Etiquette

[STMFlyGuide]

Spending over 300 days a year on the water guiding and personal fishing you dont even want me to start on my bad fishing etiquette stories .. My personal etiquette with or without clients is to fish out of sight of most people, trust me, if you know the water well enough there is a daily time and place where you can get away from people on any day... even the LO and EW.. tough to get out of sight of people on the Upper O though...

[briansII]

Like everyone else, etiquette, or lack of, is different on different bodies of water. My local tailwater has very little of what I consider "normal fly fishing etiquette". It's very common to be dropped in on, or low holed. Common to have a guy park right across from you and cast to "your water". I try and not let it get to me anymore, and sometimes I mess with them. I also have no problem fishing side by side with buddies here. If I fish on a uncrowded river, I try and use the out of sight rule. I don't like to drop in above anybody, unless I give them the whole run, or chain of runs.....and if there's any question, I ask them. For roadside fisheries, I usually won't stop at a turnout if there's someone already fishing there.

One thing that hasn't been discussed, is stillwaters. How close is too close. I have a personal space I don't like to be invaded, unless it's a buddy. I'd say the 50-100 yard rule is close. That space gets smaller, the more crowded it is. Then there's drift boat etiquette..........or even campfire etiquette. Last man standing has to douse the fire.

briansII

[Chris Kuhn]

I gotta say that I find this whole, "I can't stand people, they must be 100 yards or more away from me" thing to be a bit, elitist and snobby. As long as someone does not walk through the hole I am fishing and is polite, I really don't have an issue with other fisherman on the same river.

[rayfound]

Not elitist or snobby at all. One of the best things about fly fishing, for me, is the solitude and nature. I'll just keep walking until I find that. Of course, you can't expect that on the busy/famous rivers, so you take what you can get.

When I fished the rogue with eric, I swear the bait chuckers were actually intentionally being a-holes by casting from the far bank to 5 feet in front of us with their huge 1/4 lb rigs.

[Chris Kuhn]

I agree that those bait dunkers would be rude. But is it not also rude to assume that on a river that has other fisherman, that you should have every hole within 50 to 100 yards from you to yourself? I have solitude the minute I step into the stream regardless of where other people are from me.

Then again I do appreciate it when I have managed to find a little jewel of a river that I can fish all day by my lonesome. I understand the appeal.

[midger]

Chris,
Well, you'd fit right in on the San Juan. I personally don't like folks within casting distance of me and I really don't even like being close enough to see them--and no, I don't think I own the river. If they are there first, I'll keep walking to put at least 1/4 mile between us if possible. I expect them to do the same thing.

Is closeness an Eastern thing? I know it exists on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska and the San Juan, but most waters out West, solitude seems to be sought out.

[Chris Kuhn]

and no, I don't think I own the river.

put at least 1/4 mile between us if possible. I expect them to do the same thing.

How do these two statements compliment each other?


BTW 100' and a quarter mile are well beyond casting distance.

If a river can support this fine. But I still find the attitude, that I must be alone or I won't fish elitist.

[midger]

I see no problem with them. I give them room and expect room in turn. As I "don't own the river" I give them space. What is wrong with expecting the same?

Why on earth would somebody want to fish close to another they weren't there with? I really hate it when I give the space, and they hurry (upstream or down) to see how I'm doing. I will generally ask which way a fisher is headed, and go the opposite direction. If'n I wanted company, I'd ask for it.

[Chris Kuhn]

But are you telling me that if you were fishing and someone set up on a hole above you that was less than a quarter mile away, you would take issue with that person? Sounds to me like you feel you have a right to a huge chunk of the river. I do not disagree that someone that is hoping to poach off of you and crowd you is being rude. But there are limits to what someone can expect as well. I think it is just as rude to expect someone to stay away from where you are not even fishing at the time. Especially if there are some really beautiful holes within that quarter mile you insist on having.

[Chris Kuhn]

Well now we are just discussing extremes. Surely there can be some middle ground that can be considered acceptable?

Again I bring up my example of perfectly beautiful water that may have had picnickers. I think if you are unwilling to fish that water because you do not have it exclusively to yourself, you are being a bit of a snob. BTW being a snob is not really a bad thing as long as you recognize it in yourself. I also think that it can be perceived as rude if you go somewhere where there are other fisherman present and assume you should have all the water within a quarter mile of you.

I hope I am not offending anyone, as that is not my intent. I just don't share some of the same attitudes as others on this issue. I like people.

[rayfound]

No one is saying they own a 1/4 mile. Just that that is the courtesy they would give another angler, and what they would appreciate seeing in return.

Fishing by picknickers is a little different... personally, I wouldn't enjoy it, again, because I go for the solitude, as much as for the fishing, but they aren't doing anything to the water, so why not share the area. be polite, etc...

[Chris Kuhn]

No one is saying they own a 1/4 mile. Just that that is the courtesy they would give another angler, and what they would appreciate seeing in return.

Fishing by picknickers is a little different... personally, I wouldn't enjoy it, again, because I go for the solitude, as much as for the fishing, but they aren't doing anything to the water, so why not share the area. be polite, etc...

I'm sorry but the word used was not "appreciate" it was "expect" which was why I asked the question I asked about taking someone to task for fishing a hole less than a quarter mile away.

[Chris Kuhn]

I don't have a problem sharing anything - including stream water - but I do have a problem when there's 10 miles of open water and I've walked to the very furthest end where man nor beast has never set foot, only to have some joker climb in on top of me and cast over my line. Does that help?

Well that does help thank you. However maybe it is because I am new to the area, but I have not seen any streams with 10 miles of open water, and it certainly was not my experience fishing in upstate NY and NJ.

[Sasha]

I find that always wearing a sidearm has helped me not get low holed in the past Or I one could always do what someone up here does; they wear neon pink while out on the water. Ok all kidding aside for me if I do not want crowds (which is all the time once certain waters become fishable) I fish places that I know they won’t go. When I fish places like those mentioned I expect crowds it is just the nature of “blue ribbon” waters.

Last month I went to some places on the east side of this state (hint my report with No fish pics only scenery pics). The places I went are very well known, I will say that I was surprised at the numbers though. I personally did not see either place being particularly awesome enough to justify the numbers that were on the water. As far as etiquette I guess I was also lucky there as well. We saw lots of people look at the holes we were fishing and they all left. Bottom line for me is that I treat others how I want to be treated on the water.

[rayfound]

Oh... I don't expect anyone I've met in the FF community would start a confrontation with someone... We'd likely just hike another 1/4 mile to get the separation and be done with it.

Honestly, I've never fished water where this is even something to think about, and I don't really plan on it... so I dunno how I would respond.