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It's this attitude right here that really gets under the skin of locals. Montana is full and is growing at an alarming rate. Our fear is turning this pristine state into Portland or your hometown in CA. Some things don't need to be broadcasted on every outlet on social media. By all means, make cool videos of your ice fishing adventures! It seems like most of the people who have watched it really liked it. But if you really want to fish these local gems with your kids, instead of just showing them videos of how it used to be, stop posting hyperbolic videos about how this is the best place to fish EVER and how ON FIRE the bite is. You're bummed out that the fishing at Cooney sucks, you'll be bummed out in 10 years when Martinsdale and all your other honey holes are fished out too.
I say we see this hot spoting all the time because it happens. Someone finds a hot perch bite on say CF and it gets out the next weekend there are a 100 guys there and the school gets hammered and is gone. Montana is not as empty as it looks to an outsider. In that area we only have about four public reservoirs that ice up. Guys will flock to the bite and like I said it is done. Nothing to do with the number of fish stocked, that is irrelevant. The other issue is that the lake becomes a zoo with a four wheelers and dogs running all over. May seem selfish to some but a 1000 acre reservoir with everyone fishing the north shore ruins it for regulars. I think the sentiment is clear and it would be great if you respected that by simply not naming places.
This video shows a couple guys catching maybe ten trout. How is it any different than two guys giving a report saying they got a limit? Martinsdale isn’t going to get overfished because somebody posted a cool video of a few mediocre sized rainbows. Settle down folks.
You’re not even a Montana resident? Hope someone comes and blows up your favorite localWater. And by the way, that video is garbage. Almost comical. Don’t quit your day job over in Oregon.
Canyon Ferry is pretty well known for being great for ice fishing. I think the problem in this case is unrelated because it isn't a YouTube video showing someone having fun at Canyon Ferry, but is more all of the people who look forward to fishing it every year finding out it is time to start fishing it again so they show up. Canyon Ferry usually has a pretty big amount of anglers year round am I wrong? In regards to the rest of your comment, I guess I am having trouble understanding this consistent mindset of "well it is one of the closer spots to me so people from farther away shouldn't come fish it when the fishing is good, because I am a regular". Should everyone in Montana only be able to fish spots within an hour of them? All of these public fishing locations are a shared resource and only wanting the good fishing for yourself doesn't just seem selfish, it is. All of us pay an annual subscription, to have the privilege, to travel all over our beautiful state and catch all sorts of fish. As long as we are respecting the places we are fishing and the other anglers enjoying them as well, I don't see what the problem is with having people enjoy the fishing when the fishing is good.
Guys, it’s just trout. It’s not like he’s giving away a walleye spot.
Exactly! Let it get fished out and replace them with something edible. Theyre just fancy carp anyways.
I think people are getting antsy from the tame winter we have been having, not enough hard water out there to keep everyone happy and preoccupied!
Sadly you have now decided to justify your hotspoting by belittling others who have offered their opinions in a civil manner and make their case very well by being condescending and dismissive toward them. The comments are sincere and actually wise counsel is being offered to you. The statements are not flippant nor made out of frustration. You might consider stop chopping the hole you are finding yourself in? Or not, it's your reputation. I am imagining someone sawing out a spearing hole while standing on the ice block..
Hey Wenger, I apologize if I came off that way. I was not trying to convey that and was merely trying to lighten up the conversation since it got kind of negative/dark after BloodShotP's post. I didn't think that comment was belittling or condescending, I was merely saying it in jest, but I can understand how words typed in a Forum can be taken multiple ways. I appreciate your insight you have given so far, but almost all of the examples given by you, and especially by others, have dealt with circumstantial, experiential based, evidence. Someone saying "well I told the forums a couple times about my catches and the next week there were 150 cars" isn't proof that you posting about it had direct causation for the parking lot being full the next week. (not saying you said this, but you referenced others "wise counsel"). You mentioned something in the post before your last about "when the word gets out" and I think that is the perfect explanation. Honestly I think it is a team effort. Let's say15 people are some of the early die hards out on the ice and let's say most of them catch some nice fish and go tell some of their friends and fishing buddies about the great weekend they had. Now their fishing buddies are all telling their friends about it as well, and the news spreads exponentially from there. Maybe 1 or 2 of those guys even posts on the forum about it and shares a photo or video that draws a few more groups to want to head there. All in all, people love fishing and hearing a spot is good and/or has safe ice for fishing draws people to go there and do what they love. To try and draw direct causality based on a Youtube video and social media post is still, in my opinion, unfounded and silly. Also I think it is VERY interesting point (a point you completely ignored when you decided to respond by saying I was being condescending and belittling) that I have been making these videos for 2 years now and it took 84 videos until I heard about this being an issue and the term "hotspotting". Any explanation or ideas why that is the case? Wouldn't my other videos on Martinsdale about how great the fishing was have ruined the spot already and we shouldn't be having this conversation? My first video on Martinsdale released April of 2017 has over 1k views and in the title says my wife and I both catching our PB rainbow trout, AND was spread ALL over social media and yet Martinsdale mysteriously still isn't ruined or overfished? How does that make sense?
so you're saying social media has no effect eh? that's interesting....and ignorant.
yeah you did say it, twice now(at least). And several people have given you direct examples.
Seems like to the "t", whenever this subject comes up, the OP always defends themselves with any and every justification. They never even attempt to think about the comments and where the other side of the conversation is coming from...
I’ll be interested in hearing a before- and after-the-video headcount of anglers from regular users of Martinsdale. 🤔