Going forward in 2017 at OSF - 1

[MuskieBait]

Guiga, what you said is true. No doubt about it. But if you want to steer this forum back into a forum where members can relate, then post your bass report. Ask question about how you can catch more bass from shore. But see, that's the issue...you think you have nothing to contribute so you just did nothing. And so is a lot of members.

Michael kayak fish a lot more now, and thinks there's nothing relevant...so he doesn't post.

I fish more for species now and if you look at the last year, I haven't been posting much at all. I figure members don't want to really see yet another redhorse or yet another micro. So I don't post.

So nobody post anymore.

As cliche as it sounds, if you want to see change, that change should start with you. Don't look for others to make the change...because otherwise everyone is standing around waiting for someone to do something.

That's how roughfish got into that state. When I was there, I got ridiculed for posting yet another trout report...or bass report...or whatever. We never discouraged OSF members from posting reports...shore, boat, kayak, ice...whatever. It's all fishing and it's all good. I don't know why there's that impression at all. Yes, we encourage people to try for something different...but is Common Carp so different? Heck, I just put up an icefishing report with Walleye, Pike, Yellow Perch and Pumpkinseed. That's as mainstream as you can get. And yet, who really commented on it?

When you said other anglers want topics about mainstream species, ask yourself why you fished off a boat now for bass, pike and muskies. Because you know, from experience, that fishing from shore for those species and consistently obtain success is not easy. But rather, anyone can go to a pond in Markham and fish from Common Carp or Brown Bullhead from shore. It's attainable. It's achievable. Anyone can go down to the Don River or Humber River to catch White Sucker during the run from shore. Anyone can go catch Sunfish and Rockbass. Anyone can go down the the Grand can pull on a 2-3lb Channel Catfish. Heck, anyone can fish a stream for minnows from shore. That's what this forum is about, right? Shorefishing? Had we ever discouraged people ever from doing that? Have we ever really diverged from it?

Fact is...most people fishing from shore have a hard time catching that 5lb Largemouth Bass. So instead, we suggest other easily attainable species to catch so they can have some success. We're not niche. We're trying to help people just catch some fish. It may not be the Musky or the Lake Trout or that Walleye...but anyone fishing long enough knows that these species are difficult at best, impossible at worst, to catch from shore. This is Ontario Shore Fishing after all.

And simply, shore fishing requires time and experience. It seems many people are here just for the quick info...and even when suggestions are given, they never reported back on how they did. They never put in the time to actually learn it.

Forums has always been about standard questions. Dropshotting, whether with a nightcrawler for drum, or a plastic for bass, is the same. People just make things too complicated and technical when it comes to fishing. There's never really any niche.

As for the competition, I've participated once out of the 5 contests we've had...so don't put that blame on me that members feel it's a daunting task. I purposely withheld my participation for that reason.

If you want change, then it has to start with you. Post more reports, write more articles, and participate in the contest. All I hear is that "Now I'm bass fishing with nothing to contribute." THAT is not helping...

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OT - if you want to see a change, donate a fishing camp package as a prize...and see how quickly word spreads and participation increases. You'll also see how people will get desperate and start micro fishing just to win a fishing camp package. I will bet my Rapala travel rod on it!

Without a prize, nothing really would change. It's not like I'm preventing the members from entering because they think they have no chance. I haven't been participating most of the time...period.

I really don't know what else to do to shake it up. When you limit the contest to only bigger species you'll end up with every member catch similar number of species...who's the winner when no one else want to catch anything other than Bass, Walleye, Pike, Trout and Salmon?