How beneficial are fishing reports anyway???

KDM

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I think they help....or maybe I'm hoping they help as I post some of these reports, but I've had several discussions over the years about the benefits of posting a fishing report. Some say people just read them, but figure they are not as truthful as they should be. Others like to read them, but don't use them when deciding where to fish. Do these reports actually help guys determine where they will spend their precious time on the water or is it more of an entertainment thing very similar to bar talk??
 


guywhofishes

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I use them as idea generators, reminders that there is a similar bite on my local waters, motivation to try new or forgotten presentations, encouragement to get off the couch, etc.
 

89bluefin

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eh doesn't help me catch more fish cause at the end of the day you still have to catch the fish but nice to know where they are a little more active
 

Enslow

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Fishing reports are great to have but can become counterproductive if relied on too heavily. In the winter i see this especially where people are chasing bites instead of drilling.
 


Vollmer

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I like the reports that give an idea of presentation that is working. Lire, depth, speed, etc. and info such as water temp and weed lines. Generally I don't need a spot on a spot.
 

Loebs lake cabin

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I think the hunting and fishing reports are the best part of any outdoors website...I used to run SDO so I know the amount of traffic good reports generate....I think they provide a great general starting point, especially for people that have limited time to scout. We fished a ton of tournaments between 2000 and 09' and it's one of the things we searched when doing our recon, especially on bodies of water we weren't familiar with. I encourage everyone to post a report, even if it's vague because visitors check this area multiple times daily and your hits will increase dramatically! Josh
 

Enslow

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I received a first hand report last winter on a ginormatron crappie spot. I havent been to the spot yet but cant wait till ice on!
 

Rowdie

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I think the hunting and fishing reports are the best part of any outdoors website...I used to run SDO so I know the amount of traffic good reports generate....I think they provide a great general starting point, especially for people that have limited time to scout. We fished a ton of tournaments between 2000 and 09' and it's one of the things we searched when doing our recon, especially on bodies of water we weren't familiar with. I encourage everyone to post a report, even if it's vague because visitors check this area multiple times daily and your hits will increase dramatically! Josh

Did they take that site down...SDO?
 


WormWiggler

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I like to read them, I take what I read with a grain of salt but tend to be naively trusting.
 

lunkerslayer

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I like gps coordinates of structure, what color to use, what kind of bait, or color of lure. Thumbs Up

I like to go on fishidy because people are not afraid to share gps coordinates as well as catches they may have caught with: what depth, colors of lure, or what bait. I don't have to share with everyone if I have a secret spot and i can set up each individually way pt. so only certain people can see them. It's nice because I like to be able to find good spots and either share, share with a few, or no one. Then my spots are saved for me to check with Google Earth and my navionics chip. I like this set up for winter especially.
 
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Fishmission

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They have been very helpful to me. I am most interested in the depth, if you know the general depth that at least gives you the first indicator to form a pattern.
 

buckhunter24_7

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Only time they matter to me is if they say water depth presentation, and water temp, just trying to add more tools to my fishing tool box cause I really don't care where people are catching fish I try to stay away from people
 

Rowdie

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I like them. Especially on a system that stretches from Pierre to Bismarck. It helps a lot to know which section of the river they are staged.
 

Loebs lake cabin

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I like them. Especially on a system that stretches from Pierre to Bismarck. It helps a lot to know which section of the river they are staged.
Exactly and with the vastness of the resevoirs oahe, sak it can be extremely intimidating...heck, even for me at times and I spend a ton of time on the water on Oahe and have for over 20 years...with having two main forage species for walleyes on oahe shad being a more shallow warmer water bait fish and smelt being a mainly colder water and thus deeper water bait fish you can have two bites going at the same time...tough to really find fish shallow unless you just fish it, deeper stuff, 20 and over I can run around and cover a lot of water and use my electronics to mark fish but the shallow stuff you really just have to fish it... and with around 1500 miles of shoreline that can be daunting...lol....so knowing what stretch of the system holds the bigger schools is a huge help imo....right now it seems the majority of the fish are still up in ND, as of last weekend anyway...started marking more south of pollock again on monday, do hopefully some of the bigger pods are moving south....last year many people in that pollock to mobridge area fished the same 3 mile stretch until mid August....hanson bay to locke...marked bait all summer, shad... and never fished deeper than 12ft...this year, that stretch has been pretty dead, not marking any bait balls at all, really anywhere...I think there was a big die off and for the most part they're feeding on smelt this year...in the stretch I've been spending the most of my time anyway..that's what they've been spitn up, even the fish I've caught shallow...
 

Enslow

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Bluegills cross their eyes when they c a chunk of nightcrawler.
 


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