"That Guy"
 

So as a total newbie to kayaking and drowning bait off one, I am interested in finding out what are the major "no-no's" that you see people do. I am not talking so much about techniques or equipment choices as much as being on the water with a bunch of other folks and not being a major detraction to the experience. While I recognize that everyone has their own pet peeves, and I might get as many answers as people reading this board ('course thats kinda the point :o), I am interested to know what people think is "good manners" out on the water, and what things people do that cause issues. In the interest of not re-creating the wheel, and learning from other's experience, what makes your list?

I've only had one thing that has bothered me during fishing and that is someone coming up and seeing if I have caught fish while their and my line was out causing us to tangle up. Nothing I get too upset about and quick to fix but worth mentioning. I have had boats do worst where they come to talk to me and then motor across where my line is catching it in their props, take off causing me to have to snap my line. Frustrating!:D I'd say if you want to talk close to someone reel in your line (this is what I do) or pay attention to where both your lines are. Be careful going up behind someones kayak while they are trolling.

Besides that everyone is out there to have a good time, so enjoy yourself and the surroundings around you. Everyone I have met on the water besides the sail boat lady on SD bay have been good friendly people.

Bugging with other yakkers is usually a pretty cool deal. I've met several this year and each has been alright. Respectful, helpful, freely offering extra bait or some of their secrets...At the begining of the season when it was just plain CROWDED, some boaters just flat out don't respect the yakkers. Not a whole helluva lot you can do about that one...

#1 get those damn commercial :lobster:buoys out of the jewel!!!!!!

#2 when it isnt crowded, and people still drive (yaks) up behind my flylines or following me too close or fowling me up!?...
drives me CRAZY!?!?!!?!?!.........give some distance.. its the pacific, not lake murry! then again its only going to get worse soon..:doh:


speaking of which..im dreading the outcome in Oct when the season reopens with the new closures in place...i can only imagine the commercial:lobster: will be then set up even worse in "OUR" zone..

ARrrrRRrRrGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:the_finger:

As Joe said, one should always be aware if where the other guy's line is. If you plan to cross someone's path to the stern, ask if the other guy has a line out. Similarly, if you cross in front of someone while trolling, be mindful of where your line is.

Drifting can be another problem. It is easy to drift into someone's space which can lead to tangled lines. It is a big ocean, just be respectful of everyone who is using it.

Of course there is the ultimate sin of cracking open a cold beer and not offering some to the rest of the fleet. If you get caught doing that, you might have to duck a few errant casts from thirsty yakfishers nearby. Most new guys usually fill the back hatch with a case or two of cold ones, just to be safe.

Bob

that's just cause they want to be in your next video...:biggrinjester:

Lol ....taking notes here Bob. Help put me on fish and the cerveza shall flow :cheers1:

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwegallery/data/500/m.jpg


101

for the really new guys, try & visualize where someones lines might be and dont cross over them..
On some packed days it really helps out to use a little common sense.. if your driving on top of a guys flylines, he wont get bit..
i give a yell sometimes to others, and ask em' "what rig u running?" & "how far back" out of common courtesy..
take current into consideration also..I personally wont drive up into a guys "zone" and will paddle completely around him to get to my desired destination..

:cheers1:

Here's one; stay away from the party boats. That includes the chumm line off the stern and the free fly iron zone off the bow. I know they come in on us but don't play tit for tat. I've seen guys so close to the stern of the New Seaforth poaching thier chumm line. That makes all of us look bad. Mike

I agree with Wade, it is not only the lines but the fishing area behind someone trolling or drifting with a flylined bait that you should be careful of. Particularly when you are new to paddling (slap chopping) and/or when the :wsb: are around. and don't cutoff their route as they troll or drift.

I've been told that the Darkhorse will fish for beer, (plus a small consulting fee). You can't do better than that.

Bob

Thanks all for the replies. Hopefully I won't make too much of a hash of it when I venture out of the bay. Now to scratch up a case of modelo and find that darkhorse guy.....
See you guys out there.:reel:

I find taking a crap in anothers bait tank is totally out of line. Unless they fish a stealth...http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/3708/anacrappa.jpg

now that was a crack up....:biggrinjester:

I'd say this simply if you think your doing something wrong ya probably are.

Common courtesy goes a long, long, long way with everyone be it skiff guys, kayakers, commercial boats, sport boats etc....

