a few words

I've been coming on these forums every year around this time since around 2002 for entertainment. For those that worry about the number of people reading the forum and how it might impact pressure on your favorite spot, keep in mind that a lot of people probably come on here like me just to get a laugh.

I haven't fished in Erie for a while now, and never will again. Too many people almost anywhere you go, and there is always someone who has no respect for others. To new people who are coming here for information, and get the "just wait a while before you travel" answer, let me elaborate on what that means. In the early season, like now, there are very few fish in limited areas with as many fishermen as fish. If you wait until later in the fall after some rains come, fish will be spread out from the lake as far up (south) the streams as they can make it. Once that time comes, don't bother asking where the fish are. They're everywhere.

Hopefully someone reads the following and isn't aware that what they do is rude and learns something. The thing that killed steelhead fishing in erie for me was that every time I went, we would walk as far away from people as possible. We'd seek out the area with the fewest people on it and fish there. Without fail though, we would be fishing a run by ourselves, and some idiot would see us catching fish 200 yards up stream from where they were and come stomping up and setup camp right next to us. DON'T DO THAT! When the fish are all through the streams, there is no reason to snuggle up next to someone who is 5 holes up from you.

This isn't just in erie, it's any popular stream with limited access. I've experienced it all over the country from PA to Montana. When I grew up, my dad taught me to fly fish and the unspoken etiquette that goes with it. He called it leap frogging, and you do it out of respect for others. If you are walking up a stream to fish, you walk around where someone is fishing, giving them a wide berth so as not to spook the fish they're working.

Finally, and keep in mind that I used to and still do keep a few steelhead, I think some people could show some respect for the fish. I for one am still amazed by the beauty and strength of steelhead. I'm happy to catch one a day, even a year, because the rest of the year, a 18" fish is a big fish in the streams I fish. Yet, I think some feel that because they are a "put n take" resource, that you should just drop kick them up the river bank and kill as many as you can.

I'm not a complete C&R freak, and I have no problems with put n take programs for inland trout and steelhead, but I do have a problem with those that kill for the sake of killing and say things like "I'll use them for fertilizer if I feel like it." I'm a 5th generation native american, respect for nature is in my blood. It doesn't mean we're tree huggers, or greenpeace nuts, it means we have respect for god's creatures. I wish a lot more people could learn that, but I've realized that they wont.

Just felt like venting a little on here. I'll go back to my observation stance now.

Good read Wizzer.  Cool name too.

Those are wise words that should be the rule.

great post! 

I don't normally write with heart on this board anymore and you can all imagine why, but this thread provoked me.

The inevitable has happened and we have to either deal with it or quit....bottom line. The regulators have made Erie stream fishing what it is, advertised it to death and stocked the living sh#t out of it. Made it easy for any Tom, Dik or Harry to catch a fish that was once esteemed illusive....'round these parts anyhow. The species itself has developed way less respect even though still being a living creature. Most of these things are beyond our control. About the only thing we can control is our own attitudes and how we deal with these situations. This post struck me as a bit of a whine or tantrum if you will because of the way things have transpired as far as Erie stream fishing has evolved. Thats OK, you chose to quit and not deal with the "mochary" period. On the contrary and in defense of the whole idea of fishing Erie, I have to say that I have had a lot of great experiences and fun along those streams. Is it more crowded today....yep, but oh well, I bich about it from time to time, but am I gonna quit? Hell no. And you know what the kicker of it all is? Little of it really has to do with fishing, catching fish or the way the fishing has evolved at all. MOST of it has to do with POSITIVE interactions with the many good folk that I have met over the years through those ditches. The time spent afterwards having a beer and reflecting on the day...whether good or bad, we enjoyed **** good beer! Do I look for complete solitude when I go to fish? Hell NO! I'm looking for a memorable time....does catching fish make it more memorable? Hell yes! So I also look to catch fish and we catch 'em! I make sure of that, like most reading this post....we are fishermen and serious about it, but the older I get, the less serious I get and I've had WAY MORE fun!! With all that said, I can honestly say that about 1% of the people I have met or encountered on those streams, have been idiots. The rest are there for the same reason most of us are....seeking memorable moments. Where in life do you NOT encounter idiots??? Just ignore them and stay away from them. Meeting new people and establishing new relationships is LIFE....other than that what is there really? I have a lot of folks that I can, today, call good friends due to that place and without it we'd have never met. Think about that...those are people and moments that stick, not that 22nd cookie cutter fish that you just caught.

