While fishing on the East Fork of the Trinity River with guide Morris Alder, I was struck by the fact that a little courtesy goes a long way in a crowded fishing situation.
When conditions are right, Alder runs his boat up the river from Lake Ray Hubbard and fishes below the old Cotton Belt Dam at State Highway 78. The day we were there, 11 anglers were casting from the banks, everybody fishing in an area of water less than half an acre in size.
That hotspot was loaded with sand bass and hybrid stripers. Everybody was catching fish and the atmosphere was genial.
One hyper hybrid bit a jig cast by a bank angler, then grabbed Alder's lure. The two fishermen got into a tug of war, both thinking they'd hooked a giant fish, then thinking their lines had tangled. The bank angler gave slack and Alder reeled in the hybrid. The fish had both lures in its mouth.
We were trying to get photos of this unusual catch when the fish spit Alder's lure and broke the bank angler's line, swimming away with his jig.
Alder, a congenial guy who fishes the spot often, gave the bank angler a package of lures to replace the one he'd lost. As we were leaving, another bank angler asked Alder what we were catching them on. Alder threw him a package of productive lures, as well.
Those guys will remember the boat and the fishing guide who went out of his way to be courteous. They'll return the gesture.
That's how fishing should work, but it often doesn't. Some anglers take the same aggression they use on a crowded freeway and transfer it to the water.
Over the years, I've had reports of tournament fishermen intimidating senior citizens to make them leave a good fishing spot. Lakes are a public resource. The first anglers to find a good spot don't have to leave until they're good and ready.
I've probably seen more rude behavior around surface-schooling fish than anywhere else. Sand bass, stripers and hybrid stripers frequently chase baitfish to the surface, where they churn the water in a feeding frenzy. Largemouth bass will sometimes school on the surface, as well. Casting to surface schooling fish is one of the most exciting forms of fishing.
Because of the adrenalin rush that comes from seeing the fish and knowing that a good cast is almost sure to catch one, anglers forget their manners around surface frenzies. They'll cut off other boats from the school or, worse yet, troll through the surface action in hopes of catching something.
A big school of surfacing fish will satisfy several fishing boats, but only if the fish are approached correctly. The best thing to do is sit back and watch for a while to see which way the school is moving, then circle wide, shut down your outboard and use either the wind drift or your electric motor to close the distance.
Nothing shuts down a school of feeding fish quicker than a revved-up outboard nearby.
Fishing etiquette is really nothing more complex than common sense and common courtesy. Maybe we need to rename those terms. They don't seem to be so common anymore.
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Fishing reduces stress and gives you a break from our modern world where everything is going a million miles per hour
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Check & Clear 6
LOC: 38-54-14.60N / 097-14-09.07W
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