Courtesy of Fishing Spots 2024
Troutfisher reply :
I was reading a post on another forum about fishing courtesy, only it was for trout spots. It seems most of the time people act like they have no brains at all when it comes to courtesy in spots. The same goes for bass fishing.
If you're fishing a spot, and you are the only one on the entire lake or stream or whatever, you have probably been bombarded by "warm weather fisherman" as I call them. You know them - the guy with the red and white bobber the size of a river buoy, the family trudging down the hill all loaded and ready.
Now, it is not the people I have the problem with. It is the attitude of other fisherman. If someone catches a fish in a spot, it is in the best interest that you do not go into that angler's spot and start plunking away. It's a whole lake full of fish. This is usually a problem with trout fisherman but I'm sure it applies to bass fishing as well.
How do you guys deal with this kind of problem when on the water?
powerman970 reply :
Most of the time people seem to be pretty courteous. On occasion someone will come zipping by too close and nearly throw you out of the boat or worse yet someone will jump in front of you on a bank you are fishing down. One thing that works wonders for those idiots that come screaming by you at high speed while you are fishing is to keep an old topwater lure without hooks tied on a rod that you aren't using. When you see them coming just throw out in front of them and cut the line. When all that line gets tangled in the prop you can laugh at them as you crank up and leave.
It's the &$%^# jetskis that I hate.
HUNTER19 reply :
O man you have no idea you think trout fishing is bad try steelhead fishing on a crowded ! Talk about combat fishing its out of control. I have witnessed a few rumbles and some cops called over fishing. If you beat the crowed however the fishing is amazing! I have never had it happen to me bass fishing tho. I have had people cut me off if I'm workin my way down the bank but other than that nothing like when I got catch some steel. 
shoff reply :
Quoteworse yet someone will jump in front of you on a bank you are fishing down.
I did this on accident this past weekend. Guy was fishing off a point I was headed to, so I just went on the other side of the point and fished. Well I guess they were heading down that side. I usually like to keep my distance.
Josey Wales reply :
My boat came with the WW2 U-boat torpedo package 
Branuss04 reply :
THe other day when I got my 9-1, we were sitting on a point fishing out, and a troller came within 10 feet of us while we were fishing, so jay being the "nice guy" he is threw out over there lines, it was great. You should have seen them get up and set the hook, good times.
BASS fisherman reply :
Although it aggrevates me to no end, I usually pick-up and find another spot.
Like you stated, "it's a whole lake full of fish".
In my experience though, it is almost always trout fishermen who jump on my spot.
What really bugs me is when I'm fishing a tournament and a local "pleasure boater" goes between me and the shore where I am fishing. Either doing it on purpose just to be rude, or they are totally oblivious as to what they're doing.
Last summer we had a guy in a pontoon boat motor between me and the shore with 4 BIG people on board. Knowing the water was only a foot and a half deep there we knew exactly what was going to happen and sure enough......they got stuck. I just looked at them and shook my head.
Bass XL reply :
QuoteIn my experience though, it is almost always trout fishermen who jump on my spot.
What really bugs me is when I'm fishing a tournament and a local "pleasure boater" goes between me and the shore where I am fishing. Either doing it on purpose just to be rude, or they are totally oblivious as to what they're doing.
Agree with these statements 100%. Some trout fishermen are so ignorent (sp?). I fish a very populair trout stream (Bennett Springs) and the fly fishermen are just plain stupid. There is a trail that runs along the stream where people can walk down stream and go do dif. fishing spots, etc. Well the guys with the fly rods are always whipping their flies 10 ft. past the trail!! And they turn around and look at you like YOUR the idiot! I have gotton hooked 5 times. 3 times in the hat, 1 time in the shirt sleeve, and 1 time in the collar of my t-shirt. Every time, the person has looked behind them and knew I was walking behind them. When I got hooked in the t-shirt, I had had it...and so had my buddy. We just totally went off on the guy......I turned into a whole dif. person.
Jimzee reply :
I never jump in front of a boat that is fishing. I expect the same in return in my boat. Most people are courteous on my home lake. The thing that sets me on fire (I am usually super, super mellow) are people that cannot obey no wake zones which are mostly fishing zones on my lake. I chased a guy for three miles down the lake on a jet ski and let him know all about it when I caught up with him. You know the saying, "How big a boy are ya!" that day he found out. I would bet money he looks next time he enters a no wake zone at 50 mph.
