Advice on rude bank anglers?

[Dens228]

The first incident with the kid you handled fine.  I see nothing wrong with educating someone on fishing etiquette. 

 

The other couple I would have asked them for a little space.  I'm not a fan of just letting people do whatever they want, especially if they're in the wrong.  Would I let it escalate to a fist fight?  Of course not, but I'm also not one to just be pushed aside without a polite discussion. 

 

I guess you'd correctly assume I'm a Type A personality.  LOL

[greentrout]

my experience with a situation like this is to move on and be polite ...

 

the last thing I want is something confrontational while out fishing that could get ugly and possibly result in an assault or battery charge ... 

 

it does happen ...

 

good fishing ...

[DitchPanda]

I too am a type A personality so I have a tough time when people are being rude or entitled if it affects me in any way. Now I agree it shouldn't be taken to an extreme level... But I also believe you shouldn't let people push you around or treat you like a door mat. If somebody gets close I will move down...if they walk up on me and take my spot im saying something. It's just an unacceptable amount of disrespect. I think about it like this...if your in line at the grocery store and somebody cuts in front of you who wouldn't say something? But what's the difference? Your both there for the same reason spending your time and money in a public place

[NYWayfarer]

22 minutes ago, Dens228 said:

 

The other couple I would have asked them for a little space.  I'm not a fan of just letting people do whatever they want, especially if they're in the wrong.  Would I let it escalate to a fist fight?  Of course not, but I'm also not one to just be pushed aside without a polite discussion. 

 

I guess you'd correctly assume I'm a Type A personality.  LOL

Please take no offense but they were 10 feet away, where is that wrong? is 11 feet right? 12 feet, 20 feet? Who makes these rules of what is the right distance away?

 

Let me answer that last question, we do. In our own minds we have an acceptable distance people should be from us while fishing. I have my idea, you have yours, they have theirs and they are all different. It's a big world with a lot of people and we are going to get in each others way sometimes.

[TriStateBassin106]

I had to deal with a very crowded pond this past friday night, it got so bad that every opening on the pond was filed up with karens allowing their kids to throw rocks in the water and casual anglers who only throw inline spinners crossing me constantly. Eventually one ******* kept crossing me because I was fishing next to a overhanging tree I guess he thought fish were there even though he could see my line going out 15 feet to his left (bushes blocked us so we couldn't see each other) I eventually snapped after getting crossed for the 5th time and picked up a giant log behind me and hail marry it into the water where he was casting.. I wanted to say to this jerk from around the bushes "wanna act like an *******? Okay now have fun catching anything after that." but I decided not to be confrontational.

 

[Mobasser]

I bank fish a smaller quarry lake twice a week. We take the boat out on the weekends. I was fishing by a large willow tree one evening, when a guy pulled up and walked to the bank edge and started casting. He couldn't see me, and one of his cast crossed my line. He apologized and we talked for minute. Now, I see him most nights. He'll pull up and say" Oh, you got my spot huh"? Or if he gets there first, I'll do the same. We've compared baits, and talked about what's working good and what's not. More or less, we've become friends. This is also why I carry very little tackle on bank trips, and only one rod. If a spot doesn't produce after a few minutes,  I'm on the move.

[The Bassman]

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

 

 

“you scratched my anchor” -Rodney dangerfield in caddy shack

And just before that; "Move over Swanson, I'm driving!"

[Mobasser]

I won't let it bother me if someone gets a little close. I can reel up, and be down the bank in a minute or less. My time fishing is important to me, and I love it. Most of the time these things are not intentional. I'm out there to fish, not to waste my time arguing with someone over a certain spot. If a guy gets too close or accidently crosses my line, I'm outa there. It's worked for me for years, and I've never had any problem.

[fin]

I’ve argued with people and I usually end up getting angrier than the situation calls for.

 

I’ve walked away and let people have the spot I was fishing, just to avoid the confrontation. Then I feel like I’ve let them push me around.

