river etiquit

hello everyone what has happened no one has any respect for the rivers the fish and the people fishing them. i was on one of my local rivers today i was fishing the top of a pool and there were about 6 salmon and maybe 10 or more bows sitting in the fast shallows below the pool when two losers walked up and said any luck. i replied not much yet and then they spotted the fish, well what happened next was'nt cool. one proceeded to stand next to me and i mean close and the other was trying to snag so this went on for 1 min before i spoke my mind. i wish i could repeat what i said. but the point is dont snag and when the fish are on their beds leave them alone. and also when theres so much river to fish dont walk up and stand right next to someone else its a weekday no one was on the river theres lots of pools rapids and whatnot find your own spot. after we had words they told me i was brave and i dont own the river and told me they were gonna hurt me i laughed. well they ended leaving and i saw them later so i walked up and stood shoulder to shoulder and asked how they like it. they said that i had no respect and or right to tell them not to do what they were doing. well we will see i fish this river every day after work they will be back and i will be there. i will let u no what ends up happening. remeber to respect the fish the rivers other fishermen and the surroundings.and remember if you brought it with you take it with you when you leave. good luck and tightlines

I feel what you are saying and agree on so many levels.. But it really is not worth the wasted effort or chance of confrontation..-Nobody wins.
I have been away from the rivers and fishing for the better part of a decade. Now that I am back enjoying in full swing, I see that things have made a turn for the worse. (mostly due to society's "self-entitlement" and lack of mutual respect)

However, I still try to say "hi 'mornin" to all I see on the rivers.....some reply in turn, others simply glare away.. LoL!

-Its always better to let find open water, anyway.. right? :grin:

Hey Beef

Last year I was fishing a creek in Pickering. I call it Prickering because that's been all my experiences with most of the people there. I was drifting roe on the bank where there were foot trails. Two ingoramuses with their float rod and reels walked up next to me and crossed the river right infront of the pool I was fishing. I could'nt have been at the only spot to cross but I thought maybe because I had a 8' spinning rod and reel they felt they had the superior equipment and they can cross anywhere. They were talking about what float reels and rods were good. Float reel snobbery? Who knows. It's not the first time I've met up with arrogant morons there. I keep driving past Prickering from now on. Their attempts at ruining my chances of catching a fish has only left me with a bad impression of the town and their anglers.

But like RiverNinja said it's not worth a confrontation. They sound like idiots. They are probably stupid enough to keep doing something illegal. Do you have the MNR on speed dial yet? I do, and I'll have to keep a camera with me for idiots like that.

I have seen how the rivers have more garbage over the years. MNR should be allowed to ban some people from aquiring licences.

MNR 1-877-847-7667

Keep cool.

Float reel snobbery? Too funny because I kinda have to agree. Of course Im not talking bout every center pinner. But since I mainly fly fish Ive notice it too. Ive have floats whipping 10 ft in front of me where I almost want to duck.

Now, Im not talking about when its combat fishin. Im talkin bout when theres plenty of holes to fish.

Im asumming they're thinking fly guys not gonna catch anything. I'm gonna drift a roe bag through his drift and show him how to fish.

My two cents

Is it just me or do we need ten times the conservation officers, one of my new found favorite creeks I fished all fall is littered with snaggers and guys who rape pools. One day I took my buddy there and he was literally so suprised at the number of guys snagging. We ended up hitting a pool that had 100 fish plus in it, and weren't there ten minutes and a guy came up next to us and started hucking a spinner in next to the fish. After two casts this guy ended up hooking a big hen right in the side of the face and proceeded to tell us how hard that fish smashed his lure. After telling him he was a joke, we walked up to the next pool which was just as loaded, but harder to fish. Ten minutes later a guy and his buddy, his wife and three kids came stomping up the creek and started fishing next to us. He asked us how many browns we were getting, and I told him we were fishing salmon, he told me just to snag them, and all six of them started doing just that. I think we ran into twenty "anglers" that day and only two were properly fishing. Why the hell does this happen? I think we should start a vigilante group and start snagging snaggers hahaha. And the size of the treble hook I pulled out of a brown this year... Could have been used for a grappling hook. No joke.

