Rude Anglers

[Dam Yankee]

I fish Toledo Bend regularly and am starting to get frustrated with the anglers that are so rude they will troll right up to where I am fishing and casting my bait and troll right over it. Then they have the nads to ask me how it is going.

I don't treat others this way. Anybody got some good suggestions?

I was fishing the edge of a timberline next to a grass mat. There seemed to be one spot where I was getting bit and catching fish. This other boat came all the way up the timberline and it took about 30 minutes to troll to my spot. Just as he got directly over my bait I said,"hey, you are right where I am throwing my carolina rig." He started out with this speech  on how long he has been fishing this lake blah blah blah.

I interupted him and said ,"then you should know."

He said "know what?"

I replied,"How big the dam lake is!"

To him, unless I was fishing in a tournament or I was anchored he could go anywhere he wanted. I explained to him that I wouldn't do it to him and I only expect to be treated as I treat others. I also told him we could probably increase our cath if we spread out a little bit!. I am getting frustrated with people like this.

I have a hard enough time just finding and catching fish. I don't need rude anglers thinking they own every inch of the water.

Just curious as to how others handle these kind of situations.

Done venting,

Tom

[FL_Sharpshooter]

I'd probably just ignore the situation and be the better person to walk away. I wouldn't let it get me down. I can understand the frustration though.  Some people are just born without manners.

[Bassn Blvd]

I feel your pain. I lost my temper in a tournament a few months ago over the same exact thing. I've been fishing a spot ALL night, literally never moved. A boat (husband/wife team) came trolling up to me from directly behind my rear. They get about 15 yards from my rear and then turn , trolling right fricking next to me. They get to my front and cut directly in front of me and continue trolling the bank.

As the guy passed next to me I said "feel free to cut right in front of me." He said "Thank You!" Now, I'm not a confrontational kind of person but his "thank you" sent me over the edge. I cast my swimbait (with braid) in front of him and snagged his line. I set up announcing "I got a nice one." He said "you got me!" I said "No way! I got a fish!" and proceeded to do battle with this imaginary fish until we came unsnagged. He proceeded to say he can fish anywhere he dang pleases. I cranked up the big motor, putted up next to him, threw it neutral, revved it up a bit and proceeded to do a doughnut around him.

Don't ask me what I was thinking because I wasn't. I was so ticked off.

I guess there's not a whole lot we can do about people like that, other than try to ignore them.

[deaknh03]

everybody has old lures they could care less about in their box, put one on, preferably with a treble hook, and cast it onto their carpet, then pull a couple of times. should give them a clue..

[SoFlaBassAddict]

I feel your pain. I lost my temper in a tournament a few months ago over the same exact thing. I've been fishing a spot ALL night, literally never moved. A boat (husband/wife team) came trolling up to me from directly behind my rear. They get about 15 yards from my rear and then turn , trolling right fricking next to me. They get to my front and cut directly in front of me and continue trolling the bank.

As the guy passed next to me I said "feel free to cut right in front of me." He said "Thank You!" Now, I'm not a confrontational kind of person but his "thank you" sent me over the edge. I cast my swimbait (with braid) in front of him and snagged his line. I set up announcing "I got a nice one." He said "you got me!" I said "No way! I got a fish!" and proceeded to do battle with this imaginary fish until we came unsnagged. He proceeded to say he can fish anywhere he dang pleases. I cranked up the big motor, putted up next to him, threw it neutral, revved it up a bit and proceeded to do a doughnut around him.

Don't ask me what I was thinking because I wasn't. I was so ticked off.

I guess there's not a whole lot we can do about people like that, other than try to ignore them.

I don't know, or care what you were thinking.  But man what I wouldn't give to have seen that.   ;D ;D

[brushhoggin]

      Or you could get completely naked and just keep fishing   without saying a word. I promise, they'll leave.

[Dam Yankee]

I can be confrontational after 25 years in the Army but, I don't want to be. It's a huge lake and it is extremely rare that I find a spot where I can catch fish. It was one of those spots on a spot where you have to cast in a certain place and this guy just hit my magic button. My first instinct was to throw a rattle trap at him but I really didn't want to get into it like that. he was so close I could have casted my C-rig into his boat. I did find out the guys name after asking around.

