Ask An Angler: Can You Fish A Friends Spot Without Them?

Let's say a buddy, neighbor, or someone at work takes you fishing, and you end up having the best day of your life. Are you allowed to go back to that spot without them? Can you bring a friend with you? What exactly are the rules for fishing somebody else's spot?

Sacred Grounds

A favorite fishing spot is often considered sacred grounds, which is part of the reason anglers stay tight-lipped about their secret holes. This tip-toey, stealth-like behavior may seem odd, but it is practical, understandable, and often necessary. Fishing pressure from other anglers will undoubtedly impact the fishing for future anglers. This is why so many of the “best spots” are in remote places, overlooked areas, or even private grounds where fewer people are fishing. If fish have what they need to grow and fewer anglers out there to bother them, they have a chance to grow really big while remaining more foolish.

Can You Fish Your Fishing Buddies Spots?

So can you fish a spot without your friend there? My vote is YES, so long as you give the person a heads up before you do. Especially the first time you go there. I like to send a text message that will read something like:

''I'm thinking about hitting the creek tomorrow, mind if I hit that stretch you showed me?''.

Generally, the more secretive the spot feels, the more likely you should probably give your buddy the heads up. However, sometimes it's not needed. For example, If they brought you catfishing at the third largest dam in the state or bass fishing on the great lakes, it's probably unnecessary to reach out. But if it's a secluded creek, pond, or access point, it's worth it shooting them a text.

Can You Bring Other People To Your Friends Fishing Spots?

Fishing your buddies' spot alone is one thing, and they probably won't care, but you should be cautious when thinking about bringing other anglers along.

It's understandable if someone wants to show a newly found spot to an immediate family member, best friend, significant other, or even a friend from out of town. However, use caution because there are few faster ways to upset an angler than by sharing their fishing information with other people.

Freeze The Tags

Tagging your location on an Instagram post is another way to burn up a buddy's spots, so one way to work around that is to use more general terms like the state you caught it in. When people ask me the river I catch my fish out of, I usually say ''a tributary to the Mississippi River.'' Since nearly every river around me flows into the Mississippi eventually, I'm remaining honest while giving away virtually no information.

Forget About The Big Stuff

For larger lakes, giving away the spot generally won't matter. It's not exactly breaking news that there is largemouth bass in Lake Okeechobee or giant smallmouth swimming in the great lakes, so calling out a place like that won't matter. However, smaller lakes under a couple of thousand acres can see an upswing in fishing pressure if everyone begins talking about them on social media.

If you blab about fishing spots to every angler you meet, don't be shocked if you start to see more fishing pressure, especially for people fishing from shore or areas with limited spot availability.

So before you go sneaking over to someone's favorite fishing hole, I suggest gauging the necessity to get permission depending on the secretness of the area and your relationship with that person. If you're generally talking about a large lake or river, it's probably fine but please don't give away people's secret gems.