River and Fishing Ethics

[Joel Thompson]

I have just wrapped up my guide season and wanted to start a discussion on River and Fishing Ethics. Mostly because I think it is good for all of us to respect each others space and also because I experienced some very poor ethics from others on the river this year and it was quite upsetting. Three times this year I was run into by other boats while fishing with clients because other anglers were not paying attention. It was very frustrating to say the least.

I copied this from the Fishing Outfitters Association of Montana website and thought it was a great place to start a conversation on the Ethics of fishing. How do you all feel?

Respect your Fellow Fisherman

Always make an effort to be polite to all anglers you
encounter on the water, whether they are floating, wading, fishing
with bait, flies, or spinners. Smiling at others and acknowledging
them creates good vibes and a positive atmosphere on the water.

River Floating

Make every effort to give other anglers as much space as
possible while floatfishing. When on a small river, always try to
make eye contact with other fishermen and let them know what
you intend to do. If you are going to continue floating past them,
tell them that you will be out of their way as soon as possible.
When floating close to other anglers always stop fishing.
River float fishermen should never go around another boat only to
come back to the same bank and cut them off. The ONLY time
that this maneuver should ever be considered is when you have
assessed the situation of the other craft and you know that they do
not intend to continue floating downstream immediately. Possible
situations where this could be the case include lunch breaks, or if
the fishermen intend to fish a run for an extended period of time
while remaining anchored or stationary.
When landing a fish, don’t drop your anchor in front of
other float fishermen. Pull over out of the way of others and land
your fish. If you don’t want to or can’t pull over, either have your
client land their own fish or pull your oars in and land it yourself.
Yes, this can be a bit tricky when floating in rocky areas where
safety is paramount, but dropping anchor in front of another boat
causes problems for both you and them. Please take a moment
to think about how your actions affect others.

Lake Fishing

Lake fishermen should do their best to not anchor too
close to others who are already anchored. This distance should
be determined by how large the body of water you are fishing is,
who is in the next boat, etc. Use common sense here. Try not to
row or motor close to others.

Boat Ramp Courtesy

Get ‘in line’ and gear up while you wait your turn to
launch your boat. Always have your gear set-up and ready before
you approach the actual launching site. Once you have put your
boat in, make sure to anchor or beach your boat off to the side of
the ramp so others can easily launch behind you.

Wade Fishing

Keep some space between you and other anglers. Don’t
encroach on another anglers fishing position. If you want to walk
around them to fish another area, always let them know your
intent. Being polite will foster camaraderie between anglers and
will make for a very enjoyable fishing experience.
Some of the points I have hit on here have been at the
forefront of many conversations I’ve had over the years concerning
guiding practices. We all need to be aware of how others view
us and our actions as guides. We are stewards of the waterways
and as guides and outfitters, we need to all be aware that we are
the leaders of the future. Teach your children and others around
you that you truly respect them and the fishing that we are so
privileged to share. We’re all in this together.

Joel

[Bob Riggins]

I have found that some people are considerate and other people just don’t give a crap.

[Joel Thompson]

You are probably right Bob, but I would hope that education for some would hit home. I just think some people don’t know any different.

Joel

[keith b]

Joel, I feel your pain.

[kurt albin]

Keith,

Where I’m from they call that the Boy Scouts.

[Dan]

It is a never ending issue and it drives the majority of us mad, while the remainder of “outdoorspersons” continue to be the ethical manure of the world.  

I would love to make on-site attitude adjusments, but that is illegal and ultimatly unprofitable, so I just try and go where no one else is as much as I can, and hope for the best when other people are around-which is most of the time.  Blatent inconsideration is rare, but increasing and is up near the top of the list of things that instantly infuriate me.  

[john michael white]

I think this is a societal problem as much as anything else.  There are just more and more people in this world that do not care about anyone but themselves.  If I dont know you then screw you kind of attitude.

Keith, You and Bob hit the nail on the head.

[anonymous]

Joel, you are suppose to stand downstream of the two 3/4″ rebar pieces sticking up out of the habitat improvement above the surface film. That usually takes care of one end of the problem. 🙂

Sorry you have such jerks on your water. As has been said, I think they are everywhere.

