ESOX HUNTER
Good Fisherman, Good Etiquette
By Gordy Johnson - December 3, 2005

Over a lot of years, I have been in a lot of boats, with a lot of different fishermen and I have seen many things on how fishermen conduct themselves.   These observations were not only made in my boat, but in others as well.   I have also seen that the best fishermen were also the most cognizant of their conduct at all times.   I don't know if there is a causal relationship there, but it definitely exists.

So why am I writing this article?  I have multiple motives for the article that include:

1. I want everyone to be a better fisherman.
   


2. I want all fishermen to be respected for their behavior.
   


3. I want everyone to be the type of person that people want to be on the water with whether in the same boat or not.
   

I could write a book talking about a fishing buddy's behavior before you even get on the water, such as being on time, offering to help with expenses, or getting things ready, but I want to concentrate on the "in the boat activities" for this article.  The "in the boat activities" can occur in your boat or in someone else's, but it is important to note that bad conduct is bad conduct wherever it occurs.   I also understand that sometimes people get involved or aren't thinking, but it is still important to pay attention to your surroundings.

Let start by talking about some things that upset fishermen all the time.  Most of the complaints occur about others people's boats, but I have been in a boat where I felt we were breaking the rules as well.  Lets just name a few:

1. A boat drives by very close to your boat while you are fishing causing a wake and associated commotion.  There is absolutely no reason to go near another boat if you have plenty of room to navigate.  Keep a good distance away from other boats, especially when under power.
   


2. This one goes along with the last point, somebody is anchored or sitting right in the middle of a narrow boat channel.  The problem here is with the boat that is sitting in the middle of the channel.  While it is true the boat under power still needs to give right-away to one that isn't, the boat that is sitting should understand that he is a navigation hazard at this point, and it is against the law.  I have seen this happen many times in Canada where there is only a narrow opening to get through and people will attempt to fish right in the middle of the very narrow channel.
   


3. There is another action, which is especially irritating on larger bodies of water, where there is plenty of room for everyone. This action is being cut-off in a drift or fishing path.  Many times a fisherman will be working an area using the drift or trolling motor, but working in a given direction.  It is not proper etiquette to pull in and start fishing just ahead of where another boat is working.  Obviously, how crowded the lake is and the distance from the other boat come into play.  Put yourself in the position of the other boat when deciding where to fish.   Would you feel encroached on if the other boat started where you did?
   


4. There are those circumstances where you can be fishing in close proximity to other boats, it is important to respect what little distance there maybe between the boats.  This normally occurs fishing a walleye reef or where crappies are stacked up in a small area.  We were once fishing a large river when my brother-in-law invited a guy that pulled up to our boat to put his anchor in our boat. The guy was literally less than 2 feet away.  The guy got the idea, but the entire confrontation need never happen if the guy would have used a little common sense.
   

Now lets talk about a little bit closer to home, i.e. in our boat.  Here are a few things that will help you get along with your fishing companions and get you invited again or have somebody accept your invitation.

1. As a guest in someone else's boat, treat everything in the boat better than you would treat your own.  Make every effort in not spilling coffee, soda, etc. If a fish is bleeding try not to get it on everything in the boat and if you do, make sure to wipe it up.
   


2. If you smoke, make sure you do not leave ashes and cigarette butts in the bottom of the boat nor burn holes in the seats.
   


3. Don't throw line, boxes, sandwich bags, i.e. garbage around the boat.  Ask if there is a place for it or put it in your pockets.
   


4. Respect the other person's area when fishing.  I have fished with another guy in the boat who constantly thought the water on my end of the boat was more productive than that on his end.  He constantly threw his bait completely in front of me.  I mentioned it multiple times, but to no avail.  Here is a diagram that everyone should respect in the boat.
   
   You can see from the above picture that the guy in the back of the boat should fish basically from a little behind the boat to approximately half-way down the length of the boat.  The man in the front of the boat should fish basically from half way up the boat to a little in front of it.  You might be asking, why can't the guy in the back of the boat cast completely behind the boat?  Typically if the boat is under drift or you are proceeding down the shoreline with a trolling motor, you don't want to get snagged up behind the boat.  This is especially true if there is a strong wave action pushing you along.  Conversely, the guy in the front should not pound the water ahead of the boat and allow the guy in the back to fish some relatively new water as well.  I have a trolling motor in the front of my boat and frequently fish from that position.  My son a number of years ago told me that he thought I wasn't fishing correctly as we proceeded down the shoreline as I wasn't hitting every pocket or rock.  I told him that I did this deliberately to give him a better chance to catch something.  I then showed him how slow we would proceed down the shoreline and what the results would be for him if I did fish every likely spot.  His comment, "Thanks Dad".
   


5. If you are navigating the boat, not only think about your fishing partner as I described above, but also the boats position with regards to the shoreline or structure.   The following picture demonstrates what I called getting "Squeezed out".   This typically occurs when the guy is operating a front trolling motor and is operating it way to close to shore and is casting out in front of the boat.   
   
   Imagine if the the boat was only a few feet from the shore and you were sitting in the back of the boat.  Not only will you be eliminated from fishing new water, but the water you can fish will have just had a boat go through it.  The guy running the trolling motor should make sure that he is aware of how the boat is positioned.
   


6. This next scenario is very similar to the the last scenario, in that the guy in the back of the boat is effectively cut-off from fishing a better spot.  This typically happens when the guy navigating the boat puts one end or the other perpendicular to a point or structure.
   
   


7. It is also important to understand the type of fishing that you are going to do together.  If one person wants to "run and gun" or troll and the other wants to concentrate on a single spot or anchor, it can create some friction.  Everyone should understand the kind of fishing that you are doing.
   


8. The last point I will make goes hand-in-hand with my last comment.  The choice of lures that each fisherman is using should be compatible with each other.  Example, one fisherman is casting a buck tail and wants to quickly move the boat along the structure and the other fisherman in the boat is trying to work a jig with a subtle approach.  It is obvious that somebody is going to be frustrated.
   

In summary, as they say on television, "Don't leave your good manners at home".  People will respect you as fisherman, sportsmen and a person that they would like to associate with if you just observe some common sense mannerisms.

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Last updated on ... December 2005