Poll - Minimum Boat Distance While Fishing

[Southerncats]

Yeah....you have to use common courtesy......sometimes I will crowd folks alittle getting skipjack, but I always troll in and don't feel I'am hurting their fishing....it can be crowded around dam's sometimes anyhow.......if someone is drifting an area I want to fish I will start behind them.......Also I don't drift behind an anchored boat too close and don't anchor behind a drifting boat or anchor within 100yrds or so downstream of another anchored boat.....if fishing a lake you just kinda got to draw a circle around the other boat and stay out of their space.......but in general I don't have a set distance....I just use common sense and the golden rule.

 

[SNUFFY]

Just for a flipside to the courtesy thing....I heard one winter that they were killing Crappie in Indian Creek on Douglas. I decided to give it a try and hooked my little aluminum boat up. I stopped at Bait store in Dandridge to get a report and some minners. I asked if there was a particular place and he said just head up to the Creek and "be real friendly" and I wouldn`t have any problem figuring out where to fish. Since it was winter and Douglas was down about 50 ft I knew there wouldn`t be alot of water in Indian Creek. He was right. The mouth of the creek was about 150 ft wide and there were about 50 (no kidding) boats in the 2-3 acres of water in front of the mouth of the creek and more on around the corner in the creek itself. I dropped the trolling motor and a couple of floater rigs about 20 ft behind the boat and just kind of eased around till I could find a spot to park. Had a blast and caught a limit along with everybody else. On occasion somebody would get lines crossed ,nobody got mad or irritated just untangle it and fish on. You could tell alot of the guys knew each other and there was some pretty good ribbin` going on. A good time !
More than once I have fished from the bank in Nina Creek and the bank at Swanns Bridge and truly standing shoulder to shoulder for hundreds of yards and everybody catching crappie nearly every cast. So close that you had to take turns casting with your neighbor. It helps when everybody is catching fish !

 

[Fishin Fool]

SNUFFY - 8/21/2007 8:10 AM

Just for a flipside to the courtesy thing....I heard one winter that they were killing Crappie in Indian Creek on Douglas. I decided to give it a try and hooked my little aluminum boat up. I stopped at Bait store in Dandridge to get a report and some minners. I asked if there was a particular place and he said just head up to the Creek and "be real friendly" and I wouldn`t have any problem figuring out where to fish. Since it was winter and Douglas was down about 50 ft I knew there wouldn`t be alot of water in Indian Creek. He was right. The mouth of the creek was about 150 ft wide and there were about 50 (no kidding) boats in the 2-3 acres of water in front of the mouth of the creek and more on around the corner in the creek itself. I dropped the trolling motor and a couple of floater rigs about 20 ft behind the boat and just kind of eased around till I could find a spot to park. Had a blast and caught a limit along with everybody else. On occasion somebody would get lines crossed ,nobody got mad or irritated just untangle it and fish on. You could tell alot of the guys knew each other and there was some pretty good ribbin` going on. A good time !
More than once I have fished from the bank in Nina Creek and the bank at Swanns Bridge and truly standing shoulder to shoulder for hundreds of yards and everybody catching crappie nearly every cast. So close that you had to take turns casting with your neighbor. It helps when everybody is catching fish !

I think a situation like this comes along from time to time and you have to know when it is "ok" to violate the 100 yard rule. I've had the same thing happen to me when fishing for crappie in Harrison Bay. The boats are so close you can actually talk in a normal voice to one another. No big deal. Same with the community jumps at the nuke plant. That is certainly an unusual circumstance. BUT when you are fishing bedding fish, small schools of bass, or bass fishing I think the 100 yard rule should apply. As Flip said, 100 yards isn't a lot on a big lake. I've had guys that were so noisy and clueless about fishing in general that I would not want them within 300 yards of me, let alone 100.

 

[Bahama Rick]

I voted for 100yd. In fact if I'm running down the lake I try to make it more just to keep the wake down. I think the fish are so use to hearing boat motors and noise that it doesn't bother them. I was helping a neighbor on his boat dock, making a lot of noise, and a fisherman pulled a nice 3-4 lb bass out from under the dock. Go figure!!

Bahama Rick

 

[SpurHunter]

Interesting watching this poll through the posting of more commments. The more comments, the more people are choosing the 100 yard option. Just an observation. </p>

BTW Rick, I enjoyed talking with you and your lovely wife at the picnic!</p>

 

[SpurHunter]

Interesting watching this poll through the posting of more commments. The more comments, the more people are choosing the 100 yard option. Just an observation.