[david knapp]

You are probably right Bob, but I would hope that education for some would hit home. I just think some people don’t know any different.

Joel

I think this is the thing with a lot of people.  They really just have no clue…a lot of time when I talk to people that I think are crowding me, etc., I find out that they really have no clue what they are doing and are normally glad to have a few pointers as to how to catch some fish.  If you can slip in something about ethics while helping then it makes the whole encounter a positive experience.  

This topic has been a sore point for me this year.  A big problem here in Tennessee is that we have a lot of recreational boat traffic on my favorite tailwater.  People who are just out canoeing really have no idea why it is wrong to float over the spot that I am fishing.  They do seem to be learning though so I think some fisherman are speaking up.  I had more boaters go out of their way to go behind me this year than any other year I can remember…definitely makes my day a bit more enjoyable.  I always try to thank people for such a nice gesture…

When someone starts crowding me, my favorite thing to do is just get out and go fish in the spot they vacated.  When I start catching fish there, the look on their face is priceless… ;D

[Joel Thompson]

Keith,

Where I’m from they call that the Boy Scouts.  I’ve always thought that state conservation and game offices should require a little more than forking over some cash for a fishing license.  You have to take a hunter’s safety/ethics course to get a hunting license, why not a fishing safety/ethics course before you can fish?

I think this is a great idea! All should have to have passed a fishing course before they can obtain a license. At least then they have no excuse.

Scott, I didn’t mean to give anyone the impression that the waters here are loaded with jerks. These types of encounters are rare but when they do happen it really gets under your skin.

Joel

[John Williams]

Hopefully this is not too far of a departure from this topic.

As an angler that seldom fishes waters that allow folks to float what are my ethical responsibilities when encountering folks drifting?

To simplify things I’m only considering an un anchored craft actively floating down the river. If the boat is anchored I treat them as if they were wade anglers.
John

[dave nyberg]

I had an incident when fishing the North Branch of the Potomac that I really enjoyed.

[Michael Exl]

Ethics??? They don’t exist in the Great Lakes, especially with the those (many words I can use here, but I’m keeping it clean) center pinners. Got low holed 5 times today by them, not to mention had a guy wade into my swing and walk right into my D-loop.

[Adam McDowell]

I think that the biggest problem that i see in GA/TN is boat ramp etiquette.

• Staging while on the ramp

• Securing roof mounted boats on the ramp for 15 minutes

• Scenic tubers standing aimlessly in the way oblivious to a vehicle with a trailer backing down

• Dog owners playing fetch on boat ramps

[Zach Matthews]

I’m with all you guys but I think a lot of the trouble is the lack of public education about this stuff.

[dan h.]

I believe a certain amount of rudeness, unethical behavior, whatever you want to call it, will always exist in any sizeable sample of the population.

[Joel Thompson]

Hopefully this is not too far of a departure from this topic.

As an angler that seldom fishes waters that allow folks to float what are my ethical responsibilities when encountering folks drifting?

To simplify things I’m only considering an un anchored craft actively floating down the river. If the boat is anchored I treat them as if they were wade anglers.
John

John, the biggest thing to to in this situation is to make eye contact with the guy in the boat and let him or her know which side you would prefer them to go on with a simple hand signal. A little communication goes a long way in this situation.

Zach, as far as the guide thing goes there are more productive ways to handle a rude guide. (at least there is out west) All guides in Montana must have and display their guides license number on their boats. You can write that number down and get in touch with the board of outfitters and let them know your complaint about that guide. The board of outfitter then gets in touch with that guides outfitter and trust me that outfitter will make sure it never happens again as to many of these type of infractions can cause the outfitter a lot of pain and the possiblity of loosing their license.

Joel

[tosh brown]

Here’s a website that we’ve launched to head off a serious problem on the Texas coast. Scooter and tower boats burning the flats, plowing up seagrass, running over fish, and harassing anglers.

Nearterm we’re hoping to get a few no-motor zones established to combat those that are beyond education. Longterm we’re hoping to influence a cultural shift toward better stewardship of the resource….

http://wadepaddlepole.net/

[Zach Matthews]

Joel –

That is what is awesome about Montana.

[tosh brown]

Burning is a local term (Texican redneck speak) that refers to someone blasting across the flats under full power.

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