From reading my post about Etiquette on the water. Sounds like some ego's need to be checked. If your a tournament angler please don't be going though people fishing for stripper, sandy or anything. We all need to be considerate of others.

In my last post about Etiquette, I don't care if I was in a tourney or not. It is wrong for anyone tournament fishing or just having fun to cut anyone off. If you want to fish the area just get behind the person there. If you mean to get jump in front of someone ask politely if it is OK. Yes, I got upset not because I was in a tournament. It was because it is just rude to do it to anyone. Everyone needs to step back and ask themself how I would feel if they did that to me. I am not going to read the post responce after this post because I'm sure they will not be some responces. But we all need to enjoy the time on the water and have fun.

I tournament fish and I totally agree with you.

Just to clear things up, I wasnt implying that you got made because you were in a tourny. I totally understand what you are saying and am sorry if you thought my comments were aimed at you in paticular. I was only makeing a generalization about one of the effects of so many tournaments.

You are right, I agree that what they guy did to you was wrong regardless of the situation.

It just upsets me to always hear so many people talk about being polite on the water, and then go to the lake and be cut off left and right, buzzed by constant wakes, and whatever else. It seems that everybody agrees with the theory of good boating ettiqutte, but very few actually practice it.

I think that if people would just calm down, than things would be better. That is why I think tournys are to blame. People are too jacked up out there and dont care if they ruin and father and son's time.

Again, sorry if I upset you but I wasnt trying to aim anything at you directly, my comments were general.

OK, let me pose this etiquette question:
My partner and I are fishing down the West bank of a small creek. We are about 100 yards into the creek fishing a secondary point. If we go another 50 yards, the creek is grassed over, so we cannot fish any further into the creek. Another boat is fishing the opposite side (east bank), on the main point. We cross over to the other side (east side) and fish our way out, as the other boat is still on the main point. Did we commit a breach of etiquette? Consider this, just as we work our way out to the point where we are about a good long cast from the other boat, my partner, fishing out of the front of the boat, catches a keeper.
Now, this was not a tournament, and the other boat never went into the creek. They just fired their big motor up and left.
By the way, we were the first boat to that creek that morning, at daylight.

I fly a flag that reads "I'm in a tournament, get out of my way"

KingWR,..if he's not moving I'd say you're good, I'd give him more than a long cast, say 20-30 yrds or so,..

It won't make much difference with the economy going the way it is, we will all be fishing off the bank if we get to fish at all.

The way I saw it was that if those guys wanted to fish into the creek, they would have moved in on the opposite side from us. They stayed on the point as we worked into the creek. Therefore, we assumed they had no intention of fishing the creek, but just wanted to fish the point. It was kind of funny, because when my partner caught the fish, one of the guys in the other boat started clapping. When we came off the water and went back to my place, it turned out that these guys were staying with my neighbor!!

No matter what you do everyone has different ideas of what is ok on thw water. I have been on all sides of this. The best thing i can tell you you is to never get upset about it. Once it upsets you it ruins your day, and usually your fishing.

If 50 yards (150ft) is the rule, then 100's of fisherman and recreational boaters have violated my personal water space just this year. And I have vialoted their space too.

I think the distance between boats depends on the size of the lake. On Falcon or Amistad, for example, there is so much productive water to fish there's no excuse to be crowding others. If on the other hand you're on Fayette, people need to be more willing to share a bank.

I agree with the last two post.

Depends on the fishing methods too. You get on a flipping bite (maximum cast 10') on some grass flats and boats will be elbow to elbow, but if your rigging or crankin (maximum cast...long ways) it just not possible to get that close.

I always give the tournament angler room if I prefishing or pleasure fishing...no matter the size of tournament. I might learn something if I sit back and watch....but please do the same when I'm fishing a tournament.

On Rayburn there is always a tournament going on...That said, it's also a big enough lake to fish with multiple tournaments going on. I've had just about everything in the world happen to me regarding getting cut off, etc., and quite frankly, I pretty much fish wherever I want, depending on the etiquette of others around me. I was fishing between the main point and secondary point I mentioned above one time, and had a guy and girl come in right in front of me and start fishing not 20 yards in front of me on the secondary point. I just continued to fish right up to them, then around them and cut them off to the other side. The guy knew what I was doing and didn't say a word, just as I did not say a word when he did it.
On the other hand, I've had guys come into the same little creek that were obviously fishing a tournament, and go all the way to the back of the creek and work their way out. When that happens, I just stay on the opposite bank from them.

The thing that makes me the maddest of all is that bass fisherman in general think they are #1 when it comes to priority.

Just because someone is kayaking(I dang near got run over on Gibbons by a boat that stopped to fish in front of me so close I could have nailed him with anything I had tied on), catfishing, crappie fishing, bream fishing, bankfishing or whatever the rules of etiquette still apply.

