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There I was with the kids, catching trout on a grassy, thorny bank. Plenty of strangers out there, spaced every 30-50 yards in both directions for a mile. We were in a tighter group so I could help with tangled lines, slimy fish, bloody hooks, etc., probably 20 yards total for 4 of us, basically wherever the weeds were sparse enough to land a fish. Yes, the kids were killing too.

So some dude, who'd been pestering people for smokes and hooks came strolling over between us and threw across one of our lines. He lifted his pole over the kids, reeled back in, and then started casting onto our target snag like we weren't even there!

It didn't turn into an argument or fight. But there was definitely a 3-minute debate about him needing to go find a spot of his own. His opinion was that "it's a free world and there's plenty of room." He took a slightly less intrusive position a few yards upstream, still drifting into our lines 10-20 seconds after each cast.

I was ready to tell him I wanted the hook back that he mooched from me earlier (or just snag him and take it back). But he finally wandered away to panhandle some others. Probably 7-8 minutes start to finish. Problem solved, for my group anyway.

I've fished some much more crowded banks before, but it wouldn't occur to me to just "drop in" on a family, between the adults and kids, and start casting over them because their spot looked promising.

Admittedly, I fish only 2-5 times a year, so I'm hardly the All-Knowing American Angler with all the "rules" stored under my hat. So that's why I'm asking. Was I being overly touchy, or was he just begging for a swift kick in the jimmy?
 
Not sure about fishing ettiquette, but I can tell you that if you get between me and my kids I'm going to go from friendly angler to over-protective father in about 2.3sec. At which point he would be asked to move along. Failure to comply would have probably resulted in me hearing him acost one of my kids at which point I would have assisted him in relocating to the other side of the body of water.
 
This will be my first complete season fishing, but I've stood shoulder to shoulder (literally) with these special attitudes. It's a terrible way to fish, and with my little ones trying to fish with me. I wasn't sure what to do when I was plunking all day with the fam. and these types of characters cast over our lines and drag our gear back to shore, even drifting or throwing spinners. I've learned to be more territorial, if that's the correct word, because they are even reckless casting around children with not a care in the world. Acting like they are in the way when they have a paid license as well. I feel for you! Oh and don't get me started on the fools who love to take Skippy to a leash only area and have their dogs run up on your kids from behind while fishing! And tell you don't worry he/she is friendly and loves kids. To heck with that, I say and have said. Mine children are allergic too.
 
Your dilemma is becoming far to common these days. Yes there should be a bit of etiquette on the river, unfortunately these slobs are getting more numerous.
It has become the "thing to do" on rivers and lakes. A trip down to any hot spot that has been posted on reader boards at local sporting goods stores will show these same folks again and again. They accept it as the normal and don't care about the joy of fishing, only the catch, and will fall into line with the rest of the slobs that are of their ilk. Don't hesitate to say something next time, it may seem unnatural to you that they behave in this manner, but to them, they don't know any other way, or if they do, they don't care anymore and are used to acting as they do and don't expect anyone to stand and say hit the road.

There are areas along certain streams that attract many of these slobs, such as the hatchery at three rivers on the Nestucca system, the banks above hwy 101 on the Salmon river and far to many others to list. Due to snagging, the three rivers fishery was closed early this year, they did it to themselves, with a little help from their friendly law enforcement officers! They blew it with their lack of ethics and have only themselves to blame. If anyone apples to this type of behavior and are reading this, reevaluate your mindset and technique, because it's this type of combat attitude that allows those ethics to slip away, and will only show others around you that to do the same must be acceptable, because hey, he's doing it. Its not! Your setting an example for those around you that are possibly young and learning. Pick up your trash, keep your behavior within the law, at least make an attempt to be polite and use common sense. Not all of us out there are so pacifistic that we will just move over and go along to get along. Now, back to a good days fishing,,,:s0071:
 
I hate that soooo much! I go out of my way for people already fishing at a area. give them plenty of room even if that is the best spot. never fails that some A hole comes and stands right on you. Then they feel put out when you say " stop tailgating me you pasty tea bag". Public areas are fun that way. I was salmon fishing on the river last year. Only one there when all a sudden 6 guys come down to fish. there was at least 200 yards of room around me and all of them stood and fished within 10 yards of me! the only thing I had left to do was walk away.
 
I'll just cut my 7 year old loose with a casting line full of hooks and they better give us some clearance or they will be feeling the pain of the fish. Especially, when she decides to side arm the thing. ;)
 
I'll be retired in a few months. My daughter will be about 2 years old by then. She'll be fishing as soon as she can hold a rod. I hope no jackwagon gets between us on the river bank. I'm unlikely to put up with any BS where she's concerned.
 
When I was a kid my family used to go to Roaring River State Park in the Missouri Ozarks to fish for trout. This was one of those streams where they had a hatchery on site and they would stock the river every other day with farm raised Rainbow trout. It was always crowded fishing, but you would usually catch your limit in the first hour. Most people tried to be considerate even though it was kind of packed, but invariably some lazy jerk that didn't want to get up early enough to be there at the start of legal fishing time would see someone catch a fish and then come down not five feet from them and start casting into the same spot someone else had been working. I found the best way to deal with them was to make a real sloppy cast with my fly rod and rap it around their head. I'd say "Gee. Sorry. I'm just learning to fly fish." even though I had been fly fishing for years. They usually got the message after that.
 
