Can Fishing Bring Out the Worst in You?

[Finlander]

Never had problems with friend, but the guys you didn't know that wants the spot right on top of you. Have had it happen during the day and in the middle of the night and it does piss you off. I tend to move away if someone is fishing in the general area I want to fish. Thou can think of one time it worked out, was working a hole on one of the outer Cape beaches, about midnight a couple of guys find me and start to set up right on top of me. Lights on, shinning them on the water, on the beach as they set-up. Pissed off I start walking, the bite where I had be had died, so it was time to move anyways! Found fish again 15 minutes later, so it worked out.

[ecduzitgood]

I will gladly fish with courteous people, I will go to war with others who feel I'm fishing their spot and try and push me out. If someone is already there I find another spot, no big deal. People don't have to earn my respect they have to earn my disrespect.

[tattoobob]

I don't get to upset fishing, I'm there to relax and have a good time, there are plenty of other spots to move to if it gets to bad, but I have been known to punch real jerks in the face just ask the guy at the bar after the Bruins Game last December

[nightfighter]

I just don't give a #^&#^&#^&#^& about all the chestbeating. Still happy to help others to a point...But I run solo, and mostly in the dark and dawn hours. Have had exactly one other person out fishing on my boat this year, PaulS. But he's from way out of town. Yeah, I do get followed, but tend to stay away from favorite spots on weekends, especially during the daylight. If someone beats me to a place I wanted, they got up and got live bait before I did, that's all... Share solid, no BS info exclusively with one local guy, who put himself through school many moons ago comm fishing all species down around Montauk. He also lurks here and has posted a handful of times. Select others have my cell phone. Other than bait, you won't get me to talk on the radio.
So this year it is more about me... That is me, enjoying each and every fish. Remembering the long winter months while landing most fish, to put the moment more clearly into focus. Released more quality fish this year than I can remember n the past. No Comm ticket this year. No Striper Cup tourney this year. Just fishin' when I can and fishin' hard. Hopefully smart too. Love my boat. Love livelining. Like Joe, Rockfish, I just don't want to have to tolerate others when I'm out there. I think he and I have reached a similar place, in that neither of us will suffer fools...

[tattoobob]

Originally Posted by nightfighter

I just don't give a #^&#^&#^&#^& about all the chestbeating. Still happy to help others to a point...But I run solo, and mostly in the dark and dawn hours. Have had exactly one other person out fishing on my boat this year, PaulS. But he's from way out of town. Yeah, I do get followed, but tend to stay away from favorite spots on weekends, especially during the daylight. If someone beats me to a place I wanted, they got up and got live bait before I did, that's all... Share solid, no BS info exclusively with one local guy, who put himself through school many moons ago comm fishing all species down around Montauk. He also lurks here and has posted a handful of times. Select others have my cell phone. Other than bait, you won't get me to talk on the radio.
So this year it is more about me... That is me, enjoying each and every fish. Remembering the long winter months while landing most fish, to put the moment more clearly into focus. Released more quality fish this year than I can remember n the past. No Comm ticket this year. No Striper Cup tourney this year. Just fishin' when I can and fishin' hard. Hopefully smart too. Love my boat. Love livelining. Like Joe, Rockfish, I just don't want to have to tolerate others when I'm out there. I think he and I have reached a similar place, in that neither of us will suffer fools...

I like the way you think Ross

[JoeBass]

I love to fish. I fish every chance I get. But to me there is a definite etiquitte. If someone is in a spot you move on. If it's an open area you move far enough away that you don't affect their fishing. Plain and simple. I've never climbed on top of someone's spot and I've told a bunch of guys they were too close and to move.That's just plain decency.

