Is there fishing etiquette?

[bullhead guide]

I am curious to know if you were one of two boats on a lake and saw another fisherman catching fish , would you jump on the hole and fish within 30 yards of the other fisherman? I wouldn't do it, but it seems to happen to me often. I then enjoy my time seeking another hole in peace and quiet. I know there are places which I call community holes, but I think it not applicable when you are only one of two boats out there early in the morning.

[Nimstug]

Bull,

Yes, there is fishing etiquette, etiquette in general being "the conduct or procedure required by good breeding or prescribed by authority to be observed in social or official life (Webster on-line)

Note the phrase "good breeding." A lot of people, fishers or otherwise, missed what their parents were teaching them or they were never taught good behavior to begin with. It's not just on the water. You see a lack of appropriate behavior on the road, our neighborhoods, in stores, and even in church.

They don't understand 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you' or maybe they don't care what people do unto them. Some people are so dense and obtuse they have no idea what they are doing and when someone attempts to correct them, they do not see the error of their ways.

No, I would not run across a lake to fish next to a party I observed catching fish. Those that do are lazy and do not want to expend the effort to learn and really enjoy the experience of fishing.

If you say something to them, chnces are good you will hear an obscenity-laced response which only certifies their lack of good breeding. Some people may throw muskie baits at the intruders. Others will leave and cicle them at WOT. Perhaps they will learn, but my experience is that they are too stupid to understand.

Nimstug

The physician can bury his mistakes, but the architect can only advise his client to plant vines.
-F.L. Wright

[Klaas Act - Rich Ziert]

Nimstug - you be da man !

[LundAnglerMJ]

Certainly NOT! I'd watch what they were using, but that's about it. I love to find my own fish. In fact I'm goin' now! Yahoo! When people move into the close vacinity, it is as "Da Man" says here before me, a question of upbringing.

[IntroC]

30yrds??? I would be happy if they would stay that far away. I had a boat pull up within 10 feet of me while fishing up at Audobon one afternoon after catching a couple of fish. I was looking down, paying close attention to my rod tip, look up and this woman is 10ft from me(maybe even less), no kidding. There was three of them(2 gals and a 1 guy) in the boat,not that that mattered. I asked if they were trying to jump in my boat. They wouldn't even look at me. Couldn't believe it.

I even poked that one gal in the ribs with my pole:+ J/K

[Bouncer]

Maybe a "poke" is just what she was after!!! Perhaps a missed opportunity!

[AllenW]

Ya 30 yards would be a nice...:)
Had two old timers back troll right into us while we were anchored on gullrock one year, both deaf as a bat, finally had to reach out with a foot to keep them from hitting the boat.

Same lake was noted for starting a village on the water, catch a fish and ya had a town around ya, Milacs gets that way, or least it used to.
Probably any lake that gets a high weekend warrior count.

I figure if I'm going to interfere with your fishing, I'm to close.

Lots of good people out there, to bad the few bad ones makes it miserable at times for the rest of us.

Al

[JC-W]

Never. Part of the reason I fish is to get away from people. I would rather catch one fish by myself than 10 of them if I have to bang my lure off someone elses boat. I never get within 100 yards of anyone else if I can help it. Remember also, when you are that close they can also see what you are catching.

[KHedquist]

>Ya 30 yards would be a nice...:)
>Had two old timers back troll right into us while we were
>anchored on gullrock one year, both deaf as a bat, finally had
>to reach out with a foot to keep them from hitting the boat.
>
>Same lake was noted for starting a village on the water, catch
>a fish and ya had a town around ya, Milacs gets that way, or
>least it used to.
>Probably any lake that gets a high weekend warrior count.
>
>I figure if I'm going to interfere with your fishing, I'm to
>close.
>
>Lots of good people out there, to bad the few bad ones makes
>it miserable at times for the rest of us.
>
>Al

I bet if yah had that big cat with and tossed it their boat, that would woke them up!

