Timely Fishing Reports
 

I was just looking for some opinions regarding fishing reports. I myself don't post that often but when I do, it is always meant to be early as possible and to help the community here.

Why do some people on this site post reports weeks or even months after their catch? It just seems that they want to brag about their catch without trying to reveal "the hot bite".

Is it just me, but I think a fishing report should be timely and meant to help others. If you have a report from weeks to months back, it really isn't that much of a report.

I put a date on my fish reports....
 

And post it when I have time to do it...:cheers1:

Couldn't agree with you more.

"Is it just me, but I think..."

Look, I totally get it. Having to drive four plus hours to drive to LJ, I don't get to go often, and I'd love to have more timely reports also so I can make them count.

On the other hand, I can understand why locals might not want to spill the beans on the day of the hot bite. I have some nice trout fishing spots I don't want broadcast on the internet. In this day and age of online media, what was once a hot bite could quickly become a parking lot of marine vessels of all types.

For me personally the value of fishing report is not in advertising a hot bite. That will end up in overfishing of the spot.

I like to make readers feel as if they were in my place. My reports are long, because I like to provide information on how I got to there, what tackle I used, what other events I encountered, what problems and setbacks I had to endure, etc.

My reports tend to be a sort of travel log, especially if the location is far from home.
There is more to fishing trip than to just catch fish.

Less important that people report whether or not they catch fish than that they give deets on time, temp, current, etc; then if you want to catch a fish you gotta do the maths. Anyone can chase down a "hot bite" but you actually deserve it if you know how to process the data and turn it into hookups.

For me, it's not about the dope, it's about the "how". This is how I did it, and this is what it looked like. Everyone wants fishdope, but it's about getting out there and making your own destiny. I myself need to get better at posting timely reports. No more skiff so all kayak this year. Tight lines braddahs and sistahs.

Is it just me or is there a 'hot bite' in lj every single day?

Thats why the guys who live/fish there all the time have so much success. In my opinion your odds to catch a solid fish inshore on the yak at lj are legitimately 30-40% > than if you were fishing anywhere else N of there on any given day. Pretty sure many on here agree with that statement.

More often then not its dumb luck down there for most guys - toss baits back one high one low and paddle... soon enough you will get bit.

Thats why so many first timers catch out there. Not saying there aren't guys who know what they are doing and zero in on the fish yada yada but probably 2/3 of the kayak fisherman are following the crowd or staring at their meter wondering what they are seeing until bam they get smoked. There is so many damn fish there.

The guys who take the time and maybe fish MOST will likely not want to share their success as they have seen what a zoo it has become.. but its become a zoo for a reason.

lj kayak fishing in a nutshell... go whenever you can and you will have a great chance of catching a nice fish.

A lot of TAG & BRAG mentality out their these days. Thats the WWW.
Keep up the timely reports:cheers1:

I go whenever I can also. I don't depend on the reports to go. I drive from Long Beach to LJ at least every other week in the summers and at least once per month in the winters.

I can post many reports but don't post that often. I am just saying why post, if it is not prompt? I can post many reports from months back. Some days successful and some not but how is that gonna help anyone?

I agree the reports with the helpful information regarding weather, current, tides and techniques are good, but that stuff changes all the time so unless it is current. How is it helpful for now?

I have learned those things by actually getting out there and fishing and reading how to books.

Time on the water
 

Time on the Water ...and... fish when you can.:reel::reel:
Timely reports are nice...but they do effect the number of anglers on a spot or area, and those that fish a lot in their local areas are usually tight lipped for that reason...Nowadays there seem to be a lot more anglers that chase "internet and radio fish"...
Just put in the time and learn from your friends and guides and find your own fish and techniques and you'll be much happier in the end :cheers1: :luxhello:

Please do post your old reports... YOU may be annoyed by them but many people learn from them. You will gain a lot more from a post that's a year old but contains lots of useful info, than a guy who just posts a pic of a seabass and one sentence.

You say that my late post is "boasting" or "tag and brag" but I actually post usable info in my threads. People who just put up a fish real-time and no intel are the real attention whores.

Bite changes all the time as well, hour by hour. By your own logic, timely fish reports are worthless. If you want a real report, come introduce yourself to me at the launch at o-dark-thirty when you are rigged up and ready to launch... I will give you the dope. I will always help those who are humble and put in the effort.

As seen before on the water!
 

Well Spoken Sir!

A handshake and an introduction will always pay dividends.

Thank you
 

I want to thank all who replied. Now I know not to post all my reports in a timely manner because it seems the concensus is to report late by at least one month.
I will try to go with the crowd the next time I post a report.
I apologize for my past mistakes of posting on time.

Its not a mistake brother... post when you want to! I just follow a few basic guidelines, but you do not need to listen to me or anyone else. Typically i follow these two rules:

1. If you caught it, post it if you want. If you "saw" someone catch, maybe they don't want it posted so only post your own catch.

2. I will post timely yellowtail reports sometimes, when the bite is really firing and everyone already knows. Seabass posting has its own set of rules. Typically I dont post cbass at all, but I just felt like sharing this video since it was a double hookup and I wanted to try to motivate people to just go and quit reading the internet. PS- find me on Instagram and you will get more real-time posts.

I'm not judging you for your opinion at all, please be respectful of other people's opinions. My invitation for introduction is genuine... hope to see you on the water some day. Don't be afraid to say HI. :cheers1:

Well put dude and your right, your posts are very informational and user friendly to learn from. I love reading your posts! Usually can always take something away from them. Although kinda intimidating with your skull face shield I remember when we met on the water. I was a complete noob and you helped me get on the fish big time!

You guys just gotta spend more time on the water and sooner or later you'll meet someone knowledgeable like Chris or eventually make enough friends to stay in the loop. Great topic, thanks for bringing this one up!

There are simply too many people in SoCal. It's not only the few guys who regularly post seeing what you write. The forums seem like a small tight knit group of cool guys who you would love to help, but in reality it is 1000's of lurkers looking for the hot bite. It's the same with surf fishing reports, private boat reports, or La Jolla.

If the bite is on, only my best partners are going to hear about it. Also, a pm is cool too, because I don't mind giving info to one person, just don't need the other 100 yaks to be there the next morning.

I post to let people enjoy and feel a little bit of what I felt on a good day, and show off some nice pics. This is what I want when I can't fish and am on the boards.