I was wading in a popular eastern trib today and came accross a burlap sack in the shallows snagged with the biggest red treble hooks ever LoL I even got a lure out of it.. whoever owns the purple colored japanese lure Im holding it ransom!!!!

RiverNinja said:

However, I still try to say "hi 'mornin" to all I see on the rivers.....some reply in turn, others simply glare away...

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I hear that... When ive been out the last couple seasons and I always make a point of saying "good morning...bla bla bla...nice day for fishing" to other anglers. I'm not much into the "any luck?" thing simply because most guys aren't eager to say "ya, I've had 4 today!"...
Anyway, this year I can't count the number of "English Speaking" anglers I've looked in the eye and said "Good Morning" to, only to have them turn their shoulder as if they are there Grocery Shopping. As if the next fish they catch is going to be their only means if eating ($600 pin setup in their hands)......
The reason I mention "English Speaking" is because some don't really know what I'm saying...so I move on...

When did fishing become so anti-social?
When I started fishing, I would spend as much time shootin' the schnit with others, having a smoke, talking fishing.... As I would fishing. Now I can't even get a head nod!

(I don't even fish GTA)

Cheers to those who realize they're fishing...not fighting for meat!

Float down said:

Is it just me or do we need ten times the conservation officers, one of my new found favorite creeks I fished all fall is littered with snaggers and guys who rape pools. One day I took my buddy there and he was literally so suprised at the number of guys snagging. We ended up hitting a pool that had 100 fish plus in it, and weren't there ten minutes and a guy came up next to us and started hucking a spinner in next to the fish. After two casts this guy ended up hooking a big hen right in the side of the face and proceeded to tell us how hard that fish smashed his lure. After telling him he was a joke, we walked up to the next pool which was just as loaded, but harder to fish. Ten minutes later a guy and his buddy, his wife and three kids came stomping up the creek and started fishing next to us. He asked us how many browns we were getting, and I told him we were fishing salmon, he told me just to snag them, and all six of them started doing just that. I think we ran into twenty "anglers" that day and only two were properly fishing. Why the hell does this happen? I think we should start a vigilante group and start snagging snaggers hahaha. And the size of the treble hook I pulled out of a brown this year... Could have been used for a grappling hook. No joke.

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:lol:

Float_On said:

I hear that... When ive been out the last couple seasons and I always make a point of saying "good morning...bla bla bla...nice day for fishing" to other anglers. I'm not much into the "any luck?" thing simply because most guys aren't eager to say "ya, I've had 4 today!"...
Anyway, this year I can't count the number of "English Speaking" anglers I've looked in the eye and said "Good Morning" to, only to have them turn their shoulder as if they are there Grocery Shopping. As if the next fish they catch is going to be their only means if eating ($600 pin setup in their hands)......
The reason I mention "English Speaking" is because some don't really know what I'm saying...so I move on...

When did fishing become so anti-social?
When I started fishing, I would spend as much time shootin' the schnit with others, having a smoke, talking fishing.... As I would fishing. Now I can't even get a head nod!

(I don't even fish GTA)

Cheers to those who realize they're fishing...not fighting for meat!

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I have to agree with you, and if I added what I really have observed happening to our sport over the years on a public forum the government would have people knocking on my door, trying to send me to a course in an attempt to become multi cultural freindly.....Hmmmmmph, maybe the ont. gov should spend our money on more conservation officers, and judges who aren't afraid of the pathetic discrination excuses, instead of wasting it on these stupid attempts to force us to conform.
I love to fish the tribs for Salmon, and trout, but certainly don't enjoy the crap that alot of people dish out while attempting to make out they're sportsmen.
I started a thread a few weeks ago much like this one, after spending a weekday afternoon at Petro, where one doofus walked into a hole I was drifting, mere inches from my line and the fish i was trying to catch. "English" speaking people spotting me getting hits in another pool. calling the rest of their hood over, and forcing me and my buddy out of the spot by shouldering in on us.
This doesn't just happen on L Ontario tribs either. I remember one time on the Sauble river, my buddy and myself got there, and a couple of guys were having some pretty good luck on run just upstream from us. We stayed down from them, but never had any luck. The guys packed up, and left so we moved into they're spot. Nobody else was really around us. We started having some luck, and next thing we knew the run was packed shoulder to shoulder. All of a sudden this one arsehole with a probaby 20' rod steps in behind me, and starts fishing right over my head!!!! Ya, I said something!!!

