What would you do--

There you are sat by the side of a river, fishable from both banks. You're enjoying some sport(or not) when along comes another angler on the opposite bank and sets up directly in front of you and begins fishing in your carefully prepared swim. My understanding is that as both parties are perfectly entitled to fish from the bank of there choice the old "gentlemans" rule of yesteryear is that each angler fishes his side of midriver.
Whats your immediate action/reaction.
Both sides of any debate please.

I had just this scenario in my head last year fishing on the river Anker.

On the opposite bank (free fishing) appeared a number of other fellas with spinning gear. Upon coming within earshot it was obvious that they were of Eastern European extraction. I feared the worse having carefully built my swim over the last few hours.

I was pleasantly surprised when they opted to skip two swims up and down of my part of the river and chuck their lures elsewhere. Respect is due...!

He is entitled, but I wouldn't do it.

Aside from the fact I want to have my swim just for me and not even see anyone else, deliberately encroaching on someone like that is a to$$ers trick.

That said I did it myself once on the Dove. I set up opposite some bloke, he was dead still, surrounded by trees and head to toe in realtree. After about 5 minutes I spotted him, I made an attempted apology with some mad sign language, which probably pee'd him off even more. I then made my way downstream, a bit red faced, half expecting someone off here to post something like what you've just done.

Any angler who sets up on the other side of a river to you, is , IMO a Tw*t.

I wouldn't do it, a little respect is needed.

I did see something like this at Adams Mill once. The well known angler couldn't get the swim he wanted. Went back to his car and got a camcorder, and started filming.

He acted like a child, and was soon being laughed at by other anglers, he soon left.

Nobody should sit opposite you, even if they have the right, those that do, would be the first to shout if you did it to them.

Few maggots and groundbait balls over fired might get the point over to them,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

An interesting thread.

I was fishing my secret medieval lake a couple of days ago, when a carp angler arrivied, walked bolt upright to where I was fishing and demanded to know if he could fish from a spot a few yards to my right.

And there was only myself on the water. I told him this and he walked off in a huff!

Later after catching some nice roach I tackled up and before going home, decided to have a walk around the lake to see what I could see.

I spotted the carp angler fishing around the corner of the island about 80 yards away and obvious kept my distance.

I crept up behind a bush and had a peep at something that was causing ripples in the water. It was a couple of carp of about 20 lbs each.

Across the still morning air a loud vioce proclaimed to me that "He had a bait just there!!

Of course he never thought of myself when he arrived at the water, nor did he think that someone might want to fish from the spot he had his bait, and if he wanted to fish that spot, why didn't he sit behind the bush and fish it, under his rod tip?

Seriously, some carp anglers do think that they are special, when in reality they are not!

If he was like that Ron he sounded like an A-hole, whether he was a carp angler or not.
Your last line should be...

Some anglers do think that they are special, when in reality they are not!
or
Some people do think that they are special, when in reality they are not!





I like gentlemans rule of yesteryear and not to fish the opposite bank.

The issue on rivers that I fish was not that problematical in years gone by.
Rivers like the wide Witham were not so easily accessible from many of the banks opposite to where the big open matches were pegged out- the same could be said of the wide Welland with the exception of the banks near to the odd bridge such as the one at Crowland so things were pretty much ok-- on the other hand the not so wide middle level could have a situation where both banks would be pegged out but in those days many of the competitors would be using float tackle as first choice so nobody was too inconvenianced.
Today tho the rivers are fished by many who tend to be after big fish such as barbel.Methods tend to be big powerful rods/line etx and a feeder that resembles a bird feeder . The tendency is to fish from the bank with the shallow water and throw across to the deeper/ opposite bank. Its here when problems can often arrise.