 

I’ve tried to talk with people nicely, but I’ve never had one person really ‘get it’ and move on.

 

I’ve tried to ignore them.

 

I’ve done passive-aggressive stuff like cast right in front of them to try and make them ‘get it’.

 

None of that really works well. The only solution is to avoid people all together. Get there when there’s nobody else there, and if someone comes, move. It’s the best you can do.

 

I fish a 200+ acre pond with fishable banks most of the way around the lake. I have had people come fish right next to me when we were the only two people on the entire lake.

 

Once I was standing on a culvert, a space about 1 foot wide by 6 feet long (slippery and not easy to stand on), and had a person come get on the culvert behind me, cast over my shoulder, and catch a 5# bass. I had been fishing there for over an hour with no luck. I had to get off the culvert and out of his way so he could land the fish. I had been angry up until that point, but the situation was so ridiculous, I left laughing.

[Shimano_1]

I totally respect the not wanting confrontation thing and especially with it being kids or a couple probably not realizing they're in the wrong. I just have a problem with accountability and likely would politely say something to anyone if it was threatening me enjoying myself.  If it did no good and they acted up Id try to walk away. As far as the kids go...that was probably a lesson for him. I used to fish some pay lakes around here years ago and that stuff just comes with the territory.  Bass fishing is a different story especially if its not crowded.  Has a similar incident a cple years ago on my boat. Only saw one other boat all day and sure enough I'm fishing an underwater bridge and he ends up drifting 10 ft away from me in his boat. He had what appeared to be a 14 year old kid/son with him. I said hey bud there's a whole lake here do you need to be rubbing rails with me. He got mad but left. Every situation presents its own challenges but like A-jay said just take it as part of the challenge and enjoy the time outside! 

[lo n slo]

cast a rubber snake past him and start reeling slowly

[lo-fi-hi-fi]

[GreenPig]

80 lb Power Pro on a Revo Toro Beast 60 wins the crossed line Tug of War pretty much every time. One thing I've tried to figure out is why my boat gets hung in five or six hard right hand turns at full throttle before I can leave an area when somebody's crowded me. It's really embarrassing. ? 

[slonezp]

7 hours ago, J Francho said:

This is pretty mild for busy waters up here.  It wouldn't even register on my radar, even if any of them were bass boats.

A wake boat 40ft off your starboard is more like it.

[Craig P]

This is what I call the first car in the parking lot syndrome.   Seriously though, go arrive at a mall or shopping center early and be the first car in the parking lot. Don’t even park close to the doors, park half the lot away. There will without a doubt be a car parked right next to you a half hour after the mall opens. They’ll even leave the closer spots open.

 

It’s just human nature.  I can’t explain why for sure but I think many people need to be lead or shown the way and a person, car, boat, etc. serves as a recognizable guide. It’s just something I take notice to and it always happens with fishing, whether in boat, on shore or wading a stream. I’ve had it happen way too many times with hunting as well. I’ll never understand that one, do you really want to be in range of a person that can accidentally shoot you? Rhetorical of course.  
 

Anyways, hang in there, most of the time it’s not malicious, it’s just people being people.

[lo n slo]

36 minutes ago, slonezp said:

A wake boat 40ft off your starboard is more like it.

those things are the devil

[RoLo]

 

Lake Kissimmee is a 35,000-acre waterbody. This March a boat anchored about 25 ft away

from our anchored craft.  He wasn’t there a full minute, when I set the hook

and landed a huge bowfin. That was disappointment number 2 (I thought I had a big bass).

In my peripheral vision, I was watching the other guy watching me, and at one point,

I actually heard him grunt when the fish splashed. After releasing my fish,

I raised the Talon anchor and departed from the area, all without a single word exchanged.

At my next waypoint, Lois and I had a good belly-laugh.

 

It's more easily said than done, but it’s usually wise to look on the bright side (silver lining).

You might have been dealing with novice anglers

who trusted your ability to select a good fishing spot.

