Fishing etiquette

Why do we go fishing?

Most of us go fishing for two prime reasons. The first and most obvious is to catch some fish. The second reason for most is to have a relaxing, stress-reducing time out on the water. But the boorish behaviour of some fishermen can ruin a day. This may be a tad unfair to some fishermen because ignorance does play a big part, other than straight-out bad manners.
Most of the ‘rules’ that cover fishing manners can be put down to plain old common sense, but common sense is sometimes all too uncommon.

First up, best dressed

The first rule of good manners is simple. Those who are first on the rocks, first anchored, first drifting while fishing or first in a trolling pattern have the right of way, their way, all the way, all day, everyday.

Berley trails

Anchoring behind a boat that is already anchored is unforgivable. Too many times I have experienced blind rage brought on by my spending hours setting up a good berley trail, and then just as the fish come on, some clown drives up at high speed and noses up behind my boat and drops anchor. Right behind me – in my berley trail!

I have to confess that some years ago, when I was a lot fitter and much more stroppy, this happened to me and I took action. After a couple of words from me about this lack of fishing etiquette, which were met with the backward victory salute, I went up to the bow of my boat, and let out enough warp to back my boat up to the offending boat’s anchor warp and cut it.

I also have to confess that I took this action with some notion of security because that day I had a couple of large front row forwards as crew. I also willingly confess it was a stupid act, because leaving a boat without an anchor is dangerous.

Drifting Lines

Dropping anchor in the path of a jigging or drift-fishing boat is unforgivable. Finding a school of fish to jig over can be hard enough, without some base-born oaf driving up and anchoring in your drift path, or starting to jig in your path below you.

Trolling trolls

Some people seem to believe that a school of working fish, especially kahawai, are theirs to fish in any way they want, despite the presence of other anglers fishing the school using another method.

The scenario is all too common. There is a boat or two happily jigging or spin-fishing around a school of kahawai and along comes a trolling troll who barges into the school pulling lures and puts the school down. Unforgivable.

Equally unforgivable is the jigger or spinfisher who barges in front of a troller and starts to jig or spin fish, interrupting the troller’s trolling pattern.

Livebait liberties

Balloons are not usually found at sea in the normal course of events. Coming across balloons in reasonable proximity to a boat usually means that balloon is holding something up, most probably a livebait. Driving a boat close to livebait balloons, or amongst the balloons, is stupid. Anchoring a boat within a radius made from the livebait balloons in any direction is boorish.

Rocky anchoring

Parking a boat within casting distance of rock fishermen, who were fishing before you arrive, is very bad manners. Small wonder some people who have done this find the air around their boat filled with flying sinkers.

Equally bad are the rock fishermen who arrive at the rock to find a boat anchored within casting distance, and start casting near the boat. Truly bad form.

Wake wankers

Ed the Lad and me made the long trip in the tinnie out to Takatu Point from Sandspit. We set up a good berley trail and were beginning to catch some fish. We heard the boat before we saw it. The roar of big diesels under plenty of revs. As it rounded the point we saw it was a 50ft-plus gin palace, the flybridge littered with people.

Suddenly the boat veered from its course and turned towards us. It passed not two or three boat lengths away and swung around us to a halt. The steep wake hit us full broadside and water slopped over the side – enough water to put at least a foot or eighteen inches in the bottom of the boat. Our tackle boxes crashed off the seats emptying hooks, sinkers, etc. into the bottom of the boat. We came very close to tipping out.
“Catching any?” yelled the idiot on the wheel.

I gave him the benefit of a short, sharp character reading, with some helpful hints on boat management near anchored small craft.
“Should that boat have all that water in it?” asked one of the nearly clad bikini bimbos adorning the owner, laughing enough to spill some of her gin.
They departed giving us a one-fingered wave goodbye.

Ed and I bailed out the boat, carried on fishing, and eventually made our way back to Sandspit. As we slowly meandered up the inlet, we spied the gin palace now sitting serenely and unattended at anchor. Ed and I slowly motored up to the boat and stuffed pillies and skipjack bait into every orifice we could find – a lot of bait into a lot of holes, nooks and crannies. We left this to percolate in the summer sun. ‘Waking’ boats is unforgivable, and avoidable. Summer is for fun, not friction!

A blast from the past! This article originally appeared in NZ Fisherman magazine – March - 2000