Fishing Etiquette… Guides being childish?

I had a similar instance happen on Kab last year. Dad and I fishing a small rock pile (like the size of a very small house), controlled drift pulling spinners and having the best fishing of our trip. Having great father/son time. Only one boat maybe 1/4 mile away fishing main lake shore. Long story short,
that boat was a guide and he obviously knew we were on fish from the multiple passes we were making. He trolls over and spotlocks right on the rocks. A guide who has fished and lived on the lake for decades. A “good guy”.

You’re a guide. You mean to tell me you can’t find your own fish on a lake with thousands of spots?

Needless to say we were forced off the spot and left to find new fish.

Next time will be different though. Now that I have spotlock I will either anchor myself on the spot, or I’ll continue my drift and if we collide, so be it. Guides have big expensive boats that I’m sure they don’t want to get scratches in. Lol

No, I don’t own the spot. But I AM fishing it. I’ve always taken the high road and conceded to the other boat. But that experience last year flipped a switch and I’ll have no reservations about drifting into another boat and either colliding or getting all tangled up.

On leech on time…we were pounding the walleyes up shallow in the sand while everyone (about 10+ boats) were fishing the break some 100 yards out. We were making small passes, maybe 100’ drifting with the wind. Once we were through the spot, we’d motor back to the beginning. Well, naturally the other boats moved in…but with respect. Everyone stayed in sequence and stayed away from each other. All boats began in the spot, drifted (no one anchored or backed trolled) over the sand that was producing, then motored back to the beginning not screwing anyone over. This continued for a few hours like a perfect synchronized swim! We all had a blast, we all caught lots of fish, and we all respected the boats with nets out (they’d lose boat control). And everyone was talking with each other congratulating fish caught!

If ONE boat would have claimed that spot it would have turned a great day of fishing for lots of folks into a crappy day of fishing.

If I move into an area that has a boat there, I like to see what they are doing before moving in. Many people drift a big area. I always give them the right away.

ClownColor wrote:

On leech on time…we were pounding the walleyes up shallow in the sand while everyone (about 10+ boats) were fishing the break some 100 yards out. We were making small passes, maybe 100’ drifting with the wind. Once we were through the spot, we’d motor back to the beginning. Well, naturally the other boats moved in…but with respect. Everyone stayed in sequence and stayed away from each other. All boats began in the spot, drifted (no one anchored or backed trolled) over the sand that was producing, then motored back to the beginning not screwing anyone over. This continued for a few hours like a perfect synchronized swim! We all had a blast, we all caught lots of fish, and we all respected the boats with nets out (they’d lose boat control). And everyone was talking with each other congratulating fish caught!

If ONE boat would have claimed that spot it would have turned a great day of fishing for lots of folks into a crappy day of fishing.

If I move into an area that has a boat there, I like to see what they are doing before moving in. Many people drift a big area. I always give them the right away.

Right on! That is something I think most anglers, including myself, could deal with and would be fine with. Catching fish and having fun doing so is a part of the whole outdoor experience. It’s the douche that moves in and does antics to push you off the spot/fish that ruins it. Or the one that motors circles around you to see what you’re on and what you’re doing, but that’s another thread.

A friendly wave and a shout over ” Since you can’t find your own fish, feel free to follow me to my next spot. I’m on them all over the lake.”

On leech one time in the fall in the early 90s. Trolling the outer edge of bullrushes after dark. About 15-20 boats. All made the trolling run in the same direction, swung out, went back to the beginning of the run to start again. Did this for about 2 hours. Everyone was catching fish and respecting other boats.

Pretty Sure the minute they put the stickers all over the boat it’s required that they carry their douche bag card in their pocket.

the_hat wrote:

Pretty Sure the minute they put the stickers all over the boat it’s required that they carry their douche bag card in their pocket.

Seen lots of 500 dollar boats do the same thing. As sad as it is, this has been going on by all kinds of fishermen for years. I was bobber fishing a small rock pile and I mean small about the size of a small car. Boats seen me catching fish and came in about 15 of them and no one could catch them except me and most left except 1 who continued to get closer to my bobber. I casted closer to my boat and landed a nice eye. The next cast by other boat hit my boat. Few choice words and his next cast came in my boat. Well needless to say his line got snapped while in my boat😁 and he finally moved away.

I seem to recall this issue coming up in the winter too.

gim wrote:

I seem to recall this issue coming up in the winter too.

Why would they change there behavior between winter and summer ?

Bearcat89 wrote:

Why would they change there behavior between winter and summer ?

I think the guide that the OP speaks of guides for ice fishing too, doesn’t he? Wonder if anyone has ever had an issue with him ice fishing.

A group of us hired him and fished with him for two days, day one he worked his ass off and put us on big fish, thought he was a great guy! Day 2, he was double dipping and with other group rest of day…

gim wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bearcat89 wrote:</div>
Why would they change there behavior between winter and summer ?

