Etiquette or NOT?

[SuperSprint007]

What it all comes down to is RESPECT, many of the non-tournament anglers on here have no respect for any of the guys who fish tournaments, and I am sure there are tournament fisherman who dont respect non-tournament anglers. Everyone who has ever fished on the water has had some bad encounters which they will remeber to the grave, but does that mean every fisherman is a rude jerk? I feel the same as Buzzking(10 place bassfan patterns game) and Dave S. treat me well and I will treat you well.... Pay it foward too, be nice to someone on the water next time your out.

[MASBASS]

I would totally agree with Dave. I will give up a spot to a Tourney fisherman most of the time if I know they are. This Saturday I ask two guys in a boat if they were fishing a T when they said yes told them a spot I had just left where I had a really nice fish blow up on a surface lure. Then 20 minutes later coming up on one of my favorite spots I see one boat about 400 yards down from the spot I want fishing a spot most people do to the right and another about 500 yards to the left. The spot on this whole bank is about 30 yards long I want to fish so I slow down and check to see what I think everyone is doing and ease on in to my spot. Now here is the problem as soon as I slow down and turn toward my spot the guys throw their rods down and try to beat me to this spot, I just ease one into my spot. They get within about 100 yards one picks up his rod and start flipping a jig. I just keep on fishing get hung up and break off, so I sit down and retie. While all of this going I these guys get closer the one in the front still not fishing just watching me is mouthing, to his partner not me, about how they were fishing this bank and how I cut them OFF!! I never even looked his way. I cast get a hit and catch about a 3 lb fish. Now this guy is getting closer and louder about how I caught his fish. Now I can snickering to myself. So what did I do I waved, showed them the fish and let it go. I then politely ask if they were doing any good the guy in the back said not to well the guy in the front waved his arms jerked up the trolling motor told his partner "there is no sense in fishing this spot anymore because of that #@#$$@" he started his boat and as they started to leave I waved at him and he waved back with a special different wave lets say. So now I am laughing so hard I cant hardly stand up, yea I am that way sometimes.


Now here is how I am RIGHT or WRONG I do not care if it is KVD or who I would have done the same thing, if they would have ask or not acted so silly to begin with I would have told them what to try and backed off or gotten behind them and let them fish it. I do not consider someone pulling into a bank 400 yards in front of me cutting me off, in this case they passed two spots that normally produces fish to try and beat me to this one. If they would have been closer to this spot I would have pulled in behind 100 yards or so and followed them giving them first shot since they were there first.

What some of us forget is this A LOT of everyday fisherman or fun fisherman HATE TOURNEY GUYS!! Because of the way, not a few, but SEVERAL act. Most of the problems I have ever had on the lake has come from tourney fisherman not the everyday fun fisherman. And yes I fish tourneys, a lot of them so I understand fishing for money.

I do not know what happened on the Ohio and never will. I do not know the whole story and never will because I was not there. Like I have said I will let someone have the spot if they a T fishing and I am not most of the time. I also know some people that have had past troubles with Tourney fisherman and they would not move for anyone PERIOD if you are Tourney fishing. Either way it is thier call not mine.

I have met a lot of people while fishing. A lot of people I have met for the first time that are pre-fishing for a Tourney and have never met before I have taken and shown spots, I will be honest here not my best spots by no means, after I ask they what kind of fishing they prefer, spinnerbait, jig, worm crankbait ...ect, and show them a spot where they can catch fish. I have done this many many times, well that is how I met Jr. World Champion Kalim Tippett and his father two years ago was showing them some spots where I had been catching fish on Nolin. Both of which I consider to be good people and good friends. I have met many people and made many new friends this way. All it has taken was a little respect for each other and the enjoyment of fishing and you can make friends.

The thing to remember is this it IS NOT YOUR BANK OR YOUR WATER it is OURS. Be polite and respect other people and problems will not start or will go away most of the time. My Favorite saying to a friend of mine is that is always fussing about "Someone is on MY SPOT" is this "If this is the only spot you have then stay home"

So their is my TWO CENTS worth!!

[GeoFisher]

WOW........

This thread has really changed from the ORIGINAL posting.

First of all.........and No disrespect to Dave, or Jim, or any other pro or semi-pro tourney angler out there.........Most of the "tourney guys" that I have come in contact with on the lake are TOTAL TOOLS. I don't give a RIP if you are fishing a tourney. If you blast into a cove, a bank, a submerged hump, etc, etc. you are being RUDE.........especially if you see I'm fishing that same area, and you are DELIBERATELY cutting me off. This happens more often than NOT, and you know it does.

Second.........what makes you think it is your RIGHT to do this. Just because you're fishing a tourney? GIVE ME A BREAK. I love to fish, probably fish MORE than most people, getting out at least 100 times or so a year, but I've NEVER acted this way, and I've NEVER fished a tourney, but I bet I could compete. I now take days off during the week because Tourney Anglers think the own the waters during the weekend.

Finally..........In almost ALL cases, the tourney guys BREAK all kinds of laws, and rules. Dogwood..........10 hp limit. Guys are ALWAYS using larger motors. Patoka.........10 mph. I've seen guys blast past full BORE, without any regard to the 10 mph limit. Monroe..........SAME THING. KY Lake..........While not illegal, I've seen tourney guys BLAST down the lake FULL open in the DARK and in the FOG............

