Combat Fishing Etiquette Revisited!!

[jens]

River anglers, let's help out the inexperienced or even experienced and post up some advice what one should do or avoid when going to a combat fishing river. :bounce:

CASTING ORDER-
A pet peeve, but this one irks me the most. CAST AFTER THE GUY/GAL BELOW YOU CASTS. This person will be downriver from you. Let them cast first. There, simple. Again, CAST AFTER THE GUY/GAL BELOW YOU CASTS.

All you need is one person to cast when they feel like it to mess up the entire drift.
Don't be this person...

There are a bunch more, so guys/gals chime in....

[curado]

no low holing. ask to fish below some one. dont just run in aand set up shop. veteran fishermen hate this. and i do to

[cogitator]

no low holing. ask to fish below some one. dont just run in aand set up shop. veteran fishermen hate this. and i do to

Explain this one a little more precisely. The way you have stated it, no one should fish a hole if you are fishing at the top of it.
Just how far down stream do I have to get before I can fish. Or do I have to fish off of your upstream shoulder?
Fishing on very popular rivers requires a forgiving attitude.
I usually try to get to the hole before it gets crowded and put myself in the position to drift, what I believe will be the most productive water. Knowing full well that there will be fishermen on either side of me as the sleep-in crowd arrives.
I don't get upset if someone fishes below me as long as they remember Jen's suggestion.

[flinginpooh]

How about even if you know casting order, know how to control your cast. Alot of people seem to drift there line through the air anywhere they want. Even if this is your turn its wrong to cast over peoples lines.

[nickbell]

This thread is a great idea. Im new to river fishing. We need more threads like this to help out newbies in the river section

[jens]

no low holing. ask to fish below some one. dont just run in aand set up shop. veteran fishermen hate this. and i do to

Explain this one a little more precisely. The way you have stated it, no one should fish a hole if you are fishing at the top of it.
Just how far down stream do I have to get before I can fish. Or do I have to fish off of your upstream shoulder?
Fishing on very popular rivers requires a forgiving attitude.
I usually try to get to the hole before it gets crowded and put myself in the position to drift, what I believe will be the most productive water. Knowing full well that there will be fishermen on either side of me as the sleep-in crowd arrives.
I don't get upset if someone fishes below me as long as they remember Jen's suggestion.

Good point. So maybe this might paint a picture and this happened actually this morning to me. Me and another old timer are fishing a stretch of the Notellum. I am fishing bobber/jig, the old timer drifting ez eggs. We have about 50 yards between us. A perfect drift, we don't even come close to casting over each others lines and I am able to drift pretty far down but out of his casting distance. Anyways, a guy approaches the drift and from below me walks all the way out to the seam I am pounding thrashing the water as he settles in. Any fish that were there (and none were this morning) would have fled. I really wouldn't have minded this, but he knew how I was fishing, it would have been better if he would have gone above me, trust me he had about 25 yards of free room.

But I do see what you are trying to say. When it is elbow to elbow, I guess you have to see who is the most friendliest and simply ask if you don't mind jumping in. I think though when it is that tight quartered, low holing is inevitiable.

[Shad_Eating_Grin]

stay away from the combat areas

[Shane]

I hate when people cast 50feet upstrem so everyone has to what for there line to drift. A couple of feet is all right but when there casting past 10 15 people upstrem that gets a lil annoying.

[sickbayer]

Thank god i troll after reading this post.

[rjn cajun]

Combat fishing????:rambo: I think you guy`s are all crazy. No offense. I know there is only certain pools on the rivers and alot more fisherman then fish but half the reason I fish is to relax and enjoy the lake,friends,river,outdoors whatever. I just call this plain nuts. How many of you guy`s witness fights? I see you guy`s on the puyallup when I go over the bridge or down river road. Like I said nut`s. But determined. I bass fish four to five times a week and still can`t get my lure where I want it sometimes. i can`t imagine 40 people all with in a 100yrds of me.

