River etiquette

[chixnribs]

Some friends and I recently went in as partners on an old drift boat. (Very stoked!) Took it out to the Yuba last week for our virgin run. As you can imagine, it was no perfect drift. Splashing water, a few whoopsies and a lot of scared fish. We were, however, congnizant of other fishermen on the river and gave wide birth when we came upon them, making sure not to fish their water and be as quiet as possible. We passed one guy at the top of a riffle, drifted about 100-150 yards down, and pulled to shore. We wanted to walk down to the next "rapid" to preview how best to manage the drift. The guy at the top of the riffle started yelling at us. Not a problem, but it did get me thinking:
How far down a run is far enough?
When is it okay for drifters to recast after passing somone on shore?
To swingers get more space than nymphers?
Do the number of fishermen on the water shrink your space?
BTW: Here is a pic of my bud with a great fish caught on a rubberleg. Also caught fish on Red Headed Steps and micros

[chixnribs]

Here's the pic!

[Scott V]

How far down a run is far enough?

For some people you can never be far down enough, for me if you give me enough room to cast I am happy. But some people think they own the whole damn river and it is people like that, that can ruin a whole day with their terrible attitude. I would bet anything that the guy that yelled at you would also do the same thing but a lot closer. Next time take me out and I'll go have a nice talk with the person that is yelling.:D

[Jgoding]

That seems like plenty of room to me.... On WU property, I've had people just walk up right next to me and start casting.... I just strung up and walked away after unhooking my fish. I guess i need to carry a few razor blade flies when I fish there....

[Terry Imai]

Most people don't golf or rifles shoot on a regular basis and have a difficult time estimating exact distances. I basically look at something a bit over 100 yards would be a pitching wedge or around one Sacramento city block. The problem with the Yuba River is that the fish can be concentrated in a small area and the worst thing I hate after getting up early and down to my favorite spot to plant my flag is to have guys not providing a decent room when they're coming down the river.

One of my top items to get me is when I'm patiently waiting for a trout to get into a comfortable feeding pattern. I follow the Yuba River adage of "he who cast the least, wins", when I see a boat coming down (never when it’s a guide) to run right down the middle of my drift and think it's okay to cast right in front of me since I'm not casting. In most cases, they're throwing a combination of 3/0 lead along with some huge rubber legs stones topped off by an orange or chartreuse yarn indicator. Needless to say, the amount of surface disturbances had just put down the fish that I was hunting. They just put my working fish down for another 45-60 minutes.

The biggest problem that I see with most people who "fish" the Yuba River is that they treat it like any other water especially ones with hatchery fish. Remember, we're going after wild hot fish who have the top fisherman trying to nail them for many years and none of the fish want to have a hook stuck into their lips.

You need to put yourself into predator mode and become more diligent in your approach and fishing patterns and habits.

[Mike R]

Along with everything else, use common sense. Always remember that, as the dude in the boat, you really do have the whole river to fish. I don't have too much sympathy for boaters who complain about bankies being in their spot.

But, I run into a lot of amateurs (non-guide drift boaters) who make a couple common mistakes, especially when it comes to fishing around bank anglers who are swinging:

1. If somebody is standing in knee to waist deep water, casting their butt off to reach the other side of the run, and praying for a grab, you better not drift in front of them. Pull in to shore ahead upstream and try to slide down behind them (between them and the near bank) as quietly as possible. More than likely, they'll reel up and help you walk your boat around/ Heck, they'll probably invite you to fish the run if you want. But, PLEASE, don't drift right through where they're swinging. I promise they will let you know if you do. If it's a narrow run, and you can't get behind, so be it. That's the way things work.

2. If somebody is swinging a run, don't think just because you have drifted pass that you can start fishing. Leave them the run (or at least what is downstream of them). This may not make sense in a trout world, but in a steelhead world, if somebody is in the run, it's their run unless THEY tell you otherwise. I guarantee they didn't get into the water an hour before shoot time to have some yayhoo in a boat plop their bobbers right into the seam they are working. If you can't tell where they are fishing, ask.

I'm sure we can argue about the finer points of this but these are some things I have learned, somewhat the hard way.


