On becoming ambassadors of fishing

[nightfighter]

So what's a googan? And what is a newbie to fishing? How does it affect our collective attitude?
Marsh wrote; Googans out on the jetty last night. One guy who claimed he was from Sandwich ran 100 yards down the jetty to where I was to show me his 20" fish and ask me what the limit was!!
I am not knocking John in any way, but... if that had been a kid, what would have been the difference in our attitude? It would have been a great experience! Just because it was an adult, why couldn't he have been excited about his catch of his lifetime? And at least he asked about limits, so kudos to him.
As a group, it is really up to us to encourage more people to enjoy fishing, to educate, and share our respect the resource. The smaller our group is, the less say we will have about the future.
Let's not be elitists, but rather good ambassadors.
Thoughts?

[afterhours]

[QUOTE=nightfighter;1000110]
The smaller our group is, the less say we will have about the future.
Let's not be elitists, but rather good ambassadors.


well said ross. it is so easy to be annoyed and sharp with people the WE think should know better- done it myself. that said i find most fishermen to be VERY helpfull to other fishermen. if you've been at this for a while and don't want to be surrounded others you know where you need to be. nothing i enjoy more than helping a young fisherman or giving one a plug and showing him how to fish it. ( maybe 'cept going large )

[bart]

I think there is a fine line. When I was 13 and just getting started fishing, I knew all the tackle shop owners to be "crusty"(except for Roy) and they made it seem like for a newbie like myself it was an honor and a privilege to be in their shop( again, Roy was real good to my father and I). They weren't exactly helpful and I just figured that to be part of the deal, part of the culture, and it wasn't an issue.

I think if you are out there and a kid is struggling or is clearly new at this sport, you should make a POINT to go out of your way to help. It is mutually beneficial to both anglers if you really think about it. And me still being below the 30 year mark, i wish I had more people my age to fish with. I think if some of my friends had caught early on, they might've been more receptive to pursuing the sport further. Maybe I should've been a better friend!

If a grown man is out there displaying sheer ignorance, has not done any research on the limit/size/regs (he had to go to a tackle shop at some point, right?), maybe under the influence...well, that person is on their own UNLESS they show a TRUE passion for the sport/environment.

[The Iceman 6]

We all started somewhere and we all had our moments. Some of us still do. I agree that we should be Ambassadors. Overall my experience with other fisherman has been top notch, there's always going to be that one guy though. I think it's important to remember the little lessons you learned along the way like carry out more than you take in, give a person enough casting space, etc. Really comes down to common sense and common courtesy IMO. Ice.

[MAKAI]

Similar I suppose to golf. See lots of scratch threesome's inviting 40 handicappers to be their fourth.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[Rockfish9]

Well said Ross.... Well said.

[Rockport24]

I think its a great point and I think it extends off the water, this site is a prime example of great ambassadors of the sport, the recent needlfish thread is a great case in point. I think most of us have benefited along the way by somebody offering us info and it is definitely our responsibility to pay it forward.

[tattoobob]

Maybe he didn't expect to catch any fish that night but fully knowing the rules before you start a new sport is a good idea IMO
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[JohnnySaxatilis]

Originally Posted by MAKAI

Similar I suppose to golf. See lots of scratch threesome's inviting 40 handicappers to be their fourth.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Its a double edge sword; I know some bad players I'd gladly play with over some scratch players that are absolute jackholes.

[DZ]

Chances are we were all googans at some point when we started fishing.

[fishbones]

Great thread, Ross. I think how much I learned from others, especially my father and realize without that help I'd be even more of a googan than I am now. I don't come across many newbies in the places I fish because they are either remote spots or I fish hours that most sane people wouldn't be out at. But I've seen guys at the canal get really short with people who clearly didn't know what they were doing, because they crossed a line, or jumped in too close. I think they at least deserve some tips on how much space should be given, or when it's ok to cast into a current when there are other guys fishing the same area. If someone tries to help out and the newbie refuses to listen because they think they already know what to do or they're just a #^&#^&#^&#^&head, then they become a googan and they can be treated as one.

[FishermanTim]

When I go fishing, I make it a point to talk to other anglers. That's just the way I am. I am not trying to steal spots, check out you gear or try and out do you....I just want to hear people's fish stories.

When I encounter a newbie or any kid having a hard time catching fish I will do what I can to get them in the right spot and right frame of mind.
I convey important information about catch size and bag limits, the importance of C&R if you aren't planning on keeping a legal catch, and consideration for fellow anglers.

With that, I also make it a point of avoiding confrontational anglers because we all know how well booze and fishing go so well together.
Sure we could mention an aglers' undersize catch should be released, but is it worth the price of a visit to the hospital???

Fortunately we have more young impressionable anglers than a-hole weekend warrior bucket-brigade angler wanna-be's.

[piemma]

[QUOTE=FishermanTim;1000162]When I go fishing, I make it a point to talk to other anglers.

yeah Tim me too. Except every time I talk to someone I don't know i just get aggravated. This guy came over to me this morning at the Canal. He was clearly lonely as he crawled down the shoreline in a pouring rain to talk. We chatted for a bit until he told me he had 10, 40s and 3, 50s in the Canal last year.: I just turned away and went back to casting.

[Rockport24]

Nice to meet you too! I DID have 3 50s!

Really though, it's like a crapshoot when you spark up a conversation with someone you don't know, they could be total blow-hards like that guy or if you're Ross, you convince them to join S-B and we get some of our best members out of it!

[Rockfish9]

Originally Posted by DZ

Chances are we were all googans at some point when we started fishing.

Exactly right... no one starts out knowing "it all"... or finishes that way either..

