I’m pretty sure that river etiquette is that when someone is tying up their rig while standing in front of a hole that you’re not supposed to show up, step up to that exact water and begin fishing that hole.
Thanks,
Kevin
Even after suggesting that I was just planning on hitting that water, these two politely said they understood, but then proceeded to move down about a rod length. I didn’t say anything, but it was clear that I couldn’t set hook with someone 10 ft downstream. Not sure what to do, I quietly moved downstream while they stayed in the riffles for the next hour and half.
I think you make it a little more known you're fishing this spot and that there's other places on the river to fish. There's obvious etiquette and then there's just plain ignorance. Some people just need a little more "explaining" sometimes. That's not cool. Those two people will do that to the wrong person and get more than just a patient person.
That sucks Kevin. The creek is getting pounded right now. I fished last’s friday and there were multiple cars in each turnout and the FAs were packed. Competition is inversely proportional to river etiquette.
I typically hustle down to my spot and stand in the creek to finish my rigging. I think it’s best practice for a couple reasons: you tend to adjust your rig to better fish the conditions in front of you and it tends to decrease the ambiguity of whether you have staked your claim.
If that doesn’t work you can always start arguing with yourself just over your breath. Act a bit like channeling Gollum in Lord if the Rings. “This spot is my precious. Yes it is. I love catching those fishies my precious. I hate those nasty inconsiderate people who don’t give us space my precious....”. That should make them think a bit about giving you more space. 😏
__________________
Support Putah Creek Trout in their mission to improve the wild trophy trout fishery. Visit and contribute at https://putahcreektrout.org
Thanks Dan
I hear you about rigging up stream-side which is why I was shin deep when they arrived. The whole thing was surprising and odd, but it wasn't worth making a big deal over. I was going to speak to them about my understanding of etiquette when they left, but they crossed upstream so I didn't get a chance.
Fortunately, it's a part of the river that I know well so I ended up getting a bunch to net. I went home very wet with sore forearms. My kind of Putah drive-by after work :)
Honestly now, this is just B.S. when people do this, you need to TELL THEM that they are violating the etiquette of fly fishing and that they need to go somewhere else. I was fishing the run at 4 last fall and some kook appeared on the near bank and started to fish right on top of me. I told him in no uncertain terms that I was fishing HERE and he needed to go downstream. This kind of stuff is why people should not post pics, or otherwise blow up the Creek.
Or maybe, just maybe, Lost Coast Outfitters should do some glossy YouTube video about good manners and how not to get your ass kicked for being a jerk.
My hang up with addressing them is that I was working and had two guests with me. I don’t want to have an altercation in front of paying guests. That’s not the wxperienc they are looking for. I also try to tread lightly as a guide. It’s easy to point fingers at us even if we are in the right.
10-12 feet? I can roll cast 20-30 feet easy and mend the drift another 30 feet. I’d say 20-30 yards at minimum is a good starting distance or asking if you can fish above or below the person who first arrived at the spot. There’s fish in the entire river. Not just in one spot to crowd others.
Any chance these are the two guys fishing euro rigs with the chartreuse and red sighter? Ran into a few dudes pounding #4 riffle weeks back killing it with their drop shot setups.
think i saw these guys a few weeks back. they sat on the riffle at #5 for like 2 hours only 15 ft apart from each other. hootin and hollering a lot of the time. then crowded me under the bridge at #1
I don't fly fish so as long as folks are quiet I welcome the company. Wade through my pool, make too much noise, or otherwise spook my spot and you might find a jerk bait ruining your $500 waders. I've generally had really good experiences with folks when fishing early morning and the opposite with the after work evening crowd.
P.S. if anyone finds a Pointer 65 below #4 let me know!
Throw that pointer next to the resort. Just above the bridge along the rocky bank. Big spots hanging out there.
I'll have to check it out! I caught a giant smallmouth at the dam on a little tube jig. The big trout have been keeping me busy, they love that thing. Need a new one :(.
Throw that pointer next to the resort. Just above the bridge along the rocky bank. Big spots hanging out there.
I'll have to check it out! I caught a giant smallmouth at the dam on a little tube jig. The big trout have been keeping me busy, they love that thing. Need a new one :(.
Another option is to spook the hole by waiting through it while saying it's all yours, enjoy! Then they will fish it to no avail. When they get sick of it come back and let it rest for a while. Then fish on. Whatever you do don't get into a fight with a guy in the middle of the woods. You never know the kind of crazies you're going to run into.
On a similar topic. I’m new to fishing putah and I enjoy Fishing the fork down by hole 4. What is a reasonable distance downstream if you are going to undercut somebody. I’ve gone straight down to this hole I like when the riffles are occupied but sometimes I get down there and somebody is a bit ahead of me in the next pool. I don’t want to pressure anyone down but also don’t want to wait around an unreasonable amount of time for the hole to clear due to limited daylight.
It's best to ask someone if you are encroaching their territory. More often than not people will happily share with you the lane they are fishing. Many times people will real up their line and let you have their position for 10 minutes and then switch back and forth I've done this quite often. It's also a great way to make a new fishing buddy. It's all about communication and respect. If somebody has traveled a long distance or put a tremendous amount of effort into getting to their fishing spot they may just want it to themselves and that's totally understandable.
