Trout Fishing Etiquette

Hello,

Tell me if this has ever happened to you?  

Your up at 5:00 a.m., the crack of dawn.  You just put on a pot of coffee, and you are getting all your fishing gear ready. Ahh the sweet feeling of getting out there before everyone else is even awake.   You get all of your gear packed into the car, coffee in hand and tell the family you will see them later.  It is still dark out and the birds are starting to chirp their morning tune.  Oops, gotta run back inside to grab your fly box.  

Yeah, probably going to need that.

So your off, heading to the stream of your choice.  It is early enough to where only a select few are out and about at this time of morning.  You cruise by the little stream that holds a few trout.  Onward to that sweet stream you have been thinking about all night.  The sun is now starting to peak over the crest of the hill.  The mist on the water is now becoming visible as you arrive to your destination.  NOBODY.  Not a single car in view, and not a single sole out on the water.  The fact that no one has fished the water today: Priceless.

Now you have to decide.  Do I go upstream or downstream.  So after some debate about which will be better this time of morning you decide to go fish downstream from where you parked.  The fishing starts out cold and a little slow.  This is O.k. considering you have got some sweet stream ahead of you, due to the fact you are the first one out there.  The sun is up and the water starts to warm.  The sun warms your body from the chill of early morning antics.  You close your eyes and let the sun warm your eyelids.  Now you can only hear what is going on in this natural wonderland.  All of the sudden out of the serenity of birds and stream water passing by you hear the sound of a door close.  Then another, and then another door.  

You open your eyes and glance 6-7 holes back towards the spot you decided to park.  Three, no wait 4 guys pile out of the newly arrived vehicle.  By now it is about 8:00 a.m.  They role around to the back of the vehicle and get all geared up.  They look downstream and spot you down there fly fishing.  You throw a friendly wave up and continue fishing.  They then look upstream and you think to yourself: " These guys will have some good luck upstream for sure."

Good Luck to them.

This is where things go wrong.  Instead of them heading upstream, they all 4 start B-lining it for you.  Are these dudes serious.  There cant be more than 15 holes downstream from where I am at this point.  With 5 guys hitting this part of stream, we will each get to fish 3 holes a piece.  Even if 2 of them went upstream,  the fishing holes will still be slim downstream.  

What I don't understand is why some people have no fishing etiquette what so ever!  Just because these dudes were too lazy to get up early in the morning, doesn't mean they can just come barreling in and steal the sweet fishing holes that should be at a first come first serve basis.  I could understand maybe if there was only one trout fishing stream for miles.  But this is not the case.  

Living in southwest Wisconsin has some huge benefits for trout fisherman.  There are a ton of trout fishing streams within 3 counties alone.  Which works out nice, because there is plenty of water for everyone.

That is why when people decide to come up from the big cities and pack the streams, it is important for them to remember that this isn't the city any more.  People who live out in these areas where these trout streams are, have these things we like to refer to as MANNERS.  

I know that it would be a lot easier to get up at 8:00 instead of 5:00, and just show up at any stream and steal some guys holes so that way I get to fish where ever I want.  But the fact remains I have manners, 

Trout Fishing Etiquette.

So I guess I am saying to those people without any manners or etiquette when it comes to fishing, not just trout fishing, is that before you take off onto a stream, take a look around and take time to notice whether or not someone is already fishing where you planned on.

If they are, then head the other way on the stream, fish the water they already have, or get back into your vehicle and drive down the road to the nearest stream.  

Have some manners.  It just makes sense.

Anybody agree, disagree?

Can anyone guess where this southwest Wisconsin stream is?:

What do you think?? 

Until Next Time......Tight Lines to all!!!