Fishing Etiquette discussion. Everyone should read this one.

[70worm]

As the boats and reels become more expensive it seems that fishermen become more aggressive. This is why I go to Minnesota to fish. I like to fish smaller lakes here, usually from my canoe. People with $50000 Ranger boats typically avoid small lakes. And the tournaments have gotten out of control, DNR will soon have to take control to fix this problem. And trust me they will soin enough.

[Moveon]

As the boats and reels become more expensive it seems that fishermen become more aggressive. This is why I go to Minnesota to fish. I like to fish smaller lakes here, usually from my canoe. People with $50000 Ranger boats typically avoid small lakes. And the tournaments have gotten out of control, DNR will soon have to take control to fix this problem. And trust me they will soin enough.

When Bluegrass was first taken over by the IDNR it was trolling motor only. Canoes were popular back then as well as small sail boats. There were lots of much smaller boats back in those days. My 15'11" boat was one of the largest boats out there at that time. You didn't see any rangers out there at all. No 250 HP motors on the small 200 acre lakes either.

I don't fish money tournaments. I have fished a couple of non money (bragging rights) tournaments but was at a serious disadvantage when others hired or befriended local guides on the lake we fished (KY Lake) and used known brush piles that the guides fished year round to win or come in second. What really galled me was the fact that one of them was bragging about how good of a fisherman he was when he came in second. What he failed to tell everyone is that the days before he was out fishing with one of the local guides who gave him the GPS coordinates of some of his fishing spots that were put there to draw in the fish. I call it baiting a spot. It's not like throwing corn around to draw in the deer but it's like putting in wood in a lake that has not and drawing in the insects that feed on the wood which in turn draws in the fish. Sort of like plowing up a food plot and then planting corn in the ground for the next falls deer hunt. But the time hunting season is there the corn has grown up and matured and is there for the fish to eat.

Another guy hired the other local guide that launched out of the same ramp as everyone else. That guide and his client hogged the only Brush pile that was put in the bay by Kentucky DNR. It was marked on all the maps and was at the mouth of the bay where the river channel and the creek intersected. IE the best fishing spot in the lake at that time. Of course they won the tournament that day. I managed to catch one nice crappie in the back of the bay where another guy said he put a brush pile. As soon as I hooked the fish he came trolling over at high speed in his boat claiming that it was his brush pile that I caught the fish on. Locals!!!! . I'm sorry but he didn't own the **** lake and if he puts in a brush pile it's not his anymore. It's anyone who finds it to fish.

I can only imagine if the tournament had been for money. Tempers would have been out of control.

Another time I was fishing Pataka Lake with a friend and we were on the fish good. He could be a guide up there if he wanted to put in some work but he had a full time job already and just enjoys fishing on the side. We had the one local guide zoom into the bay were we were fishing and throwing a big wake as he came into the bay at full speed and then stopped within 40 yards from our boats. I was almost thrown out of the boat by the big wake and waves he created. He looked over at us and didn't say a word. He just stared at us. Then he left just as he came in at full speed. He was fishing with a client during the CrappieUSA tournament. We were catching good fish that day and could have easily place high in the tournament if we had signed up to fish. But my friend didn't want to fish the tournament. Later another boat came into the bay and it was a father and son team. They didn't crowd us and didn't zoom in at full speed. They eased into the bay and started up a conversation with us. Told us their story and we allowed them to fish next to us without complaining. They caught a few crappie and moved out to the weigh in. Not sure how well they did but hope that they won. Another friend of mine won the tournament that day. He shared his knowledge with me a year earlier and showed me how and where they caught their fish to win the year before. We need more guys like that in the tournaments.

When you get money involved people start to do things that they normally would not do. Which is why I won't fish tournaments. I'm not into high stress situations. I fish for enjoyment and like to catch fish but also like to fish my own way and not be under pressure. I fish to get away from Stress and work. I fish to relax and I can't relax when it's a tournament and you are under pressure to catch more bigger fish that the other guys. It's just not for. Now if someone else like that fine. That's their business. Just don't come into the bay I'm fishing in at high speed and get within casting distance of my boat and stare at me without saying anything. That's just plain rude.