Fishing Courtesy. How Close Is Too Close?

[riverfisher]

I will give at least 75 yards (RESPECT) and will never fish ahead of someone. I had someone fishing a tournament pull ahead of me about 50' on Champlain, big lake ALOT of water but just had to cut me off during a tournament in October the first year I bought my boat. After a few kind words and a few even kinder hand gestures I crank up the big motor.

I'm just gonna leap frog'em and get ahead of them that'll teach'em!! Hit the gas next thing ya know I'm getting soaked water was spraying everywhere. HOLY BUCKETS!! I never put the trollin motor up. I ended our day right there munched the pinion gear in my trolling motor and bent the shaft. I almost puked and pooped myself at the same time I felt so sick.

My stupid mistake though I should not have lost my cool. So I open up my live wells whistled over at the guy's that cut me and my partner off and dumped my fish which was turning out to be a hellova bag. Motored to the dock and went home put the cover on winterised her and put her away for the season. Still makes my blood boil!

[Abbeysdad]

Originally Posted by nofearengineer

Abbey, you are correct. And that is why I rely on old faithful...the ability to do more grievous harm to someone before they do it to you. Always better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

That's seems a bit ridiculous. If yer packin a gun when you go fishing in Indiana, you got a problem....what are you a Texan wannabe?

LOL

[Abbeysdad]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and suggest that unless yer tourney fishing or in a club with specific rules, 50 yards is a respectable distance away from another fishing boat.

Thoughts?

[Abbeysdad]

Originally Posted by 66KingFisher

I can't help but believe that when we get to the point of needing to carry firearms and shoot at folks cause they are fishing my spot or fishing too close, then maybe its time to find a new hobby!!

agreed - perhaps skeet shooting? LOL

[TnTom]

Originally Posted by Abbeysdad

Uhm..if you read the thread, there is no concensus agreement of 'common snese' - anywhere from 50 feet to 25, 50 or 100 yards (or completely out of sight!)

The point I was making is that everyone that responded here has a dramatically different perspective on this [common sense] and as long as that is the case, the question that started this thread remains unanswered.

I'll resist getting on my soapbox regarding regulation. I like to think I don't need anyone making the right or good decisions for me or deciding what best for me and that's really where this is heading. My space is my space and your space is your space and I'll let you know when your in violation. A "correct" distance, is meaningless. Common sense probably will help most folks have a good time. If 50yds keeps you happy then I guess that's the magic number

[nofearengineer]

Originally Posted by Abbeysdad

That's seems a bit ridiculous. If yer packin a gun when you go fishing in Indiana, you got a problem....what are you a Texan wannabe?

LOL

I'm simply aware that there are people out there who are not so well-mannered and thoughtful as I am. I grew up in several really bad neighborhoods (I had two foster brothers who came to stay with us because their mother was sent to prison for prostitution...I still can't believe that is my life haha) where you had to look out for yourself.

I do not get up in the morning with the goal to get robbed, beaten up, or even killed. Frankly, I would consider those things sort of low on my "to do" list.

I am also not one of those folks who say while looking down their noses at you, "is your life worth the twenty dollars you have in your wallet?" My answer to those types (and it always irritates them) is "no, but the life of the guy who's planning on robbing me is."

I'm not going to shoot anyone over a fishing spot. However, if they do something dumb, like follow me to the ramp intent on having the last word when I flip them the bird...if it happens....well....

Believe me, stuff like that can happen. Think twice before you step on some stranger's toes. I know it sounds crazy, but I have had several much smaller idiots get up in my 6'5", 300lb face, when I was younger. They deliberately picked a fight with me, despite me not wanting any part of it. I always wondered what the heck they were thinking before they did such a foolish thing.

I go fishing to get away from stress, hassle, and conflict. I can't help but always be prepared for it though.

[Bassmagician]

I feel that if another boat jumps in front of you on a particular bank, point or anywhere just keep on fishing. There not going to catch all the fish and I have caught fish behind other fishermen before and have watched other people not catch a fish while I was doing quite well. ( "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." ) We are all brothers and sisters, a family of fishermen. If we can't get along, where is our sport going?

