A letter to the moderators and members of this forum.
TightLine 08/10/2006 - 11:40 Trip Reports Monocacy Roll Your Own
I have been upset about something for a few days now, so much so that I am losing sleep over the matter. A few days ago a member of this forum brought up the general topic of whether or not we should be posting float-trip details and locations of fishing holes on the site. I thought it was a good and worthwhile topic for discussion, even though I had a suspicion that my earlier “trip report” post had probably prompted his post. Where all this got ugly was when that member quoted my post and began to personally attack me. Here are some facts:
He equated by me saying that I fished upstream of Creagerstown, about a mile or so at a “rocky ledge” that I might as well given GPS coordinates. I think by using the term “a mile or so” it was at least somewhat vague. While I do believe that if someone was determined, they probably could/would find the spot…it is a mile or so trudge through the water, as there is no public access near the area. Most people are not willing to traipse that far through the water. Let’s face it; on a small river like the Monocacy, it’s not hard to recognize a good spot. After all, most of the water up until that point is less than knee deep.
Then it got even uglier. I mentioned in my post that I had fished the area five weekends in a row, and that this past weekend we caught a few small bass, and five nice catfish. I actually didn’t fish that “hole” five weekends in a row, as I didn’t find it until the second trip. So the member now accuses me of abusing the fish I have been catching. Well, for the record, every smallmouth that I caught and released swam away like it was shot out of a cannon, and catfish as we all know, are very durable…they were all released unharmed also. No fish were gut hooked, not even the cats. They were all hooked in the corner of their mouths. I did take the opportunity to take two pictures before I released them back into the water.
The thing that I find ironic, it that the member who was chastising me for “giving up the goods” proceeded with the following statement, and I quote “I know that pool very well. It’s a very nice area, relatively narrow but deep. It holds many fish (even some big ones) and the big ones are the top breeders for a very, very, very large stretch of river.” I’ll let you all decide who here has done the worst damage.
I also think it’s time for this member to eat his hat. To paraphrase from “Fishing the Upper Potomac” by Ken Penrod starting at the bottom of page 51 (I have this book in my desk at work).
“The West Virginia side holds one of the most impressive fish-holding habitats that I know of on the entire river”. The tall mountain cliff-like in appearance, and every so often a ragged rock point will enter the river, creating water breaks where bass and other fish can get out of the current and wait for food to come to them.” He goes on to say “I find it most important to fish the lee side of all of these rock points”. He then goes on to suggest what lures are best. “I would suggest that one of the persons on the boat cast a shallow-diving crankbait, while the other works the area with grubs or worms”. Included with the verbage is a really nice picture of the spot.
Anyway, I think I’ve made my point. I don’t mind discussing a topic, but I really do not appreciate being ridiculed and judged by someone that doesn’t know me. It’s real easy to sit at your desk and send flames out of your keyboard…if the two of us were setting around a campfire; my guess is this situation would never have occurred.
See ya on the river,
-TL
He equated by me saying that I fished upstream of Creagerstown, about a mile or so at a “rocky ledge” that I might as well given GPS coordinates. I think by using the term “a mile or so” it was at least somewhat vague. While I do believe that if someone was determined, they probably could/would find the spot…it is a mile or so trudge through the water, as there is no public access near the area. Most people are not willing to traipse that far through the water. Let’s face it; on a small river like the Monocacy, it’s not hard to recognize a good spot. After all, most of the water up until that point is less than knee deep.
Then it got even uglier. I mentioned in my post that I had fished the area five weekends in a row, and that this past weekend we caught a few small bass, and five nice catfish. I actually didn’t fish that “hole” five weekends in a row, as I didn’t find it until the second trip. So the member now accuses me of abusing the fish I have been catching. Well, for the record, every smallmouth that I caught and released swam away like it was shot out of a cannon, and catfish as we all know, are very durable…they were all released unharmed also. No fish were gut hooked, not even the cats. They were all hooked in the corner of their mouths. I did take the opportunity to take two pictures before I released them back into the water.
The thing that I find ironic, it that the member who was chastising me for “giving up the goods” proceeded with the following statement, and I quote “I know that pool very well. It’s a very nice area, relatively narrow but deep. It holds many fish (even some big ones) and the big ones are the top breeders for a very, very, very large stretch of river.” I’ll let you all decide who here has done the worst damage.
I also think it’s time for this member to eat his hat. To paraphrase from “Fishing the Upper Potomac” by Ken Penrod starting at the bottom of page 51 (I have this book in my desk at work).
“The West Virginia side holds one of the most impressive fish-holding habitats that I know of on the entire river”. The tall mountain cliff-like in appearance, and every so often a ragged rock point will enter the river, creating water breaks where bass and other fish can get out of the current and wait for food to come to them.” He goes on to say “I find it most important to fish the lee side of all of these rock points”. He then goes on to suggest what lures are best. “I would suggest that one of the persons on the boat cast a shallow-diving crankbait, while the other works the area with grubs or worms”. Included with the verbage is a really nice picture of the spot.
Anyway, I think I’ve made my point. I don’t mind discussing a topic, but I really do not appreciate being ridiculed and judged by someone that doesn’t know me. It’s real easy to sit at your desk and send flames out of your keyboard…if the two of us were setting around a campfire; my guess is this situation would never have occurred.
See ya on the river,
-TL