I think the guide that the OP speaks of guides for ice fishing too, doesn’t he? Wonder if anyone has ever had an issue with him ice fishing.

When I say they, I mean him. But in a non direct way. If you didn’t catch on.
Hard to break the pack on mille lacs ice castle tribe. I assume he does the same. But being a actual name was spoken and I have no negatives I said they rather then him

Netguy wrote:

On leech one time in the fall in the early 90s. Trolling the outer edge of bullrushes after dark. About 15-20 boats. All made the trolling run in the same direction, swung out, went back to the beginning of the run to start again. Did this for about 2 hours. Everyone was catching fish and respecting other boats.

This same pattern happens every weekend on Pool 4 in the community spots. Usually people go about it in a civil way until someone throws off the pattern and pisses people off. It’s kind of fun to watch from a distance predicting who the a$$hole boat will be.

When lines start forming I move on. I fish to get away, not for chaos.

I think it’s strange, when someone makes a statement about how he feels, 3 or 4 chime in to argue as though you don’t have a right to your opinion. It’s as though some see others opinions as a debate topic that needs to be argued. Usually that is a sign of insecurity or low self-esteem, and yes, I worked professionally in the mental health arena for 30 years, so I might have a clue. Watch the responses to this email if you think I’m wrong.

Yeah I totally agree that there is two sides to every story.
But if someone is mad enough to post a event on here it probably happen.

In my opinion there is only one excuse for this. Maybe he is like me and was so into his electronics he didn’t see you.
If he saw you and still parked in, then he’s a douche bag.

I’m sorry that happened to you.

I’ve run into Tony and a client on ML on my very favorite late-season spot. He was super cool and we chatted for like an hour at a distance of 30-50 yards. He was full of tips and good info. It was a very respectful exchange.

Well, being new new to my “own boat” I am reading this with interest.
100 yds away is pretty far in my opinion. Just because someone is “in the vicinity” does not mean they own the lake, especially a spot that sounds like it is well known. This weekend I was on a smaller lake, plenty of fisherman doing the shallow water/dock thing for bass. I pulled up, went about 600 yards ahead, going the opposite direction and fishing the weedline about 7-10 feet deep. Felt that was appropriate and left “their docks” alone ( they would have gotten to them in about 15 mins.) If someone has a float out I respect that and go somewhere else IF THEY are fishing around it at the time. If it’s just sitting out there, all alone, NO – you can’t call divvies on this spot just by leaving a marker and going somewhere else. Same thing with dock etiquette. I get lots of “looks” from folks when I pull in as I am usually alone. Wherever possible I pull up on the beach or shallow weeds and go get my truck. Otherwise I wait til there is a clear lull and then leave and mostly I just get there at 6:39 am and leave before 10 am to avoid the rush. There are lots of -icks out there, I just try not to be one of them.

We had something similar happen this weekend on a 2k acre lake in the Park Rapids area. We are working a break/weedline all by our lonesome, and a guide boat with a chase boat pull up 50 yards in front of us right in our path. Swing way off line to avoid them before they even get a line in the water. Move to another much smaller sunken island, catch a walleye and they come right over in front of us again. I think that’s poor etiquette, but I’m also having a blast fishing in beautiful weather so I’m not about to let it ruin my day. If they are so on top of you it’s uncomfortable, I’ll just go elsewhere. Finding fish is the challenge I’m out for anyway. You only have control over your attitude and location, letting someone else affect you is also within your control, just move on.

I like to remember that most guides aren’t usually taking avid anglers out, they are taking people who are on a bucket list trip, or a once a year deal with family or multiple generations of family, and the guides are trying to do their best to provide a good experience. They deserve some grace just as much as the kids in a little john boat, avid angler in a sparkly boat or inexperienced family on a pontoon. Don’t lose sight of the big picture, you’re fishing, enjoy it!

My therory on guides are very few do it for a living. If they do they should know better then to crowd in. I think the vast vast majority are just guys trying to get their day of fishing for free.

Have become immune to people for the most part. Can’t control other people’s actions, but you can control yours and how you react. Have had some bad days on the water that were turned around by another anglers kid words, so have tried to learn from that and pay it forward. Kindness can cure and trump bad situations. Have helped people and even offered to back in vehicles for people obviously struggling. Remember one a gal was trying to back in a trailer for her husband on a busy day and everyone in line was pissed off and bah itching about it. Came up to her with a smile on my face and reading the situation kindly asked if she wanted any help. She got out of the truck and said please! Backed her husband’s truck in and hooked up their boat. They thanked me and were relieved that someone offered to help. We all have bad days. Having some empathy for other human beings goes a long ways towards building bridges vs burning them. Have had guys motor by on red and Mille lacs less than 10′ and have just accepted it as the norm, so much so now barelyevennotice they are there. If you focus on your own bobber and what you’re doing, a lot of the noise goes quiet. Pool 4 can be a blast and it gets entertaining. Some people just can’t handle crowds and I’m typically not a crowd person. But if you can find a zen place within the chaos where none of it makes sense and that makes sense, it cleanses away all the negative vibes. Being a guide I’m sure isn’t easy, it’s their job. Jim Harrison said something to the affect of fishing tournaments are like playing tennis with living balls.