I bass fish mainly, but I've come across more rude boaters while trying to bass fish out of my yak than I have in 10 years of fishing from my bass boat.

Anytime you put money on the line, people are going to throw etiquette out the window.

Hell, last weekend at the comal river cleanup. People were cheating, by taking trash out of park trash cans and not the river. All for a freakin T-shirt.

So, knowing that people will cheat for a t-shirt, does not leave much hope for etiquette in tournament fishing.

I have been tournament bass fishing since i was 3 years old, I am now 28. In my 25 years I have seen it all and some I never want to see again.

In the past 6 years i think it has become ten fold worse than it ever has been. Most of that is due to the publicity of BASS and ESPN. It has attracted a entirely new breed of angler to our sport. It no longer just the "good ol boys".

You add the fact that tournament trails have better payouts, and you have a perfect recipe for breeding new state of the art worthless anglers who bring nothing good to our sport.

MeSkeeter said it all, everyone should try and practice what they preach and show a little respect for their fellow anglers, be from a bass boat or a float tube.

Yep, it’s all the tournament folks fault, no one but a tournament angler is pushy or rude….ever. And since there is money involved not one of the tournament anglers has the ingrained ethics to not cheat or steal or even take your lollypop. My god these folks will do anything for a few bucks or a sweet treat!
For that matter all the really good trails made the tournament participants sign a form that makes them promise to-

1. Be just as rude as possible while on the water, especially to those not in the tournament.

2. Drive right over every school of fish they can find, not catch them, just drive through the middle of them so it ruins the fishing for others

3. Rape, pillage and then burn- in that order.

4. Steal your fishing spot, siphon your gas, or just go ahead and take your woman or man depending on what we need at that moment in time.

5. Get on and off the ramp quickly but safely.


Pleeeease! Give me a break. Such drivel of the likes I have never seen or heard.
Has fishing changed?....yes.
Is it due just to tournament fishing?...no.
Is it due to the overall change in our society and the way we treat each other everywhere and not just while fishing?...come on...this is really a no-brainer...think it through...almost there...yes, yes it is.
TA-DAAAA!!! Good job pilgrim! Where are those gold stars cause I need to put one next to your name!

I fish for pleasure and am sure I have more money invested in boat/gear than the average club angler. I live between Ray Roberts and Texoma. I moved there to fish in my off-time. I buy annual park passes, state license, Texoma license and pay a large tax bill in the county RR resides. I have no more or less right to the lake than anyone else.

I fish mainly on weekdays... and avoid the lake on the weekend if I know there is a tournament. I do sometimes go down and watch the circus at the ramp. If I am lucky, a couple of "weekender" tournament anglers will have a falling out over this or that and beat on each other or roll around in the dirt.

Who is the weekender exactly?

BTW... the fish seem to bite a lot better during the week.

Mr. Wolfe, not all tourny anglers are rude or think they have more rights, but lets be honest; tournaments seem to bring these negitive things out in people because they get way too excited. I fish both tournaments and for fun and have seen this first hand. I will tell you that I will not even fish choke canyon when there is a fairly large tournament, or multiple club tournys going on because of all the stuff that has happened. Instead, I just go to Mathis, unless I am in the tourny.

I dont know why, but people's personalities just change whenever a tournaments at stake. They get what I call, "KVD" disease or "Iconelli" syndrome!(lol) Regardless, most tourny fisherman are just way more hyped up on the water which makes for the perfect conditions to "pee" someone else off.

There have been occassions when I have driven all the way to the Choke boat ramp and then turned around and went back home to Mathis (lake CC) because I see the tourny guys lined up, honking their horns, and foaming at the mouth.(lol)

That being said, recreational anglers will do some wrong stuff too.

Also, I like how people touched on the issues of lake size and area population. When you go to certain lakes, you sometimes expect things to be crowded and everyone deals with it, however, if you are on a huge lake with little people, there is no reason for someone to get right on your jock!

To Huckleberry:

Dude, what is your problem? Flying a flag saying your in a tournament get out of my way. What a pompus A_s. I would ensure that I would ruin your day if I was pleasure fishing, I would make it my personal mission to constantly hound you because you sir give tournament anglers a bad name.

See ya on the lake, look for me!

I have fished quite a few years and see posts like this quite often. Tom you know I am a pretty easy going guy but also real competitive. It seems like when I first started bass fishing I fished with a lot of guys who taught you just how to block and protect area's you were fishing and everyone seemed to know the so called unwritten rules like Kingswood Ranger was speaking of and you had guys just acknowledge each other without any real altercations and go about their business of fishing. Maybe I haven't been on the lakes enough the last couple of years to see all of this type of aggretion but I have always used a simple philosophy of only getting as close to someone as I would have them get to me and have never had any real problems during the tournaments.

