Question Of Open Water Fishing Ethics

[rockhardinmn]

I wish to Start this thread to find out how any of the others here on this forum respect other fishermeand women. I have a few questions here Please reply to all : 1) How close is to close to be fishing next to a person fishing from a boat shore ? 2) If you see people fishing a certain area be it a dock or tree or they are casting to one particular spot. Do you stay back an cast to that place also or do you move your boat on top of the spot?
3) If you are fishing an area that is small and people are fishing from shore . Do you Motor into that area Or Leave with you big motor or use trolling motor As to not disrupt the people allready fishing there ?
4) and last ... is it the rule of where ever fish are biting and screw with whoever is there first or gets in your way ?

[Guest]

Best thing to do is find your own fish. It will help you become a better angler. If you feel someone is getting to close to your spot. Theres not much you can do on public waters but to ask them for some respect.

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Mille Lacs Guide Service
651-271-5459
www.millelacsguideservice.com

[Long Gray Line]

You could do what we do and throw old night crawlers at them.

[Iceman73]

One of the best stories I read about as far as people hogging your spot is to throw out a buoy like 100 yards from where you actually want to fish, and everyone will fish the buoy, and you'll have your spot to yourself.

[Guest]

1) That depends on the time and place. At some places at some times a crowd is to be expected and fishing in close quarters is a fact that you are going to have to live with. There are many places that are not crowded if you are willing to put in the work to search and do some driving in the boat and or car. The best policy is to ask permission if you think there is a question.

2) You definitely DO NOT move into another anglers regularly used casting lane for any reason. If you can find a position that allows sharing the water than asking permission may or may not be needed. If a boat comes in and parks right where you have been casting and catching fish than you should say something. You have a right not to be cut off from where you have been casting.

3)No Brainer, trolling motor in a confined space (If you can cast across from one shore to the other on a long cast it's the trolling motor stupid) There are a lot of people without brains!

4) This one depends. If there are a lot of fish in the area and everyone is catching them, what is there to complain about? If the fish are in a confined spot and there are or will be a number of boats than you should not expect to have them all to yourself even if you arrived first. The secret here is to share strategically. If you know where the fish are in that little area and you got there first because you know there is going to be a crowd than it is a good idea to direct the first boats that get close as to where they should sit. The idea is to build a buffer where a few boats share the productive spot and block out access to other boats.

There are those that hate the crowds, but I don't mind the crowds provided the fishing is worth it. I guess I am the arrogant type who believes my fishing abilities are a cut above and I don't have anything to worry about from other anglers because I can out fish them. I take a perverse pleasure in just hammering the fish when others around me are stuggling. When the shoe is on the other foot, I enjoy the challenge of trying to figure out what I need to do to start hammering them.

Also I mostly fish C&R, but won't hesitate to offer to keep a few for those around me, especially when I am shore fishing.

[Guest]

I think the bottom line here is, "Don't do to someone else, what you wouldn't want done to you."

[rockhardinmn]

well Bass i agree with what you wrote here . i do feel the same about my abilitys as yourself . i do agree with what you are saying in about every aspect . For one of the other replies , yes it is public waters , does this mean that it is ok for me to camp right on top of where you are fishing and when i leave to fire up my boat and spook all the fish there .the reason i stated it like this is because of the time of year it is now crappie fishing . it can be applied to other fish also thou . i do beleive in the aspect of treat others how you yourself would like to be treated ,respect your other fishermen . i do wish that more people thought the way you did Bass. it would make it more pleasureable fishing for all concerened. At the end of this week of giving more time to reply to this thread i will say how i have personally dealt with some of what i call the ignorant fishermen that we all have encounterd over the years .

[Gadgetman]

Am on the same page as you rock and bass. I live on a lake and have had people come in and park in front of my dock when my kids have been fishing off it, thus cutting off their only casting area. I had some special words for them.... I have what I call the "big lake theory" as in "its a big lake, must you fish right on top of me? In the spring I can tolerate it a little bit.But if necessary I am not above bouncing my bobber off somebodys boat to help them understand where I am coming from.

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I fish, therefore I am.

[rockhardinmn]

well it has been a week now since i started this thread .there are a number of ways i have dealt with people who have crowded the spot i have been fishing over ther years .my 1st time of dealing with one such person was on tonka . a person doing donuts around us in one of those big crusiers . they all thought it was a huge joke till i started casting a daredevil at their boat and hitting it . i was threated with having the sheriff called on me for doing this . but i just told him go ahead ,, think they might have something to say about you doing your donuts close enough to be hit by the daredevil so many times? .. the guy did leave . Shore fishing on one of those small clearwater bays is next time a few years later . guys come in in their boats and figure cause we are shorfishing they could cut off the area we were fishing . after a number of heated words from myself and otyhers on shore and the boaters out came the daredevils . more heated words but they left with more threats of calling sheriffs. a number of years later on a lake in northern mn some guys camped on a the trolling run i was making across a narrow underwater bar ,, they had their boat rammed by my boat and lines snagged a number of time b4 they got the hint . in my earlier years i wouldnt ask the next person for a little respect on areas i am fishing . i have mellowed some now , and will ask . if i dont get it i have taken to making sure that i always have my trusty muskie rod in the boat at all times . if i am fishing lets say winnie and get totally surrounded i wont say a word . i will just puill out the biggest daredevil and start trolling in and around those crowding me . once i have made a few passes i will stop in the middle and set the hook on the devil . then sort all the lines on it once it is in the boat ,, keep the lures i want and toss the others in the lake . it is a rather brash tactic to use but it has worked . now here is the best one . In Bowstrings crappie hey days me and 2 other buddys were ice fishing a spot away from the big groups that were out there . here comes a guy who deciedes to fish close enough to us that when he cut 1of his holes it thru ice into 1 of ours.. this took place on a lake thats over 8000 acres. i asked this guy to move his truck cause the next place i wanted to try was about where his transfer case was . Now this guy had a a comment of .. its a huge lake find a different spot .. all i said is that is something that should have been allready thought about . i fired up my 10inch auger and started drilling by his front door. the holes were as close togeather as yuo can get them and when i was by his bumper starting around the front of the truck he commented on what was i doing , i told him i am going to fish where his transfer case was 1 way or the other and it dont matter how and kept right on drilling . well he left saying a number of comments i wont mention here .
In closeing i would like to say that after doing all of the above tactics over a 25year period i havent ever been approached by a warden or sheriff for them , not the most sportsman like no ,, but were any of these others practicing any? I Will Invite Any Person i see on the water where i am fishing that has a Kid in the boat. I will tell them exactly what i am doing to get fish. If they still dont get them i will have them move right on top of me and even give them the baits i happen to be useing at the time if they dont have them . SO Please People . Were All Like to Catch Fish . Respect Each other On the Water, Ice ,Or Shore.

[PISCATOR]

Rockhardinmn,
You must be of rather large physique! You may want to reconsider your tactics - remember, the legislature just passed the right to pack law!

However, I do appreciate your approach and thanks for the chuckles.

[rockhardinmn]

well i am not a small guy with bar room courage if that answers your question ,, i have been threatened b4 forth with all sorts of comments over the years . Havent had anyone try to back it up as of yet .most who are in the wrong dont have the intestinal fortitude to back it up when they confronted on the issue ..
Gald you got some humour from it all ,, by the way the conceal and carry law i personally think is great ,but on the other hand i have allways carried anyhow . remeber there never was laws against carrying a weapon cased with loaded mags in same case ,, dosnt take long to lock and load a semi auto ruger now right ? hehe ..