Etiquette - Doing the right thing

[charliethompson]

I am loving the irking thread although it's made my tummy feel a bit funny

I am a relatively inexperienced river trout angler and have been lucky enough only to have shared a bit of water once with other anglers (I have started thinking about the reason there are never any other anglers near and have matched this up with my catch rate and have come to a possible conclusion )- I am aware that I should be casting and moving anyway and also know that if I am sharing a stretch I should be a bit more conscientious about this and follow some kind of rule.

I am hoping to make a proper start towards Salmon and Sea Trout fishing next season, spurred by some first hand information which has eventually confirmed that the stretch of river I live 5 mins away from does hold Salmon and Sea Trout and is free to fish.

Just what are "The Rules" when sharing Salmon fishing? I'm the kind of chap that doesn't like to upset people and I'd spend most of my time holding the fishing hut door open and saying sorry to people for holding the door open in case they felt patronised. I'd appreciate your thoughts and opinions but am obviously expecting some hard and fast rules

I'm ok with the other stuff - I am dismayed by the rubbish left by anglers and regularly pick up other people's droppings, a few of us from another angling forum organised a clear up on a NE England pier a while back (Watchman wouldn't let us on as the sea was well away, gutted ;D)) I'm traditionally late for work but religiously early for the things I love doing. (Ask the wife )

I also tip what I can afford and carry a portable ashtray with my initials on bought for me by the mother in law (£2.50 from the pound shop)

Thanks in Advance

[tweedsider]

The main bone of contention on heavily fished club waters is the speed at which an angler fishes through a pool. Permits should have the recommended rate somewhere, ie two steps between casts or otherwise. Over wading is another sore point, just because you own chest waders it does not mean you have to wade up to the neck. In some circumstances you can actually fish from the bank. Once it was a tradition for bait anglers an spinners to give fly anglers precedence through a pool or lie, and might even form part of a beat's rules. You have already touched on litter, like you I find it a sore point idle sods who can carry full beer cans x miles but apparently are unable to transport the empties back the same distance. Always fish in a sporting manner and treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself.

Tweedsider

[John Gray]

Following on from the above, if several anglers arrive to fish a particular pool or stretch of water, the first to arrive will expect the right to fish the pool first, the others waiting their turn behind. When the first angler has moved down the pool a sufficient distance, at least thirty yards, then the next angler in line may begin, keeping a reasonable distance behind the first angler all the way down the pool. When an angler reaches the tail of the pool, he will either move on downstream to the next pool, following the same procedure, or move back to the top of the first pool and wait in line. If you arrive at a pool to find an angler fishing, you must never begin fishing that same pool downstream of that angler. If you wish to fish the next pool downstream, I would suggest you ask the first angler if he minds if you to fish the next pool, even if the beat rules allow you to do so.

[sinkingtip]

Hi Charlie - what John describes is perfectly correct, simply good manners and, as we all know, good manners and common courtesies are invariably what makes a good fishing companion and / or fellow fisher.
Usually it boils down to prior discussion and a lack of self interest ....... "Your bird !!".

ps - there are LOTS of other points regarding bankside etiquette which hopefully others will contribute eg. punctuality - assuming you are fishing as one of a party, mixed or otherwise.

[neptune]

i had the pleasure to reach a pool with an angler just over half way through after a brief conversation & the usual asking if ok to follow him through i started fishing
the 2 cast step routine was ok untill i realised he wasnt moving through the pool so out the water and another brief conversation revealed he had no intention in moving from that spot
so on to the next pool
luckily where i fish this is not common & most anglers will either fish down or if they want to stay in the same pool will let you fish through

[salmonking]

Who was he?

[neptune]

think his name was colin
dont know his name but i think my bro in law knew him it was a busy saturday morning

[Deleted]

Bad form not moving through IMHO - even if no rules are stated it amounts to hogging the water. Bit like deckchairs then.

