It seems that at least once every year I have a hard time getting myself psyched up to write an article. Last year it was Winter Doldrums. This year it is for this issue. I had a hard time trying to come up with a subject that I could wrap my head around & get interested in enough to write about. So the other day I was looking through some old files on the computer and came a cross something I had saved. When I went to the Philippines with my wife. My doctor had told me that since I was a fair skinned fellow that I needed to have a broad brimmed hat. In that search I came across “("Etiquette," Emily Post, Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1922 and 1927)” I found these rules of how a gentleman should wear his hat in public quite interesting. I decided that I should not print them, as they do not pertain to the field of subject, our outdoor world, and pursuits. {If you want to read it, contact me & I will send you a copy} However, it did give me an idea for this article. So I found myself day dreaming about how our society used to be, expecting us to be much more congenial to the people we do not know that we encountered in our daily comings and goings. Such as holding a woman’s coat for her to put on, opening a door for her or pulling out a seat for her to sit in and then helping her move it in to the table. I still do these for my wife. In today’s society, it is all too often a dog eats dog world, and that is accepted as the smart way to live your life. If you need to get ahead in traffic gun the motor and force yourself in. This is often accompanied by the Hawaiian good luck wave. Instead of being polite and waiting your turn or heaven forbid using a turn signal and waiting for another gracious person to let you in. If you disagree with someone and their ideas, we now often make insulting and disrespectful comments trying to discredit the other person. Instead of bolstering your own opinions, through positive efforts like presenting facts & figures & pertinent information that builds and supports our own position.

Yea, I can just hear it now. So, where in the world is he going with this, this time? Get to the point! I will, I will. Be patient.

In an effort to find something on this topic of Etiquette in the outdoor world, I started digging around on Google. Boy, did I ever find many listings. That was not the hard part. The hard part became digging out the information I was looking for in all of those listing. Since fishing season was upon us, I decided to start there. I was talking to a fellow guide the other day and he told me about an experience he had with a client. It seems that this gent he took on the upper Androscoggin thought it was a smart idea to hire a guide for one day. Then use his GPS to mark on the river, “where the good spots were”, so he could return there at a later time to fish those spots. Sure enough on a later float, this fellow guide saw that gent fishing one of those spots. He did wave & smile to the guide, as if that would make what he had done all right. To me that is not proper fishing Etiquette. Since that incident took place on a moving body of water, I decided to include these first & boating etiquette second.

Stream/River Etiquette

Stream etiquette is important both for everyone's enjoyment of the sport, and to preserve our privilege and opportunity to fish. Please consider the following suggestions:

    * Upon arriving be sure you have parked in an approved area (see stream descriptions) and make sure your vehicle is off the road. Do not park on anyone's lawn and do not block any roads or driveways.

    * Most of our streams are on private property. If you are fishing on private property, ask permission to fish if you can identify the landowner. Consider offering the landowner a fillet or to clean up the area in return for the privilege of fishing on his or her property.

    * When arriving at the streams, remember many areas run through residential neighborhoods. Remain quiet, especially at dawn.

    * Walk in or along streambeds as much as possible; avoid private lawns as much as possible.

    * Keep flashlights pointed at the ground.

    * Never "relieve yourself" within sight of any person or home. Nothing will make the landowner mad faster.

    * Be courteous to those already on the streams. Walk behind other anglers and out of the water if possible. If you must stay in the water, walk with a minimum surface disturbance. Do not walk through the area where others are fishing. If the area is deep, you should probably be fishing it, not walking through it.

    * When conditions are crowded be aware of your fellow anglers. Be careful where you cast to avoid tangles and injury.

    * Just because you were "there first" does not mean you can continue to fish as large an area as you please regardless of how many other anglers arrive. Fish an area appropriate for the number of people fishing around you.

    * In crowded conditions, play your catch only as much as necessary.

    * If your are inexperienced, the best education is from watching those who are successful. Crowded stream conditions seem to form a cooperative camaraderie among anglers that can be enjoyed even when it is "elbow to elbow." Many anglers are more than willing to assist you if you ask.

    * Foul language is unnecessary, especially around younger anglers.

    * Be tolerant of the inexperienced angler . . . remember we were all beginners once.

    * If in a crowd, alert others when you have a "fish on."

    * Leave with everything you bring. Litter can be a real threat to our fishing privileges.

    * Do not keep any more fish than you are going to make use of. If you do not think you will eat the fish, put it back gently and give someone else the opportunity to enjoy the catch.

    * Do not clean fish in or around the streams.

    * Do not follow others to find their “good” fishing spots. Do your own research.

    * Be more generous than you need to be. Others may not be as knowable or gifted as you.

 

Special thanks to Randy Leighton for his assistance with these suggestions.

The above were taken from http://www.fishusa.com/FishErie/streamfishing.asp#manners
 

Fishing Etiquette Tips for Boaters

The golden Rule states that you should do unto others as you would them to do unto you. It is a great rule to live by when you are fishing and boating as well. Here are some suggestions that will make your time on the water, and that of others, more meaningful and fun.

    * When boating, never run too fast for conditions. If the water is rough or if many boats are present, slow. Remember that your passenger's safety and comfort are your responsibility!
    * Never crowd other anglers. If you see another angler fishing a bank, anticipate the direction he's moving and do not move to the end of the bank - let him finish fishing it. Never run between an angler and the point or bank he is fishing. Give other anglers and boaters enough room to pursue their sport.
   
    * If someone has shown you the extreme courtesy of taking you to his favorite bass water and requests that you not reveal its location to others, honor that request. It is considered a breach of sportsman's etiquette to return there without asking his permission first, or to reveal the location to another angler.

    * When fishing a farm pond, always ask permission first. Carry all litter out and leave all fences and gates as you found them.

    * Give your fishing partner every opportunity to catch fish, just as you would expect him to give you the same opportunity if you were in the back of his boat. Do not "front-end" or crowd him so that he cannot reach the structure. Avoid over-competing, especially when you are not fishing in a tournament. Trying to out fish your friend is annoying to the other person.
   
    * Not every boater or angler is a bass angler. Crappie anglers, panfishermen, salmon & trout trollers, and other anglers deserve your respect. Do not invade their territory. Pleasure boaters deserve their fare share of the water, too. Be courteous to all boaters..

    * If someone signals for help or assistance, respond immediately. The fish can wait. You, too, may need directional help or a tow someday.

    * Never attempt to fish the same structure at the same time as another angler. This is annoying and often ends up in a mess of entangled lines. If your friend is fishing a structure, wait until he is done. More often than not, if he pulls a fish off it, you will have a chance too. -- James Turner

The above was taken from
http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/etiquette.html

I would like to welcome Janice Boynton as the new President of the NHWF. Lets all wish her well and give her any and all support that she may ever need in that office.

I hope you find the above entertaining, informative and timely. It appears to me that these are all useful tips. Suggestions that are worthwhile reading and using in our everyday lives. Anyway I told you I was being lazy today & since I could copy & past this information it made what I decided to do so much “ eeeaaasssiiieeerrr” hohum..  Till next time.
 
May the Lord help us all to be better people. For ourselves, and for the ones that we touch in our daily living.