How to deal with people fishing right on top of you?

[Bassabductor69]

Hello I’m new here and I’m posting due to some frustration from something that occurred two days ago. I got back into fishing about 6 weeks back, first time since I was a teenager. I’ve been out everyday these 6 weeks and only just found a decent location two days ago. Broke my dry spell and was catching LMB and peacocks, 2-3lbers.

 

 

Now I want to first paint a picture here. This was a park in south Florida with a small narrow canal on one side and a small lake/canal on the other. The small narrow canal has bushes where I was but the further end of it is clear. I was standing in the small clearing between the bushes.

Entire park is about 1 mile from side to side. When I arrived there were two guys fishing near the entrance, so I walked to the far other end away from them so I wasn’t fishing on top of them. I ended up going to the small narrow canal on the opposite side of the park from them, and after a few catches I noticed several pretty big peacocks that were spawning. The biggest easily being 10lbs, biggest peacock I’ve seen in person.

 

 

so I spent a good 15 minutes working my senko and I was getting hits and having it chase but never hooking. After about 30 minutes total in this one narrow small spot the 2 guys from before walk up, now with an additional 3 guys, and crowd around either side of me and start trying to catch them too. I mean literally on top of me shoulder to shoulder. It wasn’t a large area at all. Honestly it was barley enough for even two people to stand in and fish comfortably. I decided I would stand my ground and never stop casting and this upset them, they had the audacity to tell ME to go away as if I was the one intruding.

 

 

Here’s the part that really gets me. They were using shiners. Just planting them directly in the nest. You’re all but guaranteed a catch at that point. Had it been a lure, okay at least then it’s just a matter of who has better luck/skill. But it was akin to shooting them in a barrel.

I didn’t think much of it and figured whatever they’ll catch it, release and be on their way and then I’ll have my space to cast and catch it after, not a huge deal.

Then after catching the 10 pounder the guy knifes the fish in the head and harvests it. Then they do it again, and again, and again and harvest every spawning peacock going over the bag limit. 10+ fish into their bucket.

What should or could I have even said to make them give me my space? They could have at minimum easily waited for me to catch and release and then harvested it after. They were gone before FWC would have been able to show up and do anything.

 

 

I wanna clear up potential confusion. I don’t necessarily have an issue with harvesting if someone’s following regs. But I find it a little crappy to harvest a huge nesting game fish/management species. But that’s neither here nor there, my main issue is them standing all on top of me and basically screwing me out of the catch spent time working on. It was crappy and they know what they were doing, I have no clue what I was supposed to say. I can easily foresee them responding bad to anything there is to say like “oh well you don’t own the water.” It was just super messed up.

 

 

also, these are not invasive at least in this area. They’re considered “Introduced nonnative” and are a management species to help keep actually detrimental invasives such as carp or snakehead under control. Removing the bigger ones is heavily discouraged by the FWC because of this. Harvesting them causes more harm than good. But again my biggest problem is idk how to deal with a situation like this, then trying to bully me out of my spot and just fishing on top of it.

[gim]

This is an interesting first post.

 

I don't bank fish, so I can't comment on what kind of buffer zone should apply in that situation.  My personal rule in the boat is if they are within casting distance, that is too close.  That includes all types of watercraft, not just other fishing boats.

[TnRiver46]

My strategy is never look at other fishermen. That way you won’t know (or subsequently care) what they do 

[Bassabductor69]

1 minute ago, gimruis said:

This is an interesting first post.

Yeah I’m sorry I didn’t know if I should go to the introductions forum first or if that matters. I can do that and post this again later if it’s an issue. I DO intend to be active here but I joined this forum to try and get clarity on the solution to this occurrence that’s bothering me should it ever happen again.

[Bassabductor69]

1 minute ago, TnRiver46 said:

My strategy is never look at other fishermen. That way you won’t know (or subsequently care) what they do 

That didn’t help in this situation lmao. It’s like they saw me catching fish and ran over. It’s hard not to know or care when they’re standing right on top of me like that, pulling the exact fish I’d been going for

[12poundbass]

That’s called the bent pole pattern. Go get yourself a couple marker buoys throw them in random places. They’ll be fishing those spots catching nothing and you’ll have your good spot to yourself.

[Susky River Rat]

The arguments that follow aren’t worth the headaches. Take it as a compliment everyone flocks to you because you’re doing something right. It is rude but, that’s just people these days.

