then happy to help any way that I can.

Click to expand...

I like to try and help out when I can but I agree with Propnut on this one. It all comes down to the reason we call it fishing (and hunting).

Bob

Hi, I'm new to the forum, but you guys sound like my kind of people.
Help where you can, but don't spoil it for your self.

I always get a kick out of the published hot spots in the newspapers or on tv and the next day you can walk across the honey hole on all the boats. That just ain't my style of fishing friend.

I do. The lake I fish is just up the road and usually very quiet, never a problem with too many boats, in fact its often quite lonely, haha. I go out lots and enjoy success. I like to see people that don't get out as often, do well and have a great time. I have no problem giving someone a little pink spin-n-glo and a flasher if I have extras.

Where I grew up on the Coast, lots of places were/are 'rod tip to rod tip', and a haze of 2 stroke exhaust on the water. The rivers, shoulder to shoulder. I won't even consider fishing like that now.

I go fishing to get away from the rat race, therefore I have no interest in a radio.

Myself along with some other here belong to another forum out of CA.
Most have radios and the others want a radio. We chat back and forth, give hot tips, give cold tips,talk about family and even get some fishing in too.
The Radio is a great tool to use. I love mine.
Give a hello to the lake/river in the morning and if another is around you get a hello back.

You can say as much/little as you want.... so can they.

I give the radio thumbsup

Having a VHF was one of those things that I thought I would never use,until I got one. Now I look at it as having another safety item. I used to fish the gorge alot by myself,and that was what make me decide to get a vhf. Cell phone service is very unreliable at the gorge. Since I have had my VHF I have been able to help two different boats in trouble. Its nice to be able to shout out when I see people that I know. Like someone else said,you can talk as much as you want,or as little as you want.

Could someone help a curious non-radio owner? I assume the vhf is multi channel, so how do you know what channel to hail on? Do the radios scan all channels or do you have pre-arranged channels (frequencys) that you meet on? Or do you use different channels for different lakes? I of course have experience with cb's but not marine radios.

Typically everyone monitors 16 including law enforcement. You call out on that channel then switch to one of the channels designated for rec. use. Usually 68, 71 and so forth. Navigation and lockage use 13 and 14...at least around here.

I too see it as a safety device. My dad is not getting younger and I want quick contact with people who can assist if there is a medical emergency. Not to mention general assistance in case of breakdowns or minor problems.

I have never used it as a fish finder...at least not with strangers.
Thanks for the input!

I see the radio as a must have for a safety issue. While I enjoy bantering with my friends on the water and I'm more than happy to help people out, I never chase radio fish. To me that defeats the point of fishing.