I'd keep my rod in one hand, 9mm in the other, and tell them to move along. 
In all honesty- I'd stay there- I was there first.
In all honesty- I'd stay there- I was there first.
A question about giving up a spot - POLL
So, in another forum a topic has come up and I thought I would ask a question and take a poll…
A statement was made, and a follow on statement was made….
If you are on a river salmon or steelhead fishing, you get up at 0-dark-thirty, get down to the water and to a hole, that you know holds fish. This spot is being productive, you have hit some fish, another guy or two show up and see you catching fish out of this hole. But since you have caught some fish, and these guys come strolling in… do you give them the hole or do you keep fishing it because you were there first?
A statement was made, and a follow on statement was made….
Now I have a question for you all…If that were a salmon or steelhead river, y'all would be totally pissed if someone parked in the best run and didn't move to yield the spot to the next person.But I'm not leaving a producing area of water because someone else has in my opinion a false sense of entitlement.
If you are on a river salmon or steelhead fishing, you get up at 0-dark-thirty, get down to the water and to a hole, that you know holds fish. This spot is being productive, you have hit some fish, another guy or two show up and see you catching fish out of this hole. But since you have caught some fish, and these guys come strolling in… do you give them the hole or do you keep fishing it because you were there first?
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Since I'm the one who made the comment about not giving up producing water on a lake because of someone elses false sense of entitlement, I think my response is obvious. This does not mean that I am not willing to share and my comments on the other post reflect that. I'm not leaving, but you sidle up, ask me questions and fish next to me, and I'm not likely to respond unkindly if you aren't rude about it. At some point though, people have to let this concept go. If I'm there and fishing I honestly do not believe I need to leave nor yield the water. Call me selfish, I don't really care. For those of you who believe I do need to yeild, let me know where you are fishing next so I can come out and cast over your line. I do realize that some will leave the water but at the same time not expect me to leave. The poll does not ask should someone else leave if you want to fish the productive water. To the guy in the green pram out on Lenice last Sunday, thanks for leaving (long before we floated over there) that spot rocked.
Ira..
Ira..
I don't mind giving up a spot but, I hate being crowded. I was gear fishing the puyallup with a buddy and was spread out far enough for room and talking distance. There was atleast 100 feet upstream and down stream from us, I head to the bank for some flies and some @$$hole comes out and goes right to where I was wading. I really don't like speaking up to strangers but it had to happen.
I will give up my spot in time, until that time... Don't crowd me.
I will give up my spot in time, until that time... Don't crowd me.
If I've already had a decent shot at the hole, I'd give it up or at least make room for the new guy. But I usually try to avoid these situations to begin with by fishing small creeks and headwaters where you're less adapt to have any conflicts. The last thing I want to do out fishing is get into an argument with someone whether I'm right or not.
Swing and step,take you time and fish the run top to bottom. If you want to fish it again take your spot behind the other guys and pull fish out behind them(I love doing that)
john
john
If I nab a steelie or two from a spot and someone else comes running down, I figure that the water they should be fishing is vacant and I'm looking for the next opening. Let them fish behind me, I know they aren't gonna stick anything! I'm finding fresh water and untouched fish.
G
Personally if I got up at "0-dark thirty" to find fish, and some guy (who got to sleep in) comes roll'n up and want's to "share" my spot....uhhh, really? Think again Batman! Unfortunately it usually ends up with that guy casting his bobber over my fly line.
Although there have been several times where I've showed up at the same time as others, offer for them to go first but they decline, funny how that works.
I don't get to swing much, so I guess that's a whole different ball game.
Although there have been several times where I've showed up at the same time as others, offer for them to go first but they decline, funny how that works.
I don't get to swing much, so I guess that's a whole different ball game.
There is this run near my house where every time i show up someone is in the top of the run. I wait for the swing and step so i can get in above, but usually they stay put and I am forced to low hole them. I figure this is fair cause they want to stay put.
That's the way it's supposed to work. Sometimes you have to remind the guy who comes in behind you of the system. If they refuse to cooperate, just ask them what kind of rig they drive, and head back toward the parking area.Swing and step,take you time and fish the run top to bottom. If you want to fish it again take your spot behind the other guys and pull fish out behind them(I love doing that)
john
If someone wants to the fish the spot in front of the rock that I'm standing on they had better plan on waiting until I'm ready to leave it. Until I've worked all the water from in front of my rod tip to the far bank, I'm not moving. If they want the water they had better get up earlier than me and beat me to it.
You don't have to leave, just slowly work your way down the run. If you're camped out in one spot, I'll ask if your moving down, if you say "no", I'm going around you. You made your choice, so don't complain when you get low holed!
If you're on a run with fly-swingers and everyone is cool with swinging and stepping, that is ideal. But how often does that happen? It's not a written rule, and often the rules for gear fishing is different. You get to a popular run, and guys are gear fishing, they're not gonna swing and step, but you had better wait for the guy below you to cast before you do. Rules, just a different set. You hook into a fish, everyone around you is expected to real in. But if you dink around and take too long to bring the fish in, they might not real up next time. If someone is parked on a spot and not moving, I have no problem low-holing, especially if we time our casts right. If a guy's casting and moving down, I'll line up and wait my turn.
I've fished kings on the Salmon Rive,r near Riggins, where you had to get to your spot by 3:00. If someone wanted to crowd in at 7:30, we didn't say anything, we just took turns casting over his line until he got the message and moved off. There are times where I didn't want to play this game, slept in, and just found less productive water that I had all to myself. Quite often these spots still produced a fish or two.
