Fishing Etiquette

[Brad Reid]

Topic finally dying a slow death. Glad to know many others haven't had many issues on the water, seldom anyway. 

 

Enough posts now of the other sort that no one can say I am pointing a finger at a particular post; but, at least some of these are apocryphal, half-imagined or made out of whole cloth. Couldn't say which ones, I really don't know, but fishermen and hyperbole are hard to separate.

 

They certainly do happen, rude episodes/poor boating and fishing etiquette on the water, just pretty rare.

 

Brad 

[OCdockskipper]

4 hours ago, Brad Reid said:

...They certainly do happen, rude episodes/poor boating and fishing etiquette on the water, just pretty rare.

 

Brad 

I would disagree, in that it is based on the area or lake that you fish.  Usually, the more populated the surrounding areas are, the higher the likelihood of encountering rude folks on most bodies of water.

[Trox]

I like to stealth up to boats with my Ultrex, spot lock, and board. Now we're a team.

[islandbass]

On 4/28/2019 at 1:21 PM, MartinTheFisherman said:

If someone is in your spot, just take out this bad boy...

 

I introduce to you the EZ-Cutter, this will cut all their line so they will need to rig back up as you are still fishing! 

 

 

 

(Please don't really use this)

Tight Lines,

Martin Sierra

 

What do you mean?? You’ve inspired me to make one! (J/j)

 

I remember the first time learning about territoriality is a sociology class I had to take. I thought it was a bunch of pseudo science gobble dee ****. 

I was wrong. It exists everywhere, even in the animal kingdom.  

 

Boat angler encroaches in the “space” of a bank angler... vice versa. Both get mad. 

 

What in the h-e double hockey sticks. You’re both freakin grown ups so act like one.  Just make sure you don’t intentionally cross lines and let the bass choose whose lure it wants to take. 

Problem solved. 

 

As already mentioned, try talking it out.

 

I’m a shore angler and if the guy is a jerk, who thinks I should move because he is in a tournament, I’d stand my ground. I couldn’t give a rat’s phanny. He doesn’t own the water any more than I do. Either we fish the same area at the same time or he can leave as easily as he entered. 

 

[Flatrock]

I can tell the difference in attitude based on some of your replies where you are from.  Northern folks live in packs so they fish in packs... ice fishing, trout fishing... hell those guys are shoulder to shoulder.  Then out sea fishing for mackerel and blues.. everyone are close enough to see what tackle their using.   And this is confirmed by the dismissiveness of their post.

 

As someone has already stated, it depends on the area.  You have a heavily populated area, you are gonna problems with jerks and its usually people that have moved in from a different part of the country to..  lets say the south.  Southerners tend to respect other peoples space, where as northerners don't know what that is...   kind of like their driving habits... sorry I mean lack of proper driving habits.  Every man for themselves kind of mentality. 

[islandbass]

@Flatrock

just in case, I want you to know my post wasn’t directly posed to you. 

-ib

[Black Hawk Basser]

4 hours ago, Flatrock said:

As someone has already stated, it depends on the area.  You have a heavily populated area, you are gonna problems with jerks and its usually people that have moved in from a different part of the country to..  lets say the south.  Southerners tend to respect other peoples space, where as northerners don't know what that is...   kind of like their driving habits... sorry I mean lack of proper driving habits.  Every man for themselves kind of mentality. 

Be careful with generalities like this.  There are plenty of us "northerners" who respect other's space, and in my area I rarely see "shoulder to shoulder" fishing, even though good fishing spots are at a premium.  Even when ice fishing, most guys I know would rather keep their distance.

 

I don't know what you mean by lack of proper driving habits.  I could mention regions of the country that are laughed about where I live, but I'll take the high road.

[Arcs&sparks]

@Flatrock  Wow.

 

  I don't know where in the north you’ve been to gather this opinion but I’ve never experienced anything similar to what you’re blabbing about.  Pretty ridiculous to to categorize half the country into this delusion. Live in packs?  Fish in packs?  What?  Awfully broad statements bud.  

[Tlauz]

I will say what you fish for and how you are fishing will dictate some behavior.  Where I live, 85% or more of the people on a lake are walleye fishing.  They tend to troll or vertical jig.  They are not casting 50 yards in all directions.  It is common for people walleye fishing to drift a good area with a lot of other boats then motor back up and get in line and repeat.  Many walleye spots are community holes.  Maybe the reason I haven't really had issues is that I am not fishing for the same thing as the majority of the people on my lakes. 

[Jleebesaw]

I guess I'm lucky. The worst problem I've had is to have to wait on people lollygagging at the launch. I wonder if some of us are making mountains out of molehills. There are people suggesting that anything closer than 100 yards is too close! I get the impression that some commentors on this post are a bit too sensitive. 

[Brad Reid]

5 minutes ago, Jleebesaw said:

I guess I'm lucky. The worst problem I've had is to have to wait on people lollygagging at the launch. I wonder if some of us are making mountains out of molehills. There are people suggesting that anything closer than 100 yards is too close! I get the impression that some commentors on this post are a bit too sensitive. 

Sure, again, some of it, which part I don't know, is likely apocryphal or greatly exaggerated. Other parts, and several of our northern fellow anglers commented on this and called it out for what it is, are based on prejudices. Likely "hand me down" prejudices, not even actually experienced by these opinion holders. "Granddaddy told me about them danged Yankee anglers!" And, yes, there's this element in all of life now,  and fishing isn't exempted from people walking around with some sort of chip on their shoulder. 2019 = larger chips, more shoulders. 