In overview, you might be giving these human events more attention than they deserve  

 

Roger

[gim]

1 hour ago, slonezp said:

A wake boat 40ft off your starboard is more like it.

I was just going to mention wake boats. These things are WAY worse than a jet ski, tuber, or pontoon. They’re eroding the shorelines so bad here in Minnesota that the state legislature is considering a minimum 600 foot distance from the shore AND other water rafts while in use. That wouldn’t bother me.

[Squarebill79]

I would just have a little more patience. What Ive found with these Covid anglers is they have really short attention spans if they arent catching anything and quickly move on. Your scenario has happened to me on multiple occasions just this year. I simply move, wait until they get bored, then go back to my spot. I was just out tonight and its already showing some signs of crowds dieing down. My local 30 acre lake wasnt near as crowded as it was a month or two ago. 

[OCdockskipper]

8 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

I too am a type A personality so I have a tough time when people are being rude or entitled if it affects me in any way...

I hear you on that.  Although it wasn't a bank fishing experience, i had a run in on July 3rd that exemplifies what fires me (& I assume you as well) up.

 

I was in my boat, it was about 10 am & I skipped a weightless Senko under a dock, only to get hung up on the bottom.  As I moved forward to try to retrieve my snag, there were a half dozen Canada geese near the dock to my left (25 feet away).  They got a little concerned as I got closer, but because I was moving slowly & not at them, they never panicked, they just swam off.  As I am trying to loosen the hook from the snag, the homeowner (a guy in his 60's wearing a Covid mask) from the dock to my left comes down from his porch and addresses me:

 

Him - "What are you doing?"

Me - "My lure is snagged, I am getting it back"

Him - "Well, stop bothering the geese"

Me - "I'm not bothering the geese, I am just retrieving my lure"

Him - "No, you are bothering the geese.  Stop it"

Me - "I'm not bothering them, I just came over to get my lure"

Him - "Well stop bothering the geese.  I like to feed them off my dock"

 

On our lake, it is a rule that homeowners are not suppose to feed the migratory birds.  The swans & coots that live here year round are okay to feed, but the HOA doesn't want to encourage migratory birds to come here and it is actually an issue to feed a protected migratory species because it changes their migration routine.  So after being accused of doing something negative by someone who admitted to breaking the rules, I went on the offensive:

 

Me - "You aren't suppose to feed the Canada geese"

Him - "Says who"

Me - "The HOA.  They are migratory birds & you aren't supposed to feed them"

Him - "Oh, BS, thats not a rule, you're lying"

Me - "No I'm not, you aren't supposed to feed the (expletive) geese.

Him - "Nobody tells me what to (expletive) do"

Me (laughing) - "You are wearing a (expletive) mask in your own backyard, yet no one tells you what to do?"

Him (tearing off mask) - "(expletive) you.  You want to come over here & say that?"

Me - "Yeah right, I'm going to get in a fistfight over stupid birds"

 

I messed up by allowing the frustration to incite me to say the first curse word, between that & me laughing at him really set him off.  The conversation disintegrated into a series of F Bombs back & forth, with him telling me 3 or 4 times to stop bothering the geese and me responding that he wasn't supposed to feed them.  I saw his wife come out on the patio and call him back up to the house.  As he turned to leave, he fired a final volley:

 

Him - "I've lived here a long time.  I'll find out where you live and come get you"

Me - "You do that & I'll beat your (expletive) head in"

 

So I didn't handle it in the best possible manner.  Before leaving the water that day, I did go over & talk to the HOA ranger, to let him know I had gotten into a verbal altercation & that I was guilty of letting the first curse word rip.  The ranger listened to what I said & his response was "I have told that guy before to stop feeding the geese" ?

 

I haven't seen that man since and part of me wants to be the bigger man the next time I do, to stop by his dock if I see him, apologize for cursing during our conversation & let him know I was out of line.  The other part of me says you can't reason with an unreasonable person and I am concerned that I will allow myself to get dragged into another dumb conversation about the stupid geese.  Now that the geese have all left for their northern haunts, I'll probably get blamed for scaring them off. ?

