Where's The Beef? Etiquette And Respect Seems Gone.

[TheBeardedTay]

Recently I decided to fish Fellows Lake on the North Western end near Gate 1. I was on shore in the first cove with the old boat ramp, and had spent approximately half an hour throwing various 7-1/2" Yum Ribbontail worms with no luck. I decided to start fan-casting around the cove on foot to try and locate some bass. As I got around the corner I began throwing a 3" Black/Silver shallow crank bait Shad. After two casts, boom, a 16-1/4" largemouth weighing a little over a pound. I cast out again, boom! Another large mouth, well over a pound and around 16" even. A few casts later, get another on the line when a boat starts approaching from the south end of the lake. It's slow at first, but then picks up speed. I'm slightly distracted by this, and the fish makes a good jump, coming unhooked. As I check my lure and line, the boat decides to pull into the cove. At this point, I'm easily spotted, have made eye contact and all with the occupants, but they decide to coast directly in front of me. I'm facing due west at this point in the cove, and they drop anchor at my 1 o'clock and begin casting into the area I've been successfully using. These kids were younger, seem to have no perception how their actions impact reality, and that is disappointing.

Aside from casting near me, and blocking a good chunk of water I had just stirred up, one of them also had the nerve to make a phone call and talk loudly on their boat. After they loitered around for a solid 20-25 minutes, they decided to circle the cove twice, and then left. I know it's not a coincidence I didn't get another bite for the rest of the half hour I was there.

Sorry for the rant, but why can't we all get along and respect each other's space and fishing areas? Yet another bad experience on Fellows.

-Beard

Bonus pic of a feisty piece of bass!

[Mitch f]

It happens all the time now. I can't say on this forum how I really feel about the world today.......

[Feathers and Fins]

If you were facing due west that would be 9 oclock, they came in at 1 oclock NE which is behind you, they anchored and started fishing, you didn't give distance but coming in behind someone so long as its a reasonable distance I see no problem with as they did not cut you off. We don't own the water none of us but if respect is shown and coming in behind a person so not to cut them off is certainly more respectful than half the crap I see.

People make phone calls and even quiet talking in some coves can be heard and some people are just loud when speaking anyway. Now circling the cove if it was cutting you off that means going in front of your bow then there is an issue but as long as they stayed behind you I wouldn't be upset. Ya it put the fish down but again none of us own the water.

Now playing the devil here had they come in behind you and you turned back on them then they could be saying the same thing about you. Best rule I use when coming in where other boaters are is to come in behind them, to me that is used water and the person has obviously left it. Maintain respectable distance I try and maintain 300 yards on open water and in tighter areas at least 100 yards. I try not to be loud but if I am by myself I might play the radio. I do not turn back on boats that came in behind me as that is disrespectful and secondly if they are not under power depending on lake is a possible violation of boating law and certainly is if they are anchored.

I don't know all the details of the cove size you were in or distance they were at but if you had left the area or appear to have moved on then "Used water" is fair game. though a respectful distance should be given.

[bfishn]

Ummm... he was fishing from the bank...

[Feathers and Fins]

OK missed that. In that case boater was not respectful

[Lancer09]

What's with the glove?

[Ham]

I always try to give bank fisherman plenty of room. I've got the option to fish other spots and they most likely do not.

[TheBeardedTay]

The glove comes in handy for tricky hooks. It is what it is. But frustrating doesn't begin to describe my feeling, especially with the bite I was on. I agree with you Ham, boaters, especially on Fellows have the advantage, I always appreciate if someone asks, I think it's safe to say many would appreciate it and be more lenient with the area they fish. One day they'll learn.

[cReekFishin]

I've ran into this a lot at Fellows. Fishing from the dock on the east end, you get a lot of boaters that will come in and set up shop 50ft from the dock when they have the entire lake to fish.

But it's not just boaters. Other bank fisherman have been pretty disrespectful. One instance this spring, my family and I were fishing off the tunnel on the shallow side. There were five of us total, already making it a little cramped. We were doing pretty well, each of us having 5 or so nice crappie in the first hour. Then along came an older man who dropped off his rods and chair on the road at the tunnel and then went to park his car. We thought surely he's not planning on coming down here. Sure enough he plops his chair down right in the middle of us and proceeds to put his THREE lines in without even saying a word to us. Not 30 minutes later another man comes along and asks if he could fish with us. Not wanting to be rude, we just tried hunting that there was not enough room. He didn't get the hint. And he dropped his two lines in. Then another man shortly after butted his way in. By this time there were eight people and 12 lines crammed on this tunnel. Needless to say it was a disaster. We were constantly getting tangled in each others lines. We didn't catch anther keeper the rest of the evening and ended leaving long before we planned to.

I know that I don't own the water or the tunnel or any of it. But what happened to respecting others space. Just plain disrespectful.

[bfishn]

We need "bank bound" tags and reserved spaces for the shorebound angler, kinda like handicapped tags and spaces for cars.

Oh wait... that doesn't always work for cars either... Never mind.