From: rtaylor@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Roger Taylor)
Subject: Re: Colorado Fishing All Tied up in Nylon!
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 14:12:33 GMT

johnf@Auspex.COM (John Fereira) writes:

>|Also, who gives these fishing reports? These are definitely overexaggerated,
>|at least for the lakes and reservoirs. However, for the rivers, the fishing
>|seems to be rather good, as can be seen by the occasional report given on
>|this newsgroup for the Spinney Mt area. I have also seen good stringers
>|from Poudre River, and will start fishing there now.
> 
>Who gives these reports?  We'll the newspaper certainly doesn't send out a
>"reporter" to sample each fishery to get a report on conditions (sounds like
>it would be a pretty good job though) so they find a "contact" for each
>area.  For many lakes that contact is the marina or resort operator.  While
>they should have a pretty accurate account of what's coming out of the lake
>a little embelishment just might improve their business as well.  If 100 
>people fished the lake one day and some caught limits and one person landed
>a 8 pounder while most caught only two or three 1/2 pound fish, the limits and
>8 pounder are going to be featured in the report.  

>If no marina or resort operator is available the next place would be the
>nearest tackle shop.  Again if this is in a resort area, the reports might
>come in from the fisherman, but might come with a little embelishment before
>reaching the publication of the report.

>Before going on, to summarize so far, fishing reports are not necessarily
>timely (especially in stocked fisheries) nor accurate.  The blame can be
>entirely put on those doing the reporting.  The fisherman that has landed
>the 10# german brown is more likely to stop in at the resort that the person
>that has been skunked.  

	As a fisherman, not a reporter, who writes a fishing column for the
	local newpaper, I would add a few comments.  Within the restrictions
	of information gathering, early deadlines, etc. about the best I can
	do is give information that is one week old.  This is not too bad
	during the stable weather patterns of summer, but is a bear in the
	Spring and Fall.  Then I try to anticipate a little and give 
	suggestions as to "if the weather is, do this, if weather is, try
	this.  These can only be starting points at best.

	One humorous note.  One year they decided their budgets were too 
	tight to pay the mere pittance they gave me which about paid
	for my gas.  So, they had a reporter call around to the bait/
	tackle shops.  That lasted only a couple of months.  The owners
	were friends of mine and not only exaggerated a little, but lied
	through their teeth.  The paper never tried that again.

	Back to the practical.  If you want good information, go to local
	area (lake area) bait shops ON THE WAY to fishing.  Ask very 
	specific questions, such as: Any bass come in yet this morning
	(yesterday)?  What were they caught on?  How were they fishing?
	Where?  It is in the bait shop owner's interest to help you catch
	fish so you will come back.  If you are at a marina, ask questions
	of boats that are/have come in with fish.  Some will tell you the 
	truth. -Roger
Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.fishing,rec.backcountry