M

[sinkingtip]

I always carry a couple of reasonable quality half bricks for situations like this - throw one upstream and then shout to 'lead boots' that a thumper has just moved upstream of you - watch the greedy barsteward shift !! Thats exactly what behavior like this is tantamount to - GREED !!
The other half brick can be used in a similar fashion if LB takes no heed of the first one but this time carefully aimed at the back of his bonce.
Peace and love
STip

[Speyducer]

I would fish all the harder, so that to hook one either just above or below the non-mover, and really p**s him off!

Anyway, apart from hogging those areas where it is known that fish hold up in substantial numbers, those that don't move aren't really doing themselves any favours in any department in any event!

Being thick, ignorant or plain greedy doesn't usually have rewards!

Mike

[Deleted]

speyducer said:

I would fish all the harder, so that to hook one either just above or below the non-mover, and really p**s him off!

Anyway, apart from hogging those areas where it is known that fish hold up in substantial numbers, those that don't move aren't really doing themselves any favours in any department in any event!

Being thick, ignorant or plain greedy doesn't usually have rewards!

Mike

In a nutshell, can't agree more. Classic example Nov 30th last year - 6 statics and guy with a silver fish.
I think if blatant I'd fish through and over to make the point after requesting, and have done once or twice, not in a militant way. M

[lamson]

In my experience if there are 2 people on a pool with a known hotspot rather than chasing one another through it , it is better to agree eg 1 fishes the spot for 15 mins whilst the other prospects, then swop over , makes for much better fishing.

Lamson

[conwyrod]

I agree, but not everybody is as polite/sensible as you Steve.

[owen]

Another etiquette question...

If I or someone else fishing a pool hooks a fish, the reading I have done suggests you want to be at least adjacent to the fish if not downstream so you are just playing the fish and not the river as well.

If you get a fish which doesnt want to play ball within your 30yds of river (if you have this much space), but instead sets off down or upstream at a rate of knots would I or others also fishing the pool be expected to pull in their lines to allow the lucky individual to race up or down the river without risk of tangling lines, or do I have 30yds and be best advised to stay within this??

I ask as a couple of times when I have seen fish hooked the surrounding fisherman seem to fish harder with the whiff of possible takers entering the pool. The chap upstream speeding up his descent whilst the downstream angler becoming firmly anchored to the spot.
One particularly amusing incident involved a foul hooked fish running downstream in a hard fished pool almost up-ending 4 vernacular spouting fishermen as it ran through them.

I always keep an eye on the situation and ensure Im ready to get out of the way quick smart, fishing a short enough line to allow this, but maybe Im being too kind??

Cheers,
Nolon.

[Speyducer]

Nolon,

from the hypothetical situation you describe, being flanked by other line danglers either side and beyond, you would be fishing Association or 'Town' water - yes?

Whilst there may be no notice posts stuck into the ground at the head of each pool, nor a large rock with the words carved into the stone, nor even written onto the relevant fishing permits, the 'done thing' with such a running fish, up or down, is for the other anglers to give way, and remove their lines as necessary, to allow the fish and the angler being pulled about to have sufficient room to be able to play and land the fish.

Clearly, the same guide/rule is applied to all anglers, on both sides of the pool if necessary, so that the he who has a 'fish on' has a decent crack at getting the fish to the net/beach.

I have fished in such shoulder to shoulder pools previously (the Leven @ Bonhill - specifically the bridge pool) where such etiquette is followed with variable application, but generally good natured guys will get out of the way when a playful fish is hooked.

It is, of course, preferable to know those who you are fishing beside, but not always the case on Association pools & beats.

My advice would be, should such a situation arise, play the fish to the best of your ability, and if you felt it needed to be followed up river or down, then move to follow that fish, and you will probably find other anglers will do what is right.

Remember, as whoever has hooked such a fish is then showing to everyone else that there are taking fish about, then the re-doubling of fishing efforts can resume as soon as the hooked one is landed!

Hope that helps.

Mike

[allysshrimp]

speyducer said:

Nolon,

from the hypothetical situation you describe, being flanked by other line danglers either side and beyond, you would be fishing Association or 'Town' water - yes?

Whilst there may be no notice posts stuck into the ground at the head of each pool, nor a large rock with the words carved into the stone, nor even written onto the relevant fishing permits, the 'done thing' with such a running fish, up or down, is for the other anglers to give way, and remove their lines as necessary, to allow the fish and the angler being pulled about to have sufficient room to be able to play and land the fish.