It makes me want to do the same thing to him but, that would make me no better than him. I understand that it is easier to just ignore it and move on but, at some point I get tired of being cordial to morons.

[Dam Yankee]

Or you could get completely naked and just keep fishing without saying a word. I promise, they'll leave.

I am just about crazy enough to try that. Hope it isn't too cold next time!!

[Sam]

I guess I have been fortunate never to have such an encounter.

I have had ski boats make donuts on purpose to create a big wake to screw me up.

Your story is why we don't carry weapons with us when we go out on the water, unless it is on Falcon.

I have no idea what I would have done in your situation. Probably just laughed and moved on.

I like the suggestion to get naked. After playing high school sports and being in the Army I have no problem getting naked, as long as the temperature is above 70*.  ;D   ;D   ;D

[Captain Obvious]

Think what the pros must feel like when that happens in a $100,000 tournament.

Just smile and leave, a huge wake around his boat

[culprit71]

I haven't had that experience yet in a boat, as I fish from a canoe and most bigger boats keep their distance, but I have had thsi happen to me while bank fishing.  There is this old kind of hermit like guy who rides around on his old rusty 10 speed stalking bass around Newton Lake in South Jersey.  It's a rather long lake and there is enough room around the lake not to crowd others. He literally walked right in front of me almost as I was casting and I just looked at him dumbfounded and shook my head.  I figured when you get to be his age if you can get enjoyment out of something like fishing, then I'm going to just hope that I can enjoy it as long as he has and that when I'm 85 that I can still cast one and some whippersnapper will get out of my way.  Plus I think he was a few puddings short of a snack pack.

[culprit71]

I shall call him The Newton Lake Hermit. or maybe

Ol' Man Newton

[Bassn Blvd]

them.

I don't know, or care what you were thinking. But man what I wouldn't give to have seen that. ;D ;D

LOL,  I left out one small detail.  "Hawk" was sitting in the back pedestal seat when I started my doughnut.

I was so ticked that I forgot he was back there. Thank the Lord he didn't fall in but I can only imagine what went through his mind when I took off.

[SoFlaBassAddict]

rofl

I bet he was hanging on for dear life.  Man that would have been epic to have on video.

[Dam Yankee]

I don't know what it is. Maybe I am a rude magnet or something but, this was about the 4th time this has happened to me on the Bend. Usually my friend that fishes with me tells me to keep quiet because he knows me but, this time he wasn't with me.

It seems even worse if some see you catch a fish. Never seen anything like it.

I did have a good experience one time though. I remember one time I was fishing in Housen and catchin fish. There was a guy in the area fishing also who was watchin me. He was in a tournament and we got close enough to chat. After talkin a little bit I told him to bring his boat over here as i needed to head back across the lake anyway and take this spot. I was just catchin solid keepers nothin big and I was only out for the enjoyment and wanted to check out another spot. Some of you will probably call me crazy but, I had no problem with it. I figured it was more important to him than me and he was a pretty nice guy it seemed.

[mikeeasttn]

Have had this happen to me.  My grandson and I be fishing at his favorite bluegill bank and adult anglers come up and fish the same spot and sometimes even hook mine or his line.  I just up the electric motor, set him in my lap and jam the hot foot to the floor and let the 300 Mer talk to them as we go around 2 or3 times with jack plate and motor trimed to the bottom.  Have done this for a while and the 3 boats that where doing this got the point.  You will not believe the waves a 300 will make.  Will bring a 19' boat they fish in nearly out of the water.

[bilgerat]

I haven't had that experience yet in a boat, as I fish from a canoe and most bigger boats keep their distance, but I have had thsi happen to me while bank fishing. There is this old kind of hermit like guy who rides around on his old rusty 10 speed stalking bass around Newton Lake in South Jersey. It's a rather long lake and there is enough room around the lake not to crowd others. He literally walked right in front of me almost as I was casting and I just looked at him dumbfounded and shook my head. I figured when you get to be his age if you can get enjoyment out of something like fishing, then I'm going to just hope that I can enjoy it as long as he has and that when I'm 85 that I can still cast one and some whippersnapper will get out of my way. Plus I think he was a few puddings short of a snack pack.