Mike

[amoeba]

chix, imo:

a) 100+ yds is plenty, esp. if dude was fishing in head of riffle and you were d/s
b) give it 150 yds as you did
c) no. nymphers may move around more and wade deeper to cover as much water as swingers.
d) yes.

[Mike O]

Anyone want to cut and paste this to the shop (no names) which can't seem to figure this out on the LSac and Trinity? How many times have thier guides drifted right thru, fishing the whole time? I understand drifing thru when there isn't enough room to drift around, but PULL UP YOUR LINES WHEN YOU GO THRU MY SPOT!!!

Mike

[cyama]

I hear you Mike. One day when the Lower Sac was blown due to rain there was a "Guide" from The Fly xxxx on the Yuba. The guy back rowed right in front of me a few times. Didn't hook anything so he parked his boat about ten feet below me and proceeded to have his clients fish the rest of the run. I just reeled up and shook my head. I will never step foot in there again.

For the most part the guides on the Yuba give you plenty of room. I would say 100 to 150 feet is plenty.

As a wader I think you should also let the boats pass safely. I usually wade back towards shore if I am in the middle of the river and wave them through. Some of the rowers out there are pretty sketchy...

[Mike O]

.

As a wader I think you should also let the boats pass safely. I usually wade back towards shore if I am in the middle of the river and wave them through. Some of the rowers out there are pretty sketchy...

Yes... But since when does "waving through" also mean "fishing through?"

[Frank R. Pisciotta]

=D>...a timely topic. I just made a post on my blog (www.flyfishingcalifornia.blogspot.com) about stream-side etiquette; wading, not drift-fishing.

Frank R. Pisciotta

[huntindog]

OK...i have to play devils advocate a little bit here...there are times when fishing some rivers like the trinity that if you stopped fishing every time you saw an angler on the shore you would not fish at all...i dont know the yuba very well so i dont know what the conditions are like but for some rivers the expectations listed in previous posts are just not reasonable.

[jbird]

The biggest problem that I see with most people who "fish" the Yuba River is that they treat it like any other water especially ones with hatchery fish. Remember, we're going after wild hot fish who have the top fisherman trying to nail them for many years and none of the fish want to have a hook stuck into their lips.



Terry, keep in mind that not everyone that fishes the river knows that. Your statement is a great observation of local knowledge. if the Yuba has this individuality in how it should be approached, dont expect the majority to adhere to it. i would bet more than 60% of anglers are not hard core, who study and diligently learn particular fisheries. i know full well its hard to accept other guys doing seamingly stupid things. But keep in mind, they may not know better and their intention is not to wrong you.

[pgw]

=D>...a timely topic. I just made a post on my blog (www.flyfishingcalifornia.blogspot.com) about stream-side etiquette; wading, not drift-fishing.

Frank R. Pisciotta

Good points in the blog Frank.

I've found that communication with other fisherman works real well...I've even beached the driftboat to approach wading fishermen to ask about drifting past, when wading, letting the "looped around" fisherman know (and agree) to the distance or place that I'll start fishing keeps the peace and establishes raport too.

Paul

[Ralph]

Terry, keep in mind that not everyone that fishes the river knows that. Your statement is a great observation of local knowledge. . . i know full well its hard to accept other guys doing seamingly stupid things. But keep in mind, they may not know better. . .

I agree. While it pisses me off to see pontoon boats at Carbon Bridge, clearly these dingbats don't have a clue. I have been just as clueless though, fishing rivers where you are expected to walk through and I just stood there and fished. By the same token, if someone were to suggest, in their opinion, I had spent enough time fishing a run on the Truckee it would be hard to bite my tongue.

Etiquette can usually be boiled down to common sense, but sometimes local customs defy common sense. A little bit of flexibility can go a long ways.

[Hogan Brown]

On the Yuba in a boat I try to stay out of runs that have waders in them or atleast give them their side of the river. There are times where there are runs I want to fish and if there are people on one side I just row over to the other and give them mid river over. There are times when the water is low and the river is crowded where I will fish a run with waders in it but fish the bottom or areas they can't get to from the bank. Just gotta use your own judgment, but there will always be people that get pissed.

[shawn kempkes]

if this kind of stuff bothers you stay off the Russian,Gualala and the other coastal rivers because it is a free for all there.


