Bridge 20?

Has anyone done well fishing under or around bridge 20 for crappie or eyes?

Storm Warning 2,

This place gets crowded enough , why would you even report that?

ORIGINAL: cookie 71

egg sac,  To my understanding that is what this web-site is for , to talk about and discuss fishing. Fishing  tips and information. I don't take every post as gold,but reports help. No secret spot was given up here I don't even know where bridge 20 is. Now I have asked you for help and info. and you have helped so why are you upset about this post?

I have zero problems helping out anyone with fishing equiptment questions, technics, or general areas (ex there are Steelhead in Elk creek)..But giving out specific locations that can not handle alot of people and are posted for literaly thousands of people to read is just plain crazy..You can call it being gready if you chose but it is nice to know that you can acualy fish with some peice of mind at a few areas without the entire state being there with you. I have watched way to many places go to crap because of over fishing an area and get posted from way to many people causing all kinds of H E double hockey sticks. Face to face if I felt you would respect an fishing area I would possibly tell you of a good honey hole or 2 but .But spill specific info to the world that could cause very bad things to happen because of possible slob fisherman is not a good thing at all. If someone was to say hay at so and so lake we were killing Crappies no big deal but to go and say hey at accsess road bla bla bal there is this brush pile there that we just kill them off of, you can garuntte next day there will be alot of people there and whalla the honey hole is fished out..can you understand what I am saying here?

In my opinion, the guys who like to "keep secrets" have a complex problem themselves....they probably learned of the "secret spot" by someone else showing it to them anyway.  This whole "secret spot" syndrome effects me in NO way.  I have plenty of spots that I fish and catch fish and am always willing to share them with other friends and family to enjoy.  I also like the challenge of finding new spots to fish....and any good fisherman knows that fish move, thus new hot spots move and are recreated everyday.  What fun is fishing somewhere and keeping ALL to yourself anyhow?  If you do, however consider that fun, you are a selfish person.  Bottom line.  I have plenty of archery hunting spots as well, but I have long ago accepted the fact that other guys may be in any spot at any given time.  If there is, I don't get all in a tizzy over it, but rather just go to plan B, another one of my spots....yes, it sometimes is an inconvenience and disappointing, but Oh well, thats life, move on. 
 
By the way, its kind of ironic that a moderator of this site has the "secret spot" syndrome, don't ya think?  Because I agree that one of the reasons of the creation of the site, is for the sharing of information, tactics and stories about our fishing experiences.
 
  No offense eggy!

WOW!  That touched off a little Hatfield and McCoys didn't it?   Anybody that lives within' 20 miles of Linesville knows about Bridge 20.  And after inland 'eye season opens about Blair Bridge and Town Creek Trussel, there aren't any secrets left egg sac.  Besides, if you own a boat, can borrow a boat, or don't mind stump jumpin'  there are PLENTY of places to catch spring crappies at Pymy. 
 
I really don't have a problem telling anyone about anything I know on the local lakes.  (Except of course now that tourney times are coming up soon.) 
 
Can't we all just get along and do each other a favor and share some advice.  It isn't like the whole country sits here and looks at what we have to say.  It is a relatively small community of pretty serious anglers.
 
 

ShutUpNFish,

First off those that know me will tell you being selfish is the farthest from the truth there is..and bridge 20 is not any secret to most fisherman within 20 miles like stormwarning stated.The problem is with a place like that there is very little space to hold any number of anglers and can get so packed with people that even with a boat its almost imposible to fish the place because of so many lines out. its no fun having to arive at a place at 8am in the moring just to get a spot to fish for an evening bite. Since the place has last few years had almost zero area left to stand at because of so many people there I have had to resort to going out in my john boat to even have a chance to get a line wet there. but most times the shore anglers get very upset because they have to pull up there lines so I can get my boat under the bridge to pass through. Even though I have the right of way. I am not the wealthest person in the world and live off around 7-10 grand a year and the panfish I get are for food so in my case it is a matter of survival.With have just a 12' john boat with no moter my choises of areas to fish are very limited expecialy when the lake is ruff. I guess I just miss the past were you would go to a good spot and granted there were some people but not the crowds and most guys got along very well and had a good day fishing..Then the massive crowds start to come the space gets smaller and the mentality goes from having a good day fishing to everyone out for themselfs with little to no respect for others.It just sucks when a place goes from a few guys here and there to looking like the opening day of trout dailey.Granted I have been told of a few places by people over the years but have also shared places with them as well.But 95% of my fishing areas are due to alot of walking, driving and resurch.I am the one out in the nastiest of weather fishing just to get some peace of mind and enjoy a day of fishing without 100 people trying to jump in my pocket.Heck their are even many times when fishing by myself with a spot all to myself I wish there would be a few more people around to shot the bull with just not so many that they are rubbin shoulders with me. ShutUpNFish you stated I have plenty of spots that I fish and catch fish and am always willing to share them with other friends and family to enjoy. my point exactly but why let a place go to heck letting 10,000 people know about it..That is just a tad bit more then a few you know..and I do take offence to being called selfish.So just do some resurch through old posts on this site and you will see that I have shared a ton of good info over the years. If you want to know how I am catching fish I will freely tell you, ask what lures or bait I am using I will give that info as well ask what lake river or stream I am fishing will tell that as well but ask me the specific area I was fishing not a chance in heck I will spill that info over the net for a gajillion lurkers to selfishly spoonfeed and not give any good feeback to the rest of us. Its not the averange guy/gal contributing info here I am worried about its the ones that just want the info without adding any back that are the problem and the truly selfish ones.. Plenty of people have e-mailed me and pm'ed me asking for info and I gladley will give it out but I refuse to spoonfeed the masses...