I fish that lake quite a bit - I grew up there, it's where I learned to fish. I can vouch for the occasional oddball. Most are harmless. The further you get away from Route 30 (White Horse Pike) and head towards Haddon Township, the better it gets. I've not run into any problems with other anglers there.

Big bass in there, though they can be tough to find.

[bassinbob54]

I fish a lake that has so many rude anglers my fishing buddy refers to it as the mean lake...lol..i just move away from those guys its really not worth the trouble to argue with them thier ignorant as well as rude

[lynyrdsky1]

I know how you feel

Dad and his friends we usually fish with have always told me about their experiences with inconsiterate people and didnt experience it till recently.

I was on sardis with my dad fish parrallel to a point and this guy and his wife in a rented pontoon, instead of going around the back of us at a distance, they cut right in front of us probably not 15 feet from the front of the boat and the guy said " not in your way am i". i was about to throw a freakin crankbait to his skull but my dad told me to calm down and my dad being the poetic person he is said "what do you think"

The guy got it and kept going but i just got to say there are some real "smart" people out there.

[BASSclary]

I prefer the universal language of "The bird"

[Nibbles]

I know how you feel

Dad and his friends we usually fish with have always told me about their experiences with inconsiterate people and didnt experience it till recently.

I was on sardis with my dad fish parrallel to a point and this guy and his wife in a rented pontoon, instead of going around the back of us at a distance, they cut right in front of us probably not 15 feet from the front of the boat and the guy said " not in your way am i". i was about to throw a freakin crankbait to his skull but my dad told me to calm down and my dad being the poetic person he is said "what do you think"

The guy got it and kept going but i just got to say there are some real "smart" people out there.

He was probably overcompensating for the absence of his two close friends. 10 bucks says they're in his wife's purse.

Pontoons ARE the minivan of boats after all.

[oteymc]

There is just no reason to do that to another angler.

[ChrisAW]

I've had problems like this before. I usually just ignore it and move, not like I'm fishing for money or anything.

But there was one time when I had been trolling slowly along a shoreline for about half an hour. I hear some guy come flying out of no where and stop 30 feet in front of me and started fishing. So I just moved about 150 yards down the shoreline and started fishing again.

About 10 minutes later, he starts up his motor and blasts right up by me and stops right infront of me again. That started to get me a little agitated. I wasn't even catching anything big and he keeps cutting me off.

So I decided to move again. I shot across to the other side of the lake. I started fishing and ended catching a 16"er within a few casts. Low and behold, here comes that dude again, cuts me off about 40 feet infront of me. That was it for me. I cranked the trolling motor to 5 and went around infront of him, and he had the nerve to ask me, "What the &?$@ man?" I just told him to quit cutting me off and started to fish again. So he starts casting out infront of my boat, effectively still cutting me off. So I grabbed my jig rod thats spolled with 50# braid and crossed his line. He started to reel in as fast as he could and as soon as I felt his line tugging mine, I set the hook as hard as I could and snapped his lure off his line.

He just stood there glaring at me. I told him to go find his own d**n spot or he's going to keep losing lures. He started up his boat and ran back across to the other side of the lake.

[bryand82487]

When someone gets right in front of me on a lake I normally just turn the trolling motor on high and go right around them and start fishing again in front of them.  The thing that makes me so mad is when fishing below pickwick dam in the fall.  There are many yachts and cruisers in the fall headed south for the year and they don't slow down when they get a couple of hundred yards from fisherman.  They keep there distance but man these waves are HUGE!  Sometimes they throw the front of my bass tracker so high out of the water that my entire trolling motor comes out of the water then my boat smacks back down on the water.  Once I even took on water from there wake.  Not to mention if I'm pretty close to the bank it makes it even more dangerous if I don't start the motor quick and try to get off the bank.  The current produced by the dam makes fishing below it dangerous enough I don't need them to make it worse!  There's been times I'm glad I don't carry a gun on the water or I would have sank one of those dang things.   ;D

[NorcalBassin]

You will not believe the waves a 300 will make.

Yet another reason I'd love to have one of those!

You guys have some pretty crazy stories... looks like I've been pretty lucky thus far. Who knows, maybe this weekend it will be my turn.