It's never worked for me and never will but most of us if not all of us have tried it ...but has it ever payed off for you?

yea, when im at the beach i talk to people on the dock all the time. And if your bice enouph they will give yo utheir bait when they are done. haha

I listen and respond just to be social but never take what anyone says very serious.

I did however fish with Zeke Wright at Top 8 about 5 years ago. I drew him as a non-boater and I let him run my boat all 8 hours. The guy is a legend out on Freeman and Shafer. I barely fished at all I just watched him like a hawk. Every cast and retrieve he made I studied. I learned more that day than in 50 times fishing those lakes. He was the best non-baoter I ever had. He told me every single secret he knew and I listened. He grew up on the lake and has been fishing it for 20 years. He also told me that he has offered to help every boater he has ever drawn and none of them would listen to a word he said. So there are a few guys out there that will spill the beans if you asked them but only a few.

I guess it would depend on who said what and if its a trustworthy source. I take people fishing all the time that are not the most skilled fishermen in the world. I try to make it a point to teach them how to catch fish and one or two things that help them catch more fish. I figure if they get hooked they might stick with it.

I'm hoping to set a record for bringing back the oldest thread, but it seems that dock talk just worked for Ott Defoe as he won the 2019 Classic after talking to Keith Poche at the toilet: https://www.bassmaster.com/blog/defoe-credits-poche-divine-intervention

 

As another side note: 

I think it's possible beginners could benefit from dock talk. Guys that are still learning don't have all the lures and conditions and locations figured out, sometimes dock talk could be taken as some 'tips' to help a guy still learning the ropes, pointing him in the right direction per se... Of course assuming that the experienced guy isn't lying to the beginner... I'm not sure if dock talk is always considered lies. If it is always lies, then forget what I just said.

Congrats ~ 

You may have done it. 

Dock talk may not teach beginners a whole lot.  Learning, failing and certainly succeeding stands a better chance.

A-Jay 

Wow man! 2005 has GOT to be a thread resurrection first  

Fourscore and 14 years ago....

 

Dock talk is still pretty much useless in this day in age.

Also...  odd to me.  Wasn't this after the cut?

 

Quote

Participating Elite anglers are allowed to talk to other Elite anglers regarding fishing on tournament waters until cuts are made for each event.

 

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

 

Dock talk may not teach beginners a whole lot.  Learning, failing and certainly succeeding stands a better chance.

A-Jay 

If not for Dock Talk, do you believe in mentors or guides to help kick start a bass fisherman's journey?

Mentors are crucial.  Joining a local club is a great way to become acquainted with techniques, and possibly find a mentor.

20 minutes ago, ryanerb said:

If not for Dock Talk, do you believe in mentors or guides to help kick start a bass fisherman's journey?

Do I believe in it?

Isn't that what this site is all about?    Sharing information in any form can be beneficial.

A-Jay 

34 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Fourscore and 14 years ago....

 

Dock talk is still pretty much useless in this day in age.

Also...  odd to me.  Wasn't this after the cut?

 

 

They were still waiting to weigh in on day 2 when they had the convo

5 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

They were still waiting to weigh in on day 2 when they had the convo

Thanks, so before the cut and perfectly legal.

If I talk to someone on the dock I am truthfully about what I got, where, and what lures. It stands to reason that some others would be the same. I mostly fun fish so I dont feel the need to lie to or mislead someone. 

   That said, I rarely put much consideration on what other people tell me unless it falls in line with my own thoughts.

1 hour ago, J Francho said:

Thanks, so before the cut and perfectly legal.

Yes, the only reason I knew is because I was in the arena when he explained it 

I don't ask, and I'm selective about sharing information. If someone openly shares when I ask if they did any good, I'll listen, but not going to plan my next trip on that information if they said they did good. 

Tournament participants sharing info during a event is prohibited in most events except the Classic where some pros have shared not only info but lures in the past, the ultimate dock talk.

Tom

If I am leaving the lake and someone getting ready to launch asks me if I did any good, I will tell them where I caught them, what I caught them on, and how many I caught. I'm just an honest guy. They can take it, or leave it.

Last year a day before a tournament we ran into some guys that had already fished the lake that day. They told us that your frog had to have a white belly or it just would not produce much. I tied on a white-bellied frog that morning and the boater I was fishing with left on his dark-bellied frog about 90 minutes into the tournament we had a limit and I had caught all of the fish. The boated I was fishing with changed to a white-bellied frog and started catching them. I still don't really believe it.

The list of fishermen whos "Dock Talk" I trust is very, very short!!  I gotta hand it to the Florida guys.  They go out of their way to tell each other lies!!  My tournament partner when I lived there was a very successful tournament angler.  He would take off and run to spots that held-0- fish and made sure everyone saw where he was going.  He would tell me to act like I was fishing but to not even cast.  Afterwards or at the weigh in he was usually in the $$ and most often in the top 3 and the "Dock Talk" he shared was hilarious.  I had a hard time keeping a straight face.   

If I go bank fishing after work for a couple of hours I usually run into a kid fishing as well. Inevitably he'll see me catch a fish and will come over to ask what I caught, how many and so on. Usually they're very polite. I'll tell them where the spots are and will cut the lure off my line and will send them on their way.

 

I don't seek out information, I actually like the hunt and experience, but for the kids, I'll do what I can to get them on fish and into the sport.

I fish from the bank, don't fish tournaments, and fish in areas with hundreds of lagoons. If someone asks I'll gladly tell them what I caught and where I caught it. The way I see it is that whatever secret spot you have is also fished by a few dozen other people throughout the week.

 

The place that I fish mainly is in a 55+ community and most of the old timers are just throwing a plastic worm or occasionally a crankbait and don't have the range of tackle that I have.

Sometimes I'll listen and chat with people when I'm first getting on the lake but I avoid it like the plague when I'm getting off.  I don't like having my 4 fish diminished when someone tells me they DESTROYED them on X, Y, or Z.  They might have been... (ahem) "embellishing" or they might not but, either way, I don't enjoy having my day altered by comparing myself with some one else.  Call it an ego thing but it's the primary reason why I don't fish tournaments.  

4 minutes ago, Ratherbfishing said:

Call it an ego thing but it's the primary reason why I don't fish tournaments.

Hmmm.  Very interesting, and important point.  This is precisely why I fish tournaments.  I like to see where I stack up.  It's important to note that I don't fish any different in a tournament or a day of fun fishing.  I do better if I'm unencumbered by self inflicted pressure.  I also like to see someone else do well.  It's a different mindset, I suppose.  Thanks for getting me to think about this.

I spend most of my time on the same lake......and it can be a very challenging one to figure out.

I get a few calls a summer from tournament guys for input and I fact, I often take them out.  

 

.....truth be told, knowing how the weather effects the lake is far more import..

 

....and I do love hearing the guys at the coffee shop talk about spots that don't exist