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The
"Free River", an exercise in etiquette
The alarm bellowed like an ocean liner, arriving in port after six months at sea, at exactly four in the morning. My initial reaction was to throw it out the window and go back to sleep, and I tried but the thought of missing a day on the water brought me to my senses. After a quick breakfast and the ceremonial pre-trip boat checks I was on the road... again. After the two and a half hour ride to Celina I finally made it to the ramp. While backing the boat down I couldn't help but note the very dark sky in the distance, but heck there was zero wind so I should be in good shape. I put the boat in and was finally ready to fish. I tied on my go-to fly, a purple zebra midge and promptly caught five fish within sight of the ramp. At this point it not only looked like a good day to be on the water but a solitary day also since there was not another angler in sight. That's when it happened; the circus came to town in the form of a caravan of trucks, boats and people. Oh well I thought, I have a head start and by the time they all launch I will be far enough downstream to avoid them. Well, to say I was wrong would be a gross understatement, as they didn't just pass me, they blew past me nearly on plane in less than three feet of water. That's when I met a fellow we will just call "Mr. Obey". Not only did he blow past me and wash my gheenoe into the rocky shoal, then he realized that he had forgot his rain gear and proceeded to turn around and come back up on plane. This trip I had enough time to get my boat away from the rocky shoreline. It appeared after the second high speed pass, that "Mr. Obey" thought it was really funny to run through another fisherman's water at full throttle. This time I waved at the fellow. In about five minutes here he came again, at full throttle again, and laughing again. I got him to slow down and asked him how many times he needed to not only run through the stretch of water I was fishing but do it at wide open throttle. His response troubled me the entire day-- he said " Son, it's free water" and anyone can use it. In fact, it troubled nearly as much as picking up "Mr. Obeys" beanie weenie can that must have just "jumped" out of his boat. I guess river etiquette is a lost art form. I would like to think that most fisherman are intelligent enough to realize that you should treat other anglers the way you would like to be treated, but that's just not the case. Maybe I am too darn picky, the wife seems to thinks that is the case, but with the ever shrinking amount of public access on our rivers and streams I think that good river manners are going to be very important. In fact, you might be surprised what a little common courtesy will get you. Several months ago I drifted up on a fly fisherman on the Obey River. I watched him catch a couple of fish, then I used my trolling motor to go behind him so I wouldn't put his fish down. That man was very grateful and went so far as to say that was a first for him on that river. Now I have picked up a new fishing buddy and we share fishing information nearly every time we meet on the water. There are basically a handful of unwritten rules that pertain to fishing and boating rivers. The first, which is actually a law, is if you bring trash to the river you need to carry it out. Be a good steward to the environment and take out more than you take in. This is especially important when it comes to line, leaders and tippet material. These items kill more fish than pollution. Give other anglers some room. How much room is dependent on the size of the river. It's a simple common courtesy to not crowd an angler whom is already fishing a given spot. Even if you think there is enough room for two anglers there a polite "got room for another" will go a very long ways.
Do not wade or float through another angler's water. This means do not try to wade or float in front of another angler. Do whatever it takes to get around them without disturbing the run they are fishing. Boaters might have to wait a bit but that's a fine time to enjoy a cold drink or take a break. The flipside is if you are fishing a run that is very narrow it is unrealistic to expect everyone to wait until you have decided to move on. Wading anglers might have to leave the water and go around but remember do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Never cast across a stream toward another anglers feet. This has got to be my number one pet peeve. Do not lay your fly or lure at my feet or drift it through the water I am currently fishing. A general rule of thumb is to fish the water on your side of the river. Do not cast across the whole river to fish water that another angler is fishing. On most rivers a couple of anglers can comfortably fish the same run or pool. Have some patience. Remember the water is public domain and as long as an angler is within the laws established by the game and fish authority you do not have any say. That means the kid fishing with corn, or the angler casting a Rooster Tail has as much right to a piece of water as the fly fisherman who cringes at the thought of bait fishing. Also please be patient of the inexperienced angler as we were all beginners once. There is no law against speaking to other anglers. It is totally as appropriate to ask another angler how they are doing, as it is to pass without speaking. The choice is totally up to you. Now a long-winded conversation about your prowess as an angler is inappropriate. Since most river and stream anglers are generally solo they probably would rather fish than hear bragging. If you are guiding a client you have no magical right to pull the "I make my living guiding" card on anyone. Guides, probably more so than the average angler, need to hold themselves to a very high standard of etiquette. People tend to elevate a guide to a high status. So if you are guiding and show no courtesy for other anglers then the client will tend to emulate your actions. Guides have a special chance to be the ambassadors of the fishing world and they should conduct themselves accordingly. If you are a boater and you come up on a wading angler do not just float through their water. At times it is hard, especially on our tail waters, to get around a wading angler. If possible you should float through behind the angler. If you can't due to low water then ask if you can float through. When you float through make sure you are quiet and please do not cast to the water that person was fishing, that is just plain rude. Float through and be on your way. The key is to politely communicate with the wading angler. Keep in mind these "rules" are in no book and no one is bound to follow them. In fact there will always be people like "Mr. Obey" and his stick steer flat bottom boat. Good fishing etiquette is the only thing that can help to keep our access to local streams and rivers. You make the choice. I just try to treat others as I would like to be treated. If you are one of those adventuresome anglers who likes to travel around the country these rules of etiquette can and do change by geographical area. A prime example is fishing for steelhead out west. Those folks have unwritten rules about rotating around a run and such. Take time to learn these types of things before you strike out with your rod in hand. Something a lot of anglers lose sight of is that good river etiquette demands that we treat the environment with as much if not more respect than our fellow anglers. Try to leave the area cleaner than when you arrived. Several fine fishing organizations, such as Trout Unlimited, have river clean up days. If you are not a member of a fishing organization please consider it as there is strength in numbers. The responsible angler also knows the fishing regulations and adheres to them one hundred percent. *Troy Basso is a freelance writer, avid fisherman and instructor for the National Bowhunter Education Program.
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