Opening Day Etiquette

Browns This Pretty Don't Get Caught By Litterbugs!

Of all the challenges facing anglers heading out this weekend,  crowded conditions are perhaps the most difficult to deal with.  Now, there are certainly ways to avoid this issue entirely, but for most this weekend will be spent fishing in close proximity to others.  The key to still having an enjoyable time lies in everyone (or a majority of fishers) being courteous and exhibiting some simple etiquette. 

Etiquette isn't confined to just golf courses and cotillion balls:  of all the places where it's needed, trout streams rank near the top of the list.  Hordes of anglers will be out this weekend, and finding peace and serenity on stocked trout streams will be difficult to impossible.  One of the most important aspects of this weekend's fishing is a realistic mindset.  Understand that this is perhaps the busiest two days of the year, so tempering expectations can be a good starting point in having a fun time. 

Once on the stream, there are a few general rules to go by to ensure that proper etiquette is observed:
  

• Giving others a wide berth:  No one enjoys other anglers breathing down their neck.  The whole idea of fishing is to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and that is tough to achieve when lines are tangling because of how close folks are fishing to one another. 

• Watch where others are fishing, and be careful not to spook those fish:  There are few things more frustrating than working a run or targeting one specific fish only for the whole thing to be foiled by someone tramping through the stream.  Don't move around too hastily, and observe others to avoid disrupting their fishing experience. 

• Be VERY mindful of private property:  PA water laws make landowner relations the utmost of importance.  Without their kindness and willingness to allow fishing, we would be confined to public lands.  While there are excellent public land opportunities, landowners who allow fishing on their property spread out some crowds and give us all the chance to have an enjoyable time.  Heed private property signs and take notice of where they might want, or not want, you to park the truck. 

• Don't litter:  This is a big one, and for a few reasons.  For starters, littering can be very harmful to fish and other animals that congregate near trout streams.  Snarls of mono and dropped split shot can negatively impact countless species in the riparian ecosystem.  Furthermore, landowners don't love it when jars of salmon eggs or empty tippet spools wind up on their property.  Keep a little grocery store bag in your pack or vest and be sure to pack out all trash, and maybe some other people's as well for the fish and our sake! 

• Remember, fishing is fun!:  Is it great to catch 30 fish on opening day?  What about catching the biggest rainbow stocked in a stream?  Of course, but the desire to achieve those things shouldn't be lost to the point where we forget that fishing, even at its worst, is fun!  Don't take anything so seriously to impact that fun, and don't let personal desires to catch a limit of fish or to get an Instagram picture with a big fish blind us to the fun we should be having. 

Keep these things in mind this weekend and hopefully the favor is returned to you!

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Of course, there are other ways to avoid crowds on the trout stream.  We can help with that, too! 

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