 

Brad

[NittyGrittyBoy]

I'm gonna jump in, from reading other posts from flatRock, I don't think he's meaning what was conveyed out of his post. 

 

Fishing up north, I assume there's community holes, and fisherman kinda are use to it. Where as down south people spread out more? I'm not sure but I really don't think he meant anything negative from his post, even though some took it that way

[Jleebesaw]

1 minute ago, NittyGrittyBoy said:

I'm gonna jump in, from reading other posts from flatRock, I don't think he's meaning what was conveyed out of his post. 

 

Fishing up north, I assume there's community holes, and fisherman kinda are use to it. Where as down south people spread out more? I'm not sure but I really don't think he meant anything negative from his post, even though some took it that way

The fishing is more spread out where I fish than anywhere you can fish down south, unless you are in the ocean. I figure it's just the opposite. Fishing in the south is congested. More chance to encroach on one another, get mad, and make up stories about casting lures at each other or making wakes to capsize the offending kayaker. 

   I can't speak for the entire northern part of the country, but on lake ontario and the st lawrence river, there is no need to crowd one another. Lots of water here. That's probably why I have never had these types of encounters.

[gim]

Most of the poor etiquette I encounter comes from recreational riff raft, not other anglers. It’s very rare for me to encounter another bass angler that’s rude.

[Flatrock]

3 hours ago, NittyGrittyBoy said:

I'm gonna jump in, from reading other posts from flatRock, I don't think he's meaning what was conveyed out of his post. 

 

Fishing up north, I assume there's community holes, and fisherman kinda are use to it. Where as down south people spread out more? I'm not sure but I really don't think he meant anything negative from his post, even though some took it that way

 

Yes you are correct,  I tend to write / post more in a direct manner...

 

I will convey my last memories of when I was 15 yrs old on a brook out side of Wallingford CT.  Its opening day and everyone was about 20 feet apart, must have been 30 people over a 200 yard area.  My spot was like I said about 1 fisherman every 20 feet apart.  It was opening day for trout and of course I believe it officially stated at 7am or something like that.  Here we all are standing in the water in our waders waiting for the clock.  I accidentally dropped my nymph mind you and before I was able to lift my rod and caught a trout.  It wasn't intentional and it wasn't a cast.. I had just dropped my line....   Oh man you should have heard the cries..  of course I released the fish and apologized to my neighboring fishermen.  and waited the last 10 or 15 minutes.  You would have thought I had committed the crime of the century at that moment...  I caught my limit that day but  have never  gone fly fishing since.   I remember that day almost like it was yesterday and how every one was to me shoulder to shoulder.  When I went fishing for mackerel and blues, I remember my father cussing up a storm cause everyone was fishing so close to each other.  Like someone has posted before.  You catch a fish then here comes everybody and their brother within 50' of you cause god forbid fish was only in that area...

 

I learned bass fishing in Florida where people, at least where I was at Lake George, kept their distance.   So yes there is a difference between regions of the country and what is perceived the norm.   Now I live in Ten and I'm beginning to see that northeast mentality of... Oh i see you caught a fish, I'm just gonna squeeze in here and check my luck.  I expeienced this just last weekend as I had people parking their boats 20 feet from me in front of the dam while I was catching skipjack (for catfish bait).. it was crazy.  I'll stick to my mid week fishing thank you.

 

I don't mean to come across offensive, quite the opposite,  just posting what I've already observed just recently

3 hours ago, Brad Reid said:

Sure, again, some of it, which part I don't know, is likely apocryphal or greatly exaggerated. Other parts, and several of our northern fellow anglers commented on this and called it out for what it is, are based on prejudices. Likely "hand me down" prejudices, not even actually experienced by these opinion holders. "Granddaddy told me about them danged Yankee anglers!" And, yes, there's this element in all of life now,  and fishing isn't exempted from people walking around with some sort of chip on their shoulder. 2019 = larger chips, more shoulders. 

 

Brad

 

 

Fish up in New England and tell me how things are..  LOL   

I realized I said northern..  My mistake, I should have said northeast as in Conn, Mass, NY.  where they have actual opening days and seasons.   

[Jleebesaw]

So flat rock has an issue in Tennessee and blames people in the northeast?

[GrumpyOlPhartte]

Hmmm. Just reviewed my my copy of MA fishing regs and found out MA has a season for bass (and most other species). Seems that season is from January 1 to December 31. (Granted there are seasons for smelt and some trout streams.) Methinks @Flatrock might be a little more cautious in making sweeping generalizations without having researched his information. Tends to really irk those whose experiences don’t coincide with his.

 

Personally, I vote that the moderators terminate this thread. Seems to me we all have mostly good mixed with a few bad experiences on the water. That happens.  How we each deal with it is what defines us as individuals.

[J Francho]

Two rules the Golden Rule:

Treat others as you would like to be treated. 

 

Then consider the Platinum Rule:

Treat others as they want to be treated.

 

Have a little empathy for the other guy, and maybe we can learn to trust one another.  You cannot make any generalizations or assumptions about why someone does something.  It's a poisonous and toxic behavior.  Using geographic location to explain away a behavior is off base as well.  Using economic status - that shiny glitter rocket, or that little kayak - either.  Shore or boat.  Age, gender, color, whatever.

 

This is fishing, people.  It's not rocket science.  Do you want someone reaching over your shoulder to grab something off the shelf while you're looking for your favorite cereal in the grocery store? It's not common sense, it's common decency.  Get over yourselves - all of you.  It just fishing.  There is no such thing as "fishing etiquette."  It's just etiquette.