[IS300n8]

This post reminds me of when I was out like 2 or 3 weeks ago.. We just launched the boat and these guys come flyin over in a bass tracker and try jumpin in front of us to fish some nice lilly patches we were like 30 yards from..We were clearly fishing our way down that stretch of bank.. We threw the trolling motor on 5 and got there before they could cut us off.. The looks on their faces when I got this on the 3rd cast was priceless...Not huge i think it was 4#9oz but i thought it was funny

[BeaverIslander]

Yeah that would be funny.

You may want to be careful about starting some drama with other boaters. They may try to have the last laugh and do damage to your tow vehicle or trailer back at the landing. 7 slashed tires will ruin anybody's day. It doesn't have to be the day of the incident, either. Could be served cold...months later.

[Vegasspider]

Like everyone else we hate it and it’s one of biggest problems here since we are limited on water and big on booze. Just love it when your fishing and the Sea Do guys come motoring all the way up to your boat to ask how they are biting.. WTF

In tournaments here, if I have a spot and you beat me there – as strategy I will crowed you to discourage you so that you leave. One of the things I do that seems to help is if I get moved in on if nothing is really going on, I will circle around and come back up from behind and keep the pressure on. How do you like it when it happens to you?

[Baron49]

Originally Posted by 66KingFisher

I can't help but believe that when we get to the point of needing to carry firearms and shoot at folks cause they are fishing my spot or fishing too close, then maybe its time to find a new hobby!!

It is not just the hobby fisherman that are causing some of these problems. With big money on the line many of the "wannabe" pros are very pushy while on the water. This happens a lot and in some areas locals are already checking to see if there is a way to stop bass fishing tournaments because of it. Bass pros and people who just fish for fun all need to learn to get along or there are going to be someone that will actually talk some elected official into passing laws banning tournaments or even fishing on some of the more populated waters.

[3dkicker]

I had two situations occur this year with tournament anglers crowding in on me. The first was a creek mouth with a very specific drop off which I arrived at and pulled a couple quality fish off of it. I told my partner that we only had 15 or so minutes before "they" would arrive and try to take over the spot. A friend was fishing across the channel on a similar area except the fish were up on the flat and not on the drop. I told him that he didn't have long before others would be showing up and he needed to keep them away. Sure enough 6 boats pulled up and moved in trying to fish these areas. I kept my boat position and fired big crankbaits at anyone who tried to get close. Eventually the bite slowed down and I had a good bag of fish and I left. My friend didn't follow my example and got pushed off the flat. Matter of fact he didn't catch one keeper but the guy who pushed him away got his limit.
Second example is when I was fishing a grass bed and working a 30 yard section. My partner and I had made two passes when the first boat showed up. The guy crossed the grass bed and fished away from us and didn't cause a problem. The next guy comes in at the same time I'm turning around to make my 4th pass. We've got a few nice fish and are working towards a quick limit and the guy cuts across the grass bed and starts fishing right in front of me. I make a comment "Are you kidding me??" and he screams at me that I had "no f*$#ing" right to the water and he didn't give a "sh$t" if he was cutting me off.

Normally when I pull up on an area I wait to see the direction the person already fishing the area is working and try not to crowd the person. Sometimes I have a conversation with them if possible to see if fishing near them would be disruptive to them. On occassion I find crappie or catfish fishermen and they're happy to let me fish the area. Most of the time if you wait patiently and keep your distance most guys don't fish areas long enough and won't catch fish and leave. My tournament yesterday proved it. We pulled in and found 5 or 6 boats fishing a general area. We idled and watched everyone fish. Pulled up to a spot and began fishing. In 1/2 hour most everyone had left and we started catching our fish. We leave a couple hours later with two limits.

[TnTom]

3d,
I think the first example got me mad and the second ????,

about how long they stay I agree. generally half hour and there gone. I been known to glass a boat off in the distance if he's fishing a spot I like. I'll see how he's doing. If it doesn't look like hes doing much I know he'll be gone pretty quick and I'll go check it out. If the're fishing close to a spot I like I wont go in until he moves on just because theres no sense giving it away.

Boy a day like you described!!!!!! I keep a long cedar pole in my boat for really shallow water and wouldn't hesitate to put some foul mouth (*%&^&'er in the drink especially if he come looking for a confrontation. Generally I'm a mild mannered sort a guy.

