Is there a sign on my boat?

[onefishtwofish]

Is there a sign on my boat that says "Mess with this guy"? Anchored up, about 75 yards from the end of a bar. One of 13 bars exposed that were in our line of sight. One other boat that we can see in a 360 circle. Some dude pulls up and gets between us and the bar. 50 yards away! Wth? There are tons of other bars, lots of water, it is a big dang gulf. His wife was with him, so I did not start a conversation as I was worried what I would say, so I just shook my head at him. Am I being a tool to think that it is unreasonable when we are anchored off the end of a bar that we are fishing any fish that work the end of that bar and stay out from between us and the bar? I just tend to think with folks like this, if their momma and daddy did not learn them any manners, I probably will be unable to as well.

[bman]

Dude- I knew you were on fish and I wanted to catch some....

[Harmsway]

Am I being a tool to think that it is unreasonable when we are anchored off the end of a bar that we are fishing any fish that work the end of that bar and stay out from between us and the bar?

Other guy must have been a one-spot-wonder. He wondered what you were doing on his one spot. You had a lot of nerve being there. Its a wonder he didn't shout you off of his spot.

[RodBow]

he knew he was being rude.. he thought someone slapped a sign on your transom that said, "Mess with this gay"

[Jumptrout51]

My wife asked me why you didn't leave,she knows those are my holes.

[silverking]

Flats Etiquette is the topic of my Boat Talk column in the November issue of Salt Water Sportsman. It'll be in the hands of subscribers by the middle of October and on the newsstands/web site after the first of November.

Suffice to say, common sense and courtesy are rapidly disappearing on the water (and on land, sadly enough). The folks who "get it" are not usually the offenders and the ones who don't probably won't change or don't care.

There are the newbie ignorant, of course, and a diplomatic remark or two is often all it takes to correct a forgivable or unknowing mistake.

Bottom line: We all need to practice the Golden Rule to keep fishing like it's supposed to be--Fun!

[bbb]

Being a public land duck hunter and public water water fisherman, here is the course of action I usually take.

I usually ask them something like this. "You do know I am ***ing right here don't you"?

If there answer is that they didn't know and they move on, I leave them alone and don't say another word.

If there answer is "Yeah, but your too far from the bar" of "you don't own this spot" or "I don't care"......................any answers like this and I'll be cranking up my go devil and running the bar/slough until I'm sure any fish/duck in their right mind were gone. Then I would waive and go on to another spot. Too many fish/ducks in other places to get too confrontational.

[jsuber]

Happens to me too, but I let them know the error of their ways and dive in the water when the gun fire starts. Most people look at you dumbfounded like they don't know what you mean, and others tell you that its open water. For the latter, I make sure that their fishing is gonna suck in that area.

[onefishtwofish]

The problem I had was that I knew in about an hour or so, the area was gonna be good. Thankfully they left before it got good. We caught 9 reds, 5 were over. I did not want to give that info freely and would have motored around to make sure they did not get it by horning in on us.

BBB, I am much more pushy about duck hunting, but that is a safety issue as well. too close means dangerous. In the very rare cases where someone refuses to leave, I let them know my shell count and that we will fire one off every 10-15 seconds, ensuring both our days are ruined. Been called ugly names, but have always helped them see the light!

I reckon it pizzes me off because the week before we saw a kayaker and decided if he got within shouting distance, we were gonna invite him over to share the fish. We are not hogs, but I think one should give at least as much respect as the expect. The kayaker stayed too far away. I am pretty generous with my spots (I invited some Georgia oddball to a wood duck hunt once and that was fun), but offering them is a lot different than having them taken.

[jsuber]

Even if I paddle out two miles to a spot and you pull onto right when i get there, I'll keep on going to another spot. Its just fishing.

[Talltails]

I have mixed feelings about this topic. At times it seems like my humble little kayak is a boat magnet, and it gets a little tiresome. Half the reason I'm in a kayak is it's stealth properties, and another boat with it's motor on within a couple hundred yards of me throws most of my tactics out the window.
I have fished peacefully around other boats, however. With skill and expererience, two boats can fish structure and flats side by side without compromising any effects on fishing.
The worst sin one can do is to run between a boat that is fishing and the structure the angler is fishing on. Happens to me occasionally and I am always amazed at this either lack of respect or lack of common sense--it's one or the other