Pot Stirring Time

....we're gonna need a BIGGER POT!  stir it you did!
Leave it alone....the weak get weaker...the lurkers, will still lurk.
 OUR FAMILY will strengthen from it!

even if you tell me where, use this and be there at this time....I STILL GOTTA HOOK THEM, if I actually find them.  not easy as it reads!

One thing that is truly sad is that so many people posted after abking, and it took agarcia to give him credit for what he said.  His post on page 3 is one of the most well put offerings I have seen in this forum let alone this tread.  As I said earlier, sometimes I wonder if anyone actually reads all the posts before throwing in their .02.  If you don't know how the conversation has developed, how can your input carry any merit.  You are just speaking into the wind.  Like agarcia said: WELL PUT ABKING!

being a totally analytical person i read every post of a thread before chiming in...that's just me.  I may or may not agree with the posts in a thread, and its only those parts of posts that really ring true to me, ring false to me, or (IMO) are not obvious that i'll comment on - like I'm doing now RE the previous statements.

Of course, i'll always give you an opinion if i think there's one missing...might not always be my belief, but if there's an argument that hasn't been explored in a thread (like this one), then might as well drag it into the open.

 

Here's another idea for you..  If you're still looking for that sense of community NCKA had a couple years ago before it had so many members and guests, you could always move up the Pacific Northwest like I did and join NWKA.  We only have a couple hundred members at best with a nice tight knit community and we're all still willing to help out and share as much as possible.   I imagine a lot of the NWKA members lurk on the NCKA site for things like rigging ideas (just as many of you probably lurk on the SoCal sites) but we certainly aren't stealing your fishing spots.  Oh and right now you'd have something like a one in 12 chance of winning AOTY top honors up here.    

Then again, you'd have to be willing to fish in the cold and rain most of the year.

I'm sure in a couple years NWKA will be feeling the same growing pains NCKA is dealing with now.

Brian

Thanks Art!
for having the balls to step up with such a big spoon and inspire so much thought and conversation.
there have been a few really good rants and I had to get in on the action.
I completely understand the feeling of wanting to protect hunting grounds. And at times they need protecting.  Just like the site sometimes needs protecting. The SG incident is the extreme example.
With the evolution of the NCKA, and the awareness of how many unidentified people are watching,
it is wise to ponder these things.
 I exposed haunts1 more than I should have.  Imagine the horror when I see a posting for a open hook up with plans to converge on my place of zen by someone other than me. and
It was my fault.
No doubt Richmond Park is something that had to be shared. It is a wonderland for bassin and it would be evil not to share it with the friends here that I value more than any fishing hole.
 I am wiser now in my reporting and hold the haunts more sacred.
I still think its safe to report honestly and completely,  just without drawing a map to where you were and being crafty with the backgrounds of pictures.
 
You really cant blame the lurks for wanting to check out the kayak/fish porn and there are a few serious weirdos active here. The conversations are far better than anything television can offer (except maybe the office). But at what point does it change from sharing reports with the NCKA brotherhood into exposing our hunting grounds with fishermen at large? I dont know, but I say let'em watch, then show them some mindblowing adventures.

report responsibly



btw this was my 666th post here. creepy. also the first time ive used the heads
 

 

One thing that is truly sad is that so many people posted after abking, and it took agarcia to give him credit for what he said.  His post on page 3 is one of the most well put offerings I have seen in this forum let alone this tread.  As I said earlier, sometimes I wonder if anyone actually reads all the posts before throwing in their .02.  If you don't know how the conversation has developed, how can your input carry any merit.  You are just speaking into the wind.  Like agarcia said: WELL PUT ABKING!

Thanks, Sigel and Art.

I am waxing philosophical today, so please indulge me here again.  Due to the special qualities that I see kayak fishermen display I feel strong kinship with this group.  I have goals that include doing what I can to help enhance the lives of others here - I'm in touch with my soul and how it is nourished by being good to others.  Now, here is the issue - I don't give of myself that freely in all aspects of my life - that would be impractical unless you're freakin' Ghandi.  I need some kind of indication from other parties that we share common goals.  I give freely here because I see special qualities in the people here.  Frank said it well - "Caring and sharing are the reasons I showed up at this site." 

Let those who would share in our community do the most basic act of commitment by giving their name and at least a little peep of a voice now and then, so we know they care.

My name is Abking, and I care.   

Actually, I often direct friends, family and co-workers to fishing reports that I've posted here to see pictures and read the account of what happened.  Other people doing similar things probably account for a fair number of the 'guest's, and blocking guests from reading the reports would prevent this, which I consider a significant use of the fishing reports. 

Also, frankly, we mostly catch rockfish and it's not like people are after recon info on where the rockies are biting.  The rockies are on the rocks 24/7, some areas are better than others, but tend to be consistently so, rather that variably so - you only need to hear about a good spot once for rockfish.  Recon is most useful with salmon, albacore and halibut.  We're way behind the curve on salmon and albacore, competitive on halibut, but generally when they come in the bay, it's a big bay - who cares how many people know? 