About guns. I know the TVA waters here in Tn are federal waters and a gun is a federal gun offense. Always some chatter about it. but the rule is no gun on the federal waters. Best know the rules for sure.

[nofearengineer]

Originally Posted by TnTom

About guns. I know the TVA waters here in Tn are federal waters and a gun is a federal gun offense. Always some chatter about it. but the rule is no gun on the federal waters. Best know the rules for sure.

Yes...anyone who owns a firearm of any kind obviously needs to do a little research about where you can carry.

Most places forbid firearms on any boat, unless it's for waterfowl hunting (and you have a hunting license of course), or if it's allowed under your state's particular self-defense laws.

Barring that, I like your wooden pole idea.

[muddy]

Wow, tough guys and gun play over fishing spots WOW!!! Speaking as a man who lost a spleen and almost died to a gunshot wound 39 years ago when I was 20 years old and stupid, growing up in South Brooklyn, I learned that day, there is always someone tougher than i thought I was! I never again let a man point a weapon at me and get away with it, to all you cowboys out there, violence is never the answer, particulalry over something as unimportant as a fishing spot, geeez.
I do not tourney fish, and if a tourney guy wants my sspot , well thats just tough ^^@#! , he should have got there before me. I avoid boats and areas with BASS stickers and FLW stickers like I avoid the flu, no use for them, but I am curteous enough to share the water with them
I dont fight iover it, I just stay where I am, If I see a guy fishing an area and he his withinf 50 to 60 ft of shore I make a big circle around him, and give him his way to cast that area, he got there first

Geezz , thats scary Gun play and fishing spots.,

[BassMoJo]

Originally Posted by 3dkicker

I had two situations occur this year with tournament anglers crowding in on me. The first was a creek mouth with a very specific drop off which I arrived at and pulled a couple quality fish off of it. I told my partner that we only had 15 or so minutes before "they" would arrive and try to take over the spot. A friend was fishing across the channel on a similar area except the fish were up on the flat and not on the drop. I told him that he didn't have long before others would be showing up and he needed to keep them away. Sure enough 6 boats pulled up and moved in trying to fish these areas. I kept my boat position and fired big crankbaits at anyone who tried to get close. Eventually the bite slowed down and I had a good bag of fish and I left. My friend didn't follow my example and got pushed off the flat. Matter of fact he didn't catch one keeper but the guy who pushed him away got his limit.
Second example is when I was fishing a grass bed and working a 30 yard section. My partner and I had made two passes when the first boat showed up. The guy crossed the grass bed and fished away from us and didn't cause a problem. The next guy comes in at the same time I'm turning around to make my 4th pass. We've got a few nice fish and are working towards a quick limit and the guy cuts across the grass bed and starts fishing right in front of me. I make a comment "Are you kidding me??" and he screams at me that I had "no f*$#ing" right to the water and he didn't give a "sh$t" if he was cutting me off.

Normally when I pull up on an area I wait to see the direction the person already fishing the area is working and try not to crowd the person. Sometimes I have a conversation with them if possible to see if fishing near them would be disruptive to them. On occassion I find crappie or catfish fishermen and they're happy to let me fish the area. Most of the time if you wait patiently and keep your distance most guys don't fish areas long enough and won't catch fish and leave. My tournament yesterday proved it. We pulled in and found 5 or 6 boats fishing a general area. We idled and watched everyone fish. Pulled up to a spot and began fishing. In 1/2 hour most everyone had left and we started catching our fish. We leave a couple hours later with two limits.

The Potomac can get rough sometimes I was fishing the spoils one day me and my partner got out there a little early it was a sunday so of course there was a tourney going on and a whole wave of boats came in. Not that I cared, I just smiled and looked at my partner and laughed saying this place is all fished out. I was fishing the first pad up top and there were two guy's in the tourney behind fishing in the tourney on the other helipad. Not even 5 mins goes by bam my partner catches a 5lber tic toc....bam 6lbs 11oz. When you hook into to fish like that theres nothing quite about it ... GRAB THE NET! But the best part was them watching us release the fish.

[TnTom]

Early this summer there was a story around here about some guys playing broke down and then high-jacking boaters at gun point at the ramp when they got "towed back". Urban legend? Who knows but that's when the gun carrying started. Just another reason to be very cautious.

