What Would You Do?

[mkonnert]

On Thursday, my wife and I were floating from Policeman's to Mac (cold and wet!). We are fairly new to floating the river ourselves, although we have done it with guides a number of times. We are always careful to give others ahead of us a wide berth, whether they are floating or wading. Anyways, just as we were coming up on some prime water, a guide from a local shop (the name was on the boat) made a beeline from the far bank, straight across and ended up about 50 yards in front of us, and then slowed right down while his client bombed the bank, forcing us to go around him. I was astounded at such blatantly rude and arrogant conduct. I didn't say anything, largely at my wife's urging, but we were royally peeved! I don't think our anger is misplaced (but please tell me if it is). I should also add that the guides we have fished with have been invariably polite and courteous to others, so this guy's behaviour took us totally by surprise. I do realize that guides make their living on the river, but it belongs to us all.

 

Please tell me if you have encountered similar conduct, and what you have done about it. What, if anything, should we have done?

[Hawgstoppah]

Last weekend I had a similar experience. I was wading down a bank stalking rising fish. A boat came all the way from the FAR shore, to drift within 15ft of us and go down the bank I was watching for risers on. I exlamied my disdain over their actions and they decided to threaten me with a "fight" over it. I said all we wanted was a bit of respect not a fight. What has the Bow River become that so many people are acting like children on it?

[fishinglibin]

Its a new hybrid, I think they are called the rocky mountain bastard fisher.

[Flytyer]

I would lodge a complaint with the shop, in my opinion this would constitute a black eye for the shop's reputation

[murray]

I agree with Flytier, lodge a complaint with the shop who's name was on the boat.

 

Murray

[upperbowtrekker]

I say call the shop out here and now!

 

 

[firefrog]

Ah, the Bow River - flyfishing's Hollywood.

 

[SilverDoctor]

I would lodge a complaint with the shop, in my opinion this would constitute a black eye for the shop's reputation

X2

[duanec]

x3.

nothing will change if nothing's ever said.

 

had a number of similar experiences myself.

sometimes, tough call. get the greenies who park unknowingly in a hot spot for lunch. and then there's ones who will do that on purpose.

see lots of cut-offs, low-holing, lane hogging bad manners, poor etiquette, rude, agressive & pushy behaviour.

from guides, from locals, from tourists.

sucks when it's a guide...they are supposed to be the pro's, right?

 

we were fishing a skinny side channel last week, and a drift boat came around the corner... with no where to go but down.

kudos to the oarsman, he did what he could to do a clean & quiet drift through, apologized [but really no one had any choice in what was going to happen], and the angler didn't cast into the pool until they were well downstream.

much appreciated...well done sir, whoever you are.

that's the way it's supposed to go.

a little courtesy, goodwill and common decency goes a long way.

 

have a nice day.

[shc]

x3.

nothing will change if nothing's ever said.

 

had a number of similar experiences myself.

sometimes, tough call. get the greenies who park unknowingly in a hot spot for lunch. and then there's ones who will do that on purpose.

see lots of cut-offs, low-holing, lane hogging bad manners, poor etiquette, rude, agressive & pushy behaviour.

from guides, from locals, from tourists.

sucks when it's a guide...they are supposed to be the pro's, right?

 

we were fishing a skinny side channel last week, and a drift boat came around the corner... with no where to go but down.

kudos to the oarsman, he did what he could to do a clean & quiet drift through, apologized [but really no one had any choice in what was going to happen], and the angler didn't cast into the pool until they were well downstream.

much appreciated...well done sir, whoever you are.

that's the way it's supposed to go.

a little courtesy, goodwill and common decency goes a long way.

 

have a nice day.

 

 

was this on Saturday in the side channel below the bleachers, river left channel across from must be nice, if so that was my boat. we did our best not to disturb your water. Hope you had a good day.

[duanec]

was this on Saturday in the side channel below the bleachers, river left channel across from must be nice, if so that was my boat. we did our best not to disturb your water. Hope you had a good day.

yes.

again, sincere thanks for your consideration...you did all you could do, communication is key...it's busy and it happens, no worries at all.

we did have a pretty good day, hope you did as well.

 

[Tungsten]

was this on Saturday in the side channel below the bleachers, river left channel across from must be nice, if so that was my boat. we did our best not to disturb your water. Hope you had a good day.

 

we got you back when we floated down beside you and hooked a fish 3' from our boat.all good dude ,lifes too short to get excited over little things.

[DaveJensen]

Two things:

1 - It's the Bow. It is expected. Our reaction to such situations is ours to own. If you submit yourself to a scenario that you are fully aware of the possibilites, and then react negatively when those possibilities arise... is it on the outside influence/perpetrator or on you? My vote is that it is on ourselves when we choose when, where, etc we fish. Why is it that with our limited time to fish and with our excitement to fish that we expect things to go our way - esp when so many factors are out of our control we expect to control others rather than own our positions?

 

2. Is running a drift boat down a narrow, skinny side channel good etiquette, especially for a guide? Great that the second example's oarsman could row hard to avoid, but should that boat have been in that skinny side channel when he/she knows full well these are prime wade angler locations? (and before the specific person reacts, this is simply a bigger picture question). It's easy to simply say life's too short too worry about this stuff, but at what point do we take ownership that we are going to cause direct conflict with our actions, esp knowing wade anglers target that specific water.

 

Funny that, of course, the above points require us to own our forethought into scenarios, and own our actions, and reactions in honoring ourselves and others.

 

Cheers

[Guest 420FLYFISHIN]

Id call them in on the shop. if im driving like a dick in the parts.van i would expect the same thing. this is also why i would never buy a poo-a-way stick as the conduct of their guides and employees is deplorable.

[hopdrop]

Something like a genuine, "How was that bank?" should get the point across without starting a fight.

 

Seems like allot of drift boating conflicts lately. For an experience oarsman, the mistakes are obvious. Not so for the newbies. In retrospect, I did some stupid sh_t the first summer I owned a boat. No one ever said a word, but I definitely got some looks. For most people that's enough. For the rest, life probably sucks anyways. This city is already crazy, we don't need fist fights on the river.

 

Good with the bad - I was standing in some longer grass, looking for bank sippers, lateish (poor light) one night last week. A guy pulled his boat off the bank immediately when he saw me. It was a good 500yds up.

 

Long, slow, Wiser's Clap for the light colored skiff pilot (looked like a tan Adipose).

 

[Guest 420FLYFISHIN]

thats nice to hear hopdrop. I cant say i have never messed up some ones hole but i am very quick to apologize for me actions....even if you are in camo squatting on the banks lol

[Guest Wrecker]

2. Is running a drift boat down a narrow, skinny side channel good etiquette, especially for a guide? Great that the second example's oarsman could row hard to avoid, but should that boat have been in that skinny side channel when he/she knows full well these are prime wade angler locations? (and before the specific person reacts, this is simply a bigger picture question). It's easy to simply say life's too short too worry about this stuff, but at what point do we take ownership that we are going to cause direct conflict with our actions, esp knowing wade anglers target that specific water.

 

Seems like this piece of common courtesy has totally vanished.

 

Twice this summer I have parked the boat visibly at the top of side channels, both times guys floated thru...

 

[echinopora]

WWJD- Widely believed that ignorant guides on the sea of Galilee were subjected to biblical bitch slappings after witnessing that indeed, this dude walks on water.

 

I lack these abilites and resigned myself to walk and wade fishing the 4am-10am slot. The sunrises alone are worth it.