[chrisjoe13]

You just never know. A few weeks ago I bumped onto someone while getting dressed at a spot. I was ready first and didn't wait. I hurried to what is the usual preferred spot. This guy (being a courteous nice guy) walked an extra hundred yards giving me plenty of room. He caught a 42#ER and I caught one 26" schoolie. I displaced him into his best fish of the year (so far).
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[JohnR]

I had someone camp out on my drift a few weeks ago. I had a bit of a burr up my ass and explained I would be likely snagging his line. We did tangle once and he kindly moved and apologized, and then said he knew better fishing etiquette and shouldn't have stopped there to fish in the first place. In the conversation as he was packing to move I did invite him down to where I was seeing that if we fished side by side (or side by each as they say in RI) we wouldn't likely get tangled and I wouldn't have felt like a jerk. Turns out, he seems like good people and if I handled it better maybe i would have a better fishing acquaintance..

[GattaFish]

Originally Posted by chrisjoe13

You just never know. A few weeks ago I bumped onto someone while getting dressed at a spot. I was ready first and didn't wait. I hurried to what is the usual preferred spot. This guy (being a courteous nice guy) walked an extra hundred yards giving me plenty of room. He caught a 42#ER and I caught one 26" schoolie. I displaced him into his best fish of the year (so far).
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I knew there was a reason I wanted you to go to block with me,,,

[Adam_777]

Not me.I fish alone.Don't provide reports and if I do they are lies.I don't take pictures.I just like fishing and the water.

[Rob Rockcrawler]

Why do i miss all the good threads on here before they get yanked. Ive gotten pissy a few times while fishing but usually just bite my tongue and walk away. The canal does bring out the best in us though sometimes. I have told people that we will cross when im drifting eels, i will just drift a little farther and they usually leave. In the surf i havent had many annoying experiences yet. had one little run in on Block last year which kind of surprised me.

[tysdad115]

The one and only time I can remember offering to force my will on someone was at the canal, with someone blatantly crossing Tyler's line when Ty was working perfectly in line with everyone else. The guy was wrong, after two times I offered to impose my will to him if he did it again, and explained Ty was casting in turn with everyone else . He moved after realizing I was right , just couldnt understand how to cast with everyone else and tried blaming moose. Thats about the only time I would really get upset.

[Mike J.]

Originally Posted by tysdad115

The one and only time I can remember offering to force my will on someone was at the canal, with someone blatantly crossing Tyler's line when Ty was working perfectly in line with everyone else. The guy was wrong, after two times I offered to impose my will to him if he did it again, and explained Ty was casting in turn with everyone else . He moved after realizing I was right , just couldnt understand how to cast with everyone else and tried blaming moose. Thats about the only time I would really get upset.

The guy was probably upset Moose was casting twice the distance he was able too!!!

[Arzic Olivier]

Just take real foreigners fishing, they won't ruin your honey holes

More seriously things I read today can be the same everywhere in the (fishing) world. I have a very good friend, who puts some time in boat fishing (OK does not count), a real fisherman : I can never tell wether he is paranoïd or not when he says that other fishermen follow his boat :
- we are only forty-ish and we did not invent fishing...
- the water belongs to everybody
- coincidence happens
-...
However I had to sign a blood oath when that guy took me to the right places at the right moment !

Anyway, I can really be pissed off when I see somebody is at a place I would like to fish, but will leave him alone (also a way not to show that guy that he is fishing a good spot, that he otherwise would not stick to, or might not know how to fish )

And I only take on my boat people I trust, or do not have the luck to own a boat (and I am very sad when they get one )
Well I am not as much into fishnig as I used to be, so I do not think that fishing can bring the worse out of me (anymore); however I understand the kind of sad situations it can get people into

I have been threatened by someone (well another paranoid, but now in jail : poaching when you are a so-called professional charter guide is not a goog idea) while fishing in January a few years ago, when we were probably the only two fools on their boat in the area !
But I also gave bird-names to people crossing my drifts, or even started the engine and voluntarily ruined the fishing just to show how unhappy I was

Forgive my poor english !