[tattoobob]

[QUOTE=piemma;1000184]

Originally Posted by FishermanTim

When I go fishing, I make it a point to talk to other anglers.

yeah Tim me too. Except every time I talk to someone I don't know i just get aggravated. This guy came over to me this morning at the Canal. He was clearly lonely as he crawled down the shoreline in a pouring rain to talk. We chatted for a bit until he told me he had 10, 40s and 3, 50s in the Canal last year.: I just turned away and went back to casting.

That's not normal Paul
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[DZ]

[QUOTE=piemma;1000184]

Originally Posted by FishermanTim

When I go fishing, I make it a point to talk to other anglers.

yeah Tim me too. Except every time I talk to someone I don't know i just get aggravated. This guy came over to me this morning at the Canal. He was clearly lonely as he crawled down the shoreline in a pouring rain to talk. We chatted for a bit until he told me he had 10, 40s and 3, 50s in the Canal last year.: I just turned away and went back to casting.

Give him a break - Probably dyslexic - he meant 40 10s and 50 3s.

[fishbones]

Originally Posted by piemma

We chatted for a bit until he told me he had 10, 40s and 3, 50s in the Canal last year.: I just turned away and went back to casting.

I remember that day. That was a pretty good blitz for about 45 minutes.

[MAKAI]

That's why I shave my head. You wouldn't believe how few people want to introduce themselves to you. It's awesome !
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[The Dad Fisherman]

Originally Posted by Rockport24

if you're Ross, you convince them to join S-B and we get some of our best members out of it!

Ross is one of those Mythical Creatures that the old Sailors tell Tales of....wandering the ocean front at night collecting souls...

[djlesco]

Two cases last yr...
#1... 4:30 am guy comes out to the end with sandals, Hawaiian shirt and 6ftthe ugly stick... Loaded to the gills on scotch.. I was about to leave but felt compelled to stay because i had a feeling if he fell in than I'd hear about it on the news and guilt would consume me. Turns out he had a fight with his old lady on thier vacation and wanted to blow off steam... I listened to his rant of marital headache and when he was done I suggested it was safer on the soft side and he would have fun catching small fish on his setup... well that's when I realized his wife probably was a sweet woman and definitely a peach because drunk goog blew up bad... telling me he's been fishing his whole life yadayada... and his equipment was the best... instead of arguing with a drunk i let it pass... he took a cast and hooked into a 8lb blue and Snap!!! Goes the rod... it was 8lbsthe because dip chit johnny walker red pulled it in by hand slicing his finger pn the braid to hold it up and say " see i know how to catch big fish"...
He walked down the wall fish in one hand broken rod in the other.... he looked happy
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[djlesco]

#2...
Frency at the end in a rotation rigged with$3000 worth of the gear was causing a mess... almost took my eye out .. 12 guys talkin smack to him... i politely told him he was a danger to us and more importantly to himself. Told him to practice on the beach with a needle... showed him what a needle was (not he had his friends gear on visiting from france)
He agreed with me... on the way back at sunset i walk off and hear the "young sir!!!"... he carrying a 30lbgreat fish .... i say good job... now he smiles than i say what are u going to do with it... his reply was to gut it and bring it to a food bank....
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[djlesco]

#1... goog
#2.... newbie
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[Jackbass]

I am slightly guarded on the water for a few reasons. I am happy to talk to people that strike up conversation with me. I have had my butt handed to me more than once by a "googan" who got lucky with a big fish. Fishing is extremely humbling. No matter how much you think you know there are always those day or days that leave you scratching your head and feeling like a "googan".

For me it is about respect. If someone shows they at least have respect for those around them and the place they are I will give a lot of lee way. To be honest the canal is an incredible barometer for who people are. Within five minutes of fishing near an individual you can tell a lot about them.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[Saltheart]

You are right Ross and it should not only apply to fishing. A good attitude to carry around in life in general.

[N.ShoreFisher]

soooo true Ross! I was actually thinking about this just this morning!! I had seen a similar thread on another site, and got to thinking about where most of us would be now, if we were treated with such disdain and contempt for accidentally casting across another's line, or asking a stupid question if we were kids? Then I started thinking about all the dumb things I do when I fish, and how much I know I have no clue about, and it blows my mind! I know I know very little compared to many, but there is one thing that I try to adhere to no matter what, and that's having respect for other angler's space and having respect for everything that ends up on my line. I don't stab or slice dogfish and skates if they steal my bait, as they're doing what they're supposed to do. Good stuff man!!!

[RIROCKHOUND]

I'm a nice guy............... in the parking lot... wander out onto the rock I'm on in the dark and I get ornery....

[Swimmer]

O.K. at what point though should being downright rude AH be completely negated because your a googan.

[Jenn]

Good topic and interesting replies.

Once upon a time I would talk to others on the water but unfortunately received the cold shoulder more often than not. Mind you I never started a conversation with "gimme all your spots, secrets and knowledge". I have met some nice peeps out there too but the majority are very guarded and want nothing to do with conversation. As far as bait and tackle shops I feel its very much the same. Some good but again very guarded speak and I have even been outright lied to and knew it.

I am still a googan and probably always will be. Dont give 2 craps about status anymore as long as I remember its only fishing and its supposed to be fun because for a while I let it become not fun.

I have met some great people on this site but as far as randomly striking up conversation on the water with someone, well I just dont anymore because of my past experiences in doing so. I would like to think fisherman in general are a kinder more sharing bunch but I dont see it often enough.

With that being said the good ones generally go above and beyond normal generosity!

[Guppy]

Great thread

Don't talk to me, trying to fish

Gup