Wolfe reply :
Just bring a predator call with you. If someone starts getting to close pull it out and start playing the ole rabbit blues. It works well for me.
wdy77 reply :
Its all about how you were raised as a kid!! The people that cut you off and get in front of you are people who dont get the whole bass fishing deal. I dont do it and I would like others to do the same!!!! >
IDbasser reply :
I go fishing to have fun, and I really hate it when people get too close to me. Last summer I was anchored in a spot catching crappie and these two guys came up in a pontoon boat and threw out their anchor within casting distance to me and began casting in the same spot we were casting and catching the fish. I kicked on the TM and dragged my anchors and got in between the ponton boat and our hole. My dad could not understand why the boat was moving as bad as it was, but the pontoon boat left quickly. I am usually an easy going guy, but not when people do stuff like this to me when I am fishing.
This is a reason I do not do tournaments here. The tourney guys here think they own the water and will cut you off while fishing down banks, come into your hole while you are fishing, and even told a friend of mine to leave the spot my friend was in because he was in a tourney and that he needed to fish the spot instead. My friend was in the spot first, and had been fishing it for awhile. He got real ignorant with my friend about it. My friend started putting the fish he was catching in his livewell until the guy finally left, then released the fish.
Low_Budget_Hooker reply :
All you can do is worry about yourself. Conduct yourself, courteously and ethically and if others don't comply, that's their issue.
No fishing spot is worth a confrontation.
Cujo reply :
I mostly agree with LBH, but sometimes people just need to know what they are doing is wrong. I hate confronting some one, but some people just need it. On occasion I have fired crankbaits at jet skiers and purposely casted over peoples lines. Definitely gets there attention. Oh and of course they can't believe you would do such a thing.
Kind of a different subject, but the people at boat launches that have no respect for others, that aggravates me. Those people have made me so mad that it ruined part of the my fishing day. ARRRGGHH!
SV1000 reply :
When I went to Gibbons Creek (2500ac) a few weeks ago, there were 20-30 boats on the water at 7:00. So there is no way you can be isolated for long.
I went around the first point and saw a guy fishing the bank so I idled around him at a distance of 30-50 yds and went ahead about 50 yards to work the bank. He worked for while and then motored around me.
Is moving ahead by a reasonable distance proper etiquette?
At another location I kept casting into the trees and at one point, I made a lot of noise, knocked my oar into the bottom of the aluminum boat and banged a log in a matter of a minute. I felt pretty stupid and apologized to the guys coming up behind me and said I probably scared the fish into the next county, they said no problem, they were not getting hits anyhow. I am sure they were thinking, "what a dumba$$".
Popeye reply :
People on the lakes I fish here in So CA are pretty courteous which is amazing since they'd probaby run you off the road in their cars/trucks. When I'm on the lake I try to maintain an even keel (no pun intended) and just enjoy myself since I'm out there to have fun and not start any trouble with anyone. Most of the people I encounter are friendly and congenial and aren't invasive of the spot I'm fishing in.
TeamBerettaGold reply :
I never really have a problem with others stealing spots while bass fishing. But like others said, trout and steelhead fishing is a whole different game. Trolling lake michigan in the spring and fall is ridiculous! Fishing from shore for trout and steelies is also crazy, guys getting snagged, fighting over spots, standing shoulder to shoulder in a pool of water no bigger than the shallow end of the kiddie pool at your local YMCA! There is also the spring walleye run up here on the Fox! On any given saturday in spring, you could start on one shoreline and make it across to the other side, without ever getting your feet wet, just by hopping from boat to boat!
fishizzle reply :
Fisherman know the unwritten rules of the water. Some just ignore it.
On the other hand pleasure boaters don't always know "the rules".
The do seem receptive to waving hand jestures for them to go behind you're casting toward a bank.
And I do think its ok to go around another boat slowly and fish in front of them as long as its 50 yards or so. Thats just fishing.
I guess people have different views of the word "Public waters"
Tin reply :
I would never go to a spot where someone else is fishing or go too close to someone. But sorry, if I'm in a tourney and was there first, I'm not moving.
Like fishizzle said, there are "unwritten laws" but most people just don't care. Thats when you just follow behind them catching all the fish they missed. 8-)
fishizzle reply :
got that right Tin---make them feel stupid
Saladmander reply :
QuoteThats when you just follow behind them catching all the fish they missed. 8-)
I absolutely love doing that when someone pulls a bonehead move while I'm on a spot. I'll fish behind 'em all day... just having fun!
