My wife and I went out fishing yesterday morning on a small local lake that we both enjoy. I fish it probably 5-10x per year and have a handful of "secret spots" where I can normally get bit. Well, as I was parking the trailer yesterday, an older gentlemen approached my wife (who was waiting at the launch) and struck up a conversation with her in which he noted that "on days like today, you need to fish the northern end of the lake". Well, in my 20x fishing this lake, I've tried the north a few times and have never caught anything in that part of the lake. 

 

So, we started in my normal spots and fished for about 2 hours with very limited success. I finally said, "ah screw it, let's try what the old guy said." As you've probably guessed, he was 100% correct and we both caught a handful of very nice fish in quick succession. 

 

Dock talk is fairly common in my area. I've found that if you're polite (or if you are an attractive young lady like my wife) people are generally willing to shoot the breeze and are inclined share some insights to help you be successful. However, I've also noticed that I generally ignore their advice and just do what I've always done.

 

What about you? Do you actively seek guidance from other locals? When you receive it, do you follow their advice or stick to your own plan? 

  Dock talk goes in one ear and out the other, no matter the age of the individual giving it. It's find it very difficult to catch another fisherman's fish.

I do listen to my seniors on important life issues and it's saved me from many struggles.

I do to a point. 
I’ve found that people just messin around for a day are mostly honest and won’t purposely lie as opposed to when money is on the line. 
I’ve also found that most will be more open about an area to fish than what they used which I’d rather have anyway. 

I remember a few times coming in for weigh in at tournaments my pro’s and boaters would always take everything off their rods before we pulled in. 

I still do that. 

 

 

 

 

Mike

I listen and also try to read between the lines. 

Being oldest guy on the lake I only share what is working with anglers I know or a dad with his kids just wanting to catch any fish, offer a few tips.

Tom

I usually just say hello or good morning and occasionally someone will ask me how fishing was.  I rarely give out any details but I won't completely ignore someone who asks either.

One of my dad's favorite sayings is 'old age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill'. As I gotten older I've come to appreciate that one more...

At this point I am the " old guy" and I would love to find someone to pass local knowledge to. I have a really good friend (I Don't make friends that often) who expressed an interest in fly-fishing. ( I've fly fished off and on for fifty years) I made a start at it with him and he lost interest. Maybe he'll comeback to it at some point, hopefully before I'm too old.

I think everyone talks at the fuel stop, I grab a coke and chips while fueling up. Like @jbmaine I’m the old guy, I hear someone say “He’s a local, ask him”. I give honest answers usually it’s I can tell where they’re not biting, it’s where I was just at, and they’re not biting xxx worm or xxx.

But if the bite is good I tell what I was using and where. 

The whole time I was reading through this thread, I couldn't help notice a persistent thought that kept gnawing at me: “HOW can I get one of those?!” - referring, of course, to a young, attractive wife.

I don’t talk to people at the launch because I know that I can’t catch their fish and I seriously doubt they can catch mine.  Where I buy boat fuel there are rarely other boats and the guys buying lawn mower gas don’t want to talk to me.

I try to avoid dock talk but I will listen to someone giving advice. A few weeks ago, a former guide needed help with his truck at the ramp because he had a disability. After I helped him, we engaged in conversation about how the lake was fishing. I didn’t know at first that he used to guide on the lake. But, I decided quickly that he knew what he was talking about. He shared some advice with me. I soaked up every word. That situation is more the exception rather than the norm. Most of the time, I will listen to others but I don’t follow their advice. I believe it is usually better to fish for your own fish. 

Being an old guy myself, and not a tournament fisherman, if I give someone any tips, they’ll be worth listening to. However, I’m not passing out information to just any guy I see and never unless someone asks politely. 

I have enough confidence in what I do to always have a pattern and spots before leaving home.  But I always listen to anything someone is willing to provide.  I learned a long time ago to be a good listener and not a big talker when it comes to fishing!  It has helped me several times on difficult days.

