Rockport 1/29 AM...Love me some perch!

[dubob]

I have always wondered how much I should share and how much to keep to myself. I have seen posts that detail practically everything and then don't name the water. Why do we want to know how soft the edge was, how deep they fished, lures that worked, etc., etc. What is the purpose of such a post? Evidently to show what a good time they had and how successful they were, which is fine with me. I have had the idea that the forum was for sharing information and to help others succeed. I look at TubeDude's posts as examples. He usually details out what he did and knows. I have gotten the feeling from time to time that a certain cadre of insiders are keeping information to themselves. I wouldn't be half the fisherman I am (not that great) had others not shared their knowledge with me. I have been criticized by friends and family for revealing too much in my reports. I respect them and have toned it down somewhat since then.
I would like to clarify what the purpose and mission of BFT is. I couldn't find a clear statement in the Guidelines. What do you all think?

We live in an ever-changing world.  I became a BFT Member in September 2007.  The attitude of most members back then was one of being able and willing to share as much information with other members as possible.  For most Utahns who pursued fishing with a passion, BFT was THE place to hang out and tell tall tales.  As I recall, the hot spotting rule hadn’t been formalized yet and we were mostly happy to share.  Fakebook hadn’t risen to the level of participation it sees today and we had lots of happy activities amongst us.

Fast forward to today.  Websites are being outgunned by social media sites and dyeing a slow death because most folks I talk to on the ice get their information from those social media sources and have never heard of BFT.  Instant gratification from their hand-held devices is where its at for most folks under say 50.

I don’t think the overall mission of BFT has changed since I joined in 2007; its goal is still to share fishing information with other like-minded folks in a friendly and respectful manner.  Occasionally, the respectful part falls by the wayside, but most of us are capable of having a conversation without resorting to character assassination.  And, of course, there is a very small group of members who don’t have the social skills to disagree in a friendly manner.  I have 3 of those members on my ignore list.

For me, the BFT Mission Statement would look something like this: “Provide forums for people with a passion for fishing of all types to share information in a friendly and respectful manner based on member’s experiences gained while in pursuit of their fishing passion.”

Well, you did ask what I thought.