Clearly, the same guide/rule is applied to all anglers, on both sides of the pool if necessary, so that the he who has a 'fish on' has a decent crack at getting the fish to the net/beach.

I have fished in such shoulder to shoulder pools previously (the Leven @ Bonhill - specifically the bridge pool) where such etiquette is followed with variable application, but generally good natured guys will get out of the way when a playful fish is hooked.

It is, of course, preferable to know those who you are fishing beside, but not always the case on Association pools & beats.

My advice would be, should such a situation arise, play the fish to the best of your ability, and if you felt it needed to be followed up river or down, then move to follow that fish, and you will probably find other anglers will do what is right.

Remember, as whoever has hooked such a fish is then showing to everyone else that there are taking fish about, then the re-doubling of fishing efforts can resume as soon as the hooked one is landed!

Hope that helps.

Mike

I fully agree Mike.I know the Leven very well having fished it for years and i cannot think of any time where the resident population(the common rows of anglers) were not curtious to enough to move aside when required even the static shrimp fishers,of which you know doubt know there were many of them.

The only occassion that got my Hackles up was on the Kingcussie beat on the Dee.
I had two friends come up from Blantyre once and oraganised a day for the three of us there.After tackling up I made my way down to the bridge pool on the North bank,where I could see this chap fishing next to the first set of croy's(well standing on them to be precise).Just before I reached the bank he got into a fish,and a blind panic at the same time,as this was his first ever Salmon(so he told me)him fishing a 7ft trout rod as well ::)He asked for my advice and help,which was duly given and I tailed a nice fresh 9pounder for him.After he stoped shaking he went back into the same spot standing on top of the Croy again.(Even though he had caught a fish from this position) I try to tell him that he would be better to fish back from there as he was virtually standing on top of them but he would not listen and said he did not mind if I went in behind him.(Fishing of course)So I did.Working my way down towards him I noticed that he was for not moving so I stuck to the cast and two step rule.
Well as fortune would have it when I reached the point where my fly was swinging round towards the front of the croy where he was standind,a fish came up and took it as nice as you like.To which this chap shouted to me did you see that right at my feet.I said yes would you mind moving its attached to the end of my line( thats the nice version by the way)anyway when he eventually did I beached the fish and then had a nice chat with him on unwriten lawes and the etiquette of the sport.
To his credit he appollogised and we parted company.
I personaly think that there are a lot of people out there in all sports who lack basic manners and are completely ignorant of others around them,and at times need to be told so.
Fair play to Charlie for looking advice from the onset.

Bill.

[superdod]

was out for a walk the other night and saw 3 anglers in the same pool not much etiquette on some beats of the deveron,the bigger the lodge the more anglers in a pool,poor chance if your oppisite them

[Speyducer]

If these 3 fishermen on the same Deveron pool were all mates, then all well & good, and, as far as I'm concerned, they could be fishing one atop the others shoulders.

However, it would suggest that there are fish in the pool, or at least they all felt so, and provided they don't cross lines, or get in the way of each other for casting, or playing & landing fish, then each to their own.

Problems potentially arise when another angler joins the fray, and starts off fishing, without any form of introduction or courtesy, upstream but too close (<50 yards) to the next guy downstream, or indeed starts right in @ a downstream position <100 yards of the next guy up.

Common courtesy suggests that such a fisherman new to the pool with others on it should check with these guys, even if it's a simple "is it OK if I start here?", and more usually, at the very head of the pool, provided that is not <50 yards from the next downstream angler.

Such actions are learned, not inherent, and thus it depends on how an indivdual is 'educated' or brought up to fish, and on what other waters.

You can be sure that, as in the example of the Bonhill bridge pool on the Leven, many of the anglers learn from the others already on the river, and in times past, standing within a yard or two of the next bait chucker there appeared to be the accepted 'norm'. One wouldn't last more than 2 seconds on any other river that I know in the UK with such activity.

For the peace & quiet of a pleasant day's fishing, paying a little for a limited-rod private beat seems well worth it.

Mike