With all the vids out there, what are everyone's thoughts on specific locations being given? I know most channels I've subscribe to, barely tell you what state they are in let alone what body of water.. For example, hypothetically ofcourse. Let's say there is a channel dedicated to fishing a tiny lake that borders Lawrence Co. Said hypothetical channel is also dedicated to "crushin crappies" and is "hosted" by a guy, let's call him Big Haze. Is it ok/not ok to disclose specific location? Mind you, this isn't some exspansive body of water. Guess I'm taking straw-poll and wanted to know where people stood on the topic.

Excellent question!

I think it might increase traffic, at least for a short period of time.

But I would not be concerned with people being on an exact spot using the exact bait/lure in the correct manner.

What I base this on is purely anecdotal, but was consistent.

Back in the day G, when I fished bass tournaments and worked in the retail fishing/boating industry, if asked by those that came into the store how I (or we if it were a buddy tournament) did, I would tell them (we competed in federation events, local tournaments, and ran on the “beer can” circuit to the point of going to the “beer can” classic every year it was held and finishing in the top 10 in the standings most years). If they asked “on what,” I would tell them. If they asked what technique, I would tell them. If they asked where, I would tell them.

In the 20 years I competitively fished, only once did I see anyone at a location I gave them and they were fishing with something completely different and using it incorrectly.

Now, obviously, YouTube reaches a vastly wider audience, but I’m not real sure the results would be any different — maybe some go there, maybe some use the right thing (just because it worked one day does mean it will another), and maybe they use it correctly, but if they need YouTube to figure it out, you be the judge on how good they really are.

Vague but helpful is my vote. I have no issues showing techniques/lures/bait that work. Or someone giving a vague report on a lake. Videos crushing fish on any PA lake, besides Erie and naming the lake is just asking for that lake to get pounded. Likely making your reliable technique a little less reliable when others catch and keep the fish that were favorable to that technique.

You two both make good points. I tend to agree with Tim alittle more though. If you want to have a channel full of videos catching fish, so be it. Show techniques, bait choice, whatever. When you start to give locations then that's where I draw the line, especially on smaller bodies of water that can't take the pressure of major "advertisement". Just my opinion. I hope more will voice theirs.

i've seen some stuff on social media that has a very uncanny resemblance to the hypothetical situation you describe.  the ice fishing videos don't seem too detailed, but the open water ones don't leave much to try to figure out.  
 
not gonna lie, there are times when i've tried fishing somewhere new that came from somebody giving t.m.i. on the innerwebs.  or have used little clues to try to figure out where they were.  or a place i fish often, will adjust to what i see.  that person's t.m.i. increased angler pressure by at least 1, and often 3 since my boys are usually with me.  some of the social media pages for steelhead fishing are just ridiculous in that regard, and i have no doubt they increase angling pressure in general based on the number of posts that begin with, "i've never fished for steelhead before," and the number of, "where should i go and what should i use," posts from people that have fished for steelhead before.  and those who fish for steelhead know that increased angling pressure is not a good thing for private property open to public fishing.  
 
i follow a couple pages on facebook for fishing the gulf coast in mississippi and louisiana.  one page's policies for posting reports require locations and tactics to be given, but 99% of those reports are guys fishing from boats in the vast marshes of those states.  reports are removed for not containing enough information sometimes.  the owner of that page also runs a for-profit type online "club" where he shares very detailed info on where and how.  really, really knowledgable guy and always catches a ton of speckled trout and reds in all conditions, but maybe he figures nobody else is as good as he is.  
 
a couple other pages for the same area don't have those policies, but shore fishermen there especially give t.m.i. and expect others to do the same. couple summers ago, we had a couple of great fishing days in that area wade fishing the beach and i posted some pics.  got several, "where were you," questions and had people that got mad at me when the extent of my info was, "wading the beach between town x and town y," for not being more specific.  i dunno, i kind of liked it that my sons and i were the only three fishermen i could see in the whole stretch of beach we were on.  
 
saltwater is obviously a vastly different resource than your hypothetical.  if i was great at fishing that hypothetical body of water - i'm not, since i don't have a boat (but even if i did, not sure that would change much) - and somebody was posting t.m.i. for the masses on a spot and bite i had dialed in, i'd be a little peeved about it.  i have a few spots and bites there that i've figured out a little bit over the years, and when i see t.m.i. from those spots and bites, i cringe a little bit because i know there will be more competition there.  
 
 
 
 

If I had a youtube channel id just show techiques an baits at common well know places everyone an there uncle already fish over. Save your best spots/places for yourself lol

snagr
i've seen some stuff on social media that has a very uncanny resemblance to the hypothetical situation you describe.  the ice fishing videos don't seem too detailed, but the open water ones don't leave much to try to figure out.  
 
 
 if i was great at fishing that hypothetical body of water - i'm not, since i don't have a boat (but even if i did, not sure that would change much) - and somebody was posting t.m.i. for the masses on a spot and bite i had dialed in, i'd be a little peeved about it.  i have a few spots and bites there that i've figured out a little bit over the years, and when i see t.m.i. from those spots and bites, i cringe a little bit because i know there will be more competition there.  
 
 
 
 

That's what makes me wonder why some mup'ere insists on burning said hypothetical lake to the masses. I mean a channel strictly dedicated to 1 body of water and 1 specific species is a little bit much, especially some tiny hole in the wall lake, don't you think? SmH.....

I'll say first hard iv spot burned people just from pics weather it be a rock or log if a local area I know we'll it's not hard to tell. I watch youtube for the content not really tips as far as fishing goes

pensfan1

That's what makes me wonder why some mup'ere insists on burning said hypothetical lake to the masses. I mean a channel strictly dedicated to 1 body of water and 1 specific species is a little bit much, especially some tiny hole in the wall lake, don't you think? SmH.....

for sure.
 
i don't know how money making on youtube works exactly, but maybe he's trying to make a few bucks.  or feed an ego to be seen as a local expert.  or both.  
 
i think that hypothetical figure could also use a hypothetical ruler and a hypothetical scale based on some of the claims he makes about some of the hypothetical fish he catches.  
 
 

Yeah there is TMI in a lot of utube vids...its the new way to spot burn.
I am all for helping people but I usually help others in PMs not broadcast spots to 1000s in FB groups.
Helped a guy last spring in PM the following week he was hashtagging and making utube vids sharing info I gave him some people will do anything for a few likes a celebrity FB status beware...WCW