Has anyone noticed the fishing crowds?

[A-Jay]

During what at this point, seems like a life time ago,

for a couple of decades it was my (and my wife's) job to be on the water right in the middle of the busiest times and in some of the most congested boating areas.

But we weren't fishing. (usually)

 

Interestingly enough, we retired to what is pretty much the polar opposite. 

Like many places there has been a noticeable up tick in recreational boating even up here.

Fortunately for me & my style of fishing,

most all of that increase is happening during times I'm rarely on the water anyway. 

Peak of summer mostly.

 

But when the bite for the big girls is the best, and there's a good nip in the air,

early & late season, even with this most recent increase usage, the lakes I want to be on have been mostly empty.

Especially before the docks go in and after deer hunting season starts.

I am a huge fan of that and actually crave it at this point.

Although I will still occasionally venture out into the delirium,

it only takes a few trips of waiting in line to launch or recover my rig,

before I'm fishing with a head lamp again. 

These type of pics tell the story well and are some of my favorites. 

Stay Safe

A-Jay

 

[Chris Catignani]

I always love it when Labor day rolls back around.

Schools start, football starts, hunting starts...and I get the lake back.

[jimmyjoe]

   I agree with most everyone here; fishing has abated somewhat, but it's still busier than pre-Covid days. What I really like is that last year, parents and their children were out fishing, and the little kids loved it.  This year, those parents are back to the same-old, same-old routine, but the kids are now out with Grandpa or even Grandma, running around, still catching fish and still loving it.  ?

   Gives me hope, y'know?               jj

[CrashVector]

Yes.  I've seen quite a few comical things in the last couple years of the "pandemic fisherman" epidemic.

 

I cant count how many people I've seen with spinning reels on casting rods or on top of the rod instead of underneath, etc

[BrianMDTX]

1 hour ago, jimmyjoe said:

   I agree with most everyone here; fishing has abated somewhat, but it's still busier than pre-Covid days. What I really like is that last year, parents and their children were out fishing, and the little kids loved it.  This year, those parents are back to the same-old, same-old routine, but the kids are now out with Grandpa or even Grandma, running around, still catching fish and still loving it.  ?

   Gives me hope, y'know?               jj

I am willing to bet that a large majority of 2020 COVID anglers gave it up in 2021. But even if only 5% stuck with it in 2021, that’s likely still a major increase over 2018/2019. 

[roadwarrior]

Nothing noticeable on the Tennessee River. Pickwick is busy on weekends

and jammed on holidays, but I don't fish then. During the week I can "own" 

the river! 

 

[Bird]

1 hour ago, CrashVector said:

Yes.  I've seen quite a few comical things in the last couple years of the "pandemic fisherman" epidemic.

 

I cant count how many people I've seen with spinning reels on casting rods or on top of the rod instead of underneath, etc

Not to mention all the tackle dangling from the trees. Spinnerbaits actually have a soothing sound in the breeze......kinda like Grandma's chimes. Lol

[TnRiver46]

Not too many people fish where I do. I’m on arguably the worst fishing of the entire 652 miles of TN river haha

 

wake boarding and driving ocean liners is pretty popular though 

[PressuredFishing]

10 hours ago, Hammer 4 said:

Here in L.A., the city park lakes/ponds are getting to the point where it's no longer any fun to fish. I've had grown men cast over my line, some will stop within 20 feet of me and start casting. One park lake in particular has let the toolies grow out of control so that the east side of the lake is no longer fishable. 

 

Makes it hard to get motivated just to go fishing.

Yes it's pretty much the same here right now, maybe we should just switch to Salt perhaps lol, hundreds of miles of open beaches in the winter spring and fall, and in summer maybe the hype of fishing dies down from trout stocking. I agree 20ft is not enough, some guy said otherwise with shoulder to shoulder fishing and if that floats people's boat that's great yknow, I just fish to get away from people and enjoy catching fish, not dealing with others. Yesterday you will not believe it but a guy in waders waded right in front of me.... I've lost hope for society

[GreenPig]

If the amount of trash I pick up per trip while on the lake is an accurate representation of the numbers of anglers/boaters. I'd say we're getting back to the folks that for the most part truly respect the outdoors versus folks wanting something to do.

[throttleplate]

a few weeks ago when the weather was still in the 60s a guy was fishing with 2 poles in the water, illegal here in minnesota.

Anyway he casted his bobber into a culvert i was fishing and then casted his other bobber out in front of the culvert which is a narrow area to fish and let them sit.

Our lines got snagged 3 times because i was cast and retrieve and he was blocking the lane to get my line back in.

I was gettin a bit upset but since the fish were not biting anymore i let it go and we went to another lake.

Next time i will speak up in a nice way and i am sure he would abide by the rules if not then i cant predict what would happen untill i am in actual situation.

[MN Fisher]

Just now, throttleplate said:

a few weeks ago when the weather was still in the 60s a guy was fishing with 2 poles in the water, illegal here in minnesota.

What I would have done?

 

Turn in Poachers (TIP) in Minnesota
Report a violation in progress

• To report a violation, call 800-652-9093 24 hours a day, or key in #TIP on your cell phone.

