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Stream Etiquette |
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(As published in Utah Fishing magazine)
Here's a question for Emily Post or Miss Manners: What is proper stream etiquette? After all, fishing isn't supposed to be a contact sport. Peace, quiet and plenty of solitude are attributes most people seek when they go fishing. But that's not always the way it works. Most everyone who does much fishing has had a run-in with some rude person. Opportunities for confrontations abound in all types of fishing, but they are especially irritating on a river or stream. Some fishermen need to learn stream etiquette. That's not a topic you'll find in most book we've seen — but it's still important. Utah doesn't have a lot of miles of good stream fishing. That means some of those miles get pretty crowded. If good stream etiquette isn't practiced, fishing will be a lot less enjoyable. No great secret exists to stream etiquette. The main point is simply this: Be courteous. Be courteous, kind, friendly, helpful — be a good Boy Scout. Treat others as you would be treated. The truth is, folks who are courteous and respectful of others in other walks of life are usually courteous fishermen. People who are just generally rude, oafish and like to kick their dog are probably unthinking and coarse when they get on a fishing stream. UTAH FISHING asked two longtime stream fishermen, Steve Schmidt of Western Rivers Flyfisher, and Mike Howard of Spinner Fall fly shop, for some pointers on stream etiquette. Both men spend a lot of time on Utah rivers and they also do a lot of guiding. Schmidt said the most common breach of stream etiquette that he sees is someone walking too close to a fish he's fishing to. "I might be fishing to a rising trout across the river and someone will walk along the bank right to the trout and put it down and then ask you how the fishing is," he said. It's important that a person walking along a bank know where a fisherman is fishing to, not just where he or she is standing. Schmidt has had someone wade by, probably thinking he was quite a ways away from Schmidt, and walk right over the fish Schmidt was fishing to. "All stream etiquette needs to be is politeness coupled with awareness of others and what they are doing," Schmidt said. "Pay attention. Notch up your awareness a little. Look around and see what's happening." Some people get so intense and caught up in what they are doing that they don't take time to relax and enjoy nature, Schmidt said. "Ninety percent of all confrontations and run-ins could be avoided if fishermen would take time to communicate." Howard said he notices a lot of problems with stream etiquette on the Provo River. "That's probably partly true because it's not a real big river. I've had people walk right up and fish where I'm fishing. You ought to try to give a fisherman 30 to 50 yards. If there isn't that amount of river available, you ought to go up and ask the first person there if it's OK to fish close by." If someone is working a run or a particular fish, a passerby ought to give wide berth, Howard said. "The whole key is to just ask and be polite," Howard said. "You should never walk downstream into someone fishing upstream. Most fly fishermen fish upstream. And racing to get to a pool or run first is bad manners." Howard said he enjoys talking to other fishermen and he has no problem with people watching him or asking what he's using or about his techniques. Of course, questions shouldn't be shouted in the middle of a cast or when he's intent on working a fish. "I don't think we should have secrets. I get frustrated with people who try to be secretive." One element of stream etiquette ought to be cleanliness and respect for the resource and environment, Howard said. "Anyone who leaves garbage behind or who damages banks or stream bottoms isn't practicing good etiquette". Howard said he thinks stream etiquette is improving, overall, but problems still occur. One major problem with stream etiquette on the Green River has to do with the recreational rafters. Some rafters demonstrate all sorts of bad manners as they shout, splash water, throw things and go right over the top of fishing lines. Not much can be done about that. Both Howard and Schmidt said that if they are guiding and they stop to fish from shore for awhile, they will sometimes go upstream a ways to ask rafters to give wide berth to the fishermen. Sometimes the requests are ignored. The bottom line on stream etiquette, Howard said, is to "use the same courtesy you would expect from others." |
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