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Shore Fishing Etiquette

30K views 36 replies 24 participants last post by  FyshhTrap 
#1 ·
I've searched the forums and I've yet to find any definitive list of etiquette for the beach. The thread about what new surfcasters shouldn't do is informative, but I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to have a thread dedicated to etiquette. I know most of it is just common courtesy but I would like to hear some opinions. Cheers - Mike
 
#4 ·
Remember this and you'll never do wrong:

Never do anything that forces another person to change the way they were fishing.

Example, someone is plugging a jetty. Of course they're going to be allowing their plug to sweep along into any rip lines or to possible ambush points.
Do not start casting in such a way that it forces them to have to cut the drift short.

Another one - and this one can get you killed:
NEVER step into a lineup of guys plugging and attempt to throw bait (and vica versa).

Actions like these will force the people who were there first to change the way they were fishing and get everyone upset. :blackeyerub:
 
#5 ·
this is excellent advice.. and not only applies from shore, but from a boat as well... if there are a dozen guys trolling or drifting.. dont be the moron that drops anchor right in the middle of the run, it also works in reverse..... the life you save could be your own...And also for you boat fisherman( Kayak boys this also applies to you as well)... give the guys from shore a break.... you have mobility... they do not.... moving in on a picket fence of anglers is a sure way to rain sinkers,tin clads and plugs on deck... maybe even on head!
a little respect for your fellow anglers goes a long way.. it's a big ocean out there.. lots of room for everyone...
 
#6 ·
Picking up trash is a big deal to me, many a public access would be or could be shut down if the place winds up looking like a trash heap.

My number two if it is in question as to whether or not you will be in someones way just ask them if it is Ok if you fish near them 9 out of ten times it will be fine and they will appreciate you asking.

Roccus"And also for you boat fisherman( Kayak boys this also applies to you as well)... give the guys from shore a break.... you have mobility... they do not.... moving in on a picket fence of anglers is a sure way to rain sinkers,tin clads and plugs on deck... maybe even on head!
a little respect for your fellow anglers goes a long way.. it's a big ocean out there.. lots of room for everyone... "

For boat men if you see a blitz close to shore and you want to fish it set yourself up to drift into casting range don't motor in on top of it and not only ruin it for yourself but the beach guys as well.
 
#7 ·
One thing I'd mention is to not criticize somebody's choice of lure when they're fishing. It's annoying to be told that you won't catch anything with this or that. It's one thing if it's meant in a helpful way but it's another when someone has a lure superiority complex...I also want to mention my #1 fishing etiquette issue, it's a boat thing but PLEASE if you see a blitz going don't gun the engines and then drift into the blitz and ruin it for everyone else...also in the off chance a jet skier is reading this post if you see a bunch of birds and boats PLEASE don't zoom in and see what's happening...
 
#8 ·
One thing I'd mention is to not criticize somebody's choice of lure when they're fishing. It's annoying to be told that you won't catch anything with this or that.
Plus it's almost a 100% guarantee that in the next fifteen minutes the guy will catch a bigger fish then you've caught in the past month :redbiggrin:
 
#9 ·
wtf is fishing ettiquette??
i have to weave my way through all of the above mentioned and then some.
if i fish and don't get CROSSED/MUGGED/SNAGGED/ROBBED/BEGGED FROM/ENCROACHED/ANNOYED/AGGRAVATED/LAZER LIGHT SHOW EXIBITED/BOOM BOXED EARDRUMS/EVERLOVING LOUDMOUTH OF THE NIGHT 10 YARDS AWAY/KAYAKS IN THE SURF SCREAMING FISHON!/CHINESE LESSONS/RUSSIAN LESSONS/MEXICAN LESSONS/BONDFIRES ON THE BEACH IN A SW WIND/AND THE CLASSIC- "HIGH THERE HANDSOME././ THAT'S A REALLY BIG ROD YA GOT THERE////// OMFGFGF!!!! WHAT THE F#*@ IS ETTIQUETTE??????:shocked:



 
#10 ·
I'f with you on Fishing ettiguette. I was trout fishing a favorite little stream this weekend, cound not get out to go striper fishing. I was casting upstream and drifting back down through a nice little spot were I have caught some sizable rainbows and brownies. Here come 2 yahoo's with live bait and set up 5 ft on either side of me. I tell them I am fly fishing and they risk getting hooked by being so close. They did not care, kept fishing, talking back and forth to each other, mind you one on my left and one on my right.!!!!! I packed it in a left, all I wanted was a little relaxing time to my self to fish.