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

I was just going to mention wake boats. These things are WAY worse than a jet ski, tuber, or pontoon. They’re eroding the shorelines so bad here in Minnesota that the state legislature is considering a minimum 600 foot distance from the shore AND other water rafts while in use. That wouldn’t bother me.

Both my lake neighbors have had to get a bunch of rip rap hauled in on a barge. I’m guessing that’s very expensive! So far our dirt is holding but it’s only a matter of time. They set up a ramp to jump right out in front of our dock! 

[DitchPanda]

6 minutes ago, OCdockskipper said:

I hear you on that.  Although it wasn't a bank fishing experience, i had a run in on July 3rd that exemplifies what fires me (& I assume you as well) up.

 

I was in my boat, it was about 10 am & I skipped a weightless Senko under a dock, only to get hung up on the bottom.  As I moved forward to try to retrieve my snag, there were a half dozen Canada geese near the dock to my left (25 feet away).  They got a little concerned as I got closer, but because I was moving slowly & not at them, they never panicked, they just swam off.  As I am trying to loosen the hook from the snag, the homeowner (a guy in his 60's wearing a Covid mask) from the dock to my left comes down from his porch and addresses me:

 

Him - "What are you doing?"

Me - "My lure is snagged, I am getting it back"

Him - "Well, stop bothering the geese"

Me - "I'm not bothering the geese, I am just retrieving my lure"

Him - "No, you are bothering the geese.  Stop it"

Me - "I'm not bothering them, I just came over to get my lure"

Him - "Well stop bothering the geese.  I like to feed them off my dock"

 

On our lake, it is a rule that homeowners are not suppose to feed the migratory birds.  The swans & coots that live here year round are okay to feed, but the HOA doesn't want to encourage migratory birds to come here and it is actually an issue to feed a protected migratory species because it changes their migration routine.  So after being accused of doing something negative by someone who admitted to breaking the rules, I went on the offensive:

 

Me - "You aren't suppose to feed the Canada geese"

Him - "Says who"

Me - "The HOA.  They are migratory birds & you aren't supposed to feed them"

Him - "Oh, BS, thats not a rule, you're lying"

Me - "No I'm not, you aren't supposed to feed the (expletive) geese.

Him - "Nobody tells me what to (expletive) do"

Me (laughing) - "You are wearing a (expletive) mask in your own backyard, yet no one tells you what to do?"

Him (tearing off mask) - "(expletive) you.  You want to come over here & say that?"

Me - "Yeah right, I'm going to get in a fistfight over stupid birds"

 

I messed up by allowing the frustration to incite me to say the first curse word, between that & me laughing at him really set him off.  The conversation disintegrated into a series of F Bombs back & forth, with him telling me 3 or 4 times to stop bothering the geese and me responding that he wasn't supposed to feed them.  I saw his wife come out on the patio and call him back up to the house.  As he turned to leave, he fired a final volley:

 

Him - "I've lived here a long time.  I'll find out where you live and come get you"

Me - "You do that & I'll beat your (expletive) head in"

 

So I didn't handle it in the best possible manner.  Before leaving the water that day, I did go over & talk to the HOA ranger, to let him know I had gotten into a verbal altercation & that I was guilty of letting the first curse word rip.  The ranger listened to what I said & his response was "I have told that guy before to stop feeding the geese" ?

 

I haven't seen that man since and part of me wants to be the bigger man the next time I do, to stop by his dock if I see him, apologize for cursing during our conversation & let him know I was out of line.  The other part of me says you can't reason with an unreasonable person and I am concerned that I will allow myself to get dragged into another dumb conversation about the stupid geese.  Now that the geese have all left for their northern haunts, I'll probably get blamed for scaring them off. ?