I would tell him to go forth if that failed I would move

slime monster said:

I would tell him to go forth if that failed I would move
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Slime, I agree with what you say but it's hard when you were there first. It seems that we all agree that to move onto a swim adjacent to another river angler is to be avoided. Definately not what is condusive to an enjoyable time by the riverside but face to face situations are sometimes unavoidable-- try this one-- You have obtained a day ticket for a strech of river and with the early rise and one hundred mile round trip the cost is not entirely cheap with additions such as bait etx.
So , there you are all tackled up by the waterside and having done a little baiting up you are settled in to wait for a fish. You are the only angler in sight and the day looks good.A little time on and you hear a strange sound that is coming from the far bank, it gets louder and resembles a noise akin to a waggon shedding some scaffolding ( clank clank) Then on the high bank opposite like a line of indians on a hill appear a whole bunch of match anglers. Immediately someone shouts "who is peg number --- cos theres a b' on the far bank" ! Oh dear-- you are thinking that its maybe best to move when the angler with said peg wades into the water to the top of his waders (does the old match rule of not breaking the water before time is called still in in force-- maybe not ) and using the "f" word you are told to go!
Remember-- you have every right to be there-- what happens then--?? Remember -you have nowhere else to go as you are a stranger to the area

Yes mate I have had similar run-ins with match anglers too.

My classic experience was in 1997 when I was fishing the Avon near Warwick. I had every right to be there, I wasn't breaking any rules and I owned a year book for the stretch I was fishing.

At about 9-30 am, a crowd of match anglers, who judging from their accents were Brummies, appeared on the opposite bank. The language used towards me, together with the threats was extremely intimidating. As I was alone, I decided that I would like to live a little longer, so I packed up and went home. I wrote a letter to the Angling Club involved with the match, but never recieved a reply.

Shortly before this event, I went to a commercial fishery down the Fosse Way which holds some nice tench.

I went to the office there and paid for my ticket. The lady told me not to fish on pegs 1 to 34 as they had been booked for a match. I walked around the lake and fished from peg 46 if I remember right.

The match arrived and to cut a long story short I was threatened by these people in a terrible way.

I packed up and went back to the ticket office and reported what had happened to the owner. The owner phoned the police who arrived within 5 minutes. Thank goodness the cop was an angler. They couldn't do much, except warn the secretary of the club that they were totally out of order in threatening me.

The owner told me at a later stage that he had told the club never to book a match on his water again.

Ever since those two unfortunate incidents, I have hated the attutude of competitive anglers. Let me make myself clear, I don't hate them individually, only what they have become. Those who think that matches should have precidence and that match anglers are something special, are wrong, dead wrong!

Ron what you describe is truly out of order and in the second instance you did what most people would have done but I would also like to know what people would do if confronted with the situation that I described earlier. Regarding match anglers/angling I know that we dont share the same opinion as I have a match angling background and if the match scene was as it was say back in the sixties/seventies/eighties i would give serious consideration to having the occasional "punt" now and then as back in the day I used to have/get a real buzz from it-- sadly for me the mini knock up scene on commercials has no appeal whatsoever.

But do you remember when the Trent was matched up every weekend?

When the ordinary pleasure angler, the very essence of our sport, couldn't get a peg! I remember a time in the late 70s when I spent a two month holiday in England. The only time I could get on the Trent was midweek.

Now this was completely wrong, when a working member of a local club couldn't even fish his local water!!!

At least the matchmen have buggered off to the commercials these days and left the rivers for proper anglers!

I had another angler start feeding fish right on top of the snag I'd enticed them out of for over four hours with a tonne of bait. I wondered why all the chub and two barbel hadn't returned after I'd scared off a group of swans, only to spot the interloper crouched in the undergrowth right over the snag about 20 yards below me. I had to bite my tongue very hard, but fortunately he buggered off after half an hour!!!!
I've also dropped into swims after dark before only to realise there was someone fishing opposite me once they switched their headtorch on half an hour later....

Ron The Hat Clay said:

But do you remember when the Trent was matched up every weekend?

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Ron, yes I do, very well indeed. but to say it was all taken up by the match angling fraternity would be a little exagerated. there were many less popular spots that were available to fish if you were determined to. They were no less productive either, it was the access that made it hard for matches to take place. Many anglers however (like today) took much of the info available about the river from the "comics" and made the oft mentioned venues thier choice for a days fishing, if they only had the weekend to fish then many were often dissapointed.