Not So Helpful List

There are two types of fisherman in this world, those that are helpful and those that are not. Which one are you?

If you have been fishing you realize that you are not the only one out there. Or should I say that you are SUPPOSED to know that you are not the only one out there. I guess that’s what separates the two categories of fisherman. Yes, selfishness has a lot to do with those fishermen who are more of a nuisance than a “fellow fisher.” 

Let me extrapolate this a bit.  Even though there are two categories of fisherman, there are several sub categories as well. Let me exapand on the non-helpful specimen. 

The shady fisherman. This is the weird fellow or couple of guys that give you that gut feeling are doing something wrong. They don’t say hi or bye. They give you a strange look when you enter their fishing hole as if you are trespassing and then look your direction for all of their moves. These are the type you might see poaching an undersized fish. These are the guys who throw fish in the bushes and/ or take off a few seconds after they catch a fish. These guys are bad news. Please, don’t hesitate to call cal-tip to report any foul play. http://www.dfg.ca.gov/enforcement/caltip.aspx

The messy fisherman. These are the ones that like to party, fish and not clean up after themselves! Nothing wrong with partying and fishing as long as you CLEAN UP after yourself! These are the scoundrels that leave anything from plastic lawn chairs, tons of tangled line, beer bottles, plastic bags, food wrappers etc. behind after they go fishing. These are the guys who are shutting down our fishing holes! These are the selfish people who don’t care about the fish, habitats, the environment or future fisherman, they just care about themselves. 

The hypnotized fisherman. These guys might be stand up fisherman. They may even be veteran anglers. They just aren’t the nicest of people. These are the guys that take one look at you and then stare intently at their line for the rest of the time, keeping their answers minimal or vague. These are the guys who will respond to the question,: “What are you fishing for?” with “whatever takes my bait.” These are the guys that you can sense you are bothering with your mere presence. They may have been talking just fine with their buddy. They may even answer your question but they are still unfriendly. I always aim to keep my conversations with these guys short and sweet or avoid them altogether. 

The loudmouth. These are the obnoxious fishermen that bring their loud kids, their loud playful puppies, their boom box, their cell phones and their long loud conversations on their fishing trips. These are the folks that can care less if you are fishing next to them, they are going to carry a conversation, let their dog get tangled up in your line, let their kids throw rocks while you’re fishing, etc. And they almost always seem to find the spot next to you as most comfortable. These people just need manners. 

Am I missing anybody? Have you run across another of these non-helpful types that my list excluded?

If I don’t get to say this later: Happy thanksgiving to all of you! I will hopefully be catching my first sturgeon out at Liberty Island on thanksgiving morning! Reports to come.