There's a lot of water out there, be courteous and keep your distance

It's a beautiful morning, the sun is just coming up and you're out on the water at one of the drops you fish regularly. When you arrived there wasn't a boat in sight. First cast in and - bam! You have a nice redfish on! As you continue to fish and work the school of reds you notice a boat move in towards you. As they get closer you mention that they're too close and they respond with "You don't own the ocean."

True, I don't own the ocean but I am fishing this drop and

was here before them. But they proceed to come closer and deploy their anchor with the old heave-ho right into the school of reds I was fishing, that are now scattered and gone. What to do in this situation? I'm conflicted.

I have clients on the boat (yes, I'm trying to earn a living!) so I can't really say what I want. But I will usually cast a line close to the other boat to let them know how I feel. This doesn't only happen to me and it isn't just because I'm a charter captain. This seems to happen a lot and to many fisherman. The people guilty of this, in my opinion, should attend a class on fishing and boating etiquette. A good rule for boats getting close to each other is, if you are in casting range you are too close. Period. The thing is, if some of these guys spent as much time honing their fishing skill as they do riding around looking for somebody catching fish they might be

No one owns the water.
But there's a lot of
water out there and a
lot of fish. Keep your
distance and put a little
time and effort into it.

able to catch some fish on their own. It's like stealing. Say you spends weeks or even months to learn a drop and how the fish move around on it, then some guy riding down the river sees you catching a fish so they stop and come right in on you. They haven't put an ounce of work into it or tried to learn the fish - that's just stealing your effort and your work.

No one owns the water. But there's a lot of water out there and a lot of fish. Keep your distance and put a little time and effort into it. Don't just take the easy way out. You're setting a bad example for others - especially if you have kids on your boat.

I want to say, I know I've vented here but we all need to practice a little more etiquette and plain old common courtesy on the water. And anyone who knows me, knows all you have to do is ask and I'll be happy to share info on where the fish are and what bait to use. Good luck and good fishing. Remember, release a fish today so you can catch two tomorrow!

Captain Brian has been fishing local waters for 25 years and has served as a professional guide for almost 10. Fishing is not just his livelihood, it's his passion. He can be reached at CaptainBrian@OneMoreCastCharters.com