Left alone or harassed

[BassSteve]

When you scope out new sites to fish, like lakes and ponds, canals etc. how often do you get approached by disgruntled people? Maybe it's even at your own community lakes. How about approached by strangers trying to make small talk? I have already been harassed by two people in my own community lake in less than 3 weeks lol. I look forward to hearing your encounters ✌️

[Russ E]

I get approached a lot at the docks when loading or launching the boat.

I only fish public lakes, so I don't deal with homeowners much.

Don't ever remember of a time I felt harassed. 

Maybe it is the area I live, but almost every encounter at the lake is positive.

Usually somebody asking if I caught anything or someone saying how their day was.

[CrankFate]

I had a guy try to stab me about 13 years ago.

[BassSteve]

22 minutes ago, CrankFate said:

I had a guy try to stab me about 13 years ago.

Holy crap, do I even want to know? Lol some drunken or drugged up crazy person?

[gim]

32 minutes ago, Russ E said:

I get approached a lot at the docks when loading or launching the boat.

I only fish public lakes, so I don't deal with homeowners much.

Don't ever remember of a time I felt harassed. 

Maybe it is the area I live, but almost every encounter at the lake is positive.

Usually somebody asking if I caught anything or someone saying how their day was.

This is my experience too. Usually at the access unloading or loading.

 

Many years ago when I was younger I’d get pretty fired up when people were taking too long at the access. Now I don’t say a single word to them. I just wait. I get impatient and frustrated at times, but I feel like it’s better to avoid any kind of potential confrontation so I just keep my mouth shut and go when it’s my turn.

[the reel ess]

I haven't had any real problems with property owners, mostly just bass fishermen that want to crowd, especially during tournaments. But my buddy was fishing alone at a public landing. A car stopped at the road and let a shady looking character out. Then the car left. My buddy said the guy walked up beside him and chatted a bit. Then he got quiet but didn't leave. My friend said it was getting pretty uncomfortable and he was sure the guy was going to try to rob him. Then the guy just walked off down the road without another word.

[BassSteve]

3 minutes ago, gimruis said:

This is my experience too. Usually at the access unloading or loading.

 

Many years ago when I was younger I’d get pretty fired up when people were taking too long at the access. Now I don’t say a single word to them. I just wait. I get impatient and frustrated at times, but I feel like it’s better to avoid any kind of potential confrontation so I just keep my mouth shut and go when it’s my turn.

That's a safe bet, I am the same way. Even if the other person is rude, I stay calm so hopefully afterward they look back and identify they were out of line by being nasty. If I were trespassing or at a body of water there were no fishing signs posted, that would be a different story. 

[gim]

5 minutes ago, BassSteve said:

That's a safe bet, I am the same way.

You never know when the person you start arguing with is gonna lose it. Just not worth it for me. There was a point in my life when I was younger and less impatient when I would start barking, but those days are long gone now.

[TcRoc]

A local small lake there is a kid that bugs me on occasion , think he as a screw loose or 2 so try to avoid him, a older gentleman which approached me a few times to chat for way to long when he saw me , he would just stand right next to me and watch me fish ,like no space.. I actually had to say something to him as it was getting old . Politely just said bud I’m just here for some quiet time when u see me.  Some of the larger lakes it’s usually just quick chit chat in passing. I really haven’t had many problems with people as I usually steer clear anyways . 

[soflabasser]

This weekend I had several people get close to me while fishing. I was the only person fishing for hundreds of yards in a canal yet people would get close to me. These people need to understand that the fish are biting throughout the canal so they can do good if they just focus on their own fishing. This happens often where I live since there are many people who do not know how to fish and are desperate to catch fish. 

[Yakalong]

I would agree with what some of you have said, it seems it is usually another fisherman who starts to crowd. 

[Log Catcher]

Most encounters have been just normal chit chat. A lot of times it is either when loading or unloading the boat. One bad one was on the river. My brother and I were fishing and some people kept skiing in the area we were in. If we went to a different spot they would follow us. We finally got away from them. When we left they were sitting on the bank broke down. That is where we left them.

[Dens228]

I've been "harassed" by other boats who think it's ok to cut right in front of you while you're working a shoreline.  Maybe 2 or 3 times.  

I don't think I've ever been truly harassed by anyone while fishing though.  

Getting ready to walk into the woods to go hunting...........yes.

[gim]

20 minutes ago, Log Catcher said:

If we went to a different spot they would follow us. We finally got away from them. When we left they were sitting on the bank broke down. That is where we left them.

Sweet, sweet justice was served. ?

[Bluegillslayer]

1 hour ago, the reel ess said:

Then he got quiet but didn't leave.

I fish this dock and in the summer people will catch me off guard fishing and start small talk and then they literally just stay their and stair at the lake not saying anything its always awkward. 

[LCG]

This is why I enjoy kayak fishing, a friendly wave as I float by. No chit chat or meeting some odd people that I have met while bank fishing. A few situations where I played out a few scenarios in my head due to some seriously sketchy people. That's not relaxing in any way. 

