Asking people advice on the lake...

[DuckBlind]

I have been out every weekend...different lakes...Minnetonka, Buffalo, etc...why is it nobody wants to help each other out...why is it? I don't ask "where are the fish" I just ask depths, etc...why does NOBODY want to help out with just that???

[Sonicrunch]

http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/ub...ing#Post1701574

If you say your new to the sport, I would definitely help ya out.

[givetoget]

I agree 100% I was at Nodaks last week for a few days. decided to stop at the lodge for a bit, you know for beer and just to see whats going on. There was other people there doing the same. So i thought i would make some conversation, all i said was hey guys, hows it going, any good reports today. and it was like i rained on his parade, i got big eye roll and all he said was you know how it is hit and miss and turned around, very sarcsticly and rudely. that was enough for me and i left. then when i went to pay the bill i didnt even get a thank you. I dont know why people are like that. That is why the world is what it is GREED

[gopher_nation]

Some people are friendly others aren't. 9 times out of 10 if you ask if someone is having luck, they'll say it's slow, few here and there. I've never had anyone hesitate to tell me a depth though. Depth isn't a secret unless you're on a rock pile the size of your portable. I usually have a plan of depth to target and if my GPS doesn't have a map of the lake I'm on I ask depth, if no real answer I just drill a line of holes until I find what I'm looking for.

The best type of person I've gotten help from on a lake is the retired weekday afternoon type icefisherman. The worst type of person I've gotten info from is the retired weekday afternoon type icefisherman. Just depends on who you ask and what day.

Don't take anything personal on the lake.

[jigginjim]

Some people that have made suggestion on fishing spot have gotten beat up on here for ptting more traffic on different lakes. Since so many people visit the site that are not members it only adds to the problem. several members will e-mail each other info. so non-members don't get freeb info. Some have said "people not willing to enjoy site are either, they seem like they don't know how to catch fish". or "Don't know how to sign-up".

[Fredd]

I've always figured if someone is on the lake with me and working at finding them that I will be honest with them. If someone is just driving around or cruising the net, I might be a little less forward. I'm always fishing in the open, so I can't hide how things are going for me most of the time. Telling someone the depth shouldn't be such a big secret, but it might be a way of gauging the level of conversation that will be available.

[Sandmannd]

I'll help folks out on the lake if they ask. All depends on how they strike the conversatin. If that's al lthey are after, then they get more limited answer. If the [PoorWordUsage] a while, I help them out a little more.

[croixflats]

I'll help you out I'll even suggest location where to fish. Your out there same as me. I'm not a gaurded person and I would rather see you catch fish and have some fun than see someone go home thinking they waisted their time.

Just Last night a coulpe of guys pulled up just after we got done setting up. We shot the breeze about bites on other lakes and asked how deep I was. Well he got more than just the depth. I went to the truck pulled out the garmin and showed him the lake. 9 times out of 10 someone ask for help your going to enjoy talking with that person. To me thats a big part of ice fishing meeting and talking to new people. Besides its harder for them to run away if they are not in a boat and there stuff is spraweld out over the ice.

[Nozzlejocky]

Depends on the person. I've had experiences both ways, and from an asking and an answering point of view. It seems that overall, as the popularity of ice fishing rises, so too does the rude behavior of those on the ice. So often I encounter people who think they own large sections of ice or would just as soon kill you as give you the current time. Granted, I enjoy my peace as much as the next fella, but I won't be rude. Life's too short and this world is going further down the toilet each day to continue the cycle. Ice fishing can be a phenomenal source of networking and social fun; let's keep it that way.

[jkjkoda]

It really depends on the person asking for the most part on the ice I have no problem giveing out some pointers. Or even drilling someone a couple houles if they only have hand auger.

[Cold_blood]

if i don't know the person i'm more likely to give them a depth rather then where i'm catching fish if they wanna trade info on some lakes it opens the discussion up

[Big Buck Buster]

It really depends on the person asking for the most part on the ice I have no problem giveing out some pointers. Or even drilling someone a couple houles if they only have hand auger.

Did that same thing for a couple guys on Cedar the other day. I was done fishing, and packed up ready to go. Saw these two younger guys come out and set up the portable. They pulled out the old Mora 8" hand auger. I went to the back of my truck and got my Ice gator. Went over, suggested to drill them some holes, or they would be there all day drilling through all that ice. Drilled the holes, nice thank you, and off I went. Feels good to know someone appreciates that.

[Rick G]

Im usaly prety honest and outgoing person on the lake and more than willing to help most people out if I can. The only time I get a little tight liped is on a hot walleye bite.

[MN Angler]

I have had a ton of guys ask the depth in the particular area I am fishing and I have no problem letting them know. There have been a couple times out when I have found the hot jig and bait combo that is the only thing that works and have had guys fishing 20 feet away come up to me and wonder how I'm catching fish and I always help them out or give them pointers. The only time I hesitate to really go into detail is when I have worked to find the fish especially when you are no where near the larger crowds. When I'm all out on my own fishing away from the crowds on a spot that I really put in the time to find fish, I will most definately give the depth however, if someone comes out by me or drives by and asks if I'm having any luck I will most likely give them the old " one here and one there" answer. Also like riverfishingmiss said when the walleye are biting on a spot I found I will tend to keep that quiet as well. There are times when I feel it is ok to keep a spot or technique to yourself especially if you put in the time to find it. Does that make you a rude person? I dont think so as long as you conduct yourself in a polite manner when conversing. There will always be those crabby fisherman and women out there who believe they own the lake, I try my best to think nothing of it and brush it off becuase I am out there to enjoy this wonderful sport and have fun.

[Rippinlip]

I guess for myself I am a little more willing to give out particulars over a better bite in private, per phone call or e-mail, just for the reasons stated above.

