BLOG: Fishing the web

I’m not entirely sure what old-time fishos used to do before the Internet was around. I can only imagine. Information passed down like Chinese whispers from mate to mate would have been an important conduit for many planning their weekend trips. I would hazard a guess that many fishos went home empty handed as the integrity of the info passed down was diluted and marginalised by the most common trait all fishos share: an exaggeration for the truth. Or this old chestnut; “I caught fish here a few years ago, so chances are...” Fishos can be very optimistic creatures at times.

Now I’m not saying that due to internet technology the information we read and gather is 100 per cent accurate or a guarantee for success. As a bare minimum it is fast.

Think about this, fishing conditions change in the blink of an eye. Sometimes faster than the duration of a single tidal sequence. The daily column in the metro newspaper detailing where the fish are biting is no longer the timely source it once used to be. If the information we access is not delivered to us at lightning speed then the information is worth less than the paper it was printed on. By the time ol' Joe tells ol' Ted who tells Kev, the fish have either long gone or been pilfered to extinction by every fisho in town. It doesn’t take long for the word to get around. But maybe too long to be beneficial!

I know that most fishos in my circle rely heavily on the Internet for info. The diversity of sites means they can seek info on all facets of weather, tides, sea surface temperatures and the good oil. How good the oil is depends really on the online community you participate in. I know a few online forums that lack decorum and the participants have a tendency for one-upmanship. Others I know of are family sites where people willingly give of themselves and their information. These are the sites to visit.

Even still, no matter how fast we can access real time data, fishing will always remain an enigma. All we can do is try to tilt the odds in our favour. Every little bit counts.

Do you rely on internet reports to plan out your fishing trips?