Was I in the wrong as a Coangler?

[Troy85]

Just now, J Francho said:

You're probably right.  I just don't care for the format, and feel like it throws the non boater skills out the window.  Fish a team format with me, and you'll likely be up front with me pitching to targets, and covering twice as much water.

Also, down here for some BASS nation tournaments they don't have enough "non-boaters" sign up.  So they force boaters to fish with boaters.  I would hate to be forced into being a non-boater after I had a practiced and found all my spots and patterns.

 

Team format is a much more enjoyable experience for me, especially since my brother is my partner.

[RichF]

Yeah this is definitely an iffy situation.  I've been on both decks so I know where both parties are coming from.  If a boater asked me not to throw to a specific piece of cover (laydown, dock, etc) before he hit it, I would oblige without a second thought.  If I was asked not to throw at an entire stretch of bank on the opposite side he/she was fishing...eh, I'd probably concede but I wouldn't be happy about it.  When I go as a boater, I really only expect my co's not to cast in front of me.  I don't think I'd ever ask someone to not fish an entire section of water on the opposite side of me.  But I also agree with the sentiment of "if you don't like the boaters' rules...get your own boat." 

 

Team is the way to go for sure.  

[MrFrost]

New to this whole thing, as I'm new to fishing, and don't own a boat.  Are the fish weighed in separately?   Maybe I'm not competitive enough, which makes my opinion probably useless, but I feel like if it's a combined weight just like team format, then I don't think I'd have a problem with the co-angler catching fish anywhere.  Next to me, behind me, hell even in front of me as long as he's not interfering with my line!  If we both win the same, then lets both do our best.  But if it's a separate weight, then I kind of understand. 

 

Maybe the boater could have included, "Please don't fish the other side" when explaining his intentions, because personally I could have taken his plan as him informing me that he won't be fishing the other side until the turnaround, and it could have been a green light to fish it until then.

[Chance_Taker4]

4 minutes ago, MrFrost said:

New to this whole thing, as I'm new to fishing, and don't own a boat.  Are the fish weighed in separately?   Maybe I'm not competitive enough, which makes my opinion probably useless, but I feel like if it's a combined weight just like team format, then I don't think I'd have a problem with the co-angler catching fish anywhere.  Next to me, behind me, hell even in front of me as long as he's not interfering with my line!  If we both win the same, then lets both do our best.  But if it's a separate weight, then I kind of understand. 

 

Maybe the boater could have included, "Please don't fish the other side" when explaining his intentions, because personally I could have taken his plan as him informing me that he won't be fishing the other side until the turnaround, and it could have been a green light to fish it until then.

The boaters compete in their own tournament and vise versa. We are not competing against one another.

[MrFrost]

2 minutes ago, Chance_Taker4 said:

The boaters compete in their own tournament and vise versa. We are not competing against one another.

Ok, then if the boater and co-angler are weighed and competing separately, I can totally understand the reason the boater got mad.  I can also see why the co-angler didn't think they were doing anything wrong.  I guess going forward the co-angler could ask for clarification and the boater can be more specific about the waters he wants first action at.  

[flatcreek]

3 hours ago, RichF said:

Yeah this is definitely an iffy situation.  I've been on both decks so I know where both parties are coming from.  If a boater asked me not to throw to a specific piece of cover (laydown, dock, etc) before he hit it, I would oblige without a second thought.  If I was asked not to throw at an entire stretch of bank on the opposite side he/she was fishing...eh, I'd probably concede but I wouldn't be happy about it.  When I go as a boater, I really only expect my co's not to cast in front of me.  I don't think I'd ever ask someone to not fish an entire section of water on the opposite side of me.  But I also agree with the sentiment of "if you don't like the boaters' rules...get your own boat." 

 

Team is the way to go for sure.  

Exactly, flipping a lay down on the opposite side is not the same thing as whirling a Buzzbaits over someone's shoulder. team me for sure, iv'e had my fill of cut throat back boatersback boaters

[SWVABass]

@Chance_Taker4My only question is how did you turn out in the standings. Sounded like he handled your all’s lack of cummincation well during the fact, not being a total jerk and you were understanding of what he meant after clarification.

[tander]

I am a boater and don't think you did anything wrong. If you are not interfering with his casting or throwing ahead of him, it is open water. You paid to your entry to fish and try to win just like the boater. Some boater get irritated  when you outfish them.

[ww2farmer]

I have never fished a boater/non-boater format tournament, only team and solo events, so take that into consideration with what I am about to say....

 

If he asked you to leave the opposite bank alone until he got to fish it, you should have left it alone. But I think your boater might have been an idiot if he didn't observe that bank with, as you said, more shade and cover on it, and fish that first. Instead he goes flat hatting through there fishing the sunny/less cover side.....yeah I think he might have been an idiot, but you still should have respected his wishes.

