Fishing Etiquette

[tippet7]

Wasn't me was it?

I thought I was in a meteor shower.

No phil, it wasnt anyone from your side of the lake

[jjtroutbum]

You will probably catch some slack over those statements. Several fine sportsmen from this board , fish the parks and are outstanding anglers. Believe it or not, there is an art and a skill level to fishing the parks. One that would rival any blue ribbon pure breed.

I had to snicker at that part, but was picturing some fella with his panties in a wad nose high in the air as to not smell the unwashed heathens that go to the "park." Then relized that you might be talking about those little parmarked four inch "jewels."

As to the OP's original problem. I will admit getting all upset and going off many years ago about crowding and general rudeness. Now I just try not too allow someones behavior that I have absolutely no control over to dictate how my day is going to be. By getting myself in a terrible frame of mind.

[Bman]

Several fine sportsmen from this board , fish the parks and are outstanding anglers. Believe it or not, there is an art and a skill level to fishing the parks. One that would rival any blue ribbon pure breed.

Rick, You are right on, and very modest.

I will admit getting all upset and going off many years ago about crowding and general rudeness. Now I just try not too allow someones behavior that I have absolutely no control over to dictate how my day is going to be. By getting myself in a terrible frame of mind.

John,

Very wise words my friend.

[RSBreth]

If I'm by myself I just leave. I rarely fish down there during the day anymore just because of that.

Now If my buddy Richard is with me - he will usually start singing the Roland Martin fishing show theme song. Well, yell it, actually. "He's the great American fisherman, he'll fish anywhere, anywhere there's water, you know he'll be there..."

The combination of him doing that and me falling down in the water laughing makes people want to get away from the "lunatics down near the rebar hole" as one guy commented.

Good times.

[Trout Commander]

these guys are typical "trout park" idiots . . . . . since they're use to fishing literally "elbow-to-elbow", they probably considered the available space to be plenty not only for themselves to walk in, but for anyone else that might share the same notion . . . . . . they're just gettin "tuned up" for that opening day of fishing in a barrel side-by-side with all those sharing that same quest of lunacy which is better known as "trout park fishing" . . . . . if you're lucky, next weekend you may be sharing Taneycomo with even more of these model sportsman as they continue to perfect their skills of obnoxious behavior prior to their most important day of reckoning when it becomes "every man, woman and child for themselves"

Agreed

You will probably catch some slack over those statements. Several fine sportsmen from this board , fish the parks and are outstanding anglers. Believe it or not, there is an art and a skill level to fishing the parks. One that would rival any blue ribbon pure breed.

Agreed

The two types of "trout park fisherman" described are not the same. The difference lies in the idiot part. I doubt any one of the trout park fisherman laker described, himself included, would ever do what the OP described.

[duckydoty]

This kind of situation happens everywhere, not just in Missouri and our fine trout parks. Last year while guiding in remote Alaska, I was helping a blind person (yes, leagally blind) fish in a remote stream 40 miles from the closest road. The only access to this creek was by float plane or boat. We were having a fantastic time catching rainbows and dolly varden. I would be his eyes and describe our surroundings, details of the stream we were fishing, and using the clock system, where to cast. I would correct his cast with statements like, a little further out, more to the left,or right, or shorten the cast just a little. I would tell him when to mend and which direction to mend. by watching his indicator I would also tell him when to set the hook. We made a great team and were very successful at getting him on fish. When he would hook up, he did a great job of fighting the fish and at that point all I had to do was net it. If I held the fish within 4 inches of his face, he could scan over it with his eyes and make out its beauty. My guest and I had been fishing this section of stream for a couple of hours. Due to his lack of vision we did not have the option of traveling by foot very far up and down the stream and I had to keep him in a fairly open area to allow for the extra time to safely move when bears came though. After fishing for a couple of hours a boat with 8 or 10 people pulls up and the fishermen on the boat proceed to walk up and start fishing within 10 feet on both sides of us. Now this is Wild Remote Alaska out in the Bush in the middle of nowhere. These people stayed at our sides for almost an hour fishing and none of them had any disabilities. I could not believe they came all the way to Alaska to stand shoulder to shoulder with the only other people on the whole stream to fish??? Just goes to show...These kind of people are everywhere.