While on the lake I will do what I can to help other anglers, kinda depends how the approach is encountered. If this person just wants to know ALL the details I might be more vague, if it seems this person just wants to be a searcher and is looking to have some fun then the details maybe easier to pry out of me.

I have shown quite a few this year on the H2O where we are and why I am fishing that spot, and possibly showing them other spots.

[ICE_KING]

I guess i fall into that grumpier old man category... Sure ill tell someone if a lake has been decent but thats about all theyll get... i work really hard for alot of my fishing spots and as long as i can clearly tell someone else works as hard finding their spots then i may be a LITTLE more liberal. It really is too easy for an area to get fished out so i do tend to keep a tight lip. Summer time when we dont leave "tracks" of where we have been ill tell people more details but winter is to easy to follow in somebody elses shoes(littlerally). And local anglers get alot more info than "guests"...

[frazwood]

I had a handful of experiences related to this thread tonight.

My wife and I decided to take our two daughters and head north. We're kind of looking for a cabin to buy, and there were a couple of prospects on this particular lake. Part of the plan was to ice fish as we had never seen the lake before and the quality of fishing is important to us if we are to purchase this cabin. Also, my girls like to "ice fish", but since they're both just toddlers, ice fishing means running around on the ice as I fish.

So, we arrived at the lake around 5pm. The lake was mostly empty, except for one small spot that was PACKED (maybe 10-15 permanent houses, another half-dozen portables, at least a dozen trucks). I normally try to avoid the crowds, but I know nothing about this lake... so we head to the crowd.

As we drove up, I started looking for a few holes that had been abandoned. I didn't want to start drilling with my hand auger, as the spot was crowded and I really didn't cause a ruckus.

The first guy that I saw was very nice. He saw me checking abandoned holes and offered to drill a few for me. I said "no thanks" and explained that I needed to stay away from crowd (my kids like to run around), that I had an auger with me, and that I wasn't going to stay for more than 30 minutes any way.

The second guy that I saw was very crabby. He was very annoyed that I was walking near his portable, which was surrounded by a bunch of tip-ups. I never got with 30 feet of him or his tip-ups. Nonetheless, I quickly left... I had no interest in annoying anyone.

Anyhow, I found an open hole on the outer edge of the shanty-town and I immediately pulled out two nice crappies. The water was 10-12 feet deep, but these fish were at most 5 feet below the ice. I proceeded to pull out a limit of crappies over the next 25 minutes. This did not go unnoticed, because I was in the open and my kids were running around yelling every time the fish "hopped" on the ice.

At this point, another guy and his teenage son in the area came over to see how I was catching fish. They had been there a couple of hours and they hadn't had a bite. I then showed them where the fish were on my Marcum, showed them the baits that I was using, etc.

[pdk511]

if theres some people out there I will help them because to be able to find fish yourself you have to learn how to do it. It can be very very hard to even get a fish if u dont know where to go, and thats no fun...

[river runt]

If you cant get people to talk to you on the lake you my want to conceder what your doing wrong.

Example if snowmobile ,atv, cars and trucks come diving over to me stop 2 feet form the hole I am fishing and starts pumping me for info I wouldn’t tell them if there head was on fire. If they stop 100 yard out and get out of there car or off there sled walk over to talk I would be more friendly. If I think your going to fish right next to me being my uninvited fishing partner I would be less than friendly especially if I have moved away from the fish house city.

[crothmeier]

its all in how they approach you. like river runt i had a guy drive up, straddle my tip-up with his wheels, and stop about 5 feet from my portable, "hey anything biting, what ya using, how deep" um, guy, you just pretty much ran over my tip-up, stopped 5 feet from my portable and no, im not going to give you advice or help, its rude and disrespectful...

Stopping a good distance away and walking up is a much better approach.

Be respectful and most people will be happy to offer up some advice. Be a [poorwordusage] and you dont deserve advice

[Blainebob]

I agree,it all depends on the person.. Hopefully they wont take the info I just gave and set up 5ft away. The ones that do that sure are a dfferent breed,not the kind of people I want to fish around,.

[bdafisher]

I think that you can be polite and not give out too much info. I am always up for a little chatting on the lake, but just deflect those probing questions about how the fishing is. I would agree that a "decent" suffices most of the time if fishing is good. Little white lies work pretty good for me in those cases, just make sure you zip up your house so they don't see the pile of crappies inside.

[blackdog1101]

I was fortunate to get some good help when I got started. So when I can I try to pay it forward. Heck, just a few weeks ago I was fishing and getting a couple fish here and there, doing OK but not great, and a guy came up to me and said he was done fishing, and his holes were full of fish, that if I wanted to go use his holes. Sure enough, there were fish all over the flasher. I don't know who he is, but I sure had a nice couple hours because of his advice.

[blackdog1101]

Little white lies work pretty good for me in those cases, just make sure you zip up your house so they don't see the pile of crappies inside.

I guess my question is why wouldn't you want someone else to have some fun and catch fish too? "I'm catching them in 20 FOW with a Genz Bug." doesn't cost you very much. Heck. I've given people jigs before if they didn't have the right kind.

[bdafisher]

Don't get me wrong, I do give out advice like you mentioned(when I actually catch fish). That being said, I fish a lot of smaller lakes and many times saying 20 FOW would basically be like GPS coordinates to the spot. Now it's different on larger lakes. Saying 20 FOW on Minnetonka would lead to an infinite number of places, and for someone like me is too overwhelming to even try. And I will say it seems like when you open your mouth up to just one person about a little lake with lots of fish, within a week the number of people grow considerably. So I am gonna stick with the, "It depends on the situation" argument. That being said, if anyone wants to spend some time teaching me Minnetonka I am all ears. Ha