[Sam]

No. You were correct.

 

As long as you do not throw to cut off the individual in the front of the boat you can fish anywhere.

 

The boater was totally incorrect and was PO'ed that you caught two and he did not because he is a bone head.

 

Story: Fishing Lake Gaston in a club tournament many years ago when my friend who was the boater asked me where I wanted to go. I told him by the islands and we went directly to my spot where I pulled in two nice keepers. He did not get a bite.

 

All of a sudden he said "that was enough at this place" and he pulled up the trolling motor, started the big motor, and we moved to another creek. To say the least I was stunned.

 

Then I realized that we were fishing against each other and I had three in the well to his two and he was upset. So if you fish tournaments as a nonboater you will encounter a number of guys who can't stand to see you be successful.

 

Just smile and keep on casting.

 

Good luck.

[r83srock]

2 hours ago, Sam said:

No. You were correct.

 

As long as you do not throw to cut off the individual in the front of the boat you can fish anywhere.

 

The boater was totally incorrect and was PO'ed that you caught two and he did not because he is a bone head.

 

Story: Fishing Lake Gaston in a club tournament many years ago when my friend who was the boater asked me where I wanted to go. I told him by the islands and we went directly to my spot where I pulled in two nice keepers. He did not get a bite.

 

All of a sudden he said "that was enough at this place" and he pulled up the trolling motor, started the big motor, and we moved to another creek. To say the least I was stunned.

 

Then I realized that we were fishing against each other and I had three in the well to his two and he was upset. So if you fish tournaments as a nonboater you will encounter a number of guys who can't stand to see you be successful.

 

Just smile and keep on casting.

 

Good luck.

I’ve been both that jerk boater that got my eyes beat shut by the non boater, and didn’t handle it well, as well as the guy in the back tearing it up.  I like being in the back, I feel like the underdog, and when I’m out fishing the boater it’s a pretty good feeling, haha. Honestly though, most people I’ve ever had in my boat have been great about not casting over the top of me, and likewise I don’t want to front end em’. It’s one of the reasons I don’t dock fish when I have someone with me.  I don’t think you were in the wrong at all. I get that he isn’t necessarily thinking about your ability to succeed, but if he was worth a darn he should be. The boater has a lot invested, and being accommodating by providing the rig. It doesn’t give him the right to own the water. He can have whatever intentions he wants by coming back to a shoreline or spot, the fact is he should hit that spot first if it meant so much. What is he going to do if ya pulled into a stump field? “Only fish the small stumps, I get all the ones with the heavy root systems”....sounds kinda dumb.

[Bluebasser86]

I've fished as both, and in my mind, you paid your money just like the boater did, and he should get first shot at the fish, but if you could reach them he could too, so he already had a shot at them and decided not to cast at them. I understand he said he was going to come back down that side, but if he didn't want you to fish it he should have expressed that, and even then I still don't agree with him. If you were casting over his shoulder to hit the spots then I would understand, but what if you were fishing standing timber or a grass flat? Do you have to wait for him to cast in all directions before you're allowed to make a cast? It's way different to me than if your boater misses a fish and asks you not to cast back to that spot until he works it over, he's found that fish and deserves a chance to catch it just the same as the back-seater would in the same situation. It just sounds to me like he made a foolish decision to fish what was likely the less productive side first and then got upset when you caught a fish behind him. 

[Dirtyeggroll]

Was considering signing up to fish a fancy pay-to-enter, high stakes tournament as a co-angler. After reading this thread, not a d**n chance.

 

I am glad I am in a good club with boaters that love to see their co catch fish just about as much as they like to catch them themselves. In many cases a boater will tell me they left a specific spot that looks juicy just for me. Of course these are club tournaments where no money (except big bass) is on the table, so I can see how it could be considered different.

 

Occasionally, I'll get a little excited and make a bad cast (because of wind or odd angle) or a poor choice of cast position relative to the boaters in my club and cast in their lane. I always let them know if I do it by accident, and warn them beforehand and during so that if it continues to just 'front end' me.

 

Relative to the OP's situation, I don't think you were necessarily in the wrong. In a situation like yours, the boater had to make a choice to fish one side over the other. Part of the added challenge of being a boater, in my opinion, is indeed fishing against the co-angler. Every other boater has a co-angler, so its essentially 'fair'. Honestly, if you get angry because the co-angler hit the crevice you missed after passing it or that you didn't put the boat in position to hit, then don't fish co-angler tournaments. Some of these comments really make it sound like it is such a chore to have a coangler and that you are doing a service to the world. Seriously, where does this end. "I'm gonna fish the bank with a frog first, don't fish the outside weededge." or "I don't know how to skip under docks so I'm just going to fish the outside of them and you don't skip under them."

