there have been a lot of threads lately about guys moving in on someone, or cutting someone off. I believe its all about being polite.
i dont want to play devil's advocate but lets face it, a lot of anglers have only a couple of weekends to practice (or days before the event), they are 4 hours away from the house, and you just gotta do what you gotta do with your time on the water. and if you're dedicating your day to a particualar section of the lake or creek.. for example if someone needs to spend practice time on the dam early one morning and they aren't the first one's there, i beleive they have every right to squeeze in and find a place to practice, but it seems like a lot of TFFers expect that person to just leave and come back later or, and this is a good one, "go find their own fish someone is already fishing that spot". that is nonsense...
I believe if you are courtious, make sure the other angler isn't fishing a tournament (let em have the spot if they are), dont binocular eye the other boat, and just go about practicing how you practice; then there is nothing wrong with moving in behind someone or 100 yards ahead of them, same strecth of docks, or rip rap, island/hump/pilings, ect.
what do ya'll think

I'm always curious on what the fish are biting

Having limited time to practice or fish does not give you permission to move in or cut someone off! Period! A lot of the posts on here are reffering to people who move in within casting distance on another fishermans who is aleady fishing there. If I am fishing a spot and you idle up and I can hit your boat or our lines get tangled.. YOU ARE TOOOO CLOSE!!!

I think you're WRONG! What do you think because you "need to practice in an area" I should give up my spot where I'm sitting and catching fish?

Or if I'm moving down a shoreline with my tm on you're really gonna move in front of me?

I could care less what you're practicing for. Common courtesy is just that and it shouldn't get suspended for tournaments, practice or fun fishing.

I've had people come in on me and politely ask, hey man, is it ok if we go that way? Or which direction are you woking, etc. Communication is the key.


Frankly your weekend tournament fisherman mentality is what causes most of these problems. Now if it was the Classic or a BIG professional event, I wouldn't even be on the water, at least not fishing. Otherwise, I'm going to hold my ground or just leave and go find some more of YOUR fish.

i think you have missed my point, what I am saying IS exactly what you are saying. I'm not asking you to move or leave. But I to, just like you, am going to fight for my water. Im not going to just give a 100 yard stretch of docks b/c you are already there, nor will i ask you to leave, but i will go far enough down and, depending on the wind, turn around and come right back on the same stretch (this is just an example of course)

Flek....your not really saying the same thing. If your going to "squeeze" in front of someone then you are wrong bro. Tourney or not it's disrespectful. Because you have a tournament you have a right to that spot over someone else? If you are within casting distance then you are entirely to close.

It's not "your" water. Yes, I would expect you to leave. I do, I NEVER have and never will run up on another fisherman if he's on "my" spot whether I need the practice or not.

2 weeks ago I was headed for my favorite hump on Tyler, unloaded a Jon boat with a little 25hp motor and headed out. Another guy was behind me at the ramp in his yellow/white skeeter and about halfway there he passed me because I can't exactly run to a hole when it's the little boat instead of my TR20. When I finally make it there, he's on the hump and already pulling fish in. What do I do? Go to the other side and fish some grass for a while and then go looking for other spots. I don't care why or how he got there first, I'm not crowding his spot because he got there first. That's just life.

You must be the guy who came in in front of me dropped his T/motor and started lookin for bed fish,stirrin up the bottom as you went down the bank in front of me.If you sre Im sure you remember what I told you and it still goes.

for 1, squeeze may have been the wrong word. Im talking (and again for example) if i have a boat one end of a mile long dam, a boat on the other, both headed toward the middle, you can bet Im going dead center of the dam and picking a direction to go. (that would tick off a lot of ppl, when there is nothing wrong with it).
2. on the tournament side of things, most tournaments have a 25 yard trolling motor/anchor down rule. i know i can cast longer 25 than yards. so dont say catsing distance is to close

So I take it you've had quite a few "encounters" with angry fishermen?

In that case the proper thing to do is lay your pole down when you aproach his boat and go around him W/trollmotor on the outside not crouding him as you pass then contiue fishing on down the dam.How hard can that be.

yes. anybody who says anything on the forum ppl dont agree with is probably "that guy who did that bad thing on the water once, who you are going to do that bad thing to next time you see them"

get off the high horse

I dont think anybody would agree with what you posted and you should realize that is exactly what good fishermen look down on.

If you go 100 yards behind me and start I probably won't care. If you cut 100 yards in front of me that's cutting me off from the direction I am fishing. If you observe me fishing a ledge back and forth that is 40 yards long and come jump on one end then that's cutting me off. If I have marked a spot with a bouy marker and am less than 30 yards from it and you pull up around the marker you are cutting me off. I can cast that far so I am still fishing my bouy.
Show some courtesy, I know the rules state 50 feet but that is only a minimum distance, almost all fishermen I know won't move in on another fisherman, but some guys see the pro's do it and think that is the way to fish. I will say something to you in these situations.