 

[Gator]

I voted for 100 yards and would have voted for 200 yards if it was anything except a trolling motor being used. What I'm thinking if you have to ask YOU'RE TOO CLOSE.

 

[Breeze]

I feel you should be close enough to tie off to one another to save on gasemoLaugh I also feel like the auto drivers in this town also should practice alittle caution when they follor to close .dont use turn signals.forget to smile when they run into the back of you because you are at a school crossing. or letting an old person like me cross the street.enen tho i have a pint of whiskey in my hand.depending what kind of whishy it is of course.emoCool

 

[Bassin' Machine]

Whether it is tx rules or common courtesy, I think 50 yds is plenty....It's just hard to believe how many people think they own the lake.....Courtesy is a good thing, but heck if you want 100 yds or more every time you go fishin', then you might as well give up fishin'....Everybody can't have the lake to themselves like we all wishemoThumbsup emoBigsmile

 

[Fishin Fool]

Bahama Rick - 8/21/2007 1:25 PM

I voted for 100yd. In fact if I'm running down the lake I try to make it more just to keep the wake down. I think the fish are so use to hearing boat motors and noise that it doesn't bother them. I was helping a neighbor on his boat dock, making a lot of noise, and a fisherman pulled a nice 3-4 lb bass out from under the dock. Go figure!!

Bahama Rick

Rick you bring up a good point that I think is true to some extent with bass. I've fished bass in the jumps before and had boats come through like Dhaun described and INSTANTLY shut down the bite. I think it is more a reaction of the bait fish leaving than anything. I was fishing a flat a few weeks back and had a guy in a red triton come bearing down on me from the river. I was catching fish after fish in the jumps. The guys didn't even look as they passed 50 yards or so away, heading for the docks to fish, BUT they managed to shut down the bite. If they had stayed out a little more, to say 100 or 150 yards, it would not have disturbed the bait fish. (by the way, there was numerous ways for them to get to the docks. They choose the path that brought them closest to me) If you have catfish in shallow water (6 to 10 feet) they react and are sensitive to sound 10 times more than bass. So if a guy is drifting for cat in a shallow area they can be scared off by loud noise, motor sounds, and someone being an idiot 50 yards away. In deep water it is not as much of an issue, like the nuke plant. If you are fishing bedding fish, either bass, bluegill, crappie or crackers, a boat moving to within 50 yards can totally destroy the bite you have going. Shadows, noise, cussing, laughter, something banging the hull, whatever can all affect fishing in that situation. I know what I am doing but does the other guy? I just prefer he stay back off me and let me fish in peace without having to worry about what he is going to do next. I've been fishing the lake for over 40 years now and maybe grew up respecting other people a little more than some of the younger people (then again some younger folks have a ton more respect than older ones that should know better!) on the water today. My dad would have taken my head off if I had tried to move in on another man when he was fishing a spot. It just wasn't done. We'd often round a bend and see someone hundreds of yards away on a spot we were planning to fish, and we'd turn and leave without question. Unfortunately a lot of fishermen today were never taught that way. 100 yards is a miniumum distance for me: 300 feet ain't much!

 

[foodsaver]

EricM - 8/20/2007 6:56 PM

DHaun - 8/20/2007 9:24 PM

Of course all this minimum distance stuff flys out the window if I know the angler. I am always happy to fish alongside any CFF member.

My attitude exactly! Well said David!emoThumbsup

From what I hear eric its just almost any CFF member for youemoPoke emoPoke emoPoke

 

[EricM]

Aw, geez, foodsaver, ONE screwup and I just can't live it down. Well, just one screw-up in that particular area. I manage 'em pretty much in EVERY area of my life!emoBang emoLaugh

 

[foodsaver]

Sorry dude I couldnt just let it slip by could I?

 

[digitalcb]

foodsaver - 8/22/2007 6:55 PM

EricM - 8/20/2007 6:56 PM

DHaun - 8/20/2007 9:24 PM

Of course all this minimum distance stuff flys out the window if I know the angler. I am always happy to fish alongside any CFF member.

My attitude exactly! Well said David!emoThumbsup

From what I hear eric its just almost any CFF member for youemoPoke emoPoke emoPoke

In that case, close enough to hand me a beer!

 

[2jigs]

100 yard at the least! I say if you are within a cast of someone ( & I can put a 1 oz what ever out there about 40-70yrds. depending on the wind), your way too close & I'm gona make the cast. There is alot of water out there. If you can hear what the other guy is saying ( without trying to hear him to start with) your too darn close. We go out fishing to get away from everyone else alot of time. Why would you want to pull up on someone & have a bad feeling the whole time you fish. If your telling yourself ( I hope this guy don't get mad for me being too close), YOUR TOO CLOSE!!!!

