Fisherman's etiquette?!

[8theB8]

Maybe I have just been very fortunate the past 8 years to have been able to fish so many weekdays that I fell out of touch with the 'crowd'? What in the heck happened to fisherman's etiquette???? Since when is it ok to motor right in on a dude while he's fishing and start fishing literally one to two casting distances away from him?? In front no less!! I get seeing which direction someone is heading and slipping in about 75-100 yards behind them and heading the other direction, that's courteous. Tonight I had one dude literally motor right in to the corner I was heading for and start fishing 2 casts in front of me and headed the same direction I was??! What's with that? Then Harry Humminbird motored back and forth over the end of the point I was fishing "watching his graph", I could have caught him he was close enough a couple times! Zero regard! It was a tad shocking that out of maybe seven boats on the lake, including myself, two of them couldn't seem to find their own water to fish or at least had zero clue on how to go about it...

I was raised that you give a dude some space on the water. 100 yards on either side when possible. Sure, if it's a tiny lake, eventually you're going to pass people and maybe exchange hello's and info but on a large enough lake there is no excuse for it in my book. Wait until the area you need to fish vacates and then go in and give it your shot, don't rub paint with someone and force your way in. I know I don't own the water and neither does anyone else but there used to be some common courtesy out there. I guess it's just going to be leapfrog and bumper boats all season.

Rant over.

[Amx]

Ya, had that happen a few times. Even the dock just next to the one I was fishing, and yes then they go in the same direction I was obviously going in. When I see a boat fishing where, or close to where I wanted to start, I watch them for a bit to see which way they are going as I'm getting close. Then I'll go elsewhere, or ask which way they are going, then I ask if it's ok if I start behind them and go in the opposite direction. Never had a problem doing that. I've had guys start close to me and fish towards me when I'm fishing a point, and then fish right thru where I'm fishing/casting. If someone is fishing the point that I wanted to fish, I'll go to another point, or another spot down the lake a bit. Last year I was fishing down the shoreline. There was a little rowboat with an electric motor on it. When I got a few cast lengths away I stopped fishing, went sorta close to that boat and asked which way he was going to go, and if he was going to fish shallower, or deeper from that spot. He was close enough to make some casts to the shallows if he wanted. He said was going to go to another area of the lake. We talked a bit and he said lots of bass boats cut in on the spot where he is fishing. I told him that some people with big fancy bass boats think they own the lake. I went on around him and went on down the way, and he went to another area. All seemed to be fine. Maybe last spring, or the year before, I got pissed at someone who cut in on me and I told them off.

[dwh4784]

Guys like that don't get it, never gonna get it, and don't care. It doesn't matter what you are into, there's always that guy.

[Fishin'Daze]

Etiquette....Whaaaattttt.....you expect me to have etiquette? Just kidding. Yeah I know what you mean. This happens on rivers as well - usually I try to fish away from others on a river - up or down out of casting range. But if I get lucky enough to catch a fish you can count on some of the crowd moving in to fish the same drift.
Got a quick karma story to share. Was Bass fishing one of my local big lakes in the early Spring. I've fished this lake for years and kinda know where early spring bass can be found. Motored over close to a shallow inlet that usually in spring gets lilly pads sooner than other areas (weird). Anyway was about a 100ft away from this area working my way there when I hooked-up with a decent size smally - put up a great fight with quite a few top water splashes. After releasing this great fish I noticed a boat quickly motoring in towards me and stopped right in front of me heading into the little inlet. Needless to say I was alittle pissed-off but decide to hold my words and try to enjoy my recent battle. They knew what they were doing but I guess oh well.
Here's where karma becomes a friend. Later in the day I noticed the same boat in the middle of the lake as I was slowly trolling by (trout). It became apparent that they had broken down and was drifting. As I got closer they had stood up and started to wave me over. Being the guy that I am reeled in my gear and motored over to them - I'll never leave a boat stranded. Once I got up to them the driver asked if I could tow them in. I replied that I could tow them towards the little inlet - I hear it's good fishing. They kinda stared at me - like what the hell is wrong with this guy. The driver said we'll pay you to tow us to the ramp. I replied that I'll do it for free as long as they learn about karma. Towed them in and continued my day of fishing.
This experience reinforced my thoughts when dealing with bad etiquette - I'm not about to let someone's actions ruin my fishing day..........Karma will have it's way.

