fishing etiquette

[gwl2oneida]

What's the proper etiquette for sharing space while fishing? While fishing of a jetty this morning at a public beach I got ambushed. Three guys came along and each threw out three bait lines all around me, and laid there rods in horizontal holders. Fishing sucked anyways so I was leaving soon but I was still pissed. Some people.....

[Wilson]

Depending where you are and who your fishing with, there's either a good level of courteousness or none at all. Looks like you had the later.

[flatcreek]

I think people should know what you think, so sometimes you just have to tell them. Some people just don't know any better. Many a time I've been drifting herring under a slip bobber and someone will motor up close almost hitting the bobbers and ask how I'm doing. I usually have to say pretty good till you came along you a$$ hole. Tommy keeps hidding my bucket of rocks.

[baetis]

When you are outnumbered 3:1 you have two options and neither one leaves you with any fish. One, suck it up and leave. Life is too short to get aggravated by idiots. Two, have fun and play the googan. Continue to cast and snag their lines every chance you get. Apologize profusely. Insist every time that you felt a huge hit. After 3 tangles in 20 minutes there is a slight chance they might give you a wider area to fish.

[GetANet]

Def funny but not always a good idea, had to break up a fist fight over the same scenario once. Beach was crowded and I was set up with two rods and two guys I know from the area were maybe 10 yrds from me set up with four rods and all was good THEN some JACKAZZ strolls down with a six foot spinning rod and his playmate cooler. WHERE do you think he went? YEP, right between us, baits up, looks around and wings it out crossing the guy
next to me so they procede to untangle rerig YADA YADA YADA, guy goes to cast again and this time casts across three rods!!!! DING,DING,DING the action begins and after a few swings and a tackle I break up the maylay.Then the guy moves to my left and rigs up and this time got it out about twenty feet out. Mean while the other guy to my right casts a beauty and all of the sudden the JACKAZZ who just almost got his kicked starts screaming what a pro caster the guy is!!! OMG does this dude have a deathwish????So finally after a heated second screaming match he finally decides to leave and this all happened within about a half an hour!

[gwl2oneida]

I think what bothered me most about the situation is that I know guys like that were only setting up to strip mine. Fishing like that is never catch and release and usually has lil regard for the regulations.

[ATH1089]

I typically set up shop as far from anyone else as reasonably possible, especially if they are also fishing alone. For many of us, fishing time is our 'chill-out-and-relax-my-brain' time, and we want to spend it in solitude. It also helps to prevent line entanglement and people 'borrowing' gear. There is always a thief or some moochers wandering about any fishing spot. 'Hey bro can I get some sinkers/bait/bobbers?'

[buzzbaiter]

Heck if somebody fishes within a 1/4 mile of me I think its too close I like my space and will not crowd anybody. On a stream I'll give them a 1/4 mile or more before I fish. On a lake I'll walk 500' or more so as to not crowd somebody either on shore or in a boat near shore. Its called courtesy and its severely lacking among most anglers hence my seeking out places where it won't happen.

Last year on the Passaic was quite a lesson in that. As yakers would paddle/motor through will little regard for me fishing on the bank or wading in the river. At least stop fishing when you see somebody fishing. You can pass by quietly and move on or wait.

[Eskimo]

A courteous anglers will always give another angler space, even if he is on a good spot.

I stopped fishing the Delaware River in Worthington State Forest not because the fishing isn't any good, it is. I stopped fishing there because there were too many inconsiderate people pissing me off every time I went there in the summer.

One time I was catching walleye in a pool while standing on a rock in the river. Some foreigners saw me catching fish from the pool but couldn't access the pool because of the steep, brushy banks. To my surprise, they walked out to the rock and saddled up right next to me. They were literally rubbing up against me! I couldn't believe it. I was seriously considering taking off all my clothes to see if they would get uncomfortable enough to leave. Nobody in their right mind would fish next to a naked man.

The other issue with Worthington State Forest are the thousands and thousands of rental canoes and kayaks constantly drifting down river. People will constantly beach their boats and get out right where you are fishing.

I once threw rocks at somebody at Round Valley Reservoir. I was fishing from the shore in shallow water in the back area of the reservoir by the fence. Some people in a boat with a trolling motor were trying to fish the shoreline, but all they were really doing is spooking all the trout by running that big boat through the shallow water. When they finally ran over my line, I picked up small stones and started throwing them around their boat.

The guys started yelling, "Hey,this guy thinks he owns the reservoir..."

No, I don't own the reservoir, but this guy has 1000 acres to cover with his boat. I'm just a guy standing on the shoreline with 50 feet of line out. Don't run over my line!

[buzzbaiter]

I'll give credit where credit is due. Last summer while wading the SBRR south of 78, two young people came down the river in canoes. As soon as they saw me, they stopped. I finished my casting/working a pool and then waved them through. I said thanks. Now is that really THAT hard for others to do? I once had a guy portage around me so as to not disturb me as I was fishing Paulinskill. Again a nice gesture done far too little.