Ice Manners

[Guest]

Is it me, or is there just a little bit too much territoriality on public ice? Even just on passing, bad looks, comments under the breath, everyone has a right to be out there. What's going on?

[ASTRO]

I guess it depends on if you are the guy that drives within feet of someone. Or maybe the guy that drives 40mph across the lake. Could be you always seem to start drilling your holes at "bite time".
Or they have found the motherload and they don't want any company.

ASTRO

[Gissert]

I don't mind sharing a spot with someone. What drives me crazy are the things that Astro mentioned.

If you want to set up close to another guy, politely ask if they mind. Most folks are reasonable about this. What seems to be lacking is common courtesy.

If someone starts punching holes on top of my setup after 4 pm, I will say something to them for sure.

[Guest]

Well, when you go to a public park and you spread out your blanket to sit on, you don't expect strangers to come and sit on your blanket. The same is true on ice, when you work real hard to find a spot and you drill a few holes, people should respect your space, with in reason. I think it is just common courtesy. I am not saying you shouldn't fish near others, just respect others on the lake.

You will probably do better if you avoid others and look for spots that no one is fishing.ScottS

[Guest]

The thing I don't like is when some guy comes out to a fairly popular area, sets up and then drills 20 holes in a 50 foot radius around his portable and then acts like he owns everything inside the circle. I have run into this a few times where I have come out to the lake, setup 30 feet away and then get grief for setting up in their 'teritory'. I think some of these squatters need to be realistic about the area they claim.

[bturck]

ScottS. Watch your back buddy I'm going to be sneakin' up on ya. I'll call you first on the cell phone. I do agree though just some common courtesy and respect goes a long way.

[gill man]

Last year I was out on a small lake with a couple buddies. There might have been one or two other guys there too, at leaste 75 yards away. I found one good hole, one of those where the fish are just there. Drop the bait down and pull it up with a bluegill. Anyway, this guy comes out with two other people and starts drilling holes in a circle around me. I swear that the flying ice chips when he started a hole were darn near hitting my boots! Now, I'm a pretty tolerant person, but I thought I was being reasonable when I started talking about how I can't stand people that do that in a little louder than normal tone. Fortunately, I kept catching fish while he fished every hole around me and couldn't catch anything!

gill man

gill man

[Guest]

I think that all fisherman are territorial annimals. Its not a bad thing. Its natural. Most of us try hold our breath when someone is being inconsiderate. Doesn't always work that way though. The main reason people get so worked up is because of what Scott said. "we work hard for our spots". Fisherman feel almost "used" when someone invades their area. I like Scotts analogy about the picnic blanket. People don't realize part of fishing is actually finding the fish by yourself.

[This message has been edited by bigguns2 (edited 02-06-2002).]

[Guest]

I agree with Scott S.In a group 30 feet is no big deal but when you're the only one on the lake it's rude ridiculus.I was all alone on a small lake fishing panfish on a Monday of all days and I hear this truck coming out and I looked out the shack window with amazement as they stopped and set up right next to me.I was a good boy and stayed in the shack and they eventually left.When I left I measured and the portable they set up was 3 feet from my truck tire.What idiots!!!Like someone else said,a good percentage of fishing is just getting away from everything in life for a while.Someone sees you out there and assume it's a good spot and they go for the shortcut and crowd you instead of finding their own **** spot.

[RipJigger]

In the winter of 97 when we had all that snow I couldnt get out to my house to pull it off until a relative could come up from the cities with his snowmobile.When I finally got out there I found to my horror that someone drilled a hole 2 feet from my house and was using it for a windbreak,well anyway we all know what happens when you have 3 feet of snow on the ice and you drill a hole,yeah my house had 6" of ice on the floor from the water that had came up!!! After that incident I am now very territorial

------------------
Hard Water Rules
RipJigger

[widetrack]

Want to see fur fly? Just wait until Jighead sets up 5' from my house, and starts hurling burbout at me.

[Guest]

KGM, I would agree that in a popular area or a heavy pressured area, 30 ft should be fine. But, I believe 30 ft is way to close to a guy who has found a spot alone or is fishing away from the crowds. Again, just my opinion.

To close is when you are fishing crappies and someone sets up so close to you that a fish you catch cirles around the other guys lines on the way up! True story!ScottS

[The Crumpler]

What do you guys think about setting up near (by whatever definition you prefer) a permanent shack that is obviously unoccupied (i.e. padlocked)?

[Guest]

I think it all really depends on where you fish.Alot of the metro area lakes have sooooooo many houses and people fishing them it is hard to respect any ones space.I was out to one of my favorite crappie holes and I could not even get close to the spot I had intended to fish.There was a shak every ten feet.Now if you leave your permanant shak in a spot does that mean that you own a 10,20,30 feet diameter around your shak for the season even when you are not there?
On lakes that do not recieve major fishing pressure I would never think of setting up too close to another.But if the guy has holes drilled from one end of a reef to the other and I had intended on fishing that reef I am going to fish it.I sometimes do the same(drill up a whole break or reef)I don't think just because I have made 30 holes that I own this whole spot.I will gladly share and if it is bite time I will suggest that they use some of the holes I drilled.