[JbroBass]

3 hours ago, GreenPig said:

If the amount of trash I pick up per trip while on the lake is an accurate representation of the numbers of anglers/boaters. I'd say we're getting back to the folks that for the most part truly respect the outdoors versus folks wanting something to do.

 

It could just be that they are inexperience versus not having respect. I used to see it all the time in the mountains. Some people just don't realize that putting anything down unsecured that is light is for the most part as good as gone most days in the mountains or out on the lake. And some people never learn!

[cyclops2]

End of this year was a total waste of time. Lot less boats with fishing from them. The couple of old timers said ALL types of fish were not being caught on every trip.  My marine gas bill was WAY smaller tn gallons bought.

 But trash from DIAPERS and PIZZA boxes was way up.  I would stop trolling & check O B cooling intake for clear sandwich wraps on the underwater drive. A couple.

[islandbass]

10 hours ago, CrashVector said:

Yes.  I've seen quite a few comical things in the last couple years of the "pandemic fisherman" epidemic.

 

I cant count how many people I've seen with spinning reels on casting rods or on top of the rod instead of underneath, etc

I was just about to make a similar post, lol. I don’t why it so affects me or at least I don’t know why it makes me cringe. That said, if I get the notion they’re experienced, I won’t bother them to let them know. But if it’s a kid who you can tell is a newbie, I’ll be more inclined to help. This actually happened this season and the little kid was so happy. 
 

one incident at Fenwick I got to talking with a guy who was scoping things out. He mentioned he’d been fishing for a very long time. This was the day Fenwick finally yielded and I caught 7 bass a number of ways. He got really excited seeing my pull in bass after bass. 
 

Sure enough, I saw him there the next day with a spinning rig. We chewed the fat for a few while we rigged up and lo and behold, he holds the spinning rig upside down and casts out. If I had my casting rig in hand with a cast in the air, I would have surely birdsnested with my eyes fixed on his cast instead of them being on my cast.   
 

I thought, it’s his style and he ain’t a noob so live and let live. 

[cyclops2]

Good call Islandbass  ?

[throttleplate]

4 hours ago, cyclops2 said:

But trash from DIAPERS and PIZZA boxes was way up. 

nothing depresses me more than catching a big turd when you think its a brownie.

[Bankc]

I think the pandemic was definitely an accelerator.  But this trend started before that.  I think other people, just like me, were growing tired of always being "on".  We were worn out from having out attention constantly divided between multiple things at once, and living in a perpetual state of low-grade fear. 

 

Fishing is a symbolic rebellion to that.  A return to the food chain and life with a single focal point: survival.  A chance to unplug, even if only temporarily, and live the life man was intended to live, as he had for millions of years before the anomalous blip of modern life appeared and altered the nature of our meaning.  

 

Henry David Thoreau said it best:

 

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion."

[Gera]

Covid definitely played a roll on how much people are now out trying outdoors activities. It all started last year, last summer it was impossible to buy a bike, cheap or expensive there were all sold out everywhere. Kayak fishing has exploded to were people have to wait 6 months to get they kayak and we are still feeling the effects of it. Supply chain issues definitely played a roll on it but demand was the main problem. It will be interesting to see a curve on how keeps growing during the following months as social activities normalize. 

 

 

[Zcoker]

Whatever the reason behind the increase, it is what it is and not much anyone can do about it other than to either fish with them or find new horizons...or just adapt to new conditions.

We have some of the same problems here in south Florida in lakes or reservoirs that have gotten plenty of attention, places like Headwaters Lake. That place was specifically designed for bass, stocked with over a million of them, and just recently opened a new boat ramp (was yak only for a long time). Not uncommon to catch double digits there daily.....that place is plastered all over YouTube and has gotten tons of attention. So folks jam pack the place. Even still, if one goes there on certain days, say, a windy day or even on an overcast drizzly day, it's not that full with plenty of elbow room. That's what I mean by adapting to new conditions. And sometimes those conditions which many avoid turn out to be the absolute best!

[Catt]

On 11/14/2021 at 10:42 AM, BrianMDTX said:

But even if only 5% stuck with it in 2021, that’s likely still a major increase over 2018/2019. 

 

And that 5% is like most...seasonal

 

The increase I've seen ain't hard core, any reason...they gone!

[Mobasser]

On the small lake where I fish, I've almost had the place to myself lately. I'm fishing in the late afternoon, and with daylight savings time, wrapping up by 5:00 or 5:30. Saw one crappie fisherman two days ago, and that's all. Everyones deer hunting, or have put they're tackle away already.                                                          It's been nice. Still using plastic worms, and on some warmer days, lipless baits. I'll keep throwing at the bass untill it finally gets too cold. Hopefully, I've got a few weeks left.

[Munkin]

On 11/13/2021 at 9:13 PM, Glenn said:

 

You mean Covid?  Yes, you can talk about it - but I draw the line when it gets political, or people start alluding to conspiracy theories, or spreading disinformation, or....you know, all that social media gossip garbage we all come here to avoid.

 

 

We all know it is Aliens beaming information into our brains from the rings of Saturn.

 

Allen

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, Munkin said:

 

We all know it is Aliens beaming information into our brains from the rings of Saturn.

 

Allen

And here I thought it was Uranus.

[the reel ess]

nm