I know that spacing on a stream, especially here in Colorado, depends on what river you are fishing. I expect more room on a small back country creek than on the South Platte below Cheeseman or somewhere in South Park. I am also aware that it's spring and everyone is excited to be on the water under a beautiful blue sky.
But let me set the scene from last weekend. Popular front range creek outside of Denver. Temperatures in the mid 60's, light to moderate wind, with fish sporadically rising. I choose an empty roadside pull off, avoiding others due to other fisherman readying for their days (no big deal, plenty of water for everyone). Situating myself in the middle of a half mile of fishermanless water in the effort to be polite, I begin to fish. Nothing major, just your typical run of the mill selective brown trout. Working a fairly productive run, I didn't move much more than a 100 feet up river over an hour or so and was having a nice, relaxing, peaceful day.
So why, why in the world, would I find myself staring at at three fly fisherman as they enter the run directly above me and start to work their way downstream towards and into the top of the run I was fishing?
I had no idea what to do and chose to go the sarcastic Walmart greeter route and asked the closest fisherman (barely 25 feet away) at the top of my lungs how his day was going and explained that I had been planning to work my way into the same run this older gentleman was currently working towards me. He did not get it.
What are you supposed to do? Cuss him out? Given a lesson to someone 30 years your elder? Would he even get it? I thought not and just let it go.
What would you have done? I am open to all suggestions, realize that I hate confrontation and that I handled it in the least effective / most passive aggressive manner possible.
Anyways, thanks for listening to my etiquette rant, here's a fish for your trouble.
