Bass fishing tourney etiquette -100 yard rule clarification?

[creekchub]

I was fishing a club level event The other day...... I came in to an island saw that there was another boat on a shoreline. I gave the guy 300 yards perhaps even a little bit more. I pulled in and the guy threw a hissy fit on me. He said I am fishing that whole side of the island you need to move..... Was that him just being a little bitch or was I def following proper tournament etiquette giving him three times the normal
100 yard distance ? This guy was not in our tournament. He was just fun fishing and was crying about me moving in on his side of the island.
I told him I just gave you 300 yards and you don't own the island and he said tough shit. I was here first. I fished 300 yards above him and fished to the top of the island as he came in idling over and nailed a nice 3 pound smallmouth and he was very upset.... What is the actual proper etiquette here? As long as you give another angler 100 yards you are in the clear or no not necessarily? I think questions like these can be beneficial to all of the folks here on these boards.....thoughts?

[rangerbrent]

I believe you were being very fair. I'm happy with 100 yards maybe even 50 if it's a busy day and alot of boats fishing. Guy told me that I'd be on that spot a long time that day.

[CastingCall]

Did you flash your BBC Corporate Member card and ask him "Don't you know who I am?!".

Seriously, sounds like you gave a respectable margin without encroaching on him. As long as you weren't confrontational, steered clear (didn't create more drama), you were in the right.
You can't control what other's opinions are. To you, 300 yards was enough; to him, 1/2 mile might have been too close... you'd lose either way in his eyes.

[marshman]

Dude can’t have the whole lake to himself… screw him..

[RNKingCx19]

You’re fixing to get 5-10-15-20 different opinion. Yep opinions. Get in behind someone and fish like there’s no tomorrow.

[LateralLine]

I say Bitch! I don't think the 100 yards is for any fisherman, usually other tourney teams/participants. 300 is a LONG LONG WAY!!!

[dean c]

If it’s a busy lake and crowded, 300 yards is a lot. If you two are the only boats around. Come back later.

[creekchub]

I thought I was being very fair and the icing on the cake was when he came in and expressed his anger I hooked into one of the better fish of the day....

[BKF]

100 yards is a lot. Come fish most anywhere in the north east and you’ll be lucky to get 40

[LateralLine]

I say Bitch! I don't think the 100 yards is for any fisherman, usually other tourney teams/participants. 300 is a LONG LONG WAY!!!

OK just for perspective can you see that boat from my deck, first pic in my neighbors yard? Doubtful so I circled it before the closer pic. That ski boat is 192 yards from where I'm standing (range finder used). We are on a 5.9 acre lot! 100 or 300 yards is A lot Further than most think!



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[bigal74848]

You were polite. Tournement fishing only thing required is 50 yards if trolling motor up and anchor.what would piss me off is if I gave that much room and they started up motor and went around me stopped within casting distance and started fishing.

[BMCD]

When some guy's reasoning is Tough chit, does that not also imply u can say the same thing back? Same thing has happened to me although its been awhile, But not at a distance of 300 yards.

Anyways u guys are not verbally communicating at 300 yds away, almost not possible. So something is not right, even at 100 yards its can be tough, wind speed would have to be calm to communicate at 100 yds and both parties yelling..

[xranger77]

100 yards is plenty. Tourney competitors the 50 yard rule is too tight unless its a small lake and crowded area (circumstances dictate).

Common courtesy to me should trump anything anyway. No way you can hardly communicate at 50 yards, let alone 100+. Hell. Hard to see a boat at 100

[yatesville88fan]

I think you gave him more than enough room.

[coreynov902]

Even if you two were the only ones on the entire lake, it sounds like you gave him plenty of space. If he was trolling the entire shoreline on that side of the island and asked nicely, I would probably have found a different place to fish for a little while, but it sounds like he was not trolling and was not nice about it, so I would have just fished it like you did.

[PsuHntr]

sounds like you gave him plenty of room, and distance is dependant on how you are fishing....a grass flat around here 20 yards might be all you get....fishing down a bank I wouldn't cut in front of somebody by less than a few hundred yards

[DaveBrabec]

You were there first. Tough shit for him.

[tunamann]

How could he even communicate 3 football fields away?

Regardless, I’m with Dean and would likely bail to a different area. Life is too short, and there are some truly certified nut jobs out there.

[brucekgreen]

Didnt know Kyle Busch fished

[Munkin]

That guys head would explode if he fished the Lower Potomac River. People will move in 30' from you with miles of river to fish.

Allen