Pike Fishing Etiquette

[k1500guy]

Sunday Oct 14th I was fishing in a well know bay on CDA. I was one of the 1st boats in the area to fish. Not too long into my line I hook a Pike, as I’m fighting this fish and unhooking it a boat moves in on the area where I’m fighting the fish. As I’m unhooking the fish the gentleman get so close I could have stepped onto his boat. I wasn’t overly bothered as I know it’s not the only place that holds fish, but I’m annoyed. I continue to fish the weed line. The gentleman in the boat that cut me off starts throwing buoys out all over and anchors up and starts to bobber fish. 3 buoys and 2 bobbers are out now and they are also casting lures. Now they have what feels like a 100yard radius all around them blocked off. I say they drew first blood on not showing any etiquette so as I work the weed line back in I don’t go out of my way to give him a ton of room. So throughout the morning my fishing partner and myself hook fish around and away from him, he sees all fish caught. Fast forward to yesterday Oct. 19th we show up and the same boat pulls up right in front of us and proceeds to throughout buoys and this time he has 4 guys. So 4 bobbers and 4 people throwing lures. My wife and I start fishing the area and start hooking fish. As we decide to work around the boat with many obstacles around we are sure to stay on the outside of his bobbers and are not making casts at him or his bobbers. We hook about 4 or 5 fish around him. He finally can’t take it and starts to ask what were catching them on. I say a spinnerbait, he says what kind and I tell him white. He asks what size, what shape of blades, what color are the blades, etc. I smart off and ask if he just wants to reel my fish in for me. So he gets upset and says "I want you to get the Fu@k out of my fishing hole". I remind him of the way he cut me off the weekend before and told him I didn’t feel the need to show much etiquette either. A few minutes of back and forth arguing we give up and continue to fish. We give him space and the rest of the day I was bothered by the confrontation and sort of screwed up my day. I also was bummed to see this boat hook many fish and put them in the cooler as we enjoy catch and release.

Where this boat was setting, is in a corner that is known to stack up. To give him proper space of his 4 bobbers casted out as far as he could you would have to go at least 100 yards of him and away from any weeds.

So my long story here is more of a question on what would you do?

[Amx]

run over him

[harleypiker]

I feel your pain. I've had boats leave their dock and power past me about 30 feet away in a big, open bay--Mica. I've had a boat run over my casting line and snag my hook as they powered by. I waved frantically and they waved back at me marveling how friendly the fishermen were on Hayden Lake. I guess some city dudes are so used to passing each other six feet apart all day and living shoulder to shoulder that it carries over to their lake protocol.

[TrackerPro16]

There are dickheads on the roads and on the water. It has really gotten worse in the last 20 years or so. I thought about stringing some 40 or 50 lb line on a heavy pole with a heavy reel so I can cast across lines and snag 'em or put a heavy weight on and cast into the side of their boat but I thought about it and decided I would be dropping to their level of dickheadedness so bagged it. It Is Quite irritating at times though.

[The Quadfather]

I smart off and ask if he just wants to reel my fish in for me. So he gets upset and says "I want you to get the Fu@k out of my fishing hole". I remind him of the way he cut me off the weekend before and told him I didn’t feel the need to show much etiquette either. A few minutes of back and forth arguing we give up and continue to fish. We give him space and the rest of the day I was bothered by the confrontation and sort of screwed up my day. I also was bummed to see this boat hook many fish and put them in the cooler as we enjoy catch and release.

Where this boat was setting, is in a corner that is known to stack up. To give him proper space of his 4 bobbers casted out as far as he could you would have to go at least 100 yards of him and away from any weeds.

So my long story here is more of a question on what would you do?

I admire you for holding it together as long as you did, but truthfully I think you can only sort of help yourself by having the 'Steam release blow off' that you did, verbally. You aren't going to change jackassery, but at least you don't go home completely in a gut twisted mess. You got to tell him how you feel, and that is worth something. Too many times in my life I have turned the other cheek. Not saying to start drawing pistols, but get it off your chest anyway.
Hope your experience is better next time.

[AJ's Dad]

JUstin,
I believe the guy you are talking about is fishing out of a 20' blue Lund dual windshield boat. I first encountered him about 3 or 4 years ago. I would be fishing that stretch for two or three hours and he would show up around 10 or 11 oclock. He must have that spot marked with a gps way point. He would wait back as I fished through his favorite spot, then he would pull in and anchor up with those bouys and tie off to them. When they catch a larger fish they will unhook from the bouy and go to the fish. At first I would fish in a tight circle in his favorite area and end him off then move on, but he always goes right back in. I used to let it bother me but I to catch fish all around him and sometimes move on to another location. I finally had a couple of good conversations with him. He said he was a retired school teacher from the Harrison area and now lives in Libby Montana. He seems like a nice enough guy, and I decided that it's a free country and whoever anchors up in a spot first is the big winner for the day. I'm just not an anchoring kind of guy. I just keep fishing around him.