Old fishermen are the coolest people in the world. They can lie without showing a hint of emotion. They can also be vague. But when they spill the beans I’m all ears, and I’m going to try whatever they say . 

I find that I tend to end up catching the fish that I'm casting my bait to more often than not.

Honestly. I never see people when I fish lol. I usually fish at times people don’t seem to be there. I’d be polite and listen. But unless you really struck me as a person who fishes seriously. I doubt id drag a conversation out. 

I actually met my main fishing buddy at a ramp. We were both getting off the water at the same time and noticed we had the same boat. Got to talking and next thing you know, 1.5 years later we were going to Baccarac chasing monsters. I think we were both surprised at the other’s enthusiasm for bass fishing. 
 

Normally I am not very chatty at the ramp. If people ask, I usually keep it vague. And generally, the only advice I hear at a ramp or dock is “I saw a bunch of huge fish over there” (always carp), or “if you use worms you’ll catch more fish”. 

19 hours ago, JackstrawIII said:

Do you actively seek guidance from other locals?

 

No, I don't. I'm like @Jar11591. I catch more fish than most locals. So, if they volunteer advice, they might expect me to reciprocate. Plus, many anglers don't have the same idea of a great day as me, which is 50-plus bass with some big ones. I met some guys earlier this year and they gushed about the morning they had. It turns out that one guy caught nine and the other guy caught one. So, I'm wouldn't want their advice and wouldn't follow their advice because I'm not looking to catch ten fish.

 

15 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

I believe it is usually better to fish for your own fish. 

 

Agree. My style might be hard for others to emulate anyway. My paddle is a HUGE part of my fishing success. I'm often fishing in close quarters and often have a rod, then paddle, then rod. I don't see others fish this way, but it lets me keep my canoe positioned for the essential casts. Others have their own styles, but I work my style and catch my "own fish."

 

Plus, I'm an old woman. Most of the fellow anglers I see on water are young bucks. I think they'd look at my wrinkles and white hair and scuffed, messy canoe and dismiss whatever knowledge I might share.

19 hours ago, GreenPig said:

It's find it very difficult to catch another fisherman's fish.

 

Exactly.

32 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

Plus, I'm an old woman. Most of the fellow anglers I see on water are young bucks. I think they'd look at my wrinkles and white hair and scuffed, messy canoe and dismiss whatever knowledge I might share.

Around here the anglers look at your tackle, and the vehicle you are driving.  If you are not using the latest and most expensive, then you don't know how to fish.

9 minutes ago, Bankbeater said:

Around here the anglers look at your tackle, and the vehicle you are driving.  If you are not using the latest and most expensive, then you don't know how to fish.

 

Man, that's just sad. My best surface lure last year was a Shimano Flashboost popper. It's so scuffed that an angler with a brand new Ranger might pity me, but it doesn't matter. The bass don't care. They don't know when my Flashboost is twitching over them that there's an old woman in a scuffed canoe at the other end. Here's a typical lure I use:

 

 

It used to be shiny as chrome. That's the third set of hooks and it's needing a fourth set.

 

And here's where I fish:

 

 

No bass boat is following me in there. It's too shallow and too tight. 

 

So, I encourage them to judge a book by its cover. They can FFS fish off-shore and I'll be happy alone in the swamp. 

 

 

Yep! Their tips and experience have made me a better fisherman.

Tournament guys will normally give wrong info and go out of their way to protect “spots”. When I tournament fished in Florida, I fished with a very good St Johns river fisherman as a co. At blast,off he would run a ways and pull into a spot that he knew contained zero fish.  We would fish there until all of the other competitors went by, then he would pull up and go to his spots.  I would never tell anyone where they were because I didn’t find them.  When I was a guide, I had a pretty noticeable boat and on tough days I would always have other bass boats around me no matter where I went.  When I was asked at the dock, I would give good information about patterns and general locations.  If you wanted exact locations, you’d have to hire me for the day.  😂😉

Listening to dock talk depends on who is doing the talking!

 

Personal I'll share with everyone 😉