Rude on the River, Front Ended and the Golden Rule

Troutbitten

In the last podcast, episode 7 of season 3, we talked about finding your water and finding space. And we acknowledged that everyone wants this. Everyone. I don’t know any fisherman who sets out to fish beside a bunch of strangers for the day. Because part of the experience we seek is getting away from everything else in life, for just a bit. No matter where you are, having some space and some water to call your own is a primary draw.

So when you do find a section of river, when you’re deep into the process of dissecting a riffle, run or pool, one of the worst and most frustrating things that can happen is having another angler walk in on you. Specifically, when they wade into the water you are fishing or that you planned to fish very shortly.

It’s no fun. It can be maddening. And it can absolutely ruin your day.

In some ways, this experience is inevitable. If you fish often enough, you’re going to get front ended, probably sooner than later. And how should we deal with it? Is there really any good way to open a dialogue with someone who rudely jumps in front of you? Does it ever end well?

And how much water should we expect to be granted? What’s the standard, anyway?

Also, if you round the bend on your walk in, and you see another angler set up in exactly the same water you planned to fish, where should you go? What’s the acceptable distance? How much room should we give each other on the river?

Just like the previous episode, this podcast deals with space on the river. But this time, it’s not about finding space as much as how we share it. Sometimes, we’re forced to share more than we’d like. Other times, there’s simply no question that another angler has broken the code. And how do we deal with that? This is our topic.
We Cover the Following:

• Thoughts on secret patterns
• Some worst cases of front-ending
• Thee two types of anglers who front end you
• Can you actually educate anyone about the code?
• What are the unwritten rules about fishing space?
• Ethics and etiquette

Resources

READ: Troutbitten | Front Ended -- Can We Stop Doing This to Each Other?
READ: Troutbitten | Why Everyone Fishes the Same Water, and What to do About It
READ: Troutbitten | Some Days Are Diamonds -- Some Days Are Rocks

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