[SpikeRoberts]

Like fishhead said, with so many houses on some Metro lakes sometimes it may be tempting to set up close to an unoccupied house, but according to state law, "No person may erect a dark house, fish house, or shelter within 10 feet of an existing dark house, fish house, or shelter." (p.44)

[Surface Tension]

Crumpler Good question. If the shack is out on the flats stay away. If its sitting on a crib,reef or hump and the owner isnt there its far game. You cant claim any public water or land for yourself. Put your shack on fish holding structure and be prepared to share the spot. Long ago this was easy to settle, You fought it out. Today we must use common sense which some people lack. So were forced to growl,snarl and bite when space is being invaded. Sorry to say but some people just need there a$$ kicked. Somethings fishin aint fun.

[Guest]

Well the law says 10ft and that isn't a whole lot. Think of how close 10 ft is and then think if you had a hot bite, would you want someone drilling holes and setting up that close to you, Probably not. It still all comes down to common courtesy and respect. Remember, fish bite better when they are not pressured, so try to get away from the pack.ScottS

[Surface Tension]

If someone setup 10 from me I would be stupified.
There was a time when T-Rex's and Sabertooth Lions thinned out the young,DUMB and the weak.

[doubleUcubed]

If they set up really close and there are not many houses on the lake I kinda get touchy. If they come in at prime time, new story, not only will I not catch fish, they won't either. I like to leave my 4-wheeler sitting and warming about that time, usually takes about 20-30 minutes or until they get the hint! Doesn't happen much around here. Good Fishing!!

[nunzio]

I belive that I've posted this before; "I don't mind sharing but I do mind the rudeness and lack of consideration shown by our visitors".
My worst "invasion" happened on open water in the BWCA...We were slip-bobbering Smallies in Back Bay on Basswood when we noticed a guided day-tripper cruising to the opening of the bay we were fishing. We were lucky enough to really be hitting them and having a very good time. After they watched us for a while they decided they had to catch fish too. They ran over our bobbers cutting our lines..we were only fishing aout 20" feet from shore. As for the hard water I try to fish during the week. nunzio.

[Guest]

I fish the metro area mostly so I am accustomed to LOTS of people.Like nunzio said"I don't mind sharing but I do mind the rudeness".Heck if my buddies showed up on the spot I was fishing I would ask them to join me.If some guys show up where I am fishing and they are polite I am probably better off fishing with them than my buddies .I will get treated with a little more respect!
I actually was out one time when a couple of old timers drove up got out of thier old pickup and sat down on a bucket over a couple of my holes that were only about ten feet away.I didn't even mention to them that they were fishing my holes because they were freindly and I ended up having a good time with them.If I had acted territorial none of us would have had a good time.The day woud have been remembered sourly.

[Guest]

I am pretty territorial when it comes to a fishing spot. I try not to be rude, but some encounters are pretty annoying. It's one thing when someone comes to a spot because they have caught fish there in the past or something of that nature, but to sit and watch you fish before deciding whether or not to move on is a different story. There have been quite a few times when I've been fishing by myself or with buddies on Mille Lacs when guys drill holes a hundred yards away and sit there and watch us with binoculars. When they see that we're catching fish they pick up their cell phone and call their buddies. Their buddies drive on over and set up even closer to us. We even had a time out there when we were catching fish in the morning on top of structure and guys set up by us. After 9:30 or so when the bite stopped we decided to move out to the flats. About a half hour later here come the same guys and two other trucks following our tracks, lo and behold they set up right next to us again.

I've been on the other side of the spectrum as well. I've had particular structure that I've wanted to fish. I've driven out to it to find others on it when I get there. I'll talk with the guys and appologize for setting up so close, letting them know that I'm not fishing there because others are there and they might be catching fish,but because that was my original intentions to fish there.........

[Guest]

Tonto,

I have a hard time understanding why people think that just because its public ice, land, or water that someone can just set up right next to you. Fish swim so there is no reason to get so close to someone that they are giving you dirty looks or muttering under there breath. It never fails wherever I set up my shack or drop an anchor someone always shows up and figures there must be fish here. The only time I get real vocal is during waterfowl hunting. I just remind the co habitators that accidents happen.

good luck

Ukes

[Guest]

I'm like a loon when I fish. I have to have my own lake. If I see another guy on one of "my" puddles I feel crowded. I really never mind sharing my hot spots, however, I make the guy I'm sharing with sign a contract swearing secrecy in his own blood. Come join me sometime. Don't worry I'll have a sterile pin to ***** your finger.

he-he, ha-ha, ho-ho, giggle, snicker, snort.

Toad

[Dave]

During the summer, I've fished in an area (back bay), during first open water for crappies, when the boats were thick. People also fishing along the shores. Everyone seems to get along fine, maneuvering their boats, weaving in and out, to get into the back part of the bay. People on shore holding back their casts so you can slide by in your boat. I wonder why I never hear anyone shouting or getting disgusted at others who come along. Maybe cause getting a fish is just a bonus to a lot of us. Being there is #1.

fishhead, I tip my hat to you. When my dad was alive, he and my uncle use to fish a lake quite a bit, summer and winter. (I'm sure it's not the lake you were on) I wouldn't put it past them to drive up to a stranger and fish with them. Just for maybe starting a new friendship or some conversation. Maybe those guys didn't have an auger. I seriously doubt anyone on this forum would chew out an older guy who fished close to him. Or would someone??