Well I have been in a confrontation while fly fishing. In June, in Knapp, Wisconsin I met what has been called a cheeseheaded FEEB.

It is a fisherpersons right to wade in all waters of Wisconsin if you keep your feet wet you are on public property.

Just 2 years ago I was fishing a small spring creek when I noticed movement to my right. It was a thirty-ish male walking up to the bank with a shotgun. I spoke to him and appologized for having disturbed him in whatever endeaver he was engaged. There is no open hunting season of any species in WI in June. This turkey would not respond to my sincere appology and promptly walked to a bend in the stream to have himself silhoetted against the sun. I made a few more queries. Were you hunting? Hunting invasive varmints? Again he gave no response. I finally asked if he could speak.

He responded with one word, "Trespassin".

I succinctly explained that while holding a valid fishing lisence and by keeping within the stream bank that my activity was fully within the law and indeed it was my right to be there.

He then chambered a shell and held the gun upward with the stock on his thigh. He suggested that he would call the sheriff. I welcomed this suggestion and told him that if he didn't unload and put down his weapon I would call the sheriff.

Then he started throwing rocks into the stream ahead of me in an effort to frighten the fish. I caught fish right in front of him in spite of his harrassment. (Harrassment of anglers is an offense in WI.)

He finally disappeared. It was getting late so I turned down stream and planned to fish nymphs on my way out. Near the bridge where I had parked this guy had built a fence accross the stream to impead my egress.
He was lurking in the brush with his shotgun and exclaimed,"Now I gotcha! Ya gotta get outta the water now!".

Well, the law allows for an angler to walk on dry land to bypass an obstacle. I wasn't going to push this issue any further. I simply pushed the barbed wire down and stepped over it and went on my merry way whistling the theme song from Deliverance. He didn't understand the sarcasm.

The next day I called both the sheriff and the DNR warden and both of them had a little talk with him.

Afterwards I found myself quite unsettled, fearful even. I am either very brave or very stupid to have even tried to rationally communicate with this dangerous idiot. After the officers assured me that this behavior would not happen again I was tempted to return to the same stream again. Fear has kept me from venturing anywhere near that stream again. I even thought about going back carrying my revolver.

This guy still angers me because he has cowed me from ever fishing that stream again even though it is my legal right to do so. I hate to think of how many people he has terrorized. It really speaks badly of the people of my home state.

Well, do you all think I was crazy, brave or stupid? What would you have done? I keep thinking that I dodged a bullet.