Inshore fishing has grown in popularity over the last few decades bringing throngs of new anglers to the sport; unfortunately a by-product of this popularity is poor conduct. Pioneer inshore greats like Bill Curtis, Joe Brooks, and my good friend Stu Apte were looked at as gentlemen in this sport, who pitted their significant skills and light tackle against formidable shallow water quarry all the while displaying a great deal of respect for their fellow anglers. Back then and even through most of my fishing career there has always been certain customs and etiquettes that anglers abided by when sharing the water… ensuring good experiences for all. Today, there are a lot more anglers fishing the shallows and you would think that common sense and respect would play an even larger role but quite the contrary is happening now!
In the beginning, inshore fishing or flats fishing had etiquette similar to the sport of golf; honor and respect for others and the environment were exhibited by all anglers making for many positive experiences and thus attracted many newcomers to our sport. For the sake of comparison, let’s match up a few similarities between golf and shallow water etiquette. In golf, you wouldn’t drive a ball up onto a green until the party ahead of you putted out and left the green. In shallow water fishing it’s not a good practice to ease up on fellow anglers (the bent rod pattern) working a school of fish or a piece of structure to get a cast in on their fish or spot unless you’re invited! This bent rod scenario is maybe the biggest problem in the sport today… try to find your own fish it’s part of the mystique that got you into the sport in the first place. Also, in golf you wouldn’t walk onto another golfer’s putting line on the green, it’s a definite lack of respect and sportsmanship. The same applies when fishing the flats… you never cut off another angler’s water who is already working a flat or mangrove shoreline to get in front of him. The right thing to do is to fall in behind him and fish his used water or better yet find another area altogether! And here’s a final comparison between golf and inshore fishing, in golf you wouldn’t drive your golf cart onto the manicured fairways and greens (you would be asked to leave)… carts should stay on the cart path. Just as you shouldn’t run your boat over shallow flats while others are trying to fish… use the channels and deeper areas to run your boat then ease up onto shallow fishing areas either by trolling motor or push pole, give other anglers plenty of room! All of these comparisons are obvious common sense scenarios yet we still we see too many lack of etiquette situations occurring every day. We must stop ourselves and demonstrate better sportsmanship toward our fellow anglers or the poor behavior that exists now will perpetuate to our younger anglers and eventually effect the survival of our sport.
Below are a few “Rules of Thumb” to follow while enjoying flats fishing:
- If you think you’re too close to another angler/boat… you probably were “too close” a hundred yards ago!
- Running your boat for the expressed purpose of locating fish on a flat or a shoreline is unacceptable… it demonstrates very little regard for everyone else and changes the natural behavior of the fish we are all trying to catch.
- If you’re leaving a flat that others are fishing, do not fire up your outboard and just go (definitely poor etiquette)! Trolling motor or if you have to slow idle behind the other fishing boats in their used water (not in front of them) for an acceptable distance (500 yds. is good) before getting your boat up on plane.
- If you see another boat catching fish on a flat or working a school of fish in shallow water… do not encroach unless invited. Spanish mackerel & Bluefish schools in the bays or on the beach are great to share with other boats but a school of redfish in two feet of water should not be crowded because everyone loses!
- If another boat is working a flat or shoreline, try to be cognizant of the direction or area he/she is working towards… don’t cut off his water to beat him to a spot. You wouldn’t want someone to do it to you!
Again it’s up to all of us to be good stewards of our light tackle sport and to lead by example so that we’ll all enjoy better fishing for years to come!
Visit www.flatsclass.com for more great info!
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Good rules to live by! If may save you from getting lit-up by a flare gun.
Great analogy. I’ve been fortunate over here in the Sabine watershed to still have some areas that don’t get too much fishing pressure, especially in the Keith Lake chain of lakes. I just worry, on one hand, that the increasing popularity and accessibility won’t take away from my good fortune; but on the other, it’s great for the sport. Hopefully, articles such as this will educate the “fry” and get the hardnosed “bulls” to break bad habits.
Keep up the great efforts to educate and put on a great show!
you know this is something that we all should know. but the rude ppl do it every day. in these cases i like to use the ol cheetos trick
I enjoyed your article.
Myself and some other concerned anglers here in Texas have recently developed a web site and an organization attempting to promote courtesy and etiquette in the coastal angling community.
I feel you might enjoy reading our web site:
http://wadepaddlepole.net/index.html
You might also like reading a recent(11/7/09) newspaper article written by David Sikes, outdoor writer for the Corpus Christi Caller Times, in response to our groups efforts:
http://www.caller.com/news/2009/nov/04/boating-etiquette-a-complex-subject/
Thanks for tackling this issue.
Will Myers
Great advice. Good advice for some inshore professional guides to adhere to also. I was poling a bank with an angler friend one morning and a well know live bait guide pulls in about 100 yards in the direction I am poling. We had some words when I poled up even to him. I’d never had done that to him and expect the same from the pros.
I agree with your analogy and rules of conduct. We fish the waters of the Lower Laguna Madre where the proliferation of shallow water boats has sent boats into every formerly unreachable corner of the bay. Boats on plane now cut in front of your drift as close as 100 yards ruining that drift and clearing the flat for the day or at least a couple of hours. It is time for some sanity.
Great job, CA. I just linked your article on our website. I wish more Texas guides would adapt this stance.
C.A., good rules of the road….Like others here, have been in this game for over 49 years, and I would say that common courtesy has diminished as it has on land–on the roads, at the movies, heck, everywhere! Editorialized many times against flats running and similar practices in past columns for Shallow Water Angler. Not surprisingly, I always recieved positive comments on such commentary from those anglers who pole and fish flats the right way. Never had “hate” mail to the contrary, which tells me that the bad actors out there don’t read!
C.A., good rules of the road. Like others here, I have been in this game for a long time, over 40 years, and I would say that common courtesy on the water has simply diminished as it has on land–on the roads, at the movies, heck, everywhere! Editorialized many times against flats running and similar practices in past columns for Shallow Water Angler mag. Not surprisingly, I always recieved positive comments on such commentary from those anglers who pole and fish flats the right way. Never had “hate” mail to the contrary, which tells me that the bad actors out there don’t read!
Thanks for the support, Mike! I can only hope by bringing awareness to this poor conduct problem through forums & social networking sites like Facebook… can we start making a difference.
Preach Preacher!… I am sure all respectable anglers agree with yu on this report.
Keep em comin!
Gheenoeit
This article is spot on Ca, however what gets me is that everyone almost to an individual when this discussion comes up agrees yet it seems to me no one is practicing but a handfull of anglers. I can give you story after story of rude anglers burning a flat just feet from where myself and kids are fishing to get ahead of our drift or even worse just going from point A to point B. Do they not know thats what the channel is for? I remeber as a child freshwater fishing with my dad in MI, he would always slow down when passing close to people fishing then speed up after we had past them. I have never seen that around here.The most recent experience was just easter weekend myself, my 13yr old daughter and, 3yr old son where fishing sarasoata bay we finnaly got into some trout I hooked up, my daughter hooked up, and my son as well almost one right after the other and withn five min ther were six boats in our area(NO exaduration either) all within 3o feet or less of us. As much as I and everyone thats posted agrees we seem to be a dying breed whrere manners and politeness are being run over by ignorence, impatience, and the you the man crowed. As for me and mine we will continue to walk the talk.
Thanks as always
BK(J3:16)