Well I call it chicken [censored], and your part of the problem, turning your cheek, cause you turn the cheek they are going to take advantage of it!

Scenario: a man fishing a stretch of bank, that he normally fishes, & a pro pulls up to fish it also.
1. 2 sides of the coin, why should the man fishing pull up & leave to let the pro have it? He fishes there regularly. If a fan starts to complain to that man about him needing to leave, isn't that also harassment of a fisherman that is legally fishing on public water?
2. Remember, that coin has 2 sides & the everyday Joe has rights also.
Personally, I WOULD 1: pull up & let the pro have it because I DO love to watch the pros at work. 2:if I wanted to fish, 3: I'd DEFINATELY pick a different lake for that day, because I do follow the pro's to observe & wouldn't want to interfere with their paycheck in any way.
It's very important to remember , not every fisherman follows, or even cares, about the Big Trail fishermen. Very touchy issue & I wish it weren't that way, but , it is.

So what if you pull in BEHIND the pro? Is that against the rule too? I would get enjoyment pulling behind one and catching a fish.

Still public water and the only rule is you can't fish within like a 100 yards of a boat with a anchor down.

There is no such law in Texas.

1)you don't know me or anything about me. 2)betting the odds are pretty good that you wouldn't call me chick**** to my face. 3) There is no winning this argument but I will offer this......
I'm not going to say something to someone who has not broken a law just because he fishes in front of some pro. Not my place, nor is it yours. How do you know how he is going to react to this affront? Most everyone on this board has made the comment that it's not worth coming to blows over. IF you do feel that way, you are considered some sort of degenerate or caveman.
It has been suggested to take photos and post them to publicly humiliate them.......Really? The guys in question are posting on social media about their actions and showing the fish. What can be done to embarrass them?
Remember, in our eyes they are committing a social gaffe or unethical action. In their eyes, they are heroes and legends in their own mind. They STILL have not broken a LAW.

I'm involved in a lot of youth activities. You want to change things? Get involved with kids or people who are just getting into the sport and educate them. Show them how you should act and teach them the things that will stop them from being the butt of a joke on a fishing forum...

Can I get a slow clap? That's good stuff. Keeping it classy and thoughtful while standing your ground. Well done duck.

This.

Im with duck on this one.

I think what some people are forgetting is there is a law for harassing a person who is not breaking the law.While it is poor sportsmanship it is not against the law to fish close to someone.

What harassment? Fishing a spot after someone else left it?

Good luck on getting that law enforced.

Many laws on the books, only a few get enforced............

The reason there are DIU checkpoints is because drinking and driving is illegal. There is no way to logically compare that and proximity to another angler. One is illegal and one isn't, and there's no reason to get government involved in areas where no laws are being broken or at risk of being broken.

There is probably no way to fix this unless TPWD makes the water off-limits for non-tournament boaters on tournament days or at least off-limits to any fishing. That would allow spectator boats, but would eliminate any risks of people fishing an area before the tournament angler gets there. Downside of course is that you might head to the lake having no idea a tournament is there and be turned away. If we got used to seeing a list of off-limits lakes and dates on January 1 of each year, it might be easy to adjust and not worry about wasting your time. Just a thought. If it was only done for WM FLW Tour & BASS events or anything else at that level, it wouldn't make very many lakes off-limits, and it would only be a few days a year.

The name-calling and fat jokes for folks you've never met is a bit over the top. This is a public forum. I see those as the internet equivalent of hole-jumping. Unnecessary and unproductive.

why should they close down a lake paid for with tax $ for a tournament when most people fishing that lake don't even care about the tournament
I will give the pros as much respect as I give any other fisherman