I learned along time ago about not letting my tin can butt overload my battleship mouth

[nofearengineer]

Muddy, you're doing the typical "mock the viewpoint I don't agree with by misrepresenting it" thing.

I feel for ya, man...the gunshot injury and all. That is terrible.

However, like I said, I'm not shooting anyone over a fishing spot. And it's because I'm not a tough guy that I carry protection. Though I am a big guy, I prefer to go about my business quietly, and pretty much prefer to be left alone. I am fully aware there is always someone tougher than me out there.

During college, I suffered a back injury which required surgery. I was back delivering pizzas about 2 weeks later, though I was still pretty much weak as a kitten. Of course, I had a delivery to make to the worst slum in town. Well, the guy's neighbor decided he didn't like where I parked, so he got in my face, threatening to beat me up, etc. This guy looked like Mr. Universe, and had prison tattoos all over his body, and I'm not sure I could even have handled him before the injury. If he had come across on his threats, he probably would have crippled me for life...all for no reason at all. I got my carry permit the very next week, despite it being against company policy.

Point being, there are jerks out there who don't really care about whether you deserve to get your face bashed in or not...they're perfectly willing to try to do it. And unfortunately, not all of them are decked out in prison tattoos. Some of them look just like you and me.

Once again, I'm not talking about a fishing spot here. I'm talking about when they decide to take it further when you complain at them. You say yourself, "I never again let a man point a gun at me and get away with it." How exactly do you do that? Is there room for your attorney and some cops in your boat?

[muddy]

By walking away from everything, EXCEPT HOME INVASION AND A DIRECT THREAT TO MY DAUGHTER OR OL LADY, thats how
Mock the view point, no I AM DIRECTLY AGAINST YOUNG MEN BEING SHOWN THIS AS AN EXAMPLE, AS PROPER BEHAVIOR, I AM IN NO WAY MOCKING IT I AM EMPHATICALLY PUTTING IT OUT THERE THIS IS NOT THE SOLUTION OR WAY TO ACT>

I grew up hard, I was an active drug addict and criminal for 27 years, hanging in some of the worst areas imaginable, I preyed on other criminals, bacause that was my justification for my behavior. I got clean, have been for over 17 years, and now work with at risk kids to help them not make the same mistakes
so dont take it as me trying to act clever or mild;
YOUNG MEN: A GUN AND TOUGH GUY ATTITUDE WILL NOT GET YOU ANYWHERE, especially in a boat, fishing of all things

Other men and violence are one of the main causes of death for young men 16 to 35, so I take the romanticization of gun play and the bravdo behind it as part of a serious threat.

Clue: Since I got clean and since I walk away from all bullying behavior; Not once has the threat been real nor have I been in a situation that I need to use skills I am not proud that I have, NEVER ONCE in almost 18 years, NOT ONCE

'So if someone jumps your spot, say something ,maybe, if it gets ugly move, its only a fish and there are plenty more fish not biting some where close.

[MississippiBoy]

Everybody calm down, this could be a very interesting discussion, as long as it doesn't get out of hand.

[muddy]

Hey , not to worry I am not nervous or arguing I am stating the same point I do every day to the kids I work with and the prisons I visit weekly as a voulenteer, since there are young men here, I stated it here, and that is the end of my input, I have been to way too many funerals and my parents alo most had to go to mine, so it is a topic dear to me, and it will do no good for me to get ugly about it. Relax it's all good in the hood.

[nofearengineer]

Muddy, you persist in portraying an image of me standing in my boat, shooting at someone, defending a fishing spot.

For the third (and I pray the last) time, I'm not going to shoot anyone over a fishing spot. I'm just saying there are other people like that out there (obviously not many, but who can identify them beforehand?), and at that point, I would be trying to protect myself, not a fishing spot.

**EDIT**

Hey, I did miss Muddy's last post when doing this one. It took me a while to compose because I was doing my best to not be inflammatory. I think you're doing a good thing, Muddy, with the kids and the prison. I kind of get the idea we have different social and political views frm mine, but if you stick around for a while, you'll probably find I'm not a bad guy into either false bravado or romanticizing violence. (Though I must admit there is a slight chance you will come to believe I'm the anti-christ...)

