There are few things in fishing that generate more excitement than the arrival of the fall run. Along the shores of Long Island, striped bass, bluefish and false albacore begin moving through our waters, offering some of the most anticipated fishing opportunities of the season. Anglers spend months waiting for this window, preparing their gear, watching the weather and looking for those first signs of migrating fish. Unfortunately, there’s one thing that can ruin an otherwise excellent bite, and it has nothing to do with the fishing itself.
I’m talking about spot burning.
It’s nothing new, but the way information travels today has taken the problem to another level. Years ago, word of a good bite might have traveled between a handful of friends or through a local tackle shop. Today, it takes a single photograph, a recognizable landmark or a social media post to turn a quiet stretch of beach into a parking lot.
I’ve seen how quickly a productive location can become overwhelmed once word gets out. What started as a few anglers enjoying a steady pick of fish can turn into a shoulder-to-shoulder affair. Suddenly, the focus shifts from enjoying the fishing to competing for casting room, dealing with crossed lines and watching people disregard the basic courtesies of sharing the water.
There’s nothing wrong with being excited about a good catch or wanting to share that success. I encourage anglers to take photographs, celebrate their accomplishments and tell their fishing stories. The problem begins when sharing a catch turns into broadcasting an exact location to hundreds or even thousands of people who otherwise might never have known the bite was taking place.
It’s especially noticeable during the fall run, when fishing opportunities can be incredibly concentrated. A school of bass might settle into a particular stretch of beach for a tide or two, or a pod of albies might repeatedly push bait against the same shoreline. When dozens of additional anglers descend on a location because of a single post, everyone’s experience can change.
I also think there’s something to be said for putting in the work. Part of what makes fall fishing so rewarding is figuring things out for yourself. It’s watching the tides, understanding the wind, following the bait and making educated decisions about where to spend your time. Some days those decisions pay off, and other days they don’t. But that process is what makes connecting with a good fish so satisfying.
When someone broadcasts a productive location in real time, it takes away a piece of that experience. Instead of learning how to locate fish, anglers simply follow the latest report and hope to capitalize on somebody else’s effort. There’s a difference between helping someone become a better fisherman and handing them the exact location of another angler’s hard-earned discovery.
There’s also the matter of respecting the anglers who were there before you. Just because you happen upon a productive bite doesn’t mean the people already fishing it want their location advertised to the entire internet. Some may have spent years learning that particular piece of structure and waiting for everything to line up. Giving away that information without considering the people around you is inconsiderate.
Of course, nobody owns a stretch of public beach. I’m not suggesting anglers should keep newcomers out or treat every productive location like a closely guarded secret. Helping somebody learn the ropes, recommending a general area or offering advice on a productive technique is something we should all be willing to do. But there’s a difference between encouraging someone to explore the South Shore and announcing that 30-pound bass are feeding at a particular access point.
As someone who makes a living reporting on fishing, I recognize the importance of getting information out to our readers. It’s what we do every week here at The Fisherman. But there’s a balance between reporting on a developing fishery and unnecessarily exposing a specific location while the action is taking place. Providing information about patterns, conditions and techniques can help anglers find success without sending an entire crowd to the same shoreline.
With the fall run upon us, remember that not every good catch needs an immediate social media post, and not every photograph needs a recognizable landmark in the background. Sometimes waiting a few days to share a picture or keeping the location general can make a tremendous difference.
The fall run is short enough as it is. Enjoy the fishing, celebrate your success and lend a hand when somebody needs it. Just remember that the next time you’re fortunate enough to find a good bite, broadcasting exactly where it is might be the quickest way to ruin it.
Some things are better left between you, the fish and the few anglers fortunate enough to be there.
