Fishing Etiquette - I'm on my way to Cape Cod in a few hours to the Ditch Fling - I'm looking forward to fishing Cape Cod, both the beaches and canal. It's been too long since I've been up there...it's definitely one of my favorite striped bass destinations. But I'd like to leave you with some thoughts on fishing etiquette - something that is so very lacking it seems. I'm not sure if it's just the increasingly selfish nature of people in general or the desperate excitement fall newspaper report chasing cowboys get when they see someone else catch a striped bass...or even a bluefish. While the ocean doesn't belong to any one person - a fact you would not often be able to tell by the way some folks act - it's simply common (or not so common these days) courtesy to be respectful of another person's right to continue using the ocean in the manner that they were using it prior to your arrival. It's very simple - if someone is there before you, they should have every right to continue fishing in the same manner that they were fishing before you got there. This means if there's two guys fishing a jetty pocket and catching bass, it's extremely rude for you to run up and elbow your way between them - or to climb on the jetty and now cast across their lines - or to anchor two bait rods in the same exact spot that they are plugging - or to call three friends to tell them about the "blitz" you just found. It's perfectly acceptable for you to fish the same area, so long as you allow them enough room to continue fishing the same way they were fishing prior to your late arse getting there Just because you've seen other people be inconsiderate and rude doesn't make it alright for you to be the same. It's a self perpetuating problem - the more people that see this rude behavior, the more ok they feel about doing it themselves. That's exactly the opposite of how we should be treating each other. So next time, instead of doing your best to mess up the folks that were already fishing, stand 50 feet away and fish - the fish have tails - they move all over the place - just because someone hooked a fish in front of themselves doesn't mean all the fish are in front of them. Be brave, be a pioneer, take a few casts where you are standing - a respectful distance from the folks that were already there

A couple parting etiquette tips before I get back to packing up for the Ditch Fling:

1. Never, under any circumstances, cast over someone's head or towards them. It's dangerous. Getting your lure out there might seem worth risking someone else's eye or head to you, but should your bail close or line snap, it won't seem like such a worthwhile risk when you are sitting in court facing the lawyers of the person you just blinded.
2. ALWAYS look behind you before you cast. Especially in the early fall - little kids, pets, joggers and buck fever ridden report chasers have a habit of walking, running or making camp directly behind people who are fishing. It doesn't seem to occur to them how dangerous that position can be - it's our responsibility to make sure it's clear behind us before we cast.
3. If you feel rude doing something, you are most certainly correct. If you feel someone else is being rude, respectfully let them know. If they are, as it seems is getting frighteningly too common, the disrespectful self important crumpled map report chaser they seem to be - they'll scream and yell and curse at you. It's best, at that point, either hold your ground and suffer - or hold your ground and keep casting where you were even though you tangle the report chaser every cast - or just leave and go somewhere else - fishing is supposed to be fun and relaxing. Don't let some self important bastage take all the enjoyment out of your fishing.
4. When someone hooks a fish, instead of trying to get your lure as close to their fish as possible, give them a few seconds to get their fish clear from the area - then cast. A fish thrashing in front of a guy with a bent rod is not a fish that's feeding, it's already hooked - give the guy a break and let him land it. He might just do the same for you if you should hook a fish.

Bottom line is, respectful, positive behavior while fishing in the fall breeds more of the same. Rude, disrespectful and dangerous behavior breeds more of the same. Instead of you feeling like you are the most important, most entitled person out there - stop for a second and think about the folks that got there before you.

Tim Surgent