Fly Fishing Etiquette

As a general rule, fly fishers are among the nicest people I have met. I've had complete strangers offer suggestions on casting and presentation. They've shared with me what flies are catching fish on that day. I've even been given the last fly someone had that they knew was catching fish. But I have met some rude fisherman...


I've mentioned a couple of times how another fisherman cut a fly off my line at Bennett Springs last month. He and another fisherman were facing downstream casting toward the dam. I waded out until I was about 20-30 feet upstream and 10-15 feet past them into the stream. Figuring that this was enough space where we wouldn't be hitting each other with our lines I began casting across the water.  For about thirty minutes I was right.  And then on a back cast our lines got tangled.


He gave me a dirty look as our tangled lines landed on the water. The tangle was closer to him so I let him pull it in to separate our lines. And a few seconds after he had pulled the lines in he tossed my line free. I thought to myself, "That was quick," and started to reel in my line.  And then I noticed that I was missing a fly.  


How would you have responded?  How was I going to respond? Would I launch a profanity-lace tirade? Would I adjust my casting so that every other back cast would whistle a fly next to his ear? Would I rush him (albeit slowly as I would be wading through the water) to force him under water and let his waders fill up? I took the high road. Rather than getting into an argument that would only result in spooking the fish around us I tied on a new fly and began roll casting to eliminate any chance of it happening again. 


I've read rule after rule about how you should act on the water. "Don't Spook Someone Else's Fish." "First Come - First Served." "Be Quiet on the Water." But to be honest, I think Fly Fishing Etiquette comes down to a simple matter of courtesy. It all boils down to the Golden Rule, "Treat Others How You Want To Be Treated." If you wouldn't want someone to walk across the pool that you were fishing, don't walk across someone else's pool. If you wouldn't want someone to start whooping and hollering every time they catch a fish, then be quiet when you catch a big one. If you ever have a question about whether someone would be offended by one of your actions, it's a good bet that they could be. So, simply, don't.


I thought I would reach out to my fly fishing mentors, my brother and brother-in-law, for some examples.


"One time we were at the big bend below the trout pens and there was a guy fishing where Mark usually stands. He was aerializing a LOT of line and casting all the way across the stream. There were guys on either side of him and he was making such a ruckus they all had to move away or get hit by a fly. He had so much line in the air that he was hitting the cars parked up above him on his back cast. I don't like that guy. He was catching a lot of fish too." - Guy (Brother)


If you're alone on a wide river you don't have to worry about where your back cast is going. Swing away.  But when you're fishing in a small or crowded stream you have to be aware of where your line is at all times. If you're driving people away from you because your line is flailing around to the point where other fisherman are avoiding your area, you might need to tone it down a bit.  You're not being very courteous if other fisherman are afraid they'll have an ER visit from your fly becoming attached to their person.


"Usually the biggest issue I have is when people see me catching a lot of fish they come over and start casting in the seam I am fishing and taking away most of my drift space. If they would come over and talk to me I would show them the pattern, depth and talk them through how to catch where they are standing, but rarely do they ask." - Mark (Brother-In-Law) 


A fisherman on the water owns the area they're fishing. Just because their line isn't on the water at that moment (because there is a fish on the end of it) doesn't mean that their water is open. Resist the temptation and stay where you are. Even if you do manage to get your fly in the exact spot where they just caught of fish do you know what type of fly they were using? Were they using a dry or wet fly? If they were using a wet fly what depth were they fishing at? What tippet size? Just because someone caught a fish on a specific stretch of water doesn't mean you'll be able to do the same. Once I snagged a fish on its belly with my fly. Should you try to imitate that method of catching fish? I've had a fish take my fly at my feet as I was trying to untangle my fly line from my rod. That doesn't mean I should expect to catch any other fish in the same spot.


Mark has some ideas on how you should act on the water. Normally I would say that you should take suggestions like these with a grain of salt.  But I know the source.  I've seen first hand examples of him doing each of these.  Without reservation I have to say he is the most generous man I've ever met.  And I don't think I've seen him go fifteen minutes on the water without catching a fish.


"I think three things every fisherman should do:


1. Have plenty of each fly and if you are killing them on a particular pattern, be willing to share how you are doing it with those around you. That is how I learned to fish, and it is something we should pass on to others, especially kids. It is a great gesture to offer the fly to a fisherman, as well. 


2. Learn to read a seam, and share how with others, it will help them learn to catch fish in any spot and over time make them a better fisherman. It will also explain to them why they can stand next to you and not catch fish.


3. Always ask another fisherman what they are using and how they use it. This will build rapport quickly and help you become better at fishing a particular river. Also, you should always ask a fellow fisherman if they are OK with you standing near them and whether you are too close to them."


Being Nice.  The Golden Rule.  Call it what you want, but I still think it comes back to courtesy and treating others as you would like to be treated.  Basically don't do anything that you think could possibly keep someone from catching fish.  And if you are catching fish, help someone who isn't.  Even the best fisherman is going to have a bad day sometime.  And when that day comes you'll appreciate a tip or a fly from someone whose fly doesn't even seem to hit the water before a fish hits it.  I know I do.


If you have any funny stories of times where someone showed grace on the water or a lack thereof, please post them in the comments section.  We can all learn from good or bad examples.