Fishing Etiquette, Where Has It Gone?

[Haris122]

Wow, how did a thread about fishing etiquette turn into a political thread?!?

It did take quite a quick trip down the wrong direction, didn't it.

Obviously in places where there's only a few areas that allow for good casting from the bank you can see predict it, but when people got an entire lake or shore's worth to go someplace else, that's when it's really annoying. Even if I was planning on moving off, I tend to hunker down in those cases just to show that they won't crowd me out from there. I can't say in my experience this has been restricted just to younger generations though. I had my share of people older than me, pull the same thing younger ones did. Thankfully none of the times I recall at the moment did they have any more success catching anything than I did.

[rayfromcrane]

Do not blame Chief he must have set on a corn cob. 30 yearsgo all we talked about was fishing. Some of them did not have ed but they had better manners. Sorry Chief hope to see you when you get over here again. Moguy if you are at Hargroves tell them indians are after me again. Got big fly swatter. take care rfc

[Jack Jones]

No one crapped on a police car at a tea party event beause it was all stuck in their Depends!!!

[ness]

Wow, how did a thread about fishing etiquette turn into a political thread?!?

Easy -- any thread can be jerked off topic and over to politics. All it takes is a little jerk

Gramps, I hear you man. About the best thing I can offer is to stick to your morals -- because they're the right ones. Don't let a knucklehead ruin your day.

[Daryk Campbell Sr]

Gramps, I hear you man. About the best thing I can offer is to stick to your morals -- because they're the right ones. Don't let a knucklehead ruin your day.

Well Said.

[Al Agnew]

Actually, I think the two subjects are related. The lack of respect for others on the water is another symptom, just like the lack of respect for others' opinions on political subjects. I'm just not sure what it's a symptom OF. But when one person disses another in whatever way, the other person retaliates in kind, and things start spiraling downward.

Maybe part of it is the old crowded rats thing. Somebody did a study that, in effect, showed that the more crowded rats got, the meaner they got to each other. The more people on the water, the more likely it is that some of them are going to be real jerks.

Interestingly, among anglers, it seems like the more crowded the venue, the more likely you are to encounter the jerks. I have to say that I've run into mostly very nice and respectful ANGLERS (not non-fishing river dorks) on the Ozark smallmouth streams, while on reservoirs, trout parks, and the trout streams below trout parks there have been a lot more angling jerks. On the other hand...on very crowded western trout streams, I've seldom run into the jerks, so it isn't all just crowding. Maybe fishing a natural river for wild fish just makes you more respectful of the others fishing that river

[Mitch f]

Actually I don't mind the politics, this forum could be pretty boring without it. As for getting along with folks, the fishermen are pretty much nice and honost folks, prolly because we have so much in common.

[Tim Smith]

When I go fishing and someone is already there, I move on and go someplace else. I thought this was the proper thing to do unless someone saw me an invited me to fish the area with them.

Well today I'm fishing on a small local lake that you have to walk at least a 1/4 mile to get there. Anyway I'm in the back left cove fishing across the cove with a spinner. I watch 2 guys across the lake fishing the mouth to the right cove. I can see them so I'm sure that they can see me. After a little bit the one guys picks up and heads towards the darn end of the lake. The other one heads to the back of the right cove, or so I thought. In a few minutes I hear rustling in the bushes above the bank on the opposite side of the cove I am fishing. The next thing I know here comes the 2nd guy sliding down the back towards the lake. He stops before going into the lake, darn that would have been fun to watch. He then cast out 10 ft from the bank right where I had been casting. He then throws out another pole. Both had bobbers on them. I was just a little miffed that the nerve of the nimrod. I'm not changing where I was fishing just because this guy wants to fish there, so I decide it was good time to practice casting but trying to hit his bobbers. I was getting pretty close but I don't think the guy ever had a clue what I was doing.

He says to me we ought to change places, guess he really wanted to be were I was, I says to him no way the water is to clear I need to stay over here so the fish can't see me. Was wishing I had a practice plug with me, but it was in the truck. Stays there about 10 minutes or so then climbs back up the bank and proceeds to trash through the woods again. The next thing I know he's traipsing right through where I am standing, now I mind you I am not standing on the trail but down on the bank by a fallen tree. Then off he goes yelling for his buddy he tells him he is leaving, thank heavens for small favors.

I had that happen in Illinois a couple of times. Nothing like this yet in Colorado, Arkansas, Louisiana, California or Texas.

Seems to me most of the truly clueless idiots I've met in the woods have been in the northern Ozarks. Oddly high number of people walking around on the interstate at night there too... maybe for the same reason.

[lee G.]

I live in the northern ozarks Tim, and most of the idiots here seem OK to me, but i may not be the best judge.

[Jack Jones]

Seems to me most of the truly clueless idiots I've met in the woods have been in the northern Ozarks. Oddly high number of people walking around on the interstate at night there too... maybe for the same reason.

That just cracks me up.....I've seen that too. It's makes you wonder and is kind of scary. Seeing as tomorrow's Halloween. don't pick up any that happen to be wearing a hockey mask. After all....there's a lockout on!