How close is to close

[flatcreek]

Last night I was drift fishing in my favorite lake and scolded by a fisherman who was double anchored (a Manny L fan I'm sure) for being to close to him. I didn't understand this as I was 100 or 150 ft. off his bow and wanted to complete the drift into shallower water, we weren't running any motors or making any noise of any kind and in no danger of hooking any of his gear, even if we did hook a fish which we did just as we went by. I replied to him" no were not, see we are catching fish" at that it turned into a double. Obviously he wasn't close enough to us.
All kidding aside, I like to be a respectful fisherman and thought I was. Many times I've been drifting and had trollers see me catch a fish and troll all around me, under power, much closer than a 100 ft. almost running over my bobbers, I wasn't happy about it, stealth is essential. It wasn't the case of me seeing them catch something, I started the drift 1/4 mile away wanting to drift over the deeper water into the shallow as I've done many times, wasn't even aware of them at the start. In my opinion just because you read a book in which the author bitches about other people hooking his anchor ropes and calls people who drift lazy doesn't mean you own 500 ft. of water all around your boat.
As we all know what opinions are like. What do some of you other fisherman think? As I truly do want to be respectful?

[acabtp]

dunno, hard to say without seeing it.

personally, when i'm in a boat i try to stay about 2x the maximum casting distance for myself or the guy in the other boat, whichever's farther. but someone anchored up might be livelining bait and it could be out pretty far without you seeing it, so i usually give them a lot more room. 500' seems overkill, but i don't think it's unreasonable for live bait to be out 30 or 50 yards from the boat, so drifting by at 100' or 150' does seem a bit close. probably if you were around 200' away the guy wouldn't have said anything.

i think 'first come, first served' applies a lot also... so if someone is anchored and then someone drifts up to them, it seems to me the drifter's responsibility to go around. same thing though, if you set up a sweet drift, and then someone motors ahead and anchors in your path, i would get annoyed at the anchorer.

good thread. makes me think of a couple other scenarios on the water and i wonder how you guys would handle them to be courteous:

1) boat A is working the shoreline for bass headed one way. boat B is working the same shoreline headed the other. how do they pass one another courteously?

2) boat A and boat B are both working the shoreline for bass, headed in the same direction. boat A is going a lot slower than boat B, how does boat B pass boat A courteously? Do they ask to "fish through", just do it, or should they head for a different part of the lake?


for 1, my answer is whichever boat that has the shore to their port makes a starboard turn and goes around the other boat at a respectable distance.

for 2, i would just head for a different part of the lake.

[FASTEDDIE29]

Great question. I do t really have an answer. I'd say the guy with the bigger knife and gun has the right of way. You were 100 feet way from each other, that's plenty of room.

[saxmatt]

Depends on the situation. If 2 boats are bass fishing then they can pass realitively close. If you are passing someone bottom fishing from the bank or an anchored boat I would give them more space. Sometimes when I'm carp fishing my baits are out 200-300' to reach deep water. Someone trolling over my lines can tangle them up and spook the fish.

[Gatto1227]

If it's a smaller lake and you're not within 150 ft of the guy and he's bitchin at you I would blow him off and just keep fishing. If you're on one of the big lakes ( LH or GWL) I guess 100–150 ft is kinda close.

[jimmythegreek]

the guy was an a**hole, he should go fish hopatcong and see what "too close" is. I get guys comin past me on jetskis and cigarette boats that can read my sonar and change my radio station lol

[GetANet]

I def think it's a tuff call If I was the anchored guy I probably wouldn't have said anything but gave a good stare down the FIRST time by but more than once and we're having words! Been in both boats before so to say so I can feel for FLATCREEK as well. Knowing Phil is an intelligent and courteous person i'm sure there was enough room for both anglers but some DB's think they own the entire lake!
When I get someone too close I'll just whip a bank sinker or two at em'
they usually leave pretty quick!!!!LOL
Na, Just kidding OR am I ?????
Fxxx em' where's the pic's????
Was the name of the boat Gone Fishing???????HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[Eskimo]

.


If somebody gets within casting distance, I show them how close they are with a judicious cast in the direction of their water craft.

If somebody is drifting by 100-150 feet off the bow of an anchored boat, I hardly think the drifting boat is 'winging' the anchored boat. Unless there are dive flags or floats out on the water, that is fine. It sounds like the anchored boat was having a bad day and was just frustrated and cranky. I know I get that way when the fish aren't cooperating.

When I get someone too close I'll just whip a bank sinker or two at em'

That's an issue down in Florida at those long fishing piers. If a boater fishes too close to the pier, they can expect a hail storm of surf-rigs launched in their direction.


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100 to 150ft is plenty of room if your not running your motor. Drifting by at that range should not have been a problem at all. When someone decides to troll around you close in that's a completely different issue. Everyone likes to have as much of their own space as possible but sometimes that just doesn't happen. Wind direction, water depth, whatever brings people in close proximity to one another. To me the range you mentioned is plenty far apart especially since you were drifting and not powering through. There are guys that even if you gave them a half mile would have been kicking and screaming. Be courteous and in most situations two people will work out their differences. If the guy was hooked up and the fish was coming towards your boat, I'm sure you would have steered clear. Every situation is different and more so the people involved normally dictate what is acceptable and what's not.

Dakota

[flatcreek]

Well I guess it just depends which boat your in. In one, if your not hooking gear your not to close and the other the next lake is not far enough.

Dale: to answer you second question, it may very well been the man himself, plane jane boat, bald head, double anchored.

As for a pic, it's my 15 year old nephew, loves to fish and that was his first Hybrid, said it pulled harder than anything he ever caught, he picked up 2. Good fishen partner.