[bionic_one]

Real Combat Fishing

[chefjake99]

stay away from the combat areas

For us bankies that at times is more difficult than said at times, that is if you want to actually have a shot at catching fish. I fish the Sky a lot and there is no doubt that there are spots that hold fish other than reiter. However due to private lands and the way the river is laid out a guy without a boat either cant get to those spots or you cant fish them correctly from the bank to actually catch fish. Don't get me wrong I too go fishing to enjoy myself and relax but I also go to catch fish. In the summer time when the water is low and clear the fish shoot straight up to the hatchery so thats where people fish. Now with all that being said I can go to a combat zone and still have a good time. If its getting out of control I will either laugh to myself and just enjoy the comedy or if Im not in the mood I will leave and go somewhere else. I will say this though, and it happens often at reiter and is a major pet peeve of mine. There is usually drifters and floaters on the same side. Following casting order, when the guy upriver is drifting and the guy down river is floating the guy downriver has to look before casting up river. I have on several occasions been on the upriver side drifting and the guy downriver is using floats doesnt look and casts right over the top of me guaranteeing a tangled mess. All I ask is just a little courtesy and at least take a glance:cyclopsan before heaving it upriver past four guys. Most of the time I can go to these places and still have a good time and catch fish but hey there always seems to be an a-hole somewhere.

[salmonslayer117]

If you see someone with a fish on, pull out ASAP. It's only common courtesy if it's comin' your way. After all, isn't that what we're all there for. Other than that just try to get along with those around you and have fun. That's what counts and hey, you might even meet some really great people. There always seems to be an a-hole out there no matter where you go and you can usually spot 'em pretty quick. Try to keep your distance. That's what I do.

[jens]

Good points Chef and Salmonslayer. When I first found the Notellum, there was 8 drifters fishing. Common sense would have told me a float guy should go somewhere else. I simply asked everyone if I could fish the closer seam since everyone else was casting much further than I would be. Anyways, everyone was cool with me there and we were all in unison. I probably wouldn't have made any friends if I just showed up and started casting. I knew the fish were in closer, so leaving with my limit earned respect and taught a couple guys another way of catching Metal.

I sure would not want to be that guy/gal who continues to fish while fighting a pig only to see that fish run right into that line drifting. I see it happen, so as salmonslayer points, reel in your line.

[bionic_one]

If someone has a fish on, and the fish swims towards you, MOVE. They can't tell the fish where to go, and as soon as that line hits your legs, that fish is off the hook.

I'M LOOKING AT YOU ESL PUYALLUP SNAGGER! You're one of us, a little different (read: annoying)

[racfish]

I couldnt agree more then what all you are saying. What we need to do is write up some rules in 7 different languages and 92 different dialects from 110 foriegn countries and then just maybe then it would work. Unfortunately some of the worse are english speaking Americans.

[returnofthefish]

It was nuts on the Puyallup last year. I was on a strech where people from opposite banks were drifting all over each other. There were a few guys using huge hooks, probably 3/0 of something. They were snagging left and right. Me and a few other guys were yelling them to release the fish. There was also alot off line tangles from all the lines from both banks. My line line gets tangled with someone from the opposite bank. He had barb hooks on a barbless river. All the guys next to me told me to cut his line and I did. It felt good cutting his line. All of the yelling between piss off guys was funny to watch too.

[jens]

If you are hung up, try a couple tugs and if it doesn't come free, just break off.

[reigndawgs]

stay away from the combat areas

That's my solution too.

[racfish]

Return you remind me of sockeye fishing. I didnt have downriggers in years past so I stayed pretty clear of most boats and had to long line it.I had one boat who asked me where were my DR's. I said I didnt have any so hed cross my stern on purpose trying to prove his point. I thought he was a rude guy in a C-Dory.so when i know he was doing this to me I let out more line and set my hooks hard tripping all his DR's . I have to admit I enjoyed it very much watching them fight fish (really my gear).When we got it all up 4 lines were totally tangled. Hehehe. I know I was being vindictive but I couldnt help myself.Same thing happens in the rivers. Everyone dictates what the Real(hahaha)rules should be.