01-18-2014, 12:22 PM
[#0000FF]Yes, I posted a couple of reports in the past...being suitably vague about the location. In fact, I made a big point about keeping the location a secret...not even getting the GPS numbers from Dave so that I could not pinpoint it even if I wanted to. I got a lot of requests but never told anybody exactly where it was. And without "the numbers" it is almost impossible to find. Even Waljustia can't do it and he has been going out there for over 10 years...and has never seen anybody else out there until last year.
Last year there were a few folks that saw us out on the spot and followed our wheeler tracks through the fresh snow. Some made waypoints on their handheld GPS...and passed those along to others. The big flood of other fishermen came because of a couple of old dudes who would tell everybody they knew about it and point to the clearly visible highway in the snow. They actually claimed they had been fishing that spot for over 40 years. Dave even talked to them at one time. But he didn't ask them how they ever found it again each year with their old stone GPS units.
There is also the matter of the "happy harvesters" finding that spot. A few of them followed one of those old guys out there...in spite of him trying to lose them and telling them not to follow him. Once they found it they spread the word among their group and there have been sledloads of white bass leaving the ice in the weeks since. A couple of them was heard to brag about being able to sell all those whities for "good money".
I have no problem with others removing large numbers of white bass from Utah Lake. Their population has been down the last year, but they are coming back. One good spawn year will fill up any voids in their niche. And I am realistic enough to know that all it takes is one person blabbing about a small spot and it can be trashed by the hordes who follow.
Dave is sorry to see his formerly unknown privacy spot reduced to a public toilet. But he has been very cool about it. He misses being able to take his scouts or young family members out for a private fishing session, but he does not begrudge letting others enjoy the abundance...especially during a low water year like this one when ice fishing has not been good to most.
But, you are right. If you have a spot you do not wish to share with the masses you should never even hint about it on a public forum. We have plenty of examples of formerly great waters being overrun after getting unneeded publicity on local TV shows, etc.
I'm sorry for any part I played in ruining Dave's sanctuary. But I have still never told anybody exactly where or how to find it. Unfortunately, too many others have blabbed too much.
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Last year there were a few folks that saw us out on the spot and followed our wheeler tracks through the fresh snow. Some made waypoints on their handheld GPS...and passed those along to others. The big flood of other fishermen came because of a couple of old dudes who would tell everybody they knew about it and point to the clearly visible highway in the snow. They actually claimed they had been fishing that spot for over 40 years. Dave even talked to them at one time. But he didn't ask them how they ever found it again each year with their old stone GPS units.
There is also the matter of the "happy harvesters" finding that spot. A few of them followed one of those old guys out there...in spite of him trying to lose them and telling them not to follow him. Once they found it they spread the word among their group and there have been sledloads of white bass leaving the ice in the weeks since. A couple of them was heard to brag about being able to sell all those whities for "good money".
I have no problem with others removing large numbers of white bass from Utah Lake. Their population has been down the last year, but they are coming back. One good spawn year will fill up any voids in their niche. And I am realistic enough to know that all it takes is one person blabbing about a small spot and it can be trashed by the hordes who follow.
Dave is sorry to see his formerly unknown privacy spot reduced to a public toilet. But he has been very cool about it. He misses being able to take his scouts or young family members out for a private fishing session, but he does not begrudge letting others enjoy the abundance...especially during a low water year like this one when ice fishing has not been good to most.
But, you are right. If you have a spot you do not wish to share with the masses you should never even hint about it on a public forum. We have plenty of examples of formerly great waters being overrun after getting unneeded publicity on local TV shows, etc.
I'm sorry for any part I played in ruining Dave's sanctuary. But I have still never told anybody exactly where or how to find it. Unfortunately, too many others have blabbed too much.
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