It’s a brave new world today with the advent of artificial intelligence and its widespread use in social media and digital publishing. But that’s not actually the biggest problem with social media in the fishing world. If you follow bass fishing tournaments, you probably think that the biggest problem with social media is the negativity from anglers and fans about this part of the sport. But as bad as it’s gotten, I don’t think that’s the worst thing social media has done to fishing. To me, the worst thing social media has done to fishing is ruin good fishing spots.
While it’s great to share information about big fish and big catches, and to hear what anglers across the country are up to, social media has had a negative impact on some fisheries.
Leading to change in management
One of the most notable changes to the fishery as a result of social media has occurred on Grenada Lake, America’s crappie mecca. The Mississippi Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Parks changed the fish waste limits on the four most popular flood-controlled lakes for crappie fishing in Mississippi: Grenada, Sardis, Enid and Alcabutla. The fish waste limit changed from 15 fish per person to 10 fish, and the boat limit was reduced from 40 fish per day to 25 fish total per day.
Of course, some will say the increased fish catches are due to forward-facing sonar. But that’s not the reason. After we told everyone that Grenada was the best place to catch a 3-pound fish, tens of thousands of anglers flocked to Grenada. The media added fuel to the fire with thousands of social media posts showing off giant slabs and big stringers of crappie. I personally know over 25 local Kentucky Lake anglers who regularly go to Grenada and bring home 120 big crappie every weekend.
They were spider rigged in the spring and fall, and trolling Kentucky Lake in the summer as a break from crappie fishing. Most people I know have been on the journey for over a decade, but Grenada Lake and other flood-proof lakes have been documented as the best places to catch big, plentiful crappie for years.
In fact, I think we’re going to see a big rebound there, because I’ve already heard a lot of anglers say it’s not worth it to go out there for two days to bring home 50 crappie. So I think we’re going to see a lot less traffic on these lakes, and as a result, these fisheries are going to get even better.
Butch Brown, one of many legendary fish caught on swimbaits back in California.
Swimbait Guys Blast Off Big Bass Lake
If you spend a lot of time on social media, you’ve probably seen photos of people catching big bass on swimbaits, only for the background to be scratched, dithered, blurred or Photoshopped to make it hard to tell where they were. While this may seem ridiculous, it’s actually a valid attempt to show off a big catch without ruining the smaller fisheries that hold above-average bass that many traditional anglers miss.
I know several groups of avid swimbait anglers who regularly catch large fish over 10 pounds, yet they never post photos. They all have agreements to protect a particular fishery or group of fishers. They share photos with each other, but never post any on social media. I applaud them for resisting the urge to follow them on social media.
I’ve done something similar on Kentucky Lake. Living here it’s hard to post pictures of catches. Most of the lake is easy to tell apart, many of the fish are chased by vultures, and the TVA fishery has enough bent stick patterns that you don’t need to post pictures to triangulate your catch.
So when it comes to swimbait fishing, I rarely post unless I’m fishing out of state. I post more than most, but I tend to share my photos with friends rather than on social media, because I know that if I share too much and lose a good fish that I spent a long time finding, others will do the same as me.
And I know that if you blast a good spot, there are a lot of people who will have no hesitation in calling you out and telling you to remove the post.
Effective pattern changes
Before I started sharing photos, I threw the Whopper Plopper here on Kentucky Lake for two years. After a few years the secret got out and everyone was throwing the Whopper Plopper in the fall. The fish bite stopped almost overnight. The fish population rebounded and is finally coming back a little. However, there were two magical years where I was catching 25 pound fish on topwaters for days on end. It was truly incredible.
I could have kept it a secret, but I enjoyed sharing the information with everyone and letting them enjoy it too. Before I knew it, the pattern had disappeared. I caught a fish here and there, but never anything like the first two years. And other patterns became much more effective.
I’ve seen this happen in other fisheries too – once everyone knows that crankbaits are biting deep, within a week the fish have become so used to the sound and movement that they stop biting overnight. The more people who share their catches and promote their favorite lures etc, the less they’re biting.
It’s not as bad as social
People think that forward-facing sonar will not only magically make all the fish bite, but that it will somehow magically lead you to where the biggest and most numerous fish are.
In fact, I think it’s the exact opposite. We have to figure out how to fish better ourselves instead of doing what other people are doing on social media. We can go to secluded places and catch fish that other people aren’t looking for. We can go fishing without doing anything and leave the shore anglers to fish how they like.
On the other hand, if I talk about a great pre-spawn shallow crankbait bite on social media, it becomes exponentially harder to find that bite consistently within a week. I actually like how FFS encourages anglers to go and catch fish instead of blocking off the places social media tells them they will be catching fish (ledges, piers, topwaters, etc.).
Throw a curveball
It’s fun to take photos with fish in secluded spots that have absolutely no connection to where I caught them, it’s always fun to let people on social media know about the results of their fruitless efforts to find a good fish, and often I just turn around and face the middle of a big lake and take a photo.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been helping people catch better fish for 20 years, and I probably respond to more private messages than anyone in this field, so I try to help people whenever I can. But I still love fishing, and it’s the best escape for me, so I’m careful not to share too many specific fishing spot-related details on social media. I’ll give away any system or bait that’s worked for me without giving details on where I used it.
I think anglers should do more to protect good fishing spots on social media. I’m all for sharing great catches, but if you want to continue catching quality fish, protect your fishing spots and your locations. Get out there, explore, and be proud of your catches. Other people don’t need to validate how good your catches were. If you enjoyed the experience, preserve and protect it.
