Camping / Fishing etiquette question

[lugoismad]

A campground near us has a really nice fishing spot located behind some of the sites.

I really enjoy camping there, because I can have a few drinks with dinner and walk right down to the lake and not have to worry about driving.

Heres my issue - There isn't a lot of shore line that I can access from my site. And pretty frequently, I'll go down there to find a boat or two of people fishing to where I can't comfortably fish from shore without worrying about crossing lines or something.

Sometimes they are cool and leave, sometimes they are dicks about it.

I really want to be like "WTF, I have this one spot I can fish from my campsite, you have a boat and a 10,000 acre lake. Go piss off somewhere else."

Whats your take on this?

 

[bigronw1955]

Having grown up on the water, it has tried to kill me several times, so we only fish from the bank. We have found that boat fishermen usually move on pretty quickly unless there are a bunch of fish there.

I have had issues with fellow bank fishermen trying to fish "my area" so this is how I handle them. I continue to fish my area. If we tangle, and they want to make a fuss, the knife cuts their line loose for them. They seem to get the message. I suspect the boaters would do the same, so I say, fish your waters, tangle if you must, and cut them loose.

Fish On and Pop Up!

 

[lugoismad]

Having grown up on the water, it has tried to kill me several times, so we only fish from the bank. We have found that boat fishermen usually move on pretty quickly unless there are a bunch of fish there.

Yeah, generally if there is a boat there, we can both fish it with no issues. Actually, yesterday a couple in a boat helped rescue a really nice chartreuse perch lure I'd been doing really well on, then lost in some rocks. It floated to the surface, and they grabbed it and threw it up on shore for me.

But sometimes, they can be real jerks. Went down there another time yesterday, and a dude in a big bass boat was trolling back and forth, and cursed when I showed up and started fishing from the bank, a good distance from him. I could have just barely hit his boat if I'd let loose with a long cast with a heavy lure, so there was no reason we couldn't both be there. After I got down there, he let off a string of cursing, fired his engine up and blasted out of there at full speed. Thanks man, really appreciated you scaring all the fish off.

I have had issues with fellow bank fishermen trying to fish "my area" so this is how I handle them. I continue to fish my area. If we tangle, and they want to make a fuss, the knife cuts their line loose for them. They seem to get the message. I suspect the boaters would do the same, so I say, fish your waters, tangle if you must, and cut them loose.

Fish On and Pop Up!

Oh yeah, for sure, that drives me nuts. I go to a local lake for catfishing, and it seems like the entire lake could be empty except me, and if someone else shows up, they want to setup 10 yards from me. Whats the deal with that?

 

[eprovenzano]

lugoismad maybe you just attract more fisherman, then fish...

 

[Customer]

A campground near us has a really nice fishing spot located behind some of the sites....There isn't a lot of shore line that I can access from my site. And pretty frequently, I'll go down there to find a boat or two of people fishing to where I can't comfortably fish from shore....I really want to be like "WTF, I have this one spot I can fish from my campsite, you have a boat and a 10,000 acre lake. Go piss off somewhere else."

Whats your take on this?

You rented a camp site, you didn't rent the lake. Your site ends where the water begins.

 

[tenttrailer]

I don't think either people have an executive right to the spot. You either play well with other or you move on. But if it's a good spot you are going to have to share just like the two boats are sharing and not crossing lines. That is just part of fishing.

 

[xshield]

I go to a local lake for catfishing, and it seems like the entire lake could be empty except me, and if someone else shows up, they want to setup 10 yards from me. Whats the deal with that?

You and I must carry the same lucky rabbit's foot! I usually just do my thing and fish the way I normally would. We camp at a few sites that have close access to the river...some even have a dock. I don't let the boats or others discourage my fishing. I usually try to be mindful of others when fishing (I won't get near them if they're there first) but if I already staked claim in what I consider my spot...they can either deal with me or leave.

 

[Strut]

Boat or no boat, if they were their first, you should move on. I'd never fish where my line could get tangled with another's, and I'd be pissed if someone invaded my space where I'd have to fish around them.

 

[Detroit_Iron]

One of my "go to" CG's is like that and we always get a site on the water so we can fish from our site. BUT there is a sign on all the waterfront site that says something like "no camping beyond this point" about 15 feet before the water. So that's where the site ends and from that sign to the water is fair game for anyone to use or walk through. Never really an issue with boaters on the water but more of other campers that "beach" their rented canoes and kayaks and leave them there while they go eat lunch or something. There not breaking any rules by doing that and I understand that we "share" the waterfront so if there's a problem I grab my mini cooler of beer and walk down to another spot

 

[nfisherman]

I agree with Strut. It's not whether you have a boat or not, it's who was there first. I have a boat and I try to be considerate of people fishing from shore. If I'm trolling the shoreline, I'll cut a wide at around someone fishing from shore. On the other hand, if I'm anchored and fishing a spot near shore, I don't think I have to move just because someone wants to fish there from the shore.

...and now to start the flames, some of the rudest boat fishermen I've seen are bassholes that fish tournaments. I've been cursed at, threatened and nearly run over because some jerk in an $80,000 boat wanted to fish a spot during a tournament and I happened to be there. There was no one there when I started fishing. Some of these clowns think they own the lake during a tournament because they're fishing for money and you're not.

 

[lugoismad]

...and now to start the flames, some of the rudest boat fishermen I've seen are bassholes that fish tournaments. I've been cursed at, threatened and nearly run over because some jerk in an $80,000 boat wanted to fish a spot during a tournament and I happened to be there. There was no one there when I started fishing. Some of these clowns think they own the lake during a tournament because they're fishing for money and you're not.

I have definitely noticed its the guys in the expensive bass boats are the ones that get pissy that you showed up, and the guys in the jon boats and kayaks that will strike up a conversation with you and be friendly.

 

[lugoismad]

Never really an issue with boaters on the water but more of other campers that "beach" their rented canoes and kayaks and leave them there while they go eat lunch or something.

Oh yeah, this is something that makes me mad. Same lake, previous time we were there. Again, paid extra for a site near the water. Dude camping not near the water decides instead of trailering his huge pontoon boat, he'll park it sideways right in front of prime fishing area. Plenty of other places he could have beached his boat, but this dude did it right over a nice drop off that I had been pulling a bunch of crappies out of.

I didn't say anything, but grrrrr...I really wanted to!

 

[Nandy]

I have a boat and also fish from the shore time to time.
As a boater I tend to fish away from everyone.
As a shore fisherman I try not to fish where someone else is already fishing.
Sometimes I find it hard to do the above specially when such places are my favorite places and consistently produce fish.

We all need to learn to share, in general, it dont matter if you are on shore or in a boat, whoever was there first should be able to share and if you are not the first one consider moving on until the spot is clear.

 

[Jayko]

Who was there first?

Ya seem a bit upset.

 

[flytyer]

It always amused me that boat fishermen cast as close to shore as possible. Shore fishermen cast as far out as they can.

 

[lugoismad]

It always amused me that boat fishermen cast as close to shore as possible. Shore fishermen cast as far out as they can.

Depends on the type of fishing I'm doing.

For crappie, yeah, I try to get out as far as I can so its deeper.

For bass, I cast along the shore and try to keep my lure 3-4 feet from the shore line.

 

[generok]

Up here, combat fishing is the norm. You learn to cast WITH the group and with absolute precision. So, once everybody gets their drift going, it all works out. There's no reason why two boats and one person can't share the same patch of water and do so successfully without crossing lines.