[AJ's Dad]

I have a technique for dealing with guys that move in right in front of me, and cut off the line I'm fishing. If I feel they have moved in too close, I wait till they start fishing, then I move around them, making sure to be pretty close to their boat. Then I just start fishing very close to them, fishing the line I was intending to fish, as if they weren't even there. If they have something to say, they get informed that they just cut me off, and I simply just showed them the same courtesy they showed me. If they want to play leapfrog, we can do this all day. I have only had to verbally discuss this one time. The other times, the "Intruder" normally just turn and fish the other direction where I had just been, or they just leave. If I want to fish an area where I know a person has been fishing, I will move in with my electric motor, close enough to them to have a conversation. I ask how the fishing is and if they intend to go back over the stretch they have been fishing. If the want to continue to work an area, I'll move on. So far every time, I have been told to go ahead and fish over it if I want. I get a certain amount of satisfaction when I catch fish in water that someone else has just fished. I have even had guys come and ask me, "How the heck did you get that fish to bite"? "I just fished that area". It can be a fun way to share info and meet people that fish the same areas you fish. It used to really bother me when this one guy would come in every Saturday and watch me fish from a distance. Then as soon as I would move down the bank, he would pull in and anchor up right in the middle of the drift I usually fish. I would mumble ill feelings about him, and when I fished back his direction, I would go a couple of casts outside of him as I went around his anchored position. One day we started talking and now we spend a little time visiting when we run into each other and I don't get so upset. Like you mentioned. I don't own the lake and he always waits till I have fished away from the spot he likes to anchor up in.
Now, the "Eastern European" guys that pull up and run across my bow about 20 feet in front of my boat, get a little different conversation. They normally just pretend to not speak English, and put their hands out to their sides like "What??" "Why are you upset"?

[juggalo]

Fishing for smallmouth on Roosevelt one year I had a couple of guys in a fancy bass boat trying to shoulder in on me. After they watched me boat two fish they cut in front of me and slowed my roll. I quickly hooked another fish pulled out my .45 and blew an unnecessary hole in the fish and threw it in the cooler. They left right after that for some reason.

[Amx]

Fishing for smallmouth on Roosevelt one year I had a couple of guys in a fancy bass boat trying to shoulder in on me. After they watched me boat two fish they cut in front of me and slowed my roll. I quickly hooked another fish pulled out my .45 and blew an unnecessary hole in the fish and threw it in the cooler. They left right after that for some reason.

Wish I'd have seen that.

[8theB8]

It's pretty nuts and I will never get it. I always give bank anglers and electric only guys as much room as possible cause they are working hard for their fish. Any other boater I give as much room as possible and head the opposite direction OR stay way behind them and fish used water. I have in the past zig zagged at a fairly rapid pace "graphing an area" after being obviously cut off...hope they liked fishing in a washing machine. Figured if it rubbed them the wrong way I would just explain to them that since I could no longer fish the area I was fishing I thought I would look around for some other fish to fish for. Worth every drop of fuel.

[sickbayer]

100 yards is 300 feet! have to be a massive holding hole to give you the distance you are asking ?

[8theB8]

The point is, if someone is fishing a "spot" then give them room relative to the size of the lake or wait your turn! Three to four docks ahead is a cut off! Most bass fishermen are bank pounders and don't fish a specific "hole". If you ease in a ways behind a fellow angler and fish 'used' water or head the opposite direction then you are courteous....If you motor directly in front within a cast or twos distance and drop your trolling motor then you are something and "courteous" is not it.

[sbasser]

Four of us (WBC members) took two boats and went exploring some lakes over near Shelton, sometime in the mid-90's. We'd been on Mason Lake for a few hours and I went looking for the other boat. Found them, had a little pow-wow and asked if they were done fishing this dock. "Yep", and they moved off. I skipped a tube under the dock and pulled out a 3 lb. 6 oz. LM on my first cast. They were still within 20'. Priceless!

We'd hit Lk. Isabella first that day, and I whupped 'em with a 4 lb. 6 oz. LM in a couple hours we spent there. When you got it, flaunt it! Steve