Personally I’d pack up and move onto the next area. 

[TnRiver46]

^yup. Out of sight out of mind 

[Darth-Baiter]

it's like that on a productive stretch of river.   i would have asked for some personal space, but i like to fish pant-less.  (just kidding).  

 

sucks, but the options are limited.  

[gim]

5 minutes ago, Darnold335 said:

The arguments that follow aren’t worth the headaches.

Given that he was outnumbered 5 to 1, that is probably a very wise idea.

[Susky River Rat]

@gimruis I’ve played those games being the hot head. All it does is make you fish less and more ineffective. 

[gim]

2 minutes ago, Darnold335 said:

@gimruis I’ve played those games being the hot head. All it does is make you fish less and more ineffective. 

I hear ya.  I used to have a shorter fuse at the access with lolligaggers too.  All it does is raise the blood pressure.

[Bassabductor69]

2 minutes ago, Darnold335 said:

@gimruis I’ve played those games being the hot head. All it does is make you fish less and more ineffective. 

 

4 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Given that he was outnumbered 5 to 1, that is probably a very wise idea.

Yeah I definitely didn’t want to be a jerk even if I wasn’t the one acting like one to begin with there, but this is very frustrating. I guess that’s it, **** happens and it is what it is.

next time I’m throwing rocks in the water though, if I can’t fish neither can they.

 

[Fishingmickey]

Florida has a limit on Peacock Bass? I'd have thought they are a invasive species.

FM

[MassBass]

Bank fishing near other people, whether they are hard veteran poachers, or homeless addicts crawling out of a tent by the bridge, can require other skills unrelated to the actual fishing. 

[TnRiver46]

Sounds like @MassBass has been to Knoxville recently 

[Fishingmickey]

I just googled it and it say for "Butterfly" peacock bass limit is two and only one over seventeen inches. All all of the Peacock bass in Florida, Butterfly Peacocks?

FM

 

[Bassabductor69]

Just now, Fishingmickey said:

Florida has a limit on Peacock Bass? I'd have thought they are a invasive species.

FM

I used to as well, it’s a common misconception I see. The FWC has them tagged as “nonnative introduced”/ management species. They were released here by officials to help with invasives like carp.

It’s a 2 fish limit and only one can be over 17 inches.

[Tennessee Boy]

When someone ticks you off just get on this forum and get it all off you chest.  It’s very popular and that’s all you can legally do.  ?

[IcatchDinks]

That is absolutely ahorrent behavior, and I'm sorry you had to deal with that. 

If they were engaged in illegal activity, I probably would have tried to take down their license plate numbers and reported them. Probably wouldn't do anything, but I'd be too morally outraged to not do anything.

 

As far as their bullying, intrusive behavior, I would just move. There are lots of fish. Lots of great fishing spots, probably many way better than even the one you were fishing. I don't know if I could keep myself from telling them what I thought of them, though. Try to find fishing locations removed from humanity. Hard to get to, off the beaten path. That tends to weed out a lot of the lazy, trashy people that frequent easily accessible public areas. 

My favorite pond was completely surrounded by heavy brush and trees, and I could always count on fishing alone. Last year the city cleared all the brush out and turned it into a really nice, easily accessible water feature. And now there are always anglers at all times of day down there. Ruined it for me. 

 

But, yeah, I just try to avoid people. If someone steals or crowds my spot, it's extremely rude behavior, but I don't own the water, the fish, or the land. So, I'll just mosey on over to another spot. 

[MassBass]

3 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Sounds like @MassBass has been to Knoxville recently 

Lol but sadly you will probably encounter such situations along any major urban river in the states. Be aware and watch your back

[TLHSS]

I only bank fish. I would have moved on to another spot with a “good luck”. 
 

Life is way too short to expend energy and live in angst about catching fish. 
 

Just some old man advice. 

[Skunkmaster-k]

Were they adults ? Sounds like something a turd butt would do. 

[Darth-Baiter]

one time a kayak floated 6 feet in front of and started fishing.  i said, "gopro start recording".  he looked at me and i said, "nobody will believe how rude you are, so i wanted to film it".  he gave me stinkeye and paddled off.  hahaha.

 

Clearlake is a big lake, but still try to keep it fun.  

[Susky River Rat]

@Darth-Baiteri will have to remember that one