P.S. I go fishing with Denis tomorrow
We will launch the boat at , scout the area, catch big and definitely have a good time

[derekl]

i dont get fired up about the little #^&#^&#^&#^& anymore, very rarely when i go somewhere to fish will you beat me to a spot, i know when its gonna be bad out there so ill get there way early if i think i need to, not many guys out there gonna start something with me
weve all had the guy who has no clue cast over us,
one day fishing this spring there were what ended up being about 12 of us that just happened to the same area and some guy parks in the middle of us every cast he hangs me up i was nice the first time, a little loud to get the point across the second time, the third time, T.O stepped in and he guy never made another cast, i think he said something like eery time you cast your just gonna hang up that guym hes twice your size and half your age, i dont think id wanna piss him off,
the guys that take it too far need to meet someone who puts them in there place theres alwauys someone bigger or who can kick your assout there keep it up you will find em one day

i got eway bigger problems then someone on my rock

[bart]

Originally Posted by derekl

one day fishing this spring there were what ended up being about 12 of us that just happened to the same area and some guy parks in the middle of us every cast he hangs me up i was nice the first time, a little loud to get the point across the second time, the third time, T.O stepped in and he guy never made another cast

Tony the Enforcer. don't underestimate his size, and more importantly don't #^&#^&#^&#^& with his drift...

[ProfessorM]

missed it . This working in the day time stuff sucks.

George your wasting your time with this Dr. career stuff. You should be in the comedy game.

[onecastmike2003]

Karma is a bitch.... give it a few months or next year. so his gaurd is down...... and then Its pay back time when you least expect it.

[DZ]

I’m pretty easy going when it comes to my favorite pastime of surfcasting but that wasn’t always the case. Many tides ago when I fished for money I often found myself pissed at other fisherman. Each hook-up was $$$. Fishing for $$$ brings out the worst in fishermen.

I’ve witnessed the gold rush shantytown atmosphere on block. Hand guns bandied about, fistfights in the wash, police called down to southwest point to settle disputes. Surf fishing back then was anything but relaxing and not for the faint of heart. But I was hungry for bass back then – if you weren’t aggressive you sat on the beach and let others catch the cows.

I tend to fish mostly alone unless I cast certain spots that have always been what I consider “picket line” locations like lining up on a cobble bar. I would consider the canal such a location where fishing in a crowd should be expected as the norm – especially during daylight. I do like casting in the company of a few guys on this site, Tagger, TattooBob, PaulS, to name a few, as they are good company and very considerate.

Not much “gets my goat” nowadays – although lobster gear buoys are my demon – if I had any guts most wouldn’t be floating “attached” where I fish – but my cooler conscience prevails.

What I’ve also found is that many of the younger casters (and a few of the vets) tend to have no consideration when surfcasting. I attribute this to the fact that many of these new guys didn’t start surfcasting in the more traditional ways of the past. That is starting out with short boots and splash pants, graduating to chest waders, then onto a wetsuit if desired. This gradual transition forced surfcasters to learn how to fish the shallow littoral areas where bass spend a good amount of their time. The younger generation now tend to jump right into a wetsuit and want to swim to the farthest perch they can see, completely ignoring the littoral zone. Because of that many have no clue how to catch shallow water bass in the first two waves and in fact swim right through the bass on their way to that off shore rock in the domain of boats – I call them “I wanna be a boat” casters. This is fine as long as they use some consideration and do not swim right in front of other traditional surfcasters - but many do. They just need a little education.

As I get older I see this surf casting game changing and it’s pretty fascinating to say the least. But I worry that this new generation doesn’t seem to get involved in the issues of fisheries management, public access, etc. This does not bode well for the future of surfcasting.

[bloocrab]

...and in fact swim right through the bass on their way to that off shore rock...

So many take this for granted Dennis. While out in the distance, I've caught fish latterally as well as behind me. It's always good practice to cast before entering your zone. You just never know.

I also feel that this newer generation who have read some of the old-timer writings, simply want to slip into some type of status-symbol. Your actions create your character, your character defines your soul. God does not sleep. We all need to be better examples, not only for our children, but for our peers as well...far from an angel, I too aim for this goal.

[Mike P]

This year, after a number of family crises, I decided that fishing, while still important to me, isn't worth doing unless you're having fun. And having fun means just enjoying it, and what you catch, without worrying about what others are doing, or whether they're catching bigger fish than you, or more fish, or in a spot where you wanted to fish, or even whether they set up too close down-current from you and screw your fishing up.

