I�ve watched this forum for quite some time and usually keep my opinions to myself (as you can see this is my first post) but I thought this topic was interesting enough to give a response. I think there are a couple different parts of this debate to consider. Depending on how you were raised, personal beliefs, occupation in life, etc� it will probably determine what side of the fence you fall on. Call me an �old fuddy duddy� or �traditionalist� but I learned throughout life there are typically �makers or takers� out there and in this case potentially �sellers� too. I guess I fall into the �maker� category.

My home lake happens to be one with not a lot of natural structure, so I decided long ago to �build it and they will come�. Yes, I do agree 100% with those that say once you sink the condo/structure it�s public property. No debate about that at all. And I know and accept that - even after having put in tons of time, energy, and money building my stuff. I built my condos/structure alongside my children and I hope they and my grandkids can fish that same structure for years to come. But that doesn�t make it �right� for someone else to sell that spot that I made or furthermore actually make money off my structure and the time and the resources that I put into building it. Again, I accept that people will find my structure and they can go ahead and fish my piles, but just don�t sell them to 10 more people and make a profit off them.

I have no problem with someone being generous and giving out free waypoints when they personally created the structure for that spot. It is �bad� enough if someone wants to give away for free the condo locations I made, (again it�s in a public lake, so I accept it) but it goes to a whole other level when someone would actually try to sell (for profit) a condo location that I�ve made. It just goes back to common decency and respecting other sportsman in my book. You just don�t profit off something that is not yours to begin with in the first place.

Someone posted earlier something to the extent �if it�s legal and you can make money, do it � this is America�. There is a big difference between being legal and being right and wrong. For example � It is perfectly legal to abort/kill an unborn child in America also. Does that make it �right� to do? A step further is a group trying to sell the body parts of those dead babies for a profit. Which some folks have no problem with. Sadly that is the mentality of many Americans today. Our great nation is still the greatest on earth, but it doesn�t have the morals, ethics, and values it did 50 years ago!

Just an ole man's observation. I can not help but see a correlation between entrepreneurs and patents and those fish condos. In the world of business, not reinventing the wheel over and over is what creates progress. Henry Ford did all the work to invent the first automobile but look how many different manufactures copied his work. I completely understand the "I did all the work and if you want to use it, then go find it yourself" thing, but that is just not the way it works. That is why Lowrance and Hummingbird have created graphs with sidescan so I can "EASILY" find your condo as much as 100' to either side of the boat. Someone driving around and collecting the location data is nothing short of entrepreneurship and that too I understand. It is only a matter of time that all these hot maps that I pay out the nose for will have all those condos marked as well and published in a public map. Why, because they can. And not to stir any feathers, I am glad that they can. I don't get to fish but 5 or 6 times a year and when I get on the water, I want to maximized my catch ability the best I can. JMHO

Did you even read the initial post?

yes i did and i game my opinion to this remark

To those opposed to someone selling their spots for money I'd like to ask. Do you run up to a boat you see fishing "your" spot and ask if they are a guide? They are making money off "your" spot? You relinquish ownership the second you let go of it into the water. Paying for a product is not the same as a free handout. I guess y'all always build everything from scratch and never buy any product that is not raw materials? Otherwise you have let somebody else do the hard work of building that product for you. You guys are amazing! Call your momma and cry to her, then pull your big girl panties up and get back to having fun fishing.

C Worthy - I think you are on to something. I am an entrepreneur and own my own business, and it sounds like you get the "makers vs takers" mentality. Yes, I've also made some pretty neat condos over the years that I've thought about putting a patent on also As I stated a couple times before I have no problem with you or anyone else finding my structure and accept it will happen in time. What I do have a problem with is someone else profiting from my work and selling a location that I created. I think you'd agree that when you take your kids or grandkids out crappie fishing and you head to your favorite spot (that the two of you actually made together) and there are 3 other boats sitting on it - because someone sold that waypoint on a forum like this in order to make a dollar - I'm quite certain you'd have a problem with that also. Again, I have no problem with people finding and fishing my spots, and them having fun catching crappie with friends and family (that's what it's all about), just don't sell them for a profit. That's where I draw the line!

Just for clarification in your first line when you say "selling (their) spots" do you mean spots that the person has actually built? If so, and they actually built it, then sell away. I'm not against people selling their own waypoints if they actually built the structure. But if they simply "found" it, then go ahead and fish it, catch lots of crappie on it, be generous and share it with others, but just don't sell that waypoint for a profit. That's all... No one should be crying, we should be out having fun fishing and using a little old fashioned common sense and decency toward our fellow fishermen.

To each his own. I would never buy coordinates. But if someone else don't know how to get out there and enjoy the adventure of trying to find them and catch them with their own techniques then go for it.

Have you ever bought a lake map? How about a road atlas? GPS?
Ponder that for a moment.

The technological revolution in fishing will not stop today. This discussion may seem silly in 10 or 20 years when we have crappie "drones" scanning the water and powerful artificial intelligence telling us how and where to fish along with telling us everything else in life.

I suspect GPS technology and high end electronics has hurt fishing guides all in all if you think about it. Back in the day, a guide's knowledge and experience would be more valuable. We all must adapt and make honest money where we can. Selling coords that someone finds in a pubic lake built with public tax dollars seems fair enough to me.

I don't have a dog in this fight so I don't care either way, but ummm how do you know if someone's on your BP weather they found it, or bought it? Also how do you know weather the person who sold the location may just thought he discovered a spot holding fish and years later sold the spot(everyone doesn't have down scan lol)? It also takes work and money finding structure weather their natural or someone puts them there. I have spider rigged on a lake without electronics and found a honey hold am I suppose to think it belongs to someone so I shouldn't publish it in a lake map or if I was a guide NOT MAKE MONEY off it catching fish with a client? Guys there is a lot of ways to look at this but I think the brightest road to travel is once its in the lake its everyone's to do what they will with it. If you don't agree with it its simple, don't support it. We all pay taxes, gate fees and for license but have very little say so when it comes to the waters we fish so practice your beliefs and standards and let others practice theirs no ones really wrong here... IMHO RUFF

Name your favorite local lake and I will spend several days scanning your lake and sell you and 500 others all the cords that I find on that lake.

Been too much going on round here. Amazing how quickly this thread grew!