Meppsman said:

Nothing makes people lose all sanity in mass numbers like salmon/steelhead fishing. I can hardly think of a straight reason why it happens. It just does. But if I had to name one reason it would be that it goes back to human psychology. Humans, (specifically males) are wired for hunting and catching valuable prey. Salmon/Steelhead fishing DOES JUST THAT. So some people might even see it as something VITAL to their survival in the back of their head. Even though it really isn't in this day and age.

I guess you can call it Salmonid Insanity

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BULLCRAP!!! This stuff doesn't happen while hunting.

I may be guilty of not saying hi to fisherman as they pass by on occasion, I dont think I can really be blamed for it either. Sure there are guys who just say hi and move on...but there are even more guys out there who will say hi and then use the short conversation as a segway to stand right beside you and start fishing. Anyone fishing Bronte Creek should know what im talking about...Any other time of the year im quick to start up a conversation with anglers passing by but when it comes to salmon and steelheading season my guard comes up lol

Some of the people who feel that we should be more sociable are the people who see nothing wrong with parking a spot right beside someone in a hole they are fishing because they feel "the resource is here to be shared" Yes the resource is here to be shared but I dont go standing right beside someone in their spot so I dont see a reason to let someone barge in on the spot i'm fishing which is why I am guilty of putting on a strong front during this time of year, I just cant help it lol.

Hey everyone. I agree with what I have been reading in this thread. Having fished salmon ant steelies since their introduction to Ontario waters I think I have seen it all. Etiquette is definitely lacking in many "fishermen today." It makes me so sad. It is not just salmon and trout that cause this insanity though. A few weeks ago a friend of mine and I went down to a place on the Grand. I believe there was 3 cars there when we got there. The area is a few miles long from what I have explored so far and there is a number of islands, channels and pools to fish. I said Hi to one guy when we got there and he told me he had got a catfish and a pike so far. I made the mistake of telling him we had been doing really well with bass, pickerel, cats and a few pike in recent weeks. I then moved on to a pool I knew a quarter mile downstream, set up and started fishing. 10 minutes later this guy showed up and started casting right beside me. It is a smaller pool and I know of others further down so I decided to move on to another one. Again this same guy shows up and starts crowding me. I again decide to move on because I had found a pool about a mile downstream the previous week where I got 3 bass on my first 6 casts and landed 3 nice channel cats, a pike and 3 more bass in the next 2 hours. I wandered in and out of the islands and channels, trying to lose my stalker and arrive at my pool. It's a nice pool about 100 feet long with a small stream running in. Again my stalker shows up, my evasive manouvers didn't work and he starts fishing 10 feet away from me. I finally spoke my mind when he crossed my line. He asked, " This good spot for Walleye?" I didn't answer I just got pissed and headed back upstream.
I did very well that day after I got away from the stalker. I saw him later that day as he walked back up the river. He showed me a stringer with 2 nice picks and a nice bass. With a smile on his face he thanked me for showing him that pool.
In a 2 mile stretch of river with perhaps 10 islands and all the channels and pools that go with that and 3 cars there, say 6 fishermen and half of them don't leave the pool where the cars park because they don't have waders I should have been on my own all day. My friend and I arrive there and sometimes don't even see each other until he texts me that it is time to go at the end of the day.
Don't even get me started on the garbage people leave on river banks. I carry out a few lbs of other peoples garbage every time I am there, but my knap sack only holds so much and I am not even making a dent. My 6 cans of beer weigh less when I carry them out than when I carry them in, so what is wrong with some people? If you can carry it in carry it out.

Alfie.

hay its beef i was just reading all your posts they are all good and i took alot from them i was back at my spot and had no troubles other than getting caught up in a tree lol. the bows are in there thick the big ones are there now but we need rain the water was gin clear and low i had 3 on and lost them all.

beef said:

hay its beef i was just reading all your posts they are all good and i took alot from them i was back at my spot and had no troubles other than getting caught up in a tree lol. the bows are in there thick the big ones are there now but we need rain the water was gin clear and low i had 3 on and lost them all.