 

Yes you are providing the boat (and all of the cost associated with that) and probably paid some extra tournament fees but you already have a HUGE advantage being on the front of the boat (and yes I realize at sometimes it can be extra work and even a disadvantage, but the overall it is way toward advantage). With all that being said, I do realize it is quite a skill to position the boat so the co-angler can make some good casts.

 

The only instance where I would say that the boater had a right to be upset for the OP, would be if he was working extra hard to make sure the boat was in good position to make sure that you also had a good shot at the same bank he was fishing.

[Logan S]

Lots of people throwing 'what-if' scenarios around here that obviously wouldn't apply to the situation originally described.  Situations like this where 2 shorelines are within casting range (canal, cove, cut, etc) are tricky on the boater/co-angler dynamic for all the reasons you see in here...

 

Lots of people also assuming the boater picked the 'wrong side' and was dumb for doing so...Maybe that's true and maybe it's not, but I can easily think of several reasons someone might do that intentionally which would make perfect sense.  Most obvious one is that he simply wanted to work that good side in a specific direction for whatever reason...But he fished his way in on the bad side before turning around for the sake of thoroughness.  I do that or similar things fairly often, usually when the wind is blowing into the cove/cut/canal I'm targeting but sometimes for no other reason than personal preference on that particular spot.

[TOXIC]

Read the tournament rules.  Spells out what is allowed and what is not allowed.  I would bet it doesn't address your situation though.  If it's not in the rules then it's fair game.  Common courtesy goes out the window in most tournaments that's why you fall back on the rules.  If it was me in the back of the boat, the only written rule I have ever seen related to casting was that you are not allowed to throw in front of the drivers console.  Basically, you get the back 1/2 of the circle with the boated getting the front 1/2.  Now if he said he planned on fishing up one side of the canal and then down the other and would appreciate it if you both fished the same side, I would have complied just to keep the peace even though I don't think it would be a requirement.  

[Driftwoodlures]

You were right to fish the other side, if another boat had came up the opposite side and fished, he wouldn't have any say. As long as you didn't front end him, he needed to shut up and learn a few things from you. And yes, I'm a boater, never been a co-angler.

[StratDude]

I own my boat.. Fish many opens and a trail with a regular partner. But our annual divisional qualifier is a draw tourney. We have a 6 man club, so 3 of us go as boaters and 3 as nonboaters. So I've tried for 10 years not to get that reputation of being a crappy boater... Our state federation rules require that a nonboater gets the front of the boat for half of the day. I've offered them the front in the morning half or the afternoon half. Never matters to me. I own the boat, but not the water or the fish. Nonboater has just as much right to the fish as I do, otherwise, he wouldn't be fishing. And the objective is to try to win or place high enough to advance. Just because someone is fishing from the back deck doesn't mean they aren't good enough to catch fish or win. The mentality of "nonboaters are only there to learn from the boater" is hilarious. And when someone says "buy your own boat if you want to fish the front" is just as bad. If your feelings get hurt because the guy in the back caught more than you did, find another hobby.

 

So for the OP's boater to claim that he had first chance at the water on the opposite side is ridiculous. He's fishing one side, so the nonboater can fish the other side without interfering with him. What if the boater missed casting at a tree? Does it get left for him to come back to it or does the nonboater have permission to cast to it?

 

He got a case of butthurt because Chance_Taker4 caught fish and he didn't. That's fishing. If I was a nonboater and a boater pulled that crap with me, I'd just tell him to take me back to the ramp because I'm sick  and can't continue.. He can't continue the tourney without a nonboater in the boat with him. So guess what? He has to drop out for the remainder of the tourney... Never let a boater try to rule you, your fishing technique, or the water you're fishing. He only owns the boat.

 

Make your boater show you in writing any rule that you question...  

[LxVE Bassin]

I get a lot of boaters that tell me not to cast behind the boat but throw toward the front. There reason for not throwing behind the boat is because snags are more likely to happen and they don’t want to waste time retrieving snags.

[islandbass]

On 7/2/2018 at 8:50 AM, Catt said:

I gotta agree with @Team9nine ?

 

On 7/2/2018 at 9:15 AM, Chance_Taker4 said:

That was my thought exactly. I figured that since he essentially passed the spots they were free game to me.

I agree.  I mean what you supposed to do? Fish behind the boater at all times? Sure, okay. His boat his rules, I get that. If he said those exact words to me about fishing one side and then the other, I would have interpreted it precisely how you did. 

Sounds like he was upset you caught “his”  bass. Good for you. I hope he didn’t win the tournament. 

 

i can see that there is no right or wrong in as much as the boat owner dictates and lays down the ground rules CLEARLY beforehand.