Trusting forum information

[Big Zig]

This is a setup question, I'm going to lay that on the table up front.
I frequent many public forums, everything from custom automotive to Zen archery (can't quite apply the art of Zen to fishing yet :D ). Anyway, I tend to "trust" the information that I compile from these public forums - just like the crappie nibbles thing - because it seems like any incorrect information is set straight right away. (I see this very often on reloading sites when someone(troll) puts unsafe information into a thread.) My question is, does everyone else feel the same; or do you take everything with a grain-of-salt?

[kunes]

Alot of the info on these "hobby" type forums is simply a restatement of info someone has read on another site or read in a magazine or gleaned in some fashion other than experience. In some cases this results in info that is not relevent or just plain wrong. In my opinion this forum seems to contain very good info but I always look at it with a discerning eye. I usually go to the message board of a poster's home state to see how many fishing reports they post to see if their expertise comes from actually fishing or just reading about it. I also try to be aware of someone who is trying to sell something. All I remember about the Bait Pistol guy from the old board is that he continually posted hypes of his product and little else. Jerry Blake posts on this site and obviously has a service to sell but I don't think anybody minds because he shares experience and info for free and participates in discussions that are unrelated to his guide service. In fact if I ever have a hankerin to fish in Arkansas I would go with him because of the way he conducts himself on this forum.

[Moose1am]

I try to get my information from more than one source. Just like if I were to hire a mechanic to look at my car I would want to get a second opinion. I do the same thing with doctors and other professionals. I try to get three estimates when I go to a contractor.

A lot of information that I post is from what I have read or observed over my life. I am 53 going on 54 and have been fishing off and on since I was a young lad. I don't fish everday like some of the pros since no one pays me to fish everday. LOL but I love fishing and I am very interested in the outdoors.

I agree that Jerry and Richard are great guys and I love to read what they have to say. They contribute a lot of very good and useful information to this forum and they have never abused this at all.

Hope this helps guys

Alot of the info on these "hobby" type forums is simply a restatement of info someone has read on another site or read in a magazine or gleaned in some fashion other than experience. In some cases this results in info that is not relevent or just plain wrong. In my opinion this forum seems to contain very good info but I always look at it with a discerning eye. I usually go to the message board of a poster's home state to see how many fishing reports they post to see if their expertise comes from actually fishing or just reading about it. I also try to be aware of someone who is trying to sell something. All I remember about the Bait Pistol guy from the old board is that he continually posted hypes of his product and little else. Jerry Blake posts on this site and obviously has a service to sell but I don't think anybody minds because he shares experience and info for free and participates in discussions that are unrelated to his guide service. In fact if I ever have a hankerin to fish in Arkansas I would go with him because of the way he conducts himself on this forum.

[Tim The Lippa Rippa Mon]

Many people post what they have read, or others have said on boards just to seem or feel knowledgable. I personally only give head nods to products and/or methods that I have used and/or like. The info I normally choose to post is usually brought on from personal experience for the most part.

Guides, Pros, Crappie World, and other such sources have made me into the fisherman I am today. Reading will teach you much, but there is no substitute for experience. Too many people stand on the shoulders of unproven statements. I find that those who say the least, are often the ones that know the most.

I consider the sources, research the recomendations, and then test the knowledge if it appears to be true. Let there be truth and not propaganda here!

Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact. - George Elliot

<,"}/>{ Rippa

[Roberta]

Crappiepappy could tell me the world is flat and I'd believe it.

The dog forums I participated in when we were still showing was full of bad or dead wrong advice, so I'm sure there is a lot of malarky floating around out there. - Roberta

[chaunc]

I try to let people know what works for me. I give strait to the point reports on products, good or bad. I've been fishing for close to 45 years. Been reading/ studying about this sport for over 25 years and practicing what i've learned intensly. If i decide to try a new product, i dont comment until i really give it a fair shot. I ask questions and listen to answers. This site is tops on my list for getting good, sound advise on crappie fishing.

[CrappiePappy]

but the world isn't "flat" .... it's closer to "pear" shaped ...LOL!! (or has that theory been disproven, too ??)

Seriously though - I try to make it a point to "qualify" my statements or info ... either by a disclaimer statement, or by the content of the statement itself. Things change fast in this world today ... things that were taken as gospel at one time, prove outdated or myth at other times. Like many other things in the world, Crappie fishing isn't static. It changes, evolves, and even goes "retro" at times. What one person experiences positive results with - another person fails miserably with. But, without the exchange of ideas and experiences and info on methods or baits that have been tweaked a little by the user ... some would fall victim to the "same-o same-o" (same old spot, same old bait) in hopes of producing the "same" results (as in when they "slayed" them, that one time).
As the little joke contends - "you have to kiss a lot of frogs, before you find a Prince" ...... in reference to Crappie fishing - that translates to "you have to try a lot of different things, before you find one that works for you". Crappie are not that smart. They cannot "think" in the same terms as we do. They're controlled by their surroundings, environment, and survival instincts. When we don't catch them, most of the time it is because we don't "find" them. When we do find them, and still don't catch them ... it's usually because we aren't presenting something of interest to them, in such a way, that they can't resist trying to eat it.
I go with the "don't knock it until you've tried it" philosophy ... while still using the "taken with a grain of salt" idea, on heavily hyped ideas or products. Even so, what works for me doesn't necessarily work for someone, or everyone, else. The information, disseminated on this board and others, is meant to get us to try new things ... and see for ourselves if it makes a positive contribution to our results. I'd be one of the last persons to "knock" a product or method, that I haven't even used or tried ... since I know, all too well, that I can be (and have been) "whipped up on" by someone using those very same....LOL!! (as evidenced by many people on the Spring Fling/Fall Brawl Tournament Trail) ..........luck2ya ..........cp

[Big Zig]

Thanks for all your replies, and I tend to follow the same protocol as mentioned above. Here's why I ask that question: I frequent a walleye specific forum, and two days after I mentioned the Gulp! products I had never seen before, there was a thread about using the product (Gulp!) for walleye. Now, it appeared that when applied to crappie (thread on this forum), the product was not considered a good investment;however, apparently when you get a bunch of walleye fishermen together Gulp! is the cats' meow. As the thread continued however, I picked up on a lot of double talk - one guy saying early in the thread how he fishes the product exclusively, then later he states he hasn't used soft plastic in over a year. If I say exclusively, I would mean I don't use anything but that.

The thread just struck me funny, and it made me sit back and think about the information that can get laid out over the internet as "gospel". This forum seems to keep reality in focus, and from a newbie's angle it is very much appreciated.

[Roberta]

Berkley is doing a promo right now for Gulp! products for walleye fishing. We got an email about it last week. That might shed some light on what the poster was up to - maybe an undercover Berkley rep?

Crappiepappy - my home town of Hamilton, Ohio has a monument to the Hollow-Earth Society. How do you feel about that theory? LOL. - Roberta

[Tim The Lippa Rippa Mon]

CP -Well stated, and I agree completely.

Big Zig, my partner & I have had very good results with the Orange Gulp that is shaped like a Catelpa worm. The next time I buy some though, I think I will get the size that is closer to a wax worm instead. The other seems a little bulky, and makes the jig not stay horizontal. The Chartreuse works good to.


<,"}/>{ Tim