[CrankFate]

1 hour ago, BassSteve said:

Holy crap, do I even want to know? Lol some drunken or drugged up crazy person?

He was not drunk. He was a crazy guy that was harassing everyone waving knives in their faces. I am not that kind of troublemaker, I don’t go around getting into fights with people, but I don’t take to that as well as other people do. I think after that that other people must’ve made reports to the police. Because there was at least 15 or 20 people there at the time. He did not succeed at stabbing me. Over the next few months the police really cleaned the place up.

[Log Catcher]

23 hours ago, gimruis said:

Sweet, sweet justice was served. ?

If I remember right it was at least five miles back to the boat ramp. It would have been very dark before they got back.

[redux]

I've never been aggressively hassled. People do like to talk to me when I'm fishing for some reason. There must be a giant, flashing, neon sign above my head that says "TALK TO THIS GUY!!! HE DOESN'T WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE!!!" that I can't see.

 

I have been kicked out of a couple ponds in office parks by security guards in the past, but I grew up skateboarding so that's not a big deal for me.

[TnRiver46]

I could write a book about all the things I’ve seen at access areas. I’ve got lots of photos too, snapped this one just yesterday 

I’d much rather come across some dead carp than half of the weirdo humans I’ve seen! Hahah. Always smile, be friendly, and make sure you pick out a good rock to use for self defense 

[BassSteve]

4 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I could write a book about all the things I’ve seen at access areas 

Lol I believe it. Humor me and give me an example or two, if you wouldn't mind sir ?

[Darth-Baiter]

I'm pretty approachable.

 

I do however reserve the right to say, "hey, I gotta go..the fish won't catch themselves"

[schplurg]

I've only seen other anglers behaving badly (so far). Maybe if I fished around some docks at my Dad's place from my yak I would get it from a homeowner. But then again, my Dad being a homeowner, I have seen several examples of anglers behaving badly (casting literally on top of my popper, crowding me when I'm fishing). My Dad is cool within reason.

 

Had a guy walk up and start fishing the bank right in front of me once. Literally in front of me with six feet of space between water and shore, maybe. I was tying on another bait. He knew I was there because I'd just weighed his kid's first fish for him. It was a long piece of shore too.

 

I didn't say anything because of the kids, and I was kinda dumbfounded as well as upset. Even his kid gave an uncertain look. Even a non-angler can't be that dumb! I still don't get that one. Probably the utterly lamest thing I've encountered.

 

And I dunno it seems dangerous and unethical to knowingly leave someone behind in a boat that is broken down. Especially since (read above) anglers are often the jerks. Then again, that kinda fits.

[BassSteve]

14 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

I'm pretty approachable.

 

I do however reserve the right to say, "hey, I gotta go..the fish won't catch 

I know what you mean. I don't mind people saying a quick hello or "any luck?", but if they make comments like "don't kill the fish" (I catch and release) or "I don't think you should fish over here" it ticks me off. I don't get mad, but my feeling is it takes a special personality to feel like they need to approach someone to make comments like that. Especially if fishing is permitted there, and you clearly are not bothering anyone. But hey, we can't all be respectful and upstanding people ?

[TnRiver46]

40 minutes ago, BassSteve said:

Lol I believe it. Humor me and give me an example or two, if you wouldn't mind sir ?

Gosh.........where to start.........

When we were about 18-20 years old, my buddy Eric got a nice aluminum v hull with 18 hp evinrude. We were launching it at an extremely shady ramp known for wild human activity, but it was midday so we tried it anyhow. There were two guys on the floating dock, one awake one asleep next to a mountain of empty beer cans. My buddy backs the truck down , I’m in his boat that I’ve never driven. When it floats off the trailer, I start pulling the ripcord and it wakes up the sleeping guy. He stumbles to his feet, stares a hole directly through me, and says “hows bout you and me kill each other” hmmmmm how to reply......... I start pulling the rip cord on the 18 horse and mumbling some horrible things to it and it started! Thankfully the awake member of their party diffused the situation by telling his buddy to shut up and go back to sleep. 
 

 

 

this one lady made out of leather offered me and my buddy a tackle box and fishing pole for $5 when we were like 12 years old fishing near a bridge. Then she said someone paid her $5 to jump off the bridge the day before, it’s probably 20 feet high and over a set of shoals with 2-3 feet deep water............maybe she hit her head......... I can still hear the raspy “you wunna buy tackle box  fishin pole $5?”

I pulled into a ramp once and a state trooper had a guy pulled over. When we pulled in, the guy started asking us for a ride into town. We had driven 45 minutes to this remote lake to fish for like 2 hours and explained this to the guy. He says the trooper won’t let him drive because he doesn’t have a license (red flag). There’s no cell service so we can’t call a ride for the guy, I just said sorry buddy we are fishing. When I returned, my window was knocked out and every document in my truck had been rifled through, paycheck stubs all that jazz . But he left my iPod and loose change? I guess he’s out there somewhere plotting his revenge, who knows. Maybe I should have given him a ride or maybe I’m lucky I didn’t haha
 

I started to type another story or 3 but I don’t believe we are 18 and up crowd here