If the 3 guys were set up along a shoreline (beach or canal) like this:
#1 #2 #3
and the fish / current was moving in this direction:
->
Then it may just be a case of #1 gets first crack at a fish, or small pod of fish. #2 gets a shot at the ones that weren't spooked by the one caught by #1, and #3 gets nothing because the rest of the pod was spooked by #2.
Then again, it could be just plain bad luck.