If you see someone fishing just off of the kelp please don't paddle between their boat and the kelp.(they may have a chum line or having been fishing that area for hours and you can scare spooky wsb's away with paddle strokes or a plop of an iron) Yes this may mean you have too paddle a bit farther, but it will pay off as your own fishing area will be respected.

Don't approach boats via the stern as chances are that, that is where they may have a majority of their lines at times.

A good general rule of thumb is too never fish within iron casting distance of another boat or yakker (at times it's hard and spots will be packed full, just use common sense and courtesy as a good guide).

The trolling line ideas listed above and avoiding tangles are pretty solid rules of thumb.

If the fishing is in super tight quarters with boats or yaks it's never a bad idea to say hello and ask if they are ok with your distance from them.

You don't need a guide although it can be quite helpful ya may just wanna read through some of the how to articles from guys like Pat, Iceman and Brian on the oex page and give it a go yourself. Also use the search function and read, read, read!!! There's a ton of info available on this and other websites that you'll find very helpful!!

Also if your hooping or fishing at night a 360 degree light is required but at the very freekin' least where a headlamp!!!! Trust me yaks are hard to see as it is from aboat so wear a
light of some kind.

Also don't report other peoples fish this is seen as a huge DO NOT by most.

Lastly A little common courtesy and respect goes along way towards possibly getting passed some live bait or intel freely. It also may help with avoiding tangles and if your fish does tangle an anchor line or wrap a lobster buoy you may find a helpful fisherman more than willing to give you a hand. Also if ya see someone on a fish and you have lines down ya may want to reel them in if his fish is pulling him towards you as then a tangle is possibly avoided and that act of courtesy will probably make ya a new friend ( I know I'd certainly say thanks and introduce myself, I also know a friendly smile and wave goes a long way in general boat or yak)

have fun fishing!!

Sure looks like a crapper to me.

I think this pretty much covers it. I have seen a few posts that covered parts of what you stated but you stated it all. Good job. For sure if someone catches a fish, for sure don't post up their fish unless they say it's O.K. and it's a part of YOUR report for the day. That person may not want to report that fish being caught.

2 cents
 

Also if you see a group of kayakers fishing in a general area and they are not under-way (trolling), chances are they are fishing bait or structure down deep. It is good practice not to troll your greenback through the middle of the group. Nothing like flylining a mackeral through a wideopen squidbite!:D

A good thing to do is just bring in your lines and paddle up to the group quietly. Then just listen. If someone is hooked up you'll probably know it. An angler on a fish has priority and you should pay attention to where his/her fish is going and don't be in the way. If you do find an area where you think fish are biting, take time to observe the wind, current, and resulting drift before dropping a line and set up your drift upwind and a comfortable distance away from your nearest neighbor. You'll know the distance is "uncomfortable" when the guy is staring you down.

If you do see someone with a giant fish in their lap, don't ask a million questions. A simple congratulations and a smile will often times get you the dope you need. Respect gets respect, so just take your time and be cognicent of what others are doing. You'll be surprised how much people will open up and help you as long as they don't see you as aggressive or overly intrusive... and this goes for the launch as well.

See you out there!

I think this pretty much covers it. I have seen a few posts that covered parts of what you stated but you stated it all. Good job. For sure if someone catches a fish, for sure don't post up their fish unless they say it's O.K. and it's a part of YOUR report for the day. That person may not want to report that fish being caught.

Good to know jimmyz approves! Afterall, along with experience comes knowledge.:rolleyes:<!-- / message -->

I have a couple peevs...#1 is seeing peeps surf launch who don't have much experience or skillz try and paddle out / in with hooks or lures tied on. :stupid: If and when you have a yard sale...don't fook someone else up. Getting hooked sucks.;)

Wow, that slap felt nice? What they heck did I say to deserve that?

O.K. so I'll be the follower and say, "O.K. what he said." Is that better for you?

Sorry to hijack this post but -cabojohn: that is by far the worst avatar to date, especially after all the other ones you had.

Cabo, get your picture fixed....it used to be the main reason I came here!:D

hahaha, and for the "really new guys"...

If you ever want to learn anything about fishing la jolla all you need to do is search "madscientist"

you might just learn something yourself Wade ;)

On the drifting note. Don't setup a drift over an area another guy is working. That's my biggest pet peave. If I've been methodically working an area for a 1/2hr and you stop right where I've been casting, I won't be too happy. I probably won't say anything, but I'll think it. I recently had that happen. I did at least 10 short drifts in the same 30' and some guy (who'd been slowly working my way) stopped right on top of where I was casting. We were in 50' so the splashing wasn't an issue, but I wanted to be casting across where he was.:mad: Bad form.