[AllenW]

>>Ya 30 yards would be a nice...:)
>>Had two old timers back troll right into us while we were
>>anchored on gullrock one year, both deaf as a bat, finally
>had
>>to reach out with a foot to keep them from hitting the boat.
>>
>>Same lake was noted for starting a village on the water,
>catch
>>a fish and ya had a town around ya, Milacs gets that way, or
>>least it used to.
>>Probably any lake that gets a high weekend warrior count.
>>
>>I figure if I'm going to interfere with your fishing, I'm to
>>close.
>>
>>Lots of good people out there, to bad the few bad ones makes
>>it miserable at times for the rest of us.
>>
>>Al
>
>I bet if yah had that big cat with and tossed it their boat,
>that would woke them up!

Ya, I bet that would have been funny bouncing around in their boat, prob give one of them a heart attack...:)

You got any fishing dates open Kirt, maybe give me a Email, tourny or just a days fishing, eithers fine.
Maybe hit pool 4 and look for her bigger sister...hehehe

Al
Al

[lipripper1]

like said before,, consider 30 yds a mile... often have boats two rod lengths away... usually I get sick of it and go find other fish.

my question is. lets say you are fishing a short stretch obviously hanging in a very specific area perhaps 100 yds. and your course is very clear on a contour line but then you have a couple boats move in and sit right on top of your course,who should move?

I may not be right but I feel if my course is established and you are in it,, well I think you should move until I pass.

[Jim Ordway]

If someone was anchored and you were not in their casting range, I would think 30 yards is ok. When fishing rivers, we drift past each other all the time. When trolling, people cris/cross each other all the time. Sometimes that is how it is depending on the areas you fish. If you are moving in on someone and infringing on their sole pattern, you might be considered rude.
Take care,

[yamahadude]

This stuff used to get to me...bad. Most mean no harm...maybe weren't even brought up fishing...or boating. Introduce yourself. Most people are pretty interesting.

I even pulled in a jet ski in one day that ran out of gas after buzzing around me. I made him sweat it for a while while I fished...since I was the last boat on the water on a Sunday afternoon...lol

Guess I'm getting soft in my old age.

[soulfisher]

we have all been moved in on and i am sure we all get po'd about it
heck i get mad at the flagman on a highway repeir job
but to the point i treat other boats on the water as i want to be treated
i give way when i am not required to all the time
and am still always havin some on hollar cuz they got lead core out with a hundred other boats on the same troll
happens every day out of st joe salmon fishing when they are on the mudline
or out of monroe in may
heck i have had guys move in me on blue gill beds
i mostly move on cuz i like the freedom and prefer the lonliness of nobody around
but the bottom line is i don't start a figth i don't want to finish later at the boat launch
if i was there first i will probably hold my groung
really if they are foolowing me around they must not be much good at finding fish anyway and have to crowd in

[soulfisher]

oh sorry the actual question was if i was one of two boats
if there is me and one other
ain't really abig deal
probaley offer them a coke

[bullheadguide]

thanks for all the posts and helping me to understand the fishermen around me. The reason I got so excited was that I had steered a wide berth around this person , whom I thought was fishing a good area. Then when he saw me catching fish from 200 yards away, he was right on top of me and asking me questions. I couldn't freely hug the structure without bumping into him. An hour later found me fishing where I had originally wanted to fish only to have him come back there and inhibit my steering again. When I think about it,however, the walleyes do not know the difference. I shouldn't be tempering the mortar for the bricks in my life with so much stress. It is more rewarding to move on and charter fresh fish.

[Borrowachild]

A 3 to 4yr old may be a little work, but it sends most boats away looking for less noise, give it a try, worked for us. LOL

[AllenW]

>A 3 to 4yr old may be a little work, but it sends most boats
>away looking for less noise, give it a try, worked for us.
>LOL


Wondering if the stereo cranked up with a little Robin Trower might be a bit easier? :-)

Al

[eye4]

Some places are worse than others. I particulary don't care for the gus who sees you catching fish and anchors right on your spot. I will make a remark or two but don't get confrontational. Fact is, some guys are just jerks and don't really care what their actions do to other folks. This goes for every group of folks and every walk of life.

[Mr. Sauger]

Just to keep some blood pressure down, please consider this. Some fishermen do not consider it wrong to fish by another boat. If you pulled up to them, they would engage you in a little chit chat and share whatever success they had with you. They do not think they are "trespassing" when they approach you (therefore they do not believe they are behaving like aholes). In fact, they may think you are an unfriendly sort for not being sociable.