Shad_Master reply :
two stories from last year:
1) I was fishing a wing dam on my home lake and hugging the bank pretty closely - the wing dam is probably 100 - 200 yards long. This guy drove his boat across the lake and pulled up about 50 yards in front of me and cast his lure into the rocks and immediately got hung up. As he t-m'ed over to get his $.10 worm back, I pulled up to him and made cast under his boat and pulled a 17" er right out from under him. He called me names I had never heard before as I went on around him. No regard for the fact that he had cut me off.
2) Later in the year, I was fishing on the same lake - there were two guys in a boat fishing where I had been fishing in the previous example. I had been watching and they were fishing this stretch of bank very slowly and had not moved more than 20-25' for over 1/2 hour. I made a wide pass around them to head on over to the dam to set up to move on down the shore line. As I t-m'd past, I asked, "having any luck?" - the guy in the back yelled back "we won't have any if you cut us off". I was at least 50 yards from their boat and on the outside, away from the bank - I asked him how much of the shore line he planned to fish so that I didn't "crowd" them and then pulled up another 150 yards or so and called back if this would be okay? the guy shot me the bird.
Olebiker reply :
I don't ever have trouble with other bass fishermen. Bluegill and crappie fishermen, on the other hand, seem to be oblivious to the presence of other folks on the water.
As a courtesy, I give jet skiers a three second head start before shooting.
Hookemdown. reply :
QuoteI don't ever have trouble with other bass fishermen. Bluegill and crappie fishermen, on the other hand, seem to be oblivious to the presence of other folks on the water.As a courtesy, I give jet skiers a three second head start before shooting.
I've actually had opposite experiences on my home lake. The lake mainly consists of crappie fisherman. Most crappie guys I encounter are usualy older, courteous, and laid back. However, it seems like the bass guys are fishing this small 300 acre lake like it's lake Michigan, flying around full throttle and cutting ahead of you at every point.
I had another experience at a different lake last year. This is an ELECTRIC ONLY lake, and I was bank/sight fishing in a very shallow area (less than 3 feet) These two guys came right up by me in a jon boat, I'm talking about like 10 foot from me. Well, they get stuck and decide to fire up their gas engine in the mud, slinging mud everywhere. Needless to say, those idiots ruined my spot and the shirt I was wearing.
macmaster761 reply :
when i go shore fishing at my shore spots i always pray that either little kids throwing rocks or people taking their dogs for swims arent gonna be there.
When i go kayak fishing i usually dont run into other people fishing and if i do, my kayak looks so badass with 3 rods sticking out of it in every direction that people dont come near me in fear they're gonna get speared by them...
EastTexasBassin reply :
Most of the waters I fish are on private property, so if someone who isn't welcome shows up I'm expected to fire a few warning shots.
treble_hook_smile reply :
I spend a lot of time fishing a local 160 acre lake during the spring and summer. This place is only open to the public two days a week and only from 7AM till 4:30PM. So there is always a demand to fish it. In the spring there is always 25 boats (max number allowed to fish per day) lined up to access the water. So at 7AM the DNR guys open the gates and lets us in. This is where the competition begins. Its about a 20 mile drive inside this wildlife refuge to the lake. So once the gates open and we head out these fellows put the pedal the the metal and kick up the dust. Next is the launch ramp. Theres only one. So all the guys that busted buts trying to get to the lake now have to wait forever to launch.
This is an electric motor lake. And it cracks me up seeing how many trolling motors these guys actually can get on their boats. I can understand having a spare but some of these guys run 3 to 4 motors just to have that extra edge over the others. Its crazy.
So on to the fishing. Want to run a crank or drag that long point? Forget it. Working that laydown or beaver dam adjacent to the creek channel? Forget it. How about throwing a frog or punching that matted grass? Not happening. The sad part about this whole mess is the guys Im referring to here are retired. Almost all of them. And nothing comes between them and fishing that school of crappie or those bedding gills. These guys will cut in front of you and cast over you if they have to. I love this lake because it has several big bass. But unfortunately, it has several big bass_holes on it too. Its just a matter of time before fishing here becomes a contact sport.
Troutfisher reply :
Man. I'd find a different lake!
ohiobassmaster93 reply :
i HATE when someone does this....but if its a friends its just annoying but when someone else does this it really bugs me that people can't just go out and find there own spot..
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