The fact that you are trying to keep a fishing hole all to yourself or to just a select few of your friends, is proof of selfishness.  Now how you identify with that term or feel about it is entirely up to you.  I admit that I have felt the same way many times, especially when it comes to my two most favorite passions, fishing and hunting.  No matter how you look at it, its selfish.  And as for tens of thousands of guys all running up to the Bridge 20 spot at once, I doubt thats going to happen.  The only part about your point that I can understand to an extent is the part where people don't need to broadcast every last particular.  And I have seen places get ruined because of the hords of people over the years, but the bottom line is that I'm still fishing and I'm still catching fish.  The more time I spend out on the water exploring, the more I learn, the more fish I catch.

You also make it sound like this particular hole is the one and only hole in the whole lake which holds your table fare.  I highly doubt that, unless of course, you're fishing your neighborhood pond.  By the sounds of things, this particular hole is on a public body of water and everyone who purchases a license, is entitled to fish there.  It is inevitable that if the fishing is good there, through word of mouth and fishing success, people are going to find out about it regardless of you trying to keep it a secret or regardless of someone spewing out the particulars on here.  So my point is this...if the area gets so hammered and you depend on the panfish for food, you need to work a little harder trying to find alternative holes where you can fish when that particular hole in question is packed. 

I fish a lot of different lakes and rivers in PA, and I highly doubt that I see so much as places looking like the first day all the time.  You are obviously exaggerating that way out of proportion.  Lets take Elk creek for an example....I fished there often this past fall and winter.  I would call that stream a highly fished and often crowded fishery.  However, I never once went up there and could not find a place to fish.  I didn't always get to fish where I had my heart set to fish on certain days, but I improvised, still fished and caught fish.  That place is NO secret, but there are still a ton of guys on here who feel it is and should be kept hush hush....how obsurd is that!?!?  I refuse to complain about it though, because other fishermen have every right to be on public waters as do I....I usually just say to myself "Next time I'm going to try to get there earlier to get the spot".  Believe me, I know, I fish a lot and it gets frustrating sometimes.  But what are you going to do about it, quit or complain?  Ask yourself if its really worth all that.  I do what I know to do best and that is to perservere and improvise because I know at least I'm in control of that!!

Finally, you choose not to tell the boards where the fish are biting and thats your right.  I'm sure as Hell not going to waste my time complaining about some guy broadcasting particulars about his successful fishing trip.  Thats also his right and choice.  So how many fisherman do you know that do that anyway?  If you can truly say many, then our FISHERIES ARE DOOMED....OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!  NOT!

p.s. - If you're offended, I'm sorry thats how you feel, because one thing these boards do not lack is criticism and if you can't take that, I've learned, you might as well not get involved.  Oh, and at least I'm not criticising your spelling. 

Porter, i told you already,
 
out from the lagoon is sick.

i dont know
what lagoon are you talking about?
 

Alright, so I joined this website because I like to fish....alot.  And I think it's pretty important to take into account the types of places you guys are fishing.  It's spring and everyone has cabin fever to just get out there and kill some stuff, so you have to expect the places that get attention to have their fill of people.  I have a camp at Pymie, and there's no way you would ever see me getting up at 4am just to fish the Spillway or Bridge!  I know there's fish there, I know they're gonna get caught, but I'm not going to get involved in that.  I don't even consider that fishing anymore, because it takes the littlest amount of skill to catch fish like this.  What I will do is find places that are similar to these ones, i.e. structure, current, bottom type, just like Storm was sayin, and enjoy my time fishing away from crowds but still catching fish.  Lets face it, everyone knows the fish are there, so that's why you go there.  Go to places where PEOPLE don't know where the fish are, find them, and catch them.  That's not being selfish, it's being able to adapt, and it's one thing a skilled fisherman should be able to do, otherwise you'll be spending your time untangling your line from everyone else's.  That's how tournaments are won!

Storm Warning are you fishing in the CLI tourney next Sat?

That's the one.  I haven't even made it out on Pymie yet.  I'll give you a call later in the week.

Bridge 20 is about a quater mile south from the spillway at pymatuning on the old RR bed