I'm not saying one side is right or wrong - just different "etiquette".

And sometimes your secret spot is really a community hole and “dibs” is not recognized. I might be the first boat on the clam beds in March, but it ain’t mine.

Personally, if there is a lot of lake, I’ll try to find a new spot. But I’ll run the bumper boat gauntlet at the Red Wing dam with the rest of em.

So I see a few things to consider.
1) Am I in a community area and I’m just the first guy there?
2) His idea of fishing may be more social than mine.
3) Maybe knows he can’t find fish and is a being a booger mooching off of your skill.

[Frustrated]

We fish team walleye tourneys quite a bit. Some guys are courtious and some are jerks. Unfortunately, if you want to compete, you almost have to hold your ground when guys move in on you. We love pulling cranks. If we hit on a hot spot, we know that we probably will only get 2 or 3 passes before the live bait guys will move in and shut us down. I don't understand what satisfaction you would get from catching someone elses fish. I know that I don't "own" any particular spot, but come on, if you can't find your own fish, you don't deserve to catch any.

[bladebait]

"frustrated" I share your sentiments. We were in 4th place after the first day of one of our local tournaments on the Columbia river. On day 2, one team set down outside the marina to let us pass at the blast-off. We got to our main spot about 5 miles downriver, started our first pass, and there they are, upriver from us taking our line. Worse yet they pounded the fish while we struggled on that spot. We went to other places we had fish going and did fine in the tourney but I feel they shouldn't have been there since they weren't there the day before. They weren't the only ones but they were the most blatant. Maybe with money and pride on the line these guys feel they are justified but I disagree with those kind of methods.bb

[KLN2 ul]

Bladebait, there is nothing like having boats follow you around out on the water and the problem is you're never going to stop them. I had a similar situation in a tournament where we had a good downriver drift going and it was common to see 6 or 7 boats start-up and follow us up river for another drift. Even though it was a comunity hole, that was over the line. I even had one guy admit later that he quit fishing the tournament just to watch us fish.

You and your partner must be very good walleye fishermen to overcome that and win the tournament. That same weekend, a friend and I fished the same water but were not fishing the tournament. We were working some new spinners in a comunity hole upriver from where you guys fished and noticed 4 or 5 tournament boats in the spot. Personally, I found the fish had moved in there about 3 weeks ago. We stayed away from the tournament guys but fished the same area. Were we wrong to stay and pound the fish when the tournament guys struggled a bit at times?

[T Mac]

LOL!

:) Good one.

[bladebait]

KLN,

I think you have every right to go fishing in the same water as the tournament boats. It's public water, you found the fish and decided to fish for them. You didn't specifically watch some nets fly, or study the leaderboard to make your decision about where to fish, you just went fishing.
I have a feeling we are talking about the same people, as I recall you put on some clinics at the bridge and the green can.bb

[KLN2 ul]

BB, Hopefully the etiquette problem won't keep you and your partner from a shot at the Columbia River tournaments grand slam. That would be quite an acomplishment in walleye fishing. Good Luck!

[vlad]

Its so bad on the lakes I fish. You are lucky to get 10 feet, let alone 30 yards. The worst part is when they end up right next to you and watch how you are catching them before they tie up an identical rig. I've taken to fishing between 11pm and 4am...

[walleyewillie]

Unfortunately when you win three in a row this kind of thing is going to happen!!What if your big partner could fling some of those heavy jigs at them next time and they will get the message.Or mabey they will try to grab your jigs and use them to.Anyway congrats and good luck at Camas.


freewebs.com/walleyewilliesguideservice

[I_Just_Fish]

I've read alot of posts, not only on this website but others too, about people pulling in on other fishers and not having any "etiquette". So what I'm wondering is, what kind of boat do the people have that are so disrespectful and what kind of boat are you fishing from? Could it be the "I'm better than you cause I have a better boat" mentality? Or, " this guy has a nice boat so he must know what he's doing". When we were up at Leech Lake after Memorial Day we did not have any problem with anyone moving in on us. As a matter of fact it was just the opposite. People seemed to give us all the room we wanted. I fish from a 19' Pro-V, so it kinda makes me wonder.