[Krispy]

Some things you just dont do.
Like scope a guys regular spot then jump it at every opportunity and fall back on "I got here first" BS. Then drag all your buddys there cause you dont care, its not your regular spot. And not expect it to come to a head after years of pulling that. And then to cry about it here!? Aw, poor guy
Everyone so quick to look down their nose, but you reap what you sow.

[bloocrab]

Originally Posted by numbskull

The deleted thread was interesting. Two guys who know each other. One gets to a spot first. The other is put out and gets nasty. Things escalate. Friendship's get ruined. We all sympathize with the victim, but I suspect most of us have been on the other side to some degree or the other. Let's have a poll and come clean.

There's nothing clean about casting over someone's head while they're out on a perch and retrieving your tackle in a way to hopefully snag them...nothing clean about throwing rocks at someone who swam out to a rock before you did. This incident deserved exposure. We should all be aware of things like this to better prepare ourselves when in similar situations. It's a shame it got closed. Perhaps better policing would have been to delete the posts or replies that the moderator found offensive or pot-stirrish. Closing it won't hide the fact that it happened, but it does hide further details on these types of issues for people new to this sport who may not expect such animosity to arise...but Ti, err John...it's your site.

At my age, I can't see me throwing rocks at someone because I'm mad at them. There are other ways of dealing with people that bother me : OR This "problem" between these 2 particular people should have obviously been handled differently.

I've had the pleasure of knowing Rick for a few years now. He has yet to do me wrong. I think he's a class act. A VERY giving person. If what's catching was forgotten at home, he is quick to have it for you. Wrong rod for that particular application, he's got one for you to use. Forgot to pick up eels, reach right into his cooler and help yourself. Need a place to crash, find a corner in his home or truck and sleep. No worries, never asking for anything in return. Also not a pompass ass who thinkgs "his way" is the only way to catch fish, he listens as well as gives opinion. With the amount of people that I've seen at his "Fishing" parties, I am surprised that others have not vouched for his character, not that he needs it, I'm just surprised is all.

I too have fished that area for many years, decades before meeting Rick, not always targeting our Stri-ped friends but fishing in general. I do not recall ever seeing anyone carrying boulders out into the ocean to erect and then have "rights" to their very own personal rock pile, but then again...I wasn't there every living minute to witness it. I still can't believe this went down the way it did. Kudos to Rick for keeping his head about it, (I think).

Back to your Poll Question Numbskull, yes...I've been on the other end. My action was to go somewhere else, it's a no-brainer. There isn't always someone to "blame". Sometimes by chance, someone is on or very near where you want to be..."googan" or not. I won't always jeapordize the spot I'd like to be on if someone is around or near it. Shame on me. I too, have lowered my rod or changed my retrieve with fish on, until the passser-byer has passed on by so as not to draw attention to me having a fish. Selfish act? Yes, but I have to be honest, been there, done it, but things like that are FAR from being the worst in me...

[timmah]

I am going to get some big azz cows in 2hours, stay out of my way! I think I felt it move just thinking about it.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[FoliFish]

Originally Posted by timmah

I am going to get some big azz cows in 2hours, stay out of my way! I think I felt it move just thinking about it.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

LOL...Perfect!!

It moved! It was imperceptible but I felt it.

Maybe it just wanted to change positions? You know, shift to the other
side.
No, no. It wasn't a shift, I've shifted, this was a move.

[nightfighter]

Anyone else sick of this subject besides me?????? Can it just die and move on down the pages, please?

[rickhern]

Originally Posted by nightfighter

Anyone else sick of this subject besides me?????? Can it just die and move on down the pages, please?

I am. Situation has been resolved. Nothing to see here, please go fishing.

[BigFish]

Originally Posted by rickhern

I am. Situation has been resolved. Nothing to see here, please go fishing.

Was there an apology in there somewhere?

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by rickhern

I am. Situation has been resolved. Nothing to see here, please go fishing.

And with that, we can put this event to bed once and for all.

[JohnR]

Originally Posted by rickhern

I am. Situation has been resolved. Nothing to see here, please go fishing.

Good enough for me. Thank you.