While I'm not going to say locals and rec fisherman don't do these things, it is almost ALWAYS the tourney guys guilty of these infractions and lapses in common sense.

Sorry........

Geo

[Dave Stewart]

SuperSprint007: You will never have to worry about me showing you respect and being courteous when you show me the same....I practice it everyday...guides that do not do so don't last too long..and I would do it anyway...my mother taught me to live by the golden rule.

[Rayman]

I think you are allowed to keep five bass a day, arn't you? Five bass would make for a fine meal for a family. The way I see it, them good "ole" boys could have put more bass in the boat if they wanted too. There is plenty to go around. If there isn't, then they need to change the regulations!

[buzzking]

mine taught me the same.....Mind your manners or I'm gonna bust that arse with a golden rule.

[Dave Stewart]

MASSBASS: Funny thing, I had almost the same thing happen to me with my client's on Saturday on Barkley. I stopped to fish a ledge at the mouth of a creek...there was another boat fishing the primary point on the north side of the creek with their back to us...I pulled up on the ledge and we stopped to tie on some C-rigs (we were about 100 yards south of the point)...the guys in that boat on the point pulled up their lines and put their trolling motor on high and came running over the ledge and started throwing on it. We had drifted off the ledge a little by the time we were tied on and by then the guys were very close to us and the guy in the front of the boat was telling his partner in a very loud voice how we were not so nice people......I guess he not only want the point he was fishing but the ledge that was not connected to that point too...lol. Anyway, in his haste to fish very fast along the ledge to cut us off he passed the sweet spot on the ledge...obviously he did not know how to fish that ledge...so we motored back north and dropped in about 40 yards behind him...and commenced to catch the fish off the sweet spot he had just fished and blanked on....did my heart good...lol.

[apb]

...so we motored back north and dropped in about 40 yards behind him...and commenced to catch the fish off the sweet spot he had just fished and blanked on....did my heart good...lol.

I just love a story with a happy ending

Andrew

[fish24/7]

Anymore there is so much disrespect on the water. I have people constantly cut me off or pull right in front of me and start fishing. This is not the only spot on the water they can catch fish. If I come to a spot and I want to fish I politely leave and go back later when the other fisherman are gone. I constantly catch fish behind where other boats have fished. I guess some people think they have to be first to every spot and they own the water. I wish a few of these people would have a little more respect for their fellow anglers. It is the best when another boat pulls in front of you and starts fishing and you catch fish behind them. I always make it a point to hold the fish high and let them see it. They usually get mad and leave. Learn a little respect!

[MsgMills]

Bad for me to admit, but I have used my blow up Bass before as a way to get payback as you might call it. A friend of mine and I were fishing a point and actually got cut off by another boat. So as they went on there way away from us I reached into my storage and pulled out ole Mr. Blowup Bass.... I blow him up and have him in the dry storage just in case something like this happens....Anyway after I lean over and place my trusty 8lber. over the side and hook up to my line. I settle back down like I made a cast and start pumping like I'm fishing a Texas rigged worm. All of a sudden I yell out for my partner to get the net, before the other boat is out of range. I start yelling that it's a whale and all kinds of stuff as I fight my fish. So as my friend leans over to net Mr. Blow up the attention is of course on us big time. When my buddy brings that net over the side and I lip[ Mr. Blowup...The jaws just drop on the other men in the boat that just cut me off.... Needless to say I go on about it weighing close to 8 or even 9lbs. No matter I make a point of rubbing it in on the other boat that they went to fast past the point they cut me off on....Gets their goat real good......

[kc]

Amen Geo and to all who bring up "respect". That is the bottom line and so many bass fishermen these days have lost that concept. Early in the thread an obvious tournament fisherman was questioning whether the rude actions described in another post were tournament fishermen or not but what I have noticed is on the week ends as boats coming flying down the lake lined up one after the other for over an hour at times is when the rudeness peaks (obvious tournament take off). I believe tournament fishing brings out the a-hole personality in too many people. Maybe they don't do well or feel they have to be a pro which is too much pressure on them and they take it way too serious and respect goes out the window.

I just can't see how people with this kind of attitude and mindset can even enjoy fishing. Even if they catch their limit they would probably still chew your head off if you were on the next spot they wanted to fish. It is just not worth it -- guys that serious need to seriously consider another past time.

But commenting on the gist of this thread it all comes back to respect. If I was on a spot and any angler comes up to me in a friendly manner and talks to me I never act possessive over water. But for a rude jerk and I won't give an inch. Those are the only moments I lose my respect for my fellow anglers.

kc

[ljbass]

I have been fishing Tournaments for several years. Some large and some small. I also help run a small tournament sometimes. I was fishing one last friday night and 2 guys who appeared to be just fishing for fun came between us and the bank as we were fishing a hole and had been for some time. They came within 40 feet of us and did not even look up at us. We had to stop casting and wait for them to go by. They were either stupid or jerks and it was pretty obvious that they were not tournament fisherman. Oh well, it was just part of it. I also have been fishing a tournament and a fellow tournament angler has done the same thing. I guess my point is that there are jerks that fish tournaments and jerks that do not. It has something to do with the way they were raised so maybe we should blame the parents not the jerks. Either way its not a good idea to do this. Right or wrong I saw my father take a large machette and chop up 3 guys poles, their lawn chairs and chase them off for throwing in where he was fishing in a pay lake. It can be dangerous sometimes if you do it to the wrong guy.

Food for thought.