I quit fishing twenty years ago just because of such human trash on the rivers and lakes. They seem to be common out there, and all need to chain smoke to stink up the fresh air. They figure that if somebody is on a spot there must be fish biting there, so climb on top of them! I quit because I realized that I was becoming quite likely to shove or hook one of them into fast, cold water and then spend time in prison. On one of my last fishing trips I was all alone on the shore of a large high mountain lake, after hiking a half-hour to get there. A passing motor boat zeros in on me and anchors about forty feet off shore in front of me, right where I was spin-casting! I yelled out, "Hey, you have the whole "darn" lake to fish over, so why the "heck" do you need to sit right on top of me?" He was outraged and replied, "WELL, just how much room DO you need?" I answered, "As far as I can cast this here two-ounce Buzz Bomb (a lead weight with a treble hook on it)!" He got my point, went pale, and hauled up his anchor as fast as he could and moved far away. I really would have hooked him and pulled him into the icy lake! So, I gave up fishing because it just was not fun anymore..............................elsullo
 
There are way too many assclowns on both the lakes and rivers of the PNW.

I can remember back in the 90s on the Humptulips River a handful of us were spread out on the Rainier Bar just before sunup. An hour later an additional 100 or so guys showed up, and before we knew it there guys lined up shoulder to shoulder for over a hundred feet.
Then the guys with the boats decided to line up 15 ft off the bank and all of us were fishing a 100ft long ten foot wide slot. My friend and I got tired of this, and left to try our luck on the hatchery side of Stevens Creek. As we were walking down the trail leading to the mouth of the creek, two older gentlemen came walking out saying guys across the river were throwing rocks at them. When we got to the mouth some asshead yelled across that we needed to move on (keep in mind I've fished this side for both salmon and steelhead since the mid 70's). I of course said skrew them. When my friend casted out he tangled with three of the guys and we figured out why they were chasing everyone out of the hole - all of them were using about half a pound of leadcore, with a 8 inch leader with two or more hooks trying to snag the fish holding at the mouth of the creek. All of the guys lined up across the river were using these rigs - about 20+ guys. Of course not one game warden in sight, and this was before cell phones.

To this day I haven't bothered to fish the Humptulips and probably never ever will. I miss it like crazy but its just not worth dealing with the morons.
 
I live in an RV.Used to dealing with this kind.
Once he came anywhere near the kids....well like gunner said.
I don't much give these guys any space and when it comes to kids,I grow more balls then when I'm a drunk slob.

You know a random cast across the face,errr,river could do some good.(see PBin WA)
 
I live in an RV.Used to dealing with this kind.
Once he came anywhere near the kids....well like gunner said.
I don't much give these guys any space and when it comes to kids,I grow more balls then when I'm a drunk slob.

You know a random cast across the face,errr,river could do some good.(see PBin WA)

I tend not to drink at all anymore. When I do, I end up doing things that need doing, if you know what I mean.
 
We fish from a drift boat. Most of the boaters are good guys - lots of them are guides. Most of the good salmon holes are hard to get to from the bank, so we just drift by the crowds and the crowded holes they can reach. The only no-no is to drop an anchor at the top of a good hole. Then you'll get some hassles. You can stay at the hole as long as you want as long as you row, and others will either wait or bypass you. Never had a real problem.

For steelhead, we just drift and cast behind every rock and in every eddy, and above and below ever riffle but we keep moving. Again we reel in our rigs and float right past any fly guys in waders or bank fishermen. There's lot of river if you're in a boat. Lots that isn't accessible by land.
 
There are people who will use common sense and decency out there. The whole point of fishing is to have fun, and when you can do it with your kids it is great. NOW.... I have had one issue with an asshat that was bugging my kids I told him to move on before I moved him on. He turned to my wife(now ex) and said something, she went pale, turned, ran up to me and yelled to the guy while pushing me backwards..... IF YOU WANT TO LIVE RUN! LOL I didnt hear what he said but he ran. He said something about sticking her in a very uncomfortable place with ....well you get it....... He is lucky he ran, I would have snapped his neck and had to prop him up to look like he was fishing. LOL
 
this season I ordered a new holster for the 44mag. I will open carry that hog to every fishing area I go to. probably one or two things could come of this. 1. people will leave me space or
2. they will call in a MWAG and in that case the game warden will come to that location and it just so happens I know them all.

Its kind of wierd that when the wardens so up the riff raff's lines seem to get snagged and break off. A holes
 
Ugh I am glad that I am not the only one feeling this, not to mention swimmers, hikers, and campers just leaving their garbage everywhere and are out and out loud and obnoxious. This place I go way up on logging roads used to never have anyone in it. I went with my canoe as I am launching a 14ft canoe into fairly small pond just for the sake of not loosing hooks two guys with kayaks pull up and start to fish right on top of me and yell to each other from across the lake, then 3 loud and obnoxious 20 somethings show up half drunk and shouting so I sayed enough of this and packed up. It was rather depressing...
 
I hate people like this, I usually go to places that aren't as easily accessible because these guys tend to be lazy, and I don't salmon or steelhead fish much. This normally combats the problem. I think guys like this usually just get a kick out of forcing people out of spots regardless of if they want to fish there or not. I work with a guy who does stuff like that, but he is just one of those people that was born a d-bag, and has this weird sense of entitlement. The funniest part about it is that he complains about no one having fishing ettiquette if someone gets within 100 yards of him.
 
I hate people like this, I usually go to places that aren't as easily accessible because these guys tend to be lazy, and I don't salmon or steelhead fish much. This normally combats the problem. I think guys like this usually just get a kick out of forcing people out of spots regardless of if they want to fish there or not. I work with a guy who does stuff like that, but he is just one of those people that was born a d-bag, and has this weird sense of entitlement. The funniest part about it is that he complains about no one having fishing ettiquette if someone gets within 100 yards of him.


look for this guy crying holding his face claiming he was violated. hate these people.
lol that was just a funny, but so want to do that! get that out here. few i feel better
 

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