FLY FISHING ETTIQUETTE
Tom Travis covers some simple rules to live by. A must read for those starting out and a great reminder for the old timers.
FLY FISHING ETTIQUETTE - Eye of the guide - August 17, 2009
FLY FISHING ETTIQUETTE
Tom Travis covers some simple rules to live by. A must read for those starting out and a great reminder for the old timers.
Re: Fly Fishing Etiquette
Lots of good guide lines in this article. However, a person can't fish at any of the Missouri trout parks and be able to stay 100 feet away from all the other fly fishers. There are just too many of us out there at one time. One more reason (excuse) to do a Montana fishing trip.
Last edited by patglo; 08-18-2009 at 05:25 AM.
I really enjoyed the article. There is only one thing I think I would add. If you see me out there, stay out from behind me or instead of hungNtree I'll be called hungNfellowangler.or on second thought, maybe that shoulf be for another article on fly fishing safety.
Oh, and by the way, welcome to FAOL patglo!
hNt
"If we lie to the government, it's called a felony, when they lie to us, it's called politics." Bill Murray
Question of sharing?
I enjoyed the Fly fishing ettiquette article. However, I am concerned about when to offer advise on fly fishing. Many have offered advise as I was learning to fly fish in my 30's and I freely offer advise when asked. I also pass on a fly or two that are "hitting" to someone having a poor day as this has been for me in the past. Is this inapproporate? I always figured a little advise can be ignored or appreciated. Ron G.
Good article. I have some of my own opinions, however:
The personal space distance needs to vary with the water. Some waters, even in the west, are pretty crowded and distances between anglers can get very low. On the San Juan in New Mexico, for instance, your personal space is likely to be the water between you and the trout you are trying to catch, with people just above and below and across from you in the same run. On the other hand, if I am fishing a mountain stream here in Colorado, and get within a quarter mile of another angler, I might feel I am too close. And if I am on a big river, and no one else is fishing within sight of me, I feel that a hundred yards is too close if it is, say, two miles to the next angler. Split the difference between anglers not obviously fishing together and you will generally not be crowding someone. Don't fish in the same run as another angler unless there is no way that you are going to interfere with his fishing in the near future (for instance, if the river is 300 feet wide and you are on the other shore). Don't go into the river in front of someone who is obviously fishing in a specific direction.
I have a pet peeve about cigars and pipes on the water, as well. I do not smoke, and my father is chairbound and on oxygen because he smoked most of his life. I do not enjoy, AT ALL, the smell of tobacco smoke. So when the next guy on the water lights up his stogie and starts puffing clouds downwind at me, I get offended, and almost always leave. Basically, it ruins the pleasure I get by being out on the water in the (formerly) fresh air. Respect the feelings (and health) of the other people on the water.
As for offering advice, if I am fishing on a river and someone comes up and tells me "you ought to be...", or whips out a fly and says something like "This is the fly to use here!" I get really annoyed. If I want to know what fly you are using, I will ask, as politely as I can. If someone doesn't directly ASK for advice, I do not offer it, and I wish all others would show me the same courtesy. And I believe that any angler has the right to NOT tell what fly he is catching fish on, if he so desires.
And pick up your trash! Someday I am going to make someone EAT a beer can. *S*
Tight lines, and peaceful days on the water.
Dennis
Rant over
Unranting...then ranting.
Dennis,
I agree that Colorado waters allow for spacing, although it can get relative tight on the Frying Pan (say 60' apart) or at the hog trough on the Taylor.
But I disagree about telling what fly you are using.
If someone on the water is tearing them up and I'm getting skunked, I'm going to be grateful for unsolicited advice. I have even been given a fly by a fellow fisherman that saved my day.
On the other hand, what chaffes me royally is the guy that is tearing them up, not close to me, and refuses to let me in on the secret when I ask politely. I'm not asking for his first born, just the pattern that the fish are hitting. Not like I'm going to take his fish, either.
Chaffed too
One day on the Upper Sac i was really tearing them up...every cast brought
a trout or a missed take. An older than me guy about 100 ft downstream (he wasn't there when i slipped into the run) asked what i was using that i
was doing so well. I said a #16 BWO and he scoffed, said something like,'BWO, why would you use that'...first glance before he spoke said he was much more experienced and had been at flyfishing for a long time...i din't know what to say, but kept on bangin' good sized bows till i got bored and left. Din't see him get a thing. I would have happily shared my flies with
this guy but for his attitude.
So i can see getting chaffed...in either direction i guess. I look for more distance between me and the next guy, that way, unwanted convo is avoided. Had this happened yesterday rather than years ago, i'd just get out and let the intruder have the run. Lots more water passin' under the
bridge.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
Originally Posted by CoachBob
Bob,
Just because I reserve the right to refuse to say what is working does not mean I won't pass out flies if I am asked. Those on this board who have fished with me would, I hope, note my generosity in that and other regards. But I have been in situations where I have been catching fish, and guides have tried to get me to show them what was working so they could get their clients on fish. Now I have no objection to the clients catching fish (barring unseemly behavior on their part, another topic), but I do think that the guide ought to know what flies to be using without asking someone else, and I am not going to hand someone a fly so they can get a bigger tip at the end of the day.
I also think that part of the skill set for flyfishers ought to be figuring out what to use. When I am fishing in the middle of a PMD hatch, using a PMD, and someone comes up to me complaining they can't figure out what fly to use to catch fish on, my sympathy level is not going to be very high. This is not rocket science. Observation goes a long way towards success. Observation of a successful angler will usually let you know HOW they are catching fish (are they fishing closer to the bank, are they using nymphs, are they throwing upstream and across...?) and observation of the stream and what is coming off is likely to get you to the bug they are imitating.
While I feel that it is a good thing to help out others, I don't think that an angler is OBLIGATED to help other anglers reach a goal. I had to learn this sport the hard way through trial, error, tying my own flies, fishing my own spots, and I feel others should have to LEARN how to do it, rather than have it handed to them. I get to choose who to help down that path. If I show up on a river, do I automatically have to impart my knowledge to others who do not have it, just because I know something they don't? Is this communism? If I show up on a river and Joe Famous is fishing it, do I get to walk up and require him to show me what he is using because he is catching more fish? Heck no, I go my own way and figure it out on my own.
Dennis
Did I mention I have a dental appointment in two hours?
Dental (almost synonymous with....)
That explains it...and this might ease your anxiety....hopefully...i spent four hours in the dentist and hyenists chairs combined yesterday. Thanfully not continuous....got a couple hour break in between. Hope you can go fish after.
MontanaMoose
Different Approach
I don't want to start a rhubarb, but when I'm on the water I try to help everyone catch as many fish as possible. Most guides I've encountered are only interested in their clients and won't tell you diddly, but non-guided fishermen in Colorado, Texas, Louisiana and Florida (where I fish most) are generally very generous with information.
I don't see fishing as a contest and if I've figured out a secret I share it willingly.
Different strokes, I guess.
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