Glad you had a good time even though you only caught the one. I fished Stickney about 3 weeks ago when I tried two other lakes that both were packed (I hate the crowds). I experienced similar results when I fished there. I caught only one but had a great conversations with several of the others who were fishing there. You can tell they fish there on a regular bases... they all seemed to know each other. At one point I casted pretty close to another fisherman’s line. I could tell he was not happy and told me not to move my line as he was afraid I would snag his line. So I waited patiently and he finally got a hit and brought in a nice little 10in fish. While he was dealing with that fish and putting a new leader on I reeled in my line and re-cast it to a new safer location. When he came back to cast again the guy on the other side of him had just cast a little too close to his side as well. So then the guy started to freak out. He was like you (the other guy) are in my way and because this guy (me) is right in front of me with his line I got nowhere to cast all in a town that came off lie a real A-Hole. I kindly said, Oh when you were dealing with that fish I decided to re-cast in order to give you that whole lane in front of you. He gave me a dirty look and just cast his line. I smiled to the other guy (on the other side) who smiled back as if to jointly say what a jerk. Anyway I felt a bit uncomfortable after that and realized these old timers don’t like people coming into their turf. Unless you kiss their A@@ and praise them for being some type of fishing legend (which they are not) they want nothing to do with you. So after a bit of no action I left… I liked the lake but am very cautious of people who take over a hole as if they owned it.

Understandable, considering it is a fishing hole for the public. I proceed with caution, make sure to be clear that I am polite and no threat & of course don't WANT to make people unhappy... it seems to work out. It is SO tight there though! Perhaps I'm a good a$$ kisser- no skin off my back to be extra sugary. You know the old adage: you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. No matter who you are, how well you cast, the lines are back to back tight and their going to cross at some point. It made sense how they all worked it out though. Another person squeezed in by me and crossed my line. Similar to your experience, we agreed that if he caught a fish, I'd real in quick so as not to tangle them. If I caught one first, it would more than likely be ok since he was out farther as my bobber drifted in. One particular fellow was concerned about casting next to me (which I assured him was ok). I understand why he was concerned because didn't have much experience and it went totally wonky. Next cast, he had his friend do it for him. I don't recommend this lake unless you are VERY good at casting straight out (not on a windy day) & understanding the common protocol of how to work in tight quarters. It's a tangled mess of lines for sure though and can be either a frustrating experience (or amicable depending on how the communication is). It worked out well for me since I was bobber top fishing- I took the spot further to the left since it drifted to the left. Anyone new went to my right and battled it out with all the rest of the power baiters. If you go there again, I'll be the bobber to the left with the umbrella if it's sunny. Can't miss me! lol I think I'll be trying a few other lakes too to get a feel for what else is out there, get more experience under my belt, get to know more locals, gather more advice, and of course- gather more... FISH!