Thread: Brush pile ethics??

According to the guy that blasted up on me this weekend, since he sank it, he had the right to roll up and fish it even if I was sitting on it. He came up within 15 foot and dropped his anchors. He told me that if he hadnt put the brush there then he wouldnt be crowding in on me. I told him that I didnt see his name on it and had been fishing that hole for years. I then dropped my hook in a little deeper, snagged the brush good and started shaking and ripping the rod side to side. (Carefully trying to get unhooked without disturbing the fish of course). After I broke the hook off I drifted away. I was drifting around the area and it was the second time I had been over that brush anyways. If he would have slowed down before blasting into the cove, eased around a bit and asked if I minded he give the brush a try it would have been different. But instead he just informed me he was going to crowd me because he sank it. Another boat with a father and son had came up to the cove just before this guy did, they got a good ride out of wake he made blasting into the cove. The father and son were doing what I think is the right thing for this area. They came up to the mouth of cove, stopped out of the target zone. Got their rigs out and started fishing. They were moving into the cove opposite of were I was, fishing other cover. I let folks like that cycle around the same area and share the brush. There was plenty of brush in this cove.

I put out a lot of PVC pile and I don't care if others fish it, I have enough out if someone is fishing one place I can go to another. What does burn me up is when the water drops people will move the PVC piles!! If everyone would place some brush there would be more than enough for everyone to fish but like already said, with the new SI units people like to set on their tails all winter then go fish other fisherman places. I would never come and fish the same place if another fisherman is fishing but it does tend to get under your skin.

Amen to what everyone has said. There will be those that feel they own every part of the lake/water they have ever touched as well as what's in it. We as true Fishermen need to take the high road and avoid them as best as we can. No matter what we do, we will always have them.

Well, I put ALOT of brush out 2 times a year. I look at it in 2 ways, it helps me, and it improves our habitat. If others fish it, so be it. Hopefully I improved a fellow fisherman trip. Takes a lot for me to get worked up, but I been doing this a while. And FYI-- hide a few piles in standing timber! Makes em tough to find with SI. Lol!! All said, none of us have the deed for the waters we love, and it seems as the spawn progresses, we get more and more "non sportsman" who's only concern is catching fish. While on the well Sunday, had the proverbial guy blow up on my marker bout when he saw my group catching fish. Dang it man! Just wait till I leave! An he had a small child in the boat, so that's another generation that thinks it is ok to do that! Well, thanks everyone for the opinions, if we can make it a few more weeks maybe it will get back to normal!

Originally Posted by cray

This is just me and the way I am. If someone came up to me and I was fishing a pile,if they told me in a civil tone they had placed it there and would like to fish it, I'd roll up my poles and leave. If they came up yelling and hollering at me I might drag my anchor through it. It's all in how you approach people.

What he said

In my book they are fair game. Way I look at it, first come first serve. You were there first I'm going elsewhere. No reason to come in on someone else. Kinda like in my bowfishing tourneys, if someone beat me there it's there's. I've had people come in on me and had some words but everything was handled without getting fired up.

I am in agreement with all above. I keep a stock of multiple piles on the lake that way if somebody is on one I can go to the next one. During the drought on Hartwell, I spent many hours riding with the GPS marking anything I found that I thought looked good for when the water came back. Bottom line, unless he put his piles in his private lake they are free game to whoever finds em....in my opinion.

Pretty much first come, first served which IMO means get on water at 5am, get your spot and hope others are honorable