Haha this sounds like something that could happen to me for sure. I've had a guy tell me I'm just a punk kid(was 34 at the time I believe) and that somebody should teach me some respect since my parents didn't do it. I told the guy id write down my address and he could stop by and get this resolved anytime. I'm usually ok with bickering,yelling,cursing and even name calling...when it gets to physical threat level...well I'm ready to swing. Not trying to be a tough guy that's just how I was raised...who I am.

[Legend in my own mind]

I’ve had pretty similar things happen at my favorite lake here in PA. My wife and I have a spot we like to go to, because the ground is level and it’s close to the restroom and she had double knee replacements done a few years ago. She doesn’t fish she reads a book.
 

So about 2 weeks ago we were there, we had been there a few hours. About 20 feet down the bank there’s a family. No big deal till the kids decide they are going to swim in the lake.

 

About a week before this happened, some yay-hoo decided he was going to try and swim across the lake. Well needless to say it didn’t end well for him he ended up swimming with the fish. They found his body the next day in about 40-50 feet of water.

 

well I put up with for a good while, the kids swimming in the lake. I walked up the bank because I wanted to change my lure. I said loudly enough that I knew they could hear me. I hope your kids drowned.

 

So I went back to fishing about 10 minutes later my wife walks down to where I am and says to me they’re leaving. I turned around to look the lady gives me a really dirty look. I just smile and wave at her and go back to fishing.

 

The other rude thing I have had happen is I’m standing on the shore fishing same spot. Where I stand there’s a corner you have to come around if you’re out on water. 
 

Now don’t get me wrong here I don’t think I own the lake even though I’ve been fishing it for almost 50 years.

 

Seems the people in kayaks love to come around that corner and get within about 20 feet of the bank. I look at them and say could you stay out a little further from the bank please. Sometimes they apologize and move on out further. Other times they give me a dirty look, I just smile at them. Other times they give me the finger so I smile and shake my head.

 

 I don’t look for confrontations but I do carry a nice sharp hunting knife on my belt.

 

The way the world is these days you never know what can happen. So I’m all about keeping myself and my wife safe.

 

Since I know this lake so well I decided to go to a spot that is a little out of the way. I have to walk a little further to get to it and it’s not near a restroom.

 

But it’s quite there till around noon or so when people decide they are going to put their kayaks in from the shore. But at least they are far enough away that it doesn’t bother me.

 

 I will take a little inconvenience for some peace and quiet while I’m fishing. I try to ignore people who just want to be stupid and haven’t grown up. Can’t wait till real bites them in the a$$ and it’s sink or swim.

 

 I have no issues with people in kayaks I just wish they would be a little more considerate and keep their distance when someone is fishing from the shore.

 

 I have told my wife my next big fishing investment is buying 2 kayaks. She just looks at me and shakes her head and says are you going to be rude to shore fisherman like they are to you. I say no because Mom and Dad raised me right. Dad taught me to always respect someone’s space where they are fishing.

 

Best advice I can give someone is avoid confrontation if at all possible. Just smile and laugh and enjoy your time on the water. Getting angry isn’t going to change the situation or the person but it will most likely cost you a fish or the dreaded backlash from hell.

[soflabasser]

I see lots of members here have encountered rude people while fishing and I have encountered them as well. Many people are inconsiderate jerks and only care about themselves and they could care less about anyone else. Where I live you have to wear a mask in public and distance yourself at least 6 feet away yet I rarely see that. This is the law in Miami-Dade County at this moment in time and this law exist to protect people, those who do not respect this law are inconsiderate jerks to say the least. I see lots of people not wearing mask and walking less than 3 feet from you. The worst fishermen are the ones that go to where you are fishing when they see you are catching fish, that is unsportsmanlike behavior and I will gladly leave a spot to not fish with those types of people. This is why I do my best to fish far away from the common fishing spots, even if they are good. Besides I value my fishing time with my Wife and much prefer fishing with her than anyone else. 

[N Florida Mike]

1 hour ago, OCdockskipper said:

Me (laughing) - "You are wearing a (expletive) mask in your own backyard, yet no one tells you what to do?"

??