And I quit drinkin' through the week and just downed 3 Octoberfests! Can you tell? LOL

Amen!

Amen!
It is refreshing to hear there still are people out there enjoying fishing, sharing, and being nice to others!
Mike

Great thread.

Wizzer, Excellent post.

The OP reminds me of why I quit fishing the tribs. One day around ten years ago, I was fishing Elk and was having a decent day. The water was a bit low and the fish were a bit spooked, but I'd managed to catch and release a couple nice fish. I saw a couple of 14 or 15 year old kids walking right up the middle of the creek instead of along the shore. A couple other fishermen were shouting at them, I'm not sure if it was because they were walking through the holes or because they were chucking crawlers with several ounces of split shot and large bobbers.

Anyway, although I was a bit annoyed that they were stomping through the creek, when they got up to where I was fishing I explained that they'd make a lot more friends than enemies if they walking along the bank instead of down the creek, and since they weren't having any luck, I showed them how to rig a little more "stealthy" presentation. The kids seemed to understand my constructive criticism and I had them fish with me for a bit. One of the kids briefly had a steelhead on before it broke off and he was thoroughly jazzed by the experience. I had to leave after a while and the kids thanked me for the help.

I was walking out as the kids headed up stream and they encountered a couple guys that looked to be in their mid 30s, decked out in the latest stream fashions and swinging the nicest of gear (not that there's anything wrong with that ). I hear and see these guys just berating these kids and actually walking towards them. The kids start walking away from them warily. I dropped my gear and start running down the hill to intervene and by the time I got down there the one guy has one of the kids by the collar and the kid looked scared to death. He was screaming something like "every fish withing 10 miles is long gone...". Anyway, without getting into detail, I intervened (the guys were drunk), things got pretty ugly, the kids got the heck out of there, and I left.

Although this episode was the most drastic I'd ever witnessed, it certainly wasn't the only time I witnessed fishermen showing disregard for each other, and creating conflict in an otherwise tranquil setting. It was the last time I fished an erie trib on land. I fish to relax and take my mind off the stresses of life (and to occasionally catch fish too). When the fishing is causing me stress...it's time to move on. I still enjoy catching steelhead, but I limit it to the confines of my boat where I get to choose the idiots that I fish with .

wizzer great post i couldnt agree with you anymore.

i actualy skipped school on a tuesday mourning thinking i wouldnt run into a situation like that and i was sorrly mistaken. A buddy and I were fishing walnut and being my first time on the creek in a couple of years i tried to get as far away from everybody as possible until i got the hang of what i was doin. and no matter where we went somebody would always manage to come walk throught the middle of our hole. it took everything i had and some to not start drowning people. Its a shame that the locals who support the sport the most cant get out and enjoy. So like you im gona stay away for awhile and fish Conneaut creek for awhile. Thats truely one place where you can fish a mile of creek without seeing another fishermen. Hopefully i see some of you out here!

"Thats truely one place where you can fish a mile of creek without seeing another fishermen. Hopefully i see some of you out here! "

reality of modern fishing on great lakes tribs
there will be people you don't like (probably their attitudes and/or actions)
there will be crowds
there will be ignorance and disrespect

sad facts we all have to deal with

but it is the HOW we deal with those things that make us part of the problem or part of the solution

so, which are you?

ORIGINAL: doubletaper

ORIGINAL: wizzer


....I'm not a complete C&R freak, and I have no problems with put n take programs for inland trout and steelhead, but I do have a problem with those that kill for the sake of killing and say things like "I'll use them for fertilizer if I feel like it." I'm a 5th generation native american, respect for nature is in my blood. It doesn't mean we're tree huggers, or greenpeace nuts, it means we have respect for god's creatures. I wish a lot more people could learn that, but I've realized that they wont.

+2

Great thread....
I have always liked being alone to fish, and often find myself looking over my shoulder when I hear others coming....However, last year I swithced from fly to centerpin, and am always watching for successful pinners to try and learn. For some reason it seems like centerpinners are more willing to fish close to one another than fly guys, and have almost universally been helpful, and willing to share (I have known fly guys to switch flies when someone they don't know approaches). I still walk to try and find solitude, but have found myself much more willing to fish in "social" situations than before. I do appreciate a quetion or word before someone steps into the run, and always try to innitiate conversation before I do so. I still hate it when they step in and catch a fish right next to me, it is just plain rude .