When to keep your spots secret on Fishbrain

There’s a fine line between knowing when to share a fishing spot and when to jealously guard your hard earned secrets. The next generation of anglers should be guided along their fishing journey, just as many veteran anglers were, and at the same time the intellectual capital of secrets must be earned through trial and error. 

To help anglers walk this blurry line between sharing and secrecy, we at Fishbrain offer three different privacy settings when you are logging a catch. 

We go through these settings below, and cover the scenarios we think are appropriate for using each one when posting a catch. There are no written rules when it comes to this touchy subject, but we will do our best to guide you and shed some light on the gray areas. 

Secret spot - The only thing that shows up on your catch post is the fish itself. Catch location and body of water are for your eyes only.

When to use it - You’ve found fish gold. You looked at maps, bushwhacked and put in the leg work to find a fishing spot that is truly special. Other anglers don’t need to know where this spot is and frankly they may not deserve to know. You should, by all means, show off the catches you make from this spot, but don't give anyone else the satisfaction of knowing where you are.

Secret spot is also the best case scenario if you’re not sure which privacy setting to use. Maybe you were out fishing with a friend and you don’t know how secret the spot is. Maybe you had a great day on a new body of water and you’re not sure how popular it is. When in doubt, keep it secret, keep it safe.

Share water - You’re willing to give up the name of the body of water you're fishing on, but that’s it. The catch location will be visible to you, but the only thing other anglers will see is the name of the water.

When to use it - Even if a body of water is popular, it doesn’t mean you can find a special place among the crowd. Braided sections of popular rivers, inlets and coves on busy lakes are just a couple examples of how your hard work can pay off on a busy body of water. When you post a catch from this spot it doesn't hurt to share the lake, river, or beach name because everyone already knows about it. Keeping the exact spot secret, though, protects your dedication to working hard on a heavily fished body of water. 

We like to help other anglers out as much as possible and by letting them know a body of water is capable of producing quality catches is a great start.

Even without the exact catch location, these posts are incredibly valuable for anglers, especially those fishing new regions and states. When I look at new rivers in different states, I don't need to know exactly where someone made a catch, as I relish in exploring new waters. However, I do love seeing what other anglers have caught on that river, when they fish and what lures they use.

Share exact spot - You’re fishing on popular, conspicuous public waters. You don’t care who sees where you made your catch and you’re willing to share the details. 

When to use it - My home water in Montana, the Bitterroot River, is the third most fished river in the state. Every weekend, hundreds of boats float down different sections of the remains tem of the river. Designated boat launches are the only places float anglers can launch a raft, meaning the same section of rivers are fished by everyone. 

When I land a beautiful brown, or cutthroat, I’m more than happy to show which section i was floating. I look at my catch reports as adding to the overall banter of the river. Which fly is working today, what time of day were they hitting dries are just some questions i’m more than happy to answer when on a popular river. I often follow other anglers who post their catches on these waters and have others follow me, creating a mini fishing community each of us can reach out on the weeks when the fish turn their noses up at every fly I throw.

Fishing is a community sport and sharing fishing information often leads to better days on the water and a better understanding and appreciation of fishing. That being said, secret spots need to be earned through study and hard work. We encourage every angler to keep their secret spots secret and share with the community when appropriate.

Changed your mind?

Any time you want to change the privacy status on one of your catches, simply:

1. Tap the three dots in the top right of the corner of your catch

2. Tap "Edit"

3. Scroll down to "Location and Privacy"

4. Tap "Location Privacy"

5. Choose which setting you'd like.

Now let’s go fishing. We’ll take you to our spot…maybe.

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