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I lost a nice one on the Grand last week, I would have guessed it at 7 lbs. 2nd cast of the day. The water was really high there and after the first one nothing was really active except a 3 lb pike and a few channel cats. Also it was pouring rain and very windy. The stalkers couldn't handle it.
Good luck Beef, hope you gettem,but watch out for that tree.

Alfie.

Float_On said:

I hear that... When ive been out the last couple seasons and I always make a point of saying "good morning...bla bla bla...nice day for fishing" to other anglers. I'm not much into the "any luck?" thing simply because most guys aren't eager to say "ya, I've had 4 today!"...
Anyway, this year I can't count the number of "English Speaking" anglers I've looked in the eye and said "Good Morning" to, only to have them turn their shoulder as if they are there Grocery Shopping. As if the next fish they catch is going to be their only means if eating ($600 pin setup in their hands)......
The reason I mention "English Speaking" is because some don't really know what I'm saying...so I move on...

When did fishing become so anti-social?
When I started fishing, I would spend as much time shootin' the schnit with others, having a smoke, talking fishing.... As I would fishing. Now I can't even get a head nod!

(I don't even fish GTA)

Cheers to those who realize they're fishing...not fighting for meat!

Click to expand...

Here's some tips:

1. Have an extra Tim Hortons Coffee with you (Black, creams & sugar on the side)
2. Roll a big "fatty" and ask "Care to join me" (Dont ask -" Are you a cop"?)
3. Sanwiches are always popular (Make at least 3 different kinds, all the fixins and use Kaiser rolls)
4. Ask: "Is this your new J-13 I just found over there on the ground"?
5. Say: " i never drink alone, would you like a beer?"

*SMILES*

Being friendly .. works great!
Those who choose to be Anti-Social ... most likely have "ISSUES" that need to be worked out.

Course if you are a "Therapist"... offering a Free Session may also work.

Ha ha ....Blair I'll take #1 and #3 Thanks buddy....... :grin: I'll even let you catch the first fish.........lol

Blair said:

Here's some tips:

1. Have an extra Tim Hortons Coffee with you (Black, creams & sugar on the side)
2. Roll a big "fatty" and ask "Care to join me" (Dont ask -" Are you a cop"?)
3. Sanwiches are always popular (Make at least 3 different kinds, all the fixins and use Kaiser rolls)
4. Ask: "Is this your new J-13 I just found over there on the ground"?
5. Say: " i never drink alone, would you like a beer?"

*SMILES*

Being friendly .. works great!
Those who choose to be Anti-Social ... most likely have "ISSUES" that need to be worked out.

Course if you are a "Therapist"... offering a Free Session may also work.

Click to expand...

Good call Blair, I'm LMFAO.. I wish every one could be friendly and have respect for the waters they are fishing and for their fellow fishermen.

Alfie.

grubman said:

Ha ha ....Blair I'll take #1 and #3 Thanks buddy....... :grin: I'll even let you catch the first fish.........lol

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No #2?? It can do wonders for your fishing game...

Dont worry us tense fisherman will loosen up once the rivers go from 300 fishermen to 30. Its just tough acting welcoming when your fishing a good hole with 5 guys walking past every 15 minutes. Ive said hello to groups numerous times and they end up stopping and crowding the spot I was fishing. I try to be as welcoming as possible without saying “hey come fish with me, I don’t mind!”. I wouldn’t say its anti-social its just some people don’t understand the concept of boundaries.

There is a whole subculture of fishermen out there who will say "the resource is here to be shared" and will have no problem standing right beside you and make a few drifts and wouldnt have a problem if you were to do the same to them. I personally do not subscribe to that philosophy and never impede on someones drift.

No one ever says hi to me... :cry:

I just saw this on CP24, American hunter banned 3 years from Canada for cruely to duck. The CO need to start doing that to poachers, and people with serious offences. They are just looking to fine but what good is that going to do? The chances of the CO running into that same person again is probably 1 in a million or billion. Ont needs more COs, they have way too much shore line to cover.

Ive only ever been carded by a co once in the years that I have been fishing. The problem is that the majority of the population does not see angling and hunting regulations as a serious issue and dont see a need to allocate taxpayer money to that purpose. I dont see a drastic change in the number of CO's ever happening in my lifetime.