When I am in a river Swinging flies I make it a point to tell the boats coming down where to go. I would rather have them go down the other side of the river from me,were my cast lands. I typically cant hook fish over there anyways. I could care less if they fish thru as long as they don't anchor. Steelheading is becoming more and more poplular, the days of expecting people to not lowhole you are over. If they didnt fish when they saw bankies on most streams they would never get to fish. I have no problem educating a-hole guides on proper river etiquette.

Now plunkers thats a whole nuther story. I hate them. They drive right up and start nailing stake in the ground park right there.

[chixnribs]

Fantastic input! Thank you for sharing. I've been wading the Yuba for years and it really is one of my favorite fisheries. I don't know how many of you have had the opportunity to row, but it really isn't quite as easy as I expected it to be. It has given me a real appreciation for the great drift guides that have "effortlessly" floated me down a river, put me on a good seam, put me on fish and done so with a smile.

Hope to see you on the river and give you all wide birth!

[Mike O]

. I would never do it to you. I would do as the cool guides on here are saying, and let the wade fisher know my plans...he may be cool about it. Just gotta say...if you want to drift thru? Go ahead


If you fish through the hole I am wading right in front of me, no matter how many people are wading the river...

Your name should be Richard Cranium...and I will tell you such as I whistle the fly by your ear, trying to give you a new piercing. There is no way you can tell me that people are shoulder to shoulder, OVER THE ENTIRE RANGE OF YOUR DRIFT!!

If you anchor in front of where I am fishing? Wooo, boy....hope you like the new crazed finish on that pretty boat.

[cyama]

Having fished the Lower Yuba for the past ten years you will see the top guides giving the waders plenty of room. Chix and ribs you should listen to Hogan's advice he fishes the other side of the river out of casting range or just rows through.

For the waders out there I have found that the best way to fish the Yuba below the bridge is to start out down low where the boats take out. When you start seeing the armada of boats head upstream or to the side channels where the drifters can't fish.

[thepeacockspecial]

Say 'Hello' when someone acknowledges your presence.. instead of being a grouchy person.

Personally, I don't care where people fish, as long as they give me enough casting room, and don't cast into my drift. Soooo about 15 yards is good. I was up at Deer Creek one time during the summer and this man brings his son right next to me. shoulder to shoulder.. on my right side.. had asked the dad to politely move to my left since I'll be moving in 10 minutes. They ignored me, so being the nice guy that I am, i pretended they were non existent, and i left him a souvenir on his hat. Some can argue that was a douche move of me to do, but when respect isnt given to you when you are polite, you can't let people walk all over you.

[huntindog]

i have a funny story about a guy yelling and screaming at us...I was in Montana, me and two buddies did a blast and cast float in a drift boat on the lower madison. We were about 100 yards from the takeout and were rowing like crazy to get to river right so we would not miss it...well we ended up rowing right next to a fisherman that we honestly did not see...he started cussing and screaming and threatening to kick our asses.. we may have politely :D told him where he could put his flyrod....well anyway he decides he is going to meet us at the boat ramp....so he comes running down there ready for a fight...it was at that point that he realized the smallest of us weighed about 280....and we were all very well armed since we had been shooting ducks...he couldnt get out of there fast enough......

[sblesse]

Fishing on the T last week I had a boat that said Sacriverguide.com on the side float through our spot and had his clients fish our run. He didn't even have the decency to ask. I couldn't believe it. We were in an area that has very little foot traffic and we were the only people wading within a mile of river. Say what you want about The Fly Shop guys but they have always let me have the holes I was fishing. I've had run ins with them while floating in my drift boat but that's another story.

[royewest]

Fishing on the T last week I had a boat that said Sacriverguide.com on the side float through our spot and had his clients fish our run. He didn't even have the decency to ask. I couldn't believe it. We were in an area that has very little foot traffic and we were the only people wading within a mile of river. Say what you want about The Fly Shop guys but they have always let me have the holes I was fishing. I've had run ins with them while floating in my drift boat but that's another story.

Isn't this guy a piece of work? I was wading in Redding at the Posse Grounds last year and this guy kept _motoring_ his drift boat right over where we were casting so he could drift his clients through that run repeatedly from mid-river. He drove his truck by as I was packing the car and he had to grace stop, roll down his window, and blame his clients!

Well, as Groucho said, "Time wounds all heels."