Don't worry, OT, even if things are directed my way, you and I have established a good communicating relationship. It's all in good discussion.
In my opinion, everyone starts somewhere. We all go through stages of skunks. Even now, I go through lots of skunks (today is a good example).
Even if you are skunked, it's worthwhile to report certain things. For example, I can report on weather conditions, ice conditions, water depths, current, water clarity, techniques and lures used, reaction of the fish to these presentation...etc.
All of the above, even if there is not one bite or fish caught, is important to review and to examine. Not only for the angler himself, but for the community to learn. There is a reason why it didn't work today...there is a reason why others that were out there today were successful (a very limited few people through personal contacts).
There are many things that people can learn from a report. If you take the time to pick through the details (which many people simply can't bother to...or don't have time to), then you can learn a lot. You have to put in the time and work to improve and advance...it's the same for everything in life. There is no substitute for hardwork and continuous learning.
A good report needs not to be long...here's what I could write for a short report.
"We were fishing at Kempenfelt Bay today. We decided to fish at the deeper depth of 126 feet of water since that's where we had success last time. After the warm spell, the ice held up great and we measured 5" of black ice. We fished from 7:30am until 3:30pm. The current was weaker this time and we were able to keep our lines more vertical. Our group of 5 did not have much luck, but 2 people from our group did hook up a lake trout each. One trout was caught on the Williams Ice Jig, the other was caught on a Lindy rattling lure. We fished a collection of lures. Here is the summary of lures used and reaction from fish:
Badd Boyz (jigged slowly inches from bottom with the occasional rip) - fish were intrigued by the commotion and come over to investigate, a few of the follow the lures if you lift the lure slowly, but they would give up the chase a few feet off the bottom.
Swedish Pimple (bounced on bottom, jigged vigorously or retrieved up the water column to about 50 feet of water) - fish did not respond well to all the presentation.
Williams half-and-half (fished similar to the Badd Boyz) - fish responded in the same way as the Badd Boyz. It did not work to get many more follows or bites, but we did get one good bite from a lake trout.
etc...etc...etc..."
Maybe someone haven't tried these lures before and don't know how to use them. Maybe someone more experienced would comment and suggest a better technique on how to use the lure to the poster. Maybe someone has a different experience today and it was just based on the area that was fished, or the timing.
In any case, it adds to the collective knowledge when a report is put up, and everyone can learn from it.
So what I'm trying to say is: even for a complete beginner, there are always things we can learn from this beginner. Relative to my experience, Michael is still a beginner, but I am still learning much from him. There are things that I observe (quietly and discreetly
) that I can learn from him. And even going microfishing with Guiga10 I'm learning the habits and preferred holding waters of certain minnows.
I guess in conclusion, I still believe contributions should be measured fairly and equally whether we're talking about a beginner or a seasoned angler.
As I often say to Michael...
A good angler is one that pays attention to details.
A good angler is one that constantly learns and asks questions and adapts new information into their knowledge and technique toolbox.
A good angler is one that constantly reviews and reevaluates the current fishing conditions, techniques and presentation, and adapts what he/she know from past experience and knowledge to the current needs.
So...if we want to be a helpful and informative board, members need to post reports and techniques used, whether skunked or successful, so we have a collection of data to review and reevaluate, to learn and to question and to pick at all the little details that helps the not-so-successful angler to become a successful angler.