Not positive, but I think that was meant as a joke....

I agree you violate my space on a regular basis.....

do you have another one? mine is all but worn out. does yours have a single finger salute like mine?

who cares... just go fishing. I will pull in front of people and will give them plenty of room, or I will pull in behind them... depends on where I want to fish. The water is not there just for your use. As long as everyone has plenty of room to fish, cast, etc... Get over yourself.

Yes, same one. I heard they would be making a new version soon. They sell them at Pompus Arse Tournament Flags R Us" http://patfrus.com

Welcome to the forum! I'm glad I was able to provoke you to sign up!

Huckleberry
I am sure owning one in the past and seeing pictures of your Bullet now it would be pretty hard to read any flag or banner running 80+. Flags of any kind just don't hold up on those bad boys.

i use to fly the flag but now i have upgraded to the LED scrolling lights. bought from the same website.

My nominee for quote of the year!

Man, this is just the kind of mentality that can ruin fishing trips. Your whole line of thought is not only rude but a contradiction to itself, representing a "Me First" attitude. For example you say that you will pull in front of people, or behind them, DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU WANT TO FISH! Then in the next sentence you state that the water is not just for one persons use. When you make coments stating that you will pull in wherever you want it seems like you are the one that needs to realize that the water is there for everyone to enjoy. That means you should not pull up on people and ruin their time, and realize that you may have to go somewhere else if someone has already staked a claim.

Try this, instead of just pulling up on someone, ask them permission to ease on in,in an appropiate manner.

Man, the other day I had someone idel across 300yds of open water and go directly to the opposite side of an island that I was fishing. I was working my way west to east on the shorline of this island that may be 100 yds and this guy just came up and started doing the same thing from the opposite direction after I was already half way through with my pass. This is a one boat type of spot and the whole lake was empty. He actually casted a lure that hit my boat. I looked at him and asked if he was serious and he said, "Grow up, you dont own the water!" I was shocked and just left! He said he was already fishing there and I had 3 guys in the boat with me who all angerily watched him make the 300 yd journy to cut us off on a 100 yd stretch. The whole 300 yds he was not fishing, but intently traveling.

This guy was using the same mentality as you are using and it is not right. It is a me first mentality where you dont even realize how wrong you are because you are so focused on yourself. Yes, the water is there for everyone but all most follow a certain set of guidelines or no one would have a good time. Remember this!!

maybe TPWD will start handing out passes to certain areas of the lake.. you have to sign up to fish the area months in advance- then if you get caught out of the area they impound your boat and throw you in jail for a few weeks....

fish next to me, in front of me, behind me.... I dont care- just dont cast at the same dock I am, wait your turn. give me 25 yards away and I am happy. I keep my head down, and dont let them get in it. WAAAAYYYY to many folks out there to complain about sharing water nowadays...

These kind of threads are really starting to wear on me. Everyone KNOWS there is a correct way to act. Sitting on here bickering about it isnt becoming of an intelligent human being either. When push comes to shove: DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE OTHERS DO UNTO YOU. Keep that motto and I promise youll see alot of people treat you different. I have had ONE bad tournament experience and I realize it my fault. If someone "wrongs" you. Be polite about it, work it out, and move on.

and if I see any of you a holes on one of my spots tomorrow, ill make sure you get sprayed by the rooster tail when Im passing.

A few weeks ago at EML friday tourney. A Dude in a skeeter came along troling for sandies with his girlfriend in the boat.
He passed between me and the bank and I was only 25yds from the bank.If I had a skull and cross bones flag I would have put it up right then and considered number 4 on your list Mark.It not always tournanent anglers.

skeeterronnie may be on to something. seperate the lake into individual fishing "holes" like the bass megabucks or such. say divide lake fork into 24 areas. and then auction off "times" they can be fished. silent auction with 50 percent of the money going to a charity voted on by the anglers and 50 percent to TPW. the wave of the future.

SkeeterRonnie, though I think you are a good dude, and typically mean well; I think the way that people act on the water is way to big a problem to so easily dismiss the way that you do. If it wasnt, then it wouldnt be brought up by so many people.

Yes, there are many lakes that are so crowded that one must assume he will be fishing along side others, however, there is a difference in shareing water and ruining others fishing with a Me First attitude. Also, I live down south where the lakes arent crowded at all and the rudeness is still there.

I dont even have to give examples, all you have to do is sit near the boat ramp at your local lake and you can see the problem.

TDR2, no, not everyone knows the correct way to act. If they did, you would not see all of these post by frustrated anglers, nor would I continuously get cut off, buzzed, and harrassed by people on the water. Luckily, I had a father who loved to fish and showed me how to treat others out on the water. However, in this age of divorce and everything else, many people do not have a role model to teach them how to act correctly. This is a major problem and if you dont see it then you are probably one of the ones causing it.