[Raybob]

Well it's near impossible on summer weekends in the daytime w/every form of yahoo on the water on my home lake, I guess that is why we have nites & weekdays??

ie: I have had wet-bikes (2) actually pull-up beside the boat & get in the way of landing a eye/totally clue-less weekenders > that was at least 10 years ago in the 90s. But really it's the krazy line choppers & wave slammers that keep me in-port on summer weekends.

I'm just glad I'm retired...

[Windigo]

As much as I loathe them, I genuinely want to hear from somebody who actually, deliberately, knowingly moves in within 100 yards of another angler (the acceptable distance is even farther on bigger waters). I want to know why you enjoy this--why you think this is right--why you get the slightest enjoyment from catching fish somebody else found for you, or at least beat you to.

Please enlighten me--really! I want to know what's going through your head...for the sake of all of our sanity.

I have this happen all the time, but my most recent example is when I was fishing with my buddies on Winnibigoshish about a month ago. The crowd was fishing a so-called community spot by the river channel and whether they were catching them or not, my group wanted nothing to do with the spot (see previous paragraph about getting no satisfaction from catching fish others have found).

So we ran miles away and found our own fish on mainlake stuff NOBODY else was fishing that time of year. And what do you know--boats (most obviously without GPS) would scream in from everywhere and park 30 yards away.

They weren't fishing like we were, though, and didn't much so they'd quickly give up and (I'm not kidding you) pull out a pair of binocs, scan the lake and run off somewhere else to make trouble for some other poor souls who wanted to fish away from the pack.

What are you people thinking???!!!

[MNNICK]

As much as I loathe them, I genuinely want to hear from somebody who actually, deliberately, knowingly moves in within 100 yards of another angler (the acceptable distance is even farther on bigger waters). I want to know why you enjoy this--why you think this is right--why you get the slightest enjoyment from catching fish somebody else found for you, or at least beat you to.

Please enlighten me--really! I want to know what's going through your head...for the sake of all of our sanity.



Within 100.......YARDS?

If you get excited at people within a hundred yards of you, either you don't fish much, or your spending too much time on fly in lakes.

I'll move into a spot if I've found them there previously. I won't however come from across the lake if I see a boat sitting somewhere I wouldn't normally fish. I would say 90% of the time on the waters I fish, people are within 20 yards, and often MUCH closer than that. I guess I don't normally let it bother me. I'd be more ticked off than I usually am, if that were the case. LOL

Why do people do that? I would guess on large tourist lakes, many of them are just struggling to catch some fish and don't know what they're doing, so the "they must be biting over there" mentality takes over. I guess it's probably that train of thought that drives it everywhere. Guess we humans are curious creatures.

Either you learn to deal with it, or if it drives you to question your sanity, take up collecting bugs or stamps or another relaxing hobby. It is what it is, and it's not going to change.

[Raybob]

Why do people do that? I would guess on large tourist lakes, many of them are just struggling to catch some fish and don't know what they're doing, so the "they must be biting over there" mentality takes over. I guess it's probably that train of thought that drives it everywhere. Guess we humans are curious creatures.

Either you learn to deal with it, or if it drives you to question your sanity, take up collecting bugs or stamps or another relaxing hobby. It is what it is, and it's not going to change.


Haaay, Excellent Take MNNICK! :) ...I'm goin' to save your thoughts to pass-on to fishin' buds. Since I retired in 1999 I said UNCLE on the "weekend day-bite" in the "summer" on my home lake...

[Windigo]

Well, note that I said "within" 100 yards, which can mean 0 to 100 yards and everywhere in between. But even if you take me literally, 100 yards away on a Wednesday, when relatively few anglers are on the lake, is pretty darn close when you're on a 55,000 acre lake like Winnie.

After all, a 100-yard diameter circle is about 2 acres of water....so we're talking about 1/22,000th of the lake.

Asking anglers to have the courtesy to give other anglers that TINY fraction of space isn't at all unreasonable, especially on a lake with as much structure as Winnie....it's not as if we were on the only good spot on the lake.