[WaffleJaw]

You'd be amazed at how many ''tough guys'' will leave you alone if you yell:
''Please dont!''....''I have diarrhea!''

[MississippiBoy]

Originally Posted by muddy

Hey , not to worry I am not nervous or arguing I am stating the same point I do every day to the kids I work with and the prisons I visit weekly as a voulenteer, since there are young men here, I stated it here, and that is the end of my input, I have been to way too many funerals and my parents alo most had to go to mine, so it is a topic dear to me, and it will do no good for me to get ugly about it. Relax it's all good in the hood.

Originally Posted by nofearengineer

Muddy, you persist in portraying an image of me standing in my boat, shooting at someone, defending a fishing spot.

For the third (and I pray the last) time, I'm not going to shoot anyone over a fishing spot. I'm just saying there are other people like that out there (obviously not many, but who can identify them beforehand?), and at that point, I would be trying to protect myself, not a fishing spot.

**EDIT**

Hey, I did miss Muddy's last post when doing this one. It took me a while to compose because I was doing my best to not be inflammatory. I think you're doing a good thing, Muddy, with the kids and the prison. I kind of get the idea we have different social and political views frm mine, but if you stick around for a while, you'll probably find I'm not a bad guy into either false bravado or romanticizing violence. (Though I must admit there is a slight chance you will come to believe I'm the anti-christ...)

Glad to see we're all adults here...well, except for Bama and JB, anyway...
I was writing this post before I saw both of those replies. I'm still gonna post it, though.

Muddy, I see your point. Believe me, I do. The first option is ALWAYS "Get away from the situation." Run, walk, drive, or fly away. You can't get hurt if you're not there when the situation escalates out of control. But what if you don't have that option?

Since we're talking about fishing, I'll start there. You're in the front of the boat, a good 30 seconds or so from being able to start the engine and drive away. What if the other guy flips out when you calmly ask him why he cut you off? Don't say it doesn't happen, there are all types of unstable people out there. Road rage happens every day, and some idiots take being cut off way too personally. How many examples are there of people shooting out of their window at other cars have you seen in the paper? In that case, you can floor the accelerator, take a couple of quick turns, and get the he77 out of there.

But if it will take you 30 seconds to start the engine and try to escape, what are your options? Drop into the bottom of the boat? No way to escape from there. Jump out and swim? That makes you a very slow moving, defenseless target. Call 911? How long do you think it'll take for the cops to get there?

If there is no other option, you have to defend yourself. That's not being macho tough guy Chuck Norris wanna-be, that's what you have to do to survive. I don't EVER want to have to shoot anybody. Having to end the life of another human being would be the very lowest point of my existence. I would never be the same, I would never stop having nightmares, thinking about it for the rest of my life, wondering if there was something else that could've or should've been done, wondering if I really had no other choice.

But if it came down to it, I believe my life is worth defending. I don't believe my fishing spot is worth defending, but the idiot in the other boat might think it's worth attacking me for. There are all kinds of unstable, over-aggressive idiots in this world that won't take being "disrespected." In their minds, being asked or told not to do something is a capital offense. I'm not going to sit there and let them attack me. I will walk or run away if I can, but if I'm cornered, I've got to do my best to make sure I'm the one that walks away.

[Abbeysdad]

The other day on the way to work I was doing the speed limit (okay, maybe even just a tad faster), when this guy who was clearly in more of a hurry to get to work than I was, began to pass me - apparently oblivious to the speed it would take to overtake me and/or the car coming at us in the other direction!

Since this was no time to play chicken, I hit the brakes hard and went to the shoulder so he could get in, which he barely did as the other vehicle went by. I just shook my head and mumbled a couple of colorful adjectives! Just maybe I saved a life or two (okay, not any kind of "hero run into a burning building thing", but just maybe my action prevented a 2 or 3 car collision!).

So when I'm fishing, I'm not gonna go crowding in like I need to catch fish or I'll starve to death. Doing mostly catch 'n release, that'd be hard to rationalize. If I'm fishing and someone starts crowding me, I think I'll just shake my head and slowly move on. It's a big lake with lots of places to fish if you can find em that is (They heard I gotta boat and all swam off ascared! hehe)