 

[Fuzzy]

I had to say 100 if I am in a tourney. Other than that, I invite someone over and even had people jump in my boat to look at the side imager to see why I was fishing out in the middle of no where (deep structure)! Helped put 4 folks on a spring yesterday. Jet skis....one mile....

 

[Fishin Fool]

2jigs - 9/2/2007 1:20 AM

100 yard at the least! I say if you are within a cast of someone ( & I can put a 1 oz what ever out there about 40-70yrds. depending on the wind), your way too close & I'm gona make the cast. There is alot of water out there. If you can hear what the other guy is saying ( without trying to hear him to start with) your too darn close. We go out fishing to get away from everyone else alot of time. Why would you want to pull up on someone & have a bad feeling the whole time you fish. If your telling yourself ( I hope this guy don't get mad for me being too close), YOUR TOO CLOSE!!!!

AMEN! You hit the nail on the head Steve. There are many times when I am fishing humps and ledges and may turn and go back over it many, many times. I've had guys sit and watch me pull out fish from a spot, had my boat drift down 50 yards are so, turn to go back and find them sitting right where I was. That kind of fishing ruins the relaxation. If you feel you have no choice but to be on the defense to protect your hot spot, you can't fish any of the immediate area (50 to 100 yards) without worry about someone moving in when you turn your back. I recall last year when I was spring crappie fishing. I had a spot that I had watched for weeks as the water came up. I knew there would be crappie there when the temps and the water reached a certain level. Sure enough, on a Friday I went to fish it and found lots of big, fat crappie in shallow water. The spot was in the back of a cove near some rocks. The entire cove was maybe 150 yards wide where I was back in the "V", with maybe on 20 yards of water that was deep enough to fish. I knew the next day that with temps rising, they'd be going wild! I got there the next day and didn't see a single soul on the spot, even though it was Saturday. There were a couple of anchored boats way up the slough but none even close to the spot. I eased in and tossed out a stinger and BAM! Fish on! Mike and I caught fish after fish. I looked around after 30 mins or so of constant action and saw that one boat with a man and woman had moved closer to me from the spot they'd been anchored but they were still a good ways off (200 yards or more). The wind was beginning to get up and I'd make drifting passes on the spot, casting, pulling in 3 or 4 and then turning to head back up wind. Finally the inevitable happened and I got a tangle in my line and took my eyes off where the boat was drifting. We drifted a few yards further than normal past the spot. I turned to head back to our spot to begin casting.......and a boat was sitting on it! Now bear in mind that the place was 150 yards wide at the MOST and we were drifting 40 to 50 yards and turning to go back around the spawning beds. This guy had had to kick his trolling motor into high speed and bore in while I was distracted for 2 minutes! I headed back up to my spot and found him and the lady wildly casting all over the place, trying to find the pattern and beds. I gave them some evil looks to which they replied they had been fishing the area earlier but had left because the sun was too hot. It was obvious they were clueless. I watched with disgust as he drifted right over the spawning fish in 2 to 3 feet of water, got his trolling motor caught on the rocks, pulled it up and made a ton of noise getting out of the shallows with a paddle. Needless to say, that ended the fishing for that day for me.

Now while that may not mean much to some people it means a lot to me. I don't get to go fishing that often and I'd planned and sacrificed to fish those two sunny spring days. I'd planned on fishing THAT spot that day. Had I gotten there and someone was on it I would have moved to another location rather than crowd them. Yes, I would have been disappointed, and a little pissed that they had found my "secret hole" but honestly I would have also admired them a little bit for being a good fisherman and in no way would I have moved in on them, even though I'd moved heaven and earth to be off those two days. Yahoos like these two mentioned above are the scavenger buzzards of the lake. They wait until they see YOU on fish and then they move in to try and take what they consider to be "their share". We see it every day and it is getting worse and worse. 100 yards is a minimum distance on a big lake like ours. There is no reason (other than the ones mentioned already, jumps, catfishing, ect...) to crowd anyone and ruin their day.

 

[finbully]

I voted 50 yd., but I feel better staying farther away when fishing bass with other bass fishers. I agree with - If you have to ask, your too close.

Got cut off working up spots four times on 9-1, I rack that up to the fact that it is a holiday weekend and inexperienced people getting launching their flotilla for the 2nd or 3rd time this year.

 

[Fishheadspin]

According to Beetlespin, Bbass and flip1up think about 20 feet is a good distance.

 

[Buoy-Master]

 I find that alittle funny. I'm not going to defend that statement being there are other circumstances around it.

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