Incidentally, fishing is part of my JOB, so I have no shortage of time on the water, as you suggest. I fish a wide variety of lakes and rivers at all times of year.

But you're right, this problem is rampant almost everywhere, and people who feel it's OK to drop anchor less than 20 yards away, as you describe, are unbelievably common. People need to get it through their thick heads that the possibility of catching fish, even on a "resort" lake, doesn't justify imposing on others.

My rule of thumb--NEVER fish a spot someone else is already on. Find another spot....there's no shortage of them, and you'll be a better fisherman for it.

[Windigo]

Having someone move in on you would be a lot easier to swallow if they simply ASKED if you mind them working the spot, too.

Any reasonable person would say yes, anyway, and that could let both parties at least know what the other is doing. Nothing more frustrating than setting up a trolling pass only to have someone swoop in and drop anchor right in the middle of it.

Knowing you're imposing and asking the other angler would prevent such conflicts and soothe the bad blood caused by someone who lacks the courtesy or ability to find their own spot, which is of course the best option of all.

[MNNICK]

But you're right, this problem is rampant almost everywhere, and people who feel it's OK to drop anchor less than 20 yards away, as you describe, are unbelievably common. People need to get it through their thick heads that the possibility of catching fish, even on a "resort" lake, doesn't justify imposing on others.



I didn't say that it was right, or that I neccessarily like it when it happens to me, but the fact of the matter is, that it's going to happen. People should have respect and give your space, but in this day and age, you'll yell yourself horse trying to teach that on the water. Society seems to have gotten way more competative in about every aspect.

I've found that much of the time when it happens, if I'm catching fish, the other people are going to struggle and get frustrated trying to figure out what I'm doing and leave.

For some reason, I get a sick sense of satisfaction from seeing that happen. LOL

I've had guys race up and literaly chuck a marker on the fly, and have it hit my boat, drop markers feet behind me as I'm back trolling, and instead of getting upset, I usually "accidently" get the line wrapped up in the 'ol Merc until the marker gets plunked out like a cork in a Champagne bottle.

There are certain people that can get on my nerves in these instances, but if it's people that I figure are green, or don't know any better, I don't let it bother me.

I would guess you may be in the business of guiding seeing as how it is "part of your job". If that's the case, use the situation to your advantage. Put on a clinic for the spectators and maybe it will enhance your business.

It wasn't my intention to come down on ya, just maybe an attempt to get you to see that the problem isn't going to change and there's no point in letting it ruin your day. It can be frustrating but what are ya gonna do?

[Suzuki]

So many variables. Many have made good points. You just dont know what is going through their minds and if their intentions are bad. Chalk it up to the cost of freedom. I'll take it over the alternative.

[Windigo]

I don't think anybody except a 1-in-1,000 kind of jerk would move in on somebody with truly "bad" intentions. We're fishermen....we're all pretty good guys. We all just want to have a fun time, catch some fish, and soak up some sun.

So why--why is that almost every day on almost every lake somebody has to crowd someone else who until then had been off on his own??

It's my opinion that they simply don't know that what they're doing is rude and counterproductive for everybody. I'm guessing that's how they were taught (or not taught) to fish. To them, it's nothing wrong to follow other people around. In fact, minutes ago I was on another fishing forum and one of the posters actually advised another guy to find the fish on a particular lake by motoring up to groups of boats, seeing if they were catching fish, and if so, dropping down a Lindy rig!!!

Ugh!

That's why I said I wanted to hear what these people are thinking. I know they're out there, and I'm sure some have read this. With so many of these people around, it's mathmatically impossible one hasn't read this.

I think we need to nip this kind of advice in the bud whenever we hear it, otherwise you guys are absolutely right--it's never going to stop.

Let's start teaching people how to be fishermen instead of copycats.

[Unregistered]

I was a kid growing up in the early 60s when having electronics aboard your boat meant your dad carried a transister radio for listening to sunday polkas or maybe the ball game. Anyhow, I also remember it was a very common practice at that time for drifters to pass very close to one another just to exchange info. It was also common to have another boat set up close to your marker and give it a try before moving on. I wouldn't think of doing that today. But I miss those days just the same.