Some good responses here. I like Bigwerm and basseye’s thinking. One of the reasons I chose river fishing is that it’s pretty easy to find some kind of spot away from people and as much as I like catching fish, I’m ok not catching anything in solitude vs dealing with spot drama, and a lot of times, my guests are too. As a guide I try to keep my distance and will intentionally run a longer ways to get away from other boats, sometimes that’s not in the cards but I try to respect other boats bubble. That bubble size is opinion based too, so some grey area for sure and there are times when fish are so concentrated, it’s tough to fish anywhere but the spots that are holding fish, especially when that’s what you are being paid to do.
Most of the time all it takes is a “pre” conversation with any boats around you before even tossing in a line. Most people are understanding and get it that the ultimate goal is for some fun and relaxation. Free time is precious and it’s ok to share a few fish.

I’d love to hear what Tony’s thoughts are on this incident. In no way saying the claim is inaccurate, but I can say every interaction I’ve had with him has been nothing but positive, professional, respectful and kind.

Fishing is just another way people’s personalities & morals are reflected.

My daughter was fishing off of our dock on saturday, catching bluegill & bass. There was a bass tourney and a boat came down the shoreline as the 2 occupants were pitching under the docks. Apparently they weren’t all that observant or smart, as both guys in the boat casted over her line and snagged it. So here’s a quiet 10 year old girl not knowing what to do, dang near crying and 2 guys swearing in frustration trying to get the line untangled because they were “wasting time.” My wife saw something was going on and came out back to tell me. I just walked down the dock, cut my daughters line, and and asked them to throw the float and jig back once they unassed their own lines. I guess I could have went on a rant about the tournament series being properly named with the word “amateur” in it, or shook my fist at clouds about bass guys fishing docks, but it just seemed easier to move on.

Well done, IMO you cut the wrong line but it all worked out.

tornadochaser wrote:

I could have went on a rant about the tournament series being properly named with the word “amateur” in it, or shook my fist at clouds about bass guys fishing docks, but it just seemed easier to move on.

The dock fishing thing is definitely sketchy sometimes. I do a fair amount of fishing around docks for bass in the summer, but when I see someone on their dock or even on their deck or in their back yard watching (basically if they are visibly present), I don’t even fish that dock. They don’t own the water underneath it, but its just not worth it while they are there. I am not a lake front property owner and never will be, but the thought of someone coming along and snagging something valuable or clanging jigs off my lift would really anger me, so I try to show some mutual respect. Inevitably when dock fishing you are eventually going to get snagged. Its a lot easier to un-snag it if there’s no one around.

Tony’s possible version. “So I was working a flat, with some clients with 2 kids, we were doing bobbers, as this is what the kids could handle themselves. We were picking up a fish here and there… suddenly some azzhole must have seen our net, so he comes and starts kerplunking 200 yards away. 132,516 acres and he has to get in my pattern that I was doing all day” Just sayin.

Gimruis, I do the same as well stay away from the dock with people around and especially kids I want them to enjoy themselves not worry about the guy fishing to close. Sometimes if I think I got to close to someone I apologize or ask them hey which way you going so I can go the opposite it’s amazing how many people will start to talk to you politely that is.

big_g wrote:

Tony’s possible version. “So I was working a flat, with some clients with 2 kids, we were doing bobbers, as this is what the kids could handle themselves. We were picking up a fish here and there… suddenly some azzhole must have seen our net, so he comes and starts kerplunking 200 yards away. 132,516 acres and he has to get in my pattern that I was doing all day” Just sayin.

Yeah I would expect something right in line with this……🤷‍♂️

I don’t really have a dog in this fight. It’s not all guides, it’s not all amateurs – it’s the individual. Life’s too short to let it get to you.

But I have to say – From the guide’s perspective- especially the sponsored ones wo are easy to spot; I bet they have entire days where people are following them around, trying to get a jump on their patterns, etc. Probably gets frustrating for them, too.

big_g wrote:

Tony’s possible version. “So I was working a flat, with some clients with 2 kids, we were doing bobbers, as this is what the kids could handle themselves. We were picking up a fish here and there… suddenly some azzhole must have seen our net, so he comes and starts kerplunking 200 yards away. 132,516 acres and he has to get in my pattern that I was doing all day” Just sayin.

I put the boat in in garrison. The proceeded to drive (in a straight line) 45 to 52mph to the flat I chose to fish earlier in the day. Props to someone if they can see and recognize someone they’ve never seen before from 3.5 miles away. No idea it was even a guide until I saw his face from 5ft away. Not like power corking is a secret tactic? I’ve done it on lakes all over the state.
Just sayin.