Oh - Sorry Ed, I didn't realize you were casting - I was busy checking my lat/lon position to be sure I was out of the MLPA area and didn't notice you there.

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For the record: When fishing with new clients---the beer stays on ice until a Yellowtail or giant White Sea Bass is on deck! After that, if you so desire to celebrate the life of your trophy, I'm not going to stop ya' :D.
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As far as the original post, there's already plenty of great advice in this thread. Pretty much everything's been covered.

Something that comes to mind, though, is during a squid bite---I don't mean sitting in a couple mile wide area full of squid---I'm talking about an actual bite, when every rod in the fleet starts bending in sequence like we're doing the wave at a baseball game :party:---communicate with anyone in your zone when you hook up. Be polite, but make sure you get the surrounding anglers attention if they don't realize you're on. Watch your line, and warn anyone who might get caught up in your fish.

The same way you'd communicate on a sportboat when you're coming down the rail with a fish on, work together with your surrounding anglers. Just like fishing on a sportboat, it's far better to avoid a tangle then the alternative. Ya' know, sitting there in free-spool, waiting for that guy to land his fish? I don't know about you, but that's not my idea of a good time.

You're stoked if it's a deckhand or some old salt---short-pumping the Yellowtail to gaff in thirty seconds. But, if it's some guy who hasn't caught a solid fish in years---good luck! The bite could be over by the time you get out of the tangled mess. I see it all the time: guys with two rigs down, staring like a Deer in headlights as you're flying towards them. It makes no sense.

I'll guess I'll add something to the typical, warm-water, fly-line trolling situations you'll find, too. Something I often see is, someone trolling right across your heading, say 100' in front of you---then they just stop and sit there. No, I don't mean they saw an epic mark on the HDS and dropped and iron. I mean stop for no apparent reason, other than making you look at them, for minutes, and change coarse. If you realize you're in this situation, though, just keep moving forward so the other guy doesn't have to change coarse. I'm sure 99% of the time this isn't on purpose. So, no harm no foul.

Don't get me wrong, there's no straight lines in the ocean. Not to mention, the ocean isn't mine. Obviously. At the same time, the ocean is freakin' huge. Don't try to make it seem small :D.

??
i dont claim to be the king of the Jewel , nor do i think that even remotely if that is what your alluding to....
i lurked on this board for many years before even registering..but... I have been at it on plastic for ten years if that counts for squat?..
thankfully, i learn something new EVERY time i go out..

Asking this question and being aware that this could be an issue is 90% of it.

Don't take your wife out with you...
 

...unless she can can cast, drift, or dance really good :the_finger:on a yak

Oh yea here's another don't post up "anything going on in lj??", "anyone caught anything lately?". Just go fish and find out for yourself....earn your fish yourself!!! Every guy on this board or fishing lj has blanked and will blank again. If you put your time in and do the work you WILL
catch fish ya just gotta keep slugging it out and going for it.

I'll speak for myself here in regards to friendliness on the water, I've handed off and loaned people my lucky iron to guys like Eric(k) and had them get their first yoyo fish on it. I've handed off bait (squid and macks) to have people catch fish on them (Jasmin, fishionado et al.) If you put your time in and are friendly ya earn respect out there, if you show courtesy and respect towards your fellow fisherman you'll find some helpful people out there!!! Lastly if you are out on a wfo bite ya may want to wait awhile before posting it up or telling everyone about it (this is a lesson I learned a few years back) it'll gain ya some respect among the guys out there that hate the Internet and are on it almost daily. So go fish and have fun

Matt, you have given me bait many atime,but I have yet to catch anything on it! WTF:the_finger:..............and you know if you offered the shirt off your back I'd take it!! Salud:cheers1:my friend.

It might be a little baggy on ya Dave!:sifone:

Matt,
As far as I'm concerned, you are the man. You've helped point me in the right direction a few times out there. Thanks, its good when people are freindly n the water.

:the_finger:

Right back at ya sweetheart like i said ya gotta earn it not buy it from a guide!:rolleyes:

No Worries OR, I wished you dead and got over it. Those MLPAs will get you every time.