One of my biggest complaints is when I am wading and someone in a boat come screaming through at full throttle no more than 20 yds from me and gives me the nice little "wave of the hand". They get a wave back from me but it is ussually a single finger salute!! Many a time I have been in chest deep water and had to bounce off the bottom to keep above the wake.

Or when Surf Casting all alone on the beach with no life guards and someone starts swimming right next too you. I actually hooked a guy in the shorts one time because of this, his excuse, I did not see you fishing. I had a 12 ft pole in the water with bait, the he hooked and a 9ft in my hand casting lures how could you not see me. He was no more than 30 to 40 ft to my left and the tide was running right to left.
 
#11 ·
Upcoming license might take care of some of that. I'd love to get the googan on the pier with the million candlepower flashlight. He swept the entire beach with that thing and lit my son Jim and I up like birthday candles. We were 200 yds downbeach. Just about then I was thinkin' rifle and scope.
Etiquette is simple, someone wrote about a gazillion years ago. " Do unto others............
 
#12 ·
You beat me to it Joe.
Don't do to others as you would not like done to you. Pretty much sums it up in all cases.

If everyone knew this and tried to live by it, many things would be so much more enjoyable.

For specifics...heres my list.

1. Enter the Shore/beach with more than one spot in mind. If someone's in your favorite spot, move on.
2. Stay at least 150ft from the next guy (300 ft is more like it)
3. Your there to fish so do it! You can party at your house.
4. Pack out what you packed in. This way no one needs to pick up after you.
 
#13 ·
joe? that was you on the beach?
nah, just kiddin.
i think i know who that yahoo was.
he's looking for that 10 point buck in the woods over behind the bluff.
it has been in there for a couple of seasons and i think he really wants to shoot the bastage.. anyway. lights go in the drink when i am around..



 
#14 ·
Googans in general are the scourge of surfcasters, especially the ones that mug you. When an angler turns to re tie a frayed leader after landing a fish do NOT take his spot. if you have uncontrolable kids or pets leave them home. Fishing is therapy for most of us, our quiet time. We don't want to hear screaming kids or watch your unleashed dogs go tearing through our set up. don't start free linin' livies in the middle of plug throwers either. finally, keep your distance, plenty of surf for all of us.
 
#15 ·
Bout 40 years ago, I was bouncing worms at the parking area below the railroad bridge. Heard splashing in the cove behind us. Took a light rod with a bucktailed Fiord spoon an proceded to cast. First fish hit the shore and there were six fisherman :)banana::banana::banana::10187::banana::banana::banana:) three either side of me. I caught 5 more schoolies before they moved on. No one else caught a thing. Talk about a S... eating grin on my face the rest of the evening.

Bay
 
#16 ·
Bout 40 years ago, I was bouncing worms at the parking area below the railroad bridge. Heard splashing in the cove behind us. Took a light rod with a bucktailed Fiord spoon an proceded to cast. First fish hit the shore and there were six fisherman :)banana::banana::banana::10187::banana::banana::banana:) three either side of me. I caught 5 more schoolies before they moved on. No one else caught a thing. Talk about a S... eating grin on my face the rest of the evening.

Bay
I just love poetic justice. Was fishing close to a jetty and nailed a schoolie. 3 guys moved right in on top of me, while I continued to pull out 6 more, they got zip. God has a sense of humor.
 
#17 ·
hey all was fishing a night run bye me for striper's it was around midnight in mid July. it is about a quarterer mile walk for me to get to my favorite spot been there for about 2 hrs waiting for tide to change. a couple of guys were down to the left of me tide started to move out about 20 Min later started to hook into some nice bass the 2 guy came running down and started fishing right next to me one to the left of me and one to the right. if i held my arms out i could put my had right on top of there shoulders.got tangled a couple of times lost 2 fish because of this no apologies or nothing one of them lost his lure when we were tangled and i cut the line lost mine to. they only came with one lure each he had the nerve to ask me if he could pick a new plug out of my surf bag so he can fish no was my answer and he got pissed.i packed up and moved up the beach more they caught a couple more sharing a rod.i was not getting anything but i stayed where i was30 mins later i started hitting them again they were no i tryed to kept quite and light off but i could not get a hook out turned my light on they saw i had a fish and moved down buy me again.i caught about 15 bass 9 keepers one 27 lbs 2 lost lures and aggravated. it is a public beach and i usually don't say anything i can put up with allot and are very patient but it is called common curtsy.