Also all those guests are exposed to the adds on the site that pay for us to have such a nice home on the internet.  Would it be worth losing the gallery to shake out all those ghosts?  In fact, our google rank would go down and new kayakers would be less likely to find us.  More kayak fishermen means there will be more (and cheaper) fishing kayaks available, specialized products and even rules that take us into account such as allowing us to land before tagging abs. 

We all realize that some of the "guests" here, are not guests at all and just bots and hyperlinkers and what not.  The number of guests at any one time is not really the problem.  The problem is the portion of guests, however small, that don't subscribe to the overall values of this group.  Is it really asking too much for them to create a user name and login, in order to access information we share in confidence?  I speak only of fishing reports, and to a lesser degree hookups.  All other threads would be fine by me for public access.  After all, safety articles are important to beginners who may not feel like joining just yet.

SteveS, I hope you don't think I was singling you out in RE to my comment on not reading the whole thread.  I think that you and I are bound to run at odds, as (whether you have noticed it or not) it seems to often happen.  In this thread you have IMO attacked the opinions of others by comparing this place to Coastside, and told people to simply stop posting if they don't like what is going on here.  The tone of what you said RE Coastside obviously implies that Coastside is bad, and by transference so are the opinions of those you disagree with.  That is a tactic often used by underhanded politicians.  As far as not liking what goes on here, that is what this thread is attempting to sort out.  So, you telling people to simply not post, is both counterintuitive, and at odds with the very nature of the conversation.  I'm not looking to bust your balls or anything, but could you be a little more constructive?

Did you know that roughly half the people that have signed up here haven't posted a single thing?  How does requiring one to signup change anything?

-Allen

Allen you are right, it doesn't really change anything.  On the other hand it doesn't really hurt.  Thats what everyone is trying to decide I suppose.  What is the benefit vs. the cost?  No easy answer I'm afraid.  The only real benefit to registration is when issues arise, we can claim to represent a large number of constituents.

SteveS, after rereading what I posted, I think I came off too harsh.  No offense man.  LOL: underhanded politician... is there any other kind?

I've been reading the thread since it started and figured it was time for my 2 cents.

I lurked for about 6 months before I signed up. The pictures and reports were cool and since I couldn't afford a yak at the time, I was able to live vicariously through many of you.

As I got closer to buying a yak, I signed up so I could learn from the folks on the site. I posted rarely, but kept an eye out on what was going on.

When I finally bought a yak I began posting a lot more and after some time I started hooking up with folks and attending NCKA events like BAM.

The "free rider" issue of lurkers who have no intention of ever giving back is a bit annoying. But, without the ability to lurk first, I never would have learned enough to make a good decision on which yak to buy. Without lurking for a while, I probably would have never bought a yak at all. And without lurking first, I wouldn't have made the decision that this is a cool group of people that share a common fishing philosophy with me.

My point is, the ability for folks to lurk may mean that some folks are getting a free ride. But the ability to lurk also helps to recruit additional productive members into NCKA who provide reports and share their experiences.

Allen you are right, it doesn't really change anything.  On the other hand it doesn't really hurt.  Thats what everyone is trying to decide I suppose.  What is the benefit vs. the cost?

It hurts if the goal of this site is to promote the sport.  But then again, I don't think there is an official goal of this site.  Whenever I hit a site that requires registration, I just go away ...

No easy answer I'm afraid.  The only real benefit to registration is when issues arise, we can claim to represent a large number of constituents.

We already do that.  But what happens when the "opposition" says, "yeah but you only have a 50% participation rate".  Double edged sword I suppose ...

-Allen

If they say that, we say.........ummmm.... uhhhhh... most of the members are too busy fishing and promoting conservation to participate online... yeah, thats it...  and frankly, I object to your suggesting anything to the contrary!

we mostly catch rockfish and it's not like people are after recon info on where the rockies are biting.   

Not attacking PS, just trying to illustrate a point. I think rockfish are very succeptible to heavy fishing pressure, due to their non-migratory nature. If the Captains of the local Monterey+Moss Landing fleet found out where the Cap Du Nord (and who wouldn't want to know where it is after reading the L-K report) is located, it would only take 2 weeks to completely destroy that reef. I really truly believe that is a posibility. And I know they read the reports on this site.

I nominate ArtG for "Pot Stirrer of the Year" or PSOY.

If the Captains of the local Monterey+Moss Landing fleet found out where the Cap Du Nord (and who wouldn't want to know where it is after reading the L-K report) is located, it would only take 2 weeks to completely destroy that reef. I really truly believe that is a posibility. And I know they read the reports on this site.

I'm sure they already know where it is. They have little reason to run so far to fish rockfish, although their boats occasionally ran to Pt Sur. With that locked up in an MLPA reserve, we just might get a demonstration of displaced effort.