Sometimes you just need to adjust to the situation.
I've fished kings on the Salmon Rive,r near Riggins, where you had to get to your spot by 3:00. If someone wanted to crowd in at 7:30, we didn't say anything, we just took turns casting over his line until he got the message and moved off. There are times where I didn't want to play this game, slept in, and just found less productive water that I had all to myself. Quite often these spots still produced a fish or two.
Sometimes you just need to adjust to the situation.
Shawn,
Truly sorry to have casually asked that question (looks like there was a thread on this very topic last December, started by Irafly, and it seems there's not much consensus.) Clearly, also, even the steelhead-run rotation thing is not as widely accepted as I assumed. Like I said, I just don't fish crowded water. I'd personally rather just get back in my car and go elsewhere. My statement/question about fishermen being pissed about someone parked in a run was based on a few comments I'd seen on this site as well as reading the run-rotation scheme described in several places, including Dec Hogan's A Pashion for Steelhead and DD's website. Wishfull thinking, perhaps, on their part.
I don't think anyone should feel obligated to give up their fishing spot, but do hope that a decent person would have the grace to move out of a hot spot if they'd already hauled a couple dozen fish out and could see that no one else was getting any. If it's really because you're that much better of a fisherman, then why not move and prove it? That said, crowding someone else's spot is just ridiculously rude in almost ANY situation, not just fishing.
Truly sorry to have casually asked that question (looks like there was a thread on this very topic last December, started by Irafly, and it seems there's not much consensus.) Clearly, also, even the steelhead-run rotation thing is not as widely accepted as I assumed. Like I said, I just don't fish crowded water. I'd personally rather just get back in my car and go elsewhere. My statement/question about fishermen being pissed about someone parked in a run was based on a few comments I'd seen on this site as well as reading the run-rotation scheme described in several places, including Dec Hogan's A Pashion for Steelhead and DD's website. Wishfull thinking, perhaps, on their part.
I don't think anyone should feel obligated to give up their fishing spot, but do hope that a decent person would have the grace to move out of a hot spot if they'd already hauled a couple dozen fish out and could see that no one else was getting any. If it's really because you're that much better of a fisherman, then why not move and prove it? That said, crowding someone else's spot is just ridiculously rude in almost ANY situation, not just fishing.
Ehhh People are able to fish the water where they are......will i "give up" a hole if i think i have covered to the best of my ability, but I will never give up a hole because i think it would be nice let that guy fish some water......should have got up earlier or know the river better lazy ass!
its different up here, very different, you don't leave good water (and defend the piss out of it) when salmon fishing. You keep moving when trout fishing.
Unless it has teeth, claws and has more hair on its body than you. LOL
This is ideal, but i haven't run into anybody round here that understands rotating works for everyone. The other day i was swinging on the river with no one in sight, made it about 3/4 of the way through the run, and two guys come down and lowhole me about 40 feet away. And this probably a 100 yard run. I had to say something. If it's crowded, i understand a bit more, but when no one else is there? They didn't even speak, just jumped in below me. When I told them they're standing where i'm fishing they just moved further down past the run instead of getting behind me for a rotation. You can still rotate if you're nymphing rather than swinging. It can never hurt to ask the guy you're about to jump in front of if he minds. I'm always happy to move along if i had a good chance at the run or i 've already pulled a fish out.Swing and step,take you time and fish the run top to bottom. If you want to fish it again take your spot behind the other guys and pull fish out behind them(I love doing that)
john
I ran into this a lot on the GR & the W'Nachee this year. I get up early and fish the run that I want, cover it well, and by the time im through it, somebody has either low holed me or fishing through the head. Funny thing is, most of the time I had fished the meat of the run, and had hooked a fish or two. Once on the W'Nachee I litterally had two guys show up and surround me.....then they did the ole fencepost trick. I knew where the honey bucket was, the "jedi spot", the holy grail, and it was the boulder ridden tailout. I hopped downstream of the dummy that low-holed me, threw a short snap t and to his dismay hooked into an 10lb wild buck. Poetic justice. The moral of the story is; fish your run if you get there first, but keep moving, dont be a fence post, and dont give in if some joker low-holes you just jump downstream and keep fishing. Common courtesy people, its pretty easy.
Good story Jarad. I like your approach. Use common courtesy, but if someone lowholes ya, just step around the moron and lowhole them back.
I haven't had any problem with fellow fly anglers, mainly because I fish obscure waters. Sometimes gear fishing for salmon, I'll get a rude angler walking right up and getting closer than 20 feet from me. That's too close. I like the "20 foot rule." But I can cut a little bit of slack. If they get within less than ten feet, I'll "accidentally" snag their line and then reel in, acting P.O.ed and looking as mad as I can, and cut their line and toss their terminal gear back at em, giving them the stink eye. That usually brings the issue into focus.
I haven't had any problem with fellow fly anglers, mainly because I fish obscure waters. Sometimes gear fishing for salmon, I'll get a rude angler walking right up and getting closer than 20 feet from me. That's too close. I like the "20 foot rule." But I can cut a little bit of slack. If they get within less than ten feet, I'll "accidentally" snag their line and then reel in, acting P.O.ed and looking as mad as I can, and cut their line and toss their terminal gear back at em, giving them the stink eye. That usually brings the issue into focus.
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