:whistle:
 
#20 ·
I can't stand the guys that ride up and down the beach looking for someone else pulling in fish or watching for birds . Then they pull over get out , come over and start fishing right next to you . Now I know I don't own the beach but I wouldn't do that to anyone else so I expect it to not be done to me.
 
#22 ·
Welcome to Race Point! That is when I start casting side arm with the eleven footer.

I fish out there all night long about an hour before sun up here comes the headlight parade! If I got a rod bent they all stop and stand on top of me. I have no issue with a guy setting up near me, thats life. But don't shoulder in on me.
 
#23 ·
Which is exactly why I've gotten pretty good at fighting a fish with the rod pointed down and to the side. Use an ARC dehooker to release it without ever lifting it out of the water.
Also, remove the drag clicker from the spool so the noise doesn't give you away.
 
#25 ·
Not sure if this is right for this forum but I got one. I hate when I'm on the beach in Old Orchard first thing in the morning getting into fish and a boat pulls up and sits just outside the breakers casting inward and over my line. I know it aint my beach or my water or my fish but if you're in a boat you have the WHOLE Ocean to play with and ya gotta pull up right in front of me just because ya saw me catch a couple of schoolies??? Usually once ya start chucking a 6 oz. pyramid sinker in their general direction they move relatively quickly. A guy crept up on me last year and ended up getting stuck as the tide receeded.............too bad for him, he got what he had coming to him far as I'm concerned!!!!'



StriperHyper ~ Will
 
#27 ·
Thats when you and some friends have a contest to see who can throw a pyramid weight to the boat first. they usually get the idea that they should move when lead rains down around their boat! im not saying you should intentionally damage their boat or injure them but i agree that they have the whole ocean to fish and they really dont need to be near shore. if they wanted to fish near shore imo they shouldnt have bought a boat!!
 
#28 ·
andddd for my own personal pet peeve i f^^^^^^ hate it when im fishing on a jetty and on the other side of the channel there are other people fishing and when they hear some splashing as you reel in a fish EVERYONE turns their lights towards you. Another thing i hate about people fishing on the other side is the yahoos who cast alll the way across the channel and then snag your line and get mad at you for it! as if its my fault he casted across the channel and caught my line??? I dont think so. some people just dont know how to fish politely.
 
#32 ·
Good info to know!

I just got a new boat, and thankfully I already had the common knowledge to be really far out from the surf casters (Don't want lead raining down on me!). Although, at one point there was a narrow entrance to a cove and I had to get close to follow the channel. I'm still a newbie at most things, but respect goes a long way and there were some good bits in this post that ring true to my own pet peeves.

:sign4:

Tight lines all!

Brute
 
#36 ·
I was fishing from shore on the upper Hudson, there was a boat approx. mid river and 1:00 to me 60 yrds.out,another boat pulls up and gets inbetween us, yhat means he was 30 yrds. from shore and directly IN FRONT of me. , I had two lines out. it took 10 mins before they snagged my line, I should have cut it I was so pissed. when I told him what I thought about what he did he just laughed and said there was room for everyone on the river, which there was, he could have parked ANYWHERE as there was at least 1/2 mile of open water to the next boat. It took me 20 mins to pack up and go. It would have taken him 1 min. to drive in ANY direction to fish out of my direct casting area.:minigun: I want to see someone do that to me this year


got a picture of it just don't know how to add it to the post
 
#37 ·
I was fishing from shore on the upper Hudson, there was a boat approx. mid river and 1:00 to me 60 yrds.out,another boat pulls up and gets inbetween us, yhat means he was 30 yrds. from shore and directly IN FRONT of me. , I had two lines out. it took 10 mins before they snagged my line, I should have cut it I was so pissed. when I told him what I thought about what he did he just laughed and said there was room for everyone on the river, which there was, he could have parked ANYWHERE as there was at least 1/2 mile of open water to the next boat. It took me 20 mins to pack up and go. It would have taken him 1 min. to drive in ANY direction to fish out of my direct casting area.:minigun: I ant to see someone do that to me this year
 
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