[Trout Commander]

This kind of situation happens everywhere, not just in Missouri and our fine trout parks. Last year while guiding in remote Alaska, I was helping a blind person (yes, leagally blind) fish in a remote stream 40 miles from the closest road. The only access to this creek was by float plane or boat. We were having a fantastic time catching rainbows and dolly varden. I would be his eyes and describe our surroundings, details of the stream we were fishing, and using the clock system, where to cast. I would correct his cast with statements like, a little further out, more to the left,or right, or shorten the cast just a little. I would tell him when to mend and which direction to mend. by watching his indicator I would also tell him when to set the hook. We made a great team and were very successful at getting him on fish. When he would hook up, he did a great job of fighting the fish and at that point all I had to do was net it. If I held the fish within 4 inches of his face, he could scan over it with his eyes and make out its beauty. My guest and I had been fishing this section of stream for a couple of hours. Due to his lack of vision we did not have the option of traveling by foot very far up and down the stream and I had to keep him in a fairly open area to allow for the extra time to safely move when bears came though. After fishing for a couple of hours a boat with 8 or 10 people pulls up and the fishermen on the boat proceed to walk up and start fishing within 10 feet on both sides of us. Now this is Wild Remote Alaska out in the Bush in the middle of nowhere. These people stayed at our sides for almost an hour fishing and none of them had any disabilities. I could not believe they came all the way to Alaska to stand shoulder to shoulder with the only other people on the whole stream to fish??? Just goes to show...These kind of people are everywhere.

That absolutely blows my mind. Both parts of the story. It also reiterates that it's not the "trout park" part that gets you but the "idiot" part.

[back2roots]

I don't know......a couple of quotes come to mind about this.

1) If you see somebodny doing something stupid, you have to tell them! Otherwise they think it's okay!!!!

This might fit the OP situation a bit better.

2) YOU CAN'T FIX STUPID!!!!

I just move and keep on fishing. All the water's connected.

[snagged in outlet 3]

I've had members of my own group do this. Most of which are trout park fisherman on their first trips to tailwaters. Although Taney is a pretty small area in comparison to the White.

I just stand there and think to myself, why don't I just go on trips alone.

SIO3

[fishin_addict]

How would you respond to the following situation? This is a description of my outing to Taneycomo yesterday.

I am fishing approx 35 - 40 ft upstream from another angler. Someone else comes up, watches for a few seconds then begins to wade out into the current. He hollers, hold on for a few seconds so I can get through. At that point he wades behind the downstream angler and directly out into my casting and drift zone. He crosses the current and turns and faces me and begins to get his rig ready. Within 2 to 3 minutes here come his buddies, same thing. Now one is directly across from me 30 ft max and another is down stream 15 - 20 ft. When they finally get rigged up, they begin casting out into the area I was trying to fish. After a while the one directly across from me is casting to within 5 ft of me.

What has happened to common courtesy. I realize that the river belongs to everyone, but give me a break. I was fishing this particular spot because it was crowded and this spot was available. If someone is already in or near the spot that I prefer to fish, I try to steer clear and find another spot, not walk through their casting and drift zone and then turn around and fish towards them.

I know the thing to do is walk away and not let them get to you, but I am definitely of the "make it clear somehow that this is not ok so they hopefully learn not to do it again" camp. I have never had any issues at Taneyecomo at all and is one big reason I go there, but have had SEVERAL issues at trout parks and as bad as it sounds, if a couple of fly-byes doesn't work I just keep fishing as I did before being invaded and if people let me fish the same way I was and want to trade drifts I'm ok with it, but when a snag occurs I always bite off their fly or lure and always give it back since I'm such a nice guy . It surprisingly sends the person packing with no ill words or feelings. My favorite is the trout park tightline bait fisherman who will come up next to me and cast out right across my drift and set up camp eliminating my ability to fish the spot - that is until I reel in their rig and it to them in two pieces.