Please Respect Anglers!!!

mga1761

Can I ask that surfers please show a little respect to anglers that you may encounter at beaches where you surf! Myself and many of my colleagues have come across many, many situations where anglers have been setup and fishing at a particular part of various beaches, only to find some surfers later arrive and start to surf within the anglers fishing range!
(If in doubt about the anglers fishing range, please ask! Remember, anglers can be fishing anwhere from within a few yards to a distance of 100+ yards of the waters edge!).

I don't think I'm asking for too much here. In my opinion, it's down to common courtesy. If I arrived at a stretch of beach with swimmers, surfers, or other sports enthusiasts doing their thing in a particular stretch of water, the last thing I (or any of my colleagues) would do is start casting a few ounces of lead (and hooks!) in the general vacinity of those individuals!

Out of respect for those people and the fact that they were there before me/us, I/we would move to an unoccupied part of the beach where I/we would in no way interfere with those people. If talking about a small stretch of beach where partaking in our sport wasn't possible as a result of being preoccupied, we'd simply abandon the idea altogether, rather than risk (a) causing annoyance to the people already there or, even more importantly (b) causing anyone any harm.

(I'm not going to start lecturing on the pain of "accidentially" coming into contact with chemically-sharpened hooks or the danger of being hit with a few ounces of lead being cast with powerful rods - I think this should be obvious!!)

I'm fairly sure there are surfers out there that don't need to read this and are very respectful of other users of the sea. But there are some that seem completely oblivious to the points I've raised. I've come across them recently, very recently. I come across them often, very often.

The sea is a resource to be enjoyed by all that use it. It's enjoyment shouldn't be dominated by any one single group, at the expense of other groups.

Please act responsibly and respect those around you.

Regards,
Martin.

motorimporter

Completely agree with you Martin, very well put.

Many other water users also seem to have scant regard for anglers.

Agreed it's not all "surfers" showing little or no regard for anglers, but even a small minority has a real effect on the pleasure of our use of the coastline.

PeakOutput

as a new surfer i havnt encountered this problem yet and im not excusing it but it may be worth noting that there are usually very specific places on beaches were the waves are surfable and if they happen tobe were you are fishing the surfers dont actually have anywhere else to go on that beach wereas its probably possible for you to fish at another part of the beach

not excusing any particular behaviour just saying communication between both parties will probably lead to a compromise everyone is happy with

OldGuysRule

The difficulty here is that while the presence / actions of surfers may irk anglers, the actions of anglers can injure surfers.

Also, I cannot really see a situation where by a surfer (thinking of myself here) would arrive along to a spot, see good conditions and not paddle out because of anglers on the shore / rocks. I am afraid that I would just suit up and paddle out.

Just being honest

Mickeroo

OldGuysRule wrote: »

The difficulty here is that while the presence / actions of surfers may irk anglers, the actions of anglers can injure surfers.

Also, I cannot really see a situation where by a surfer (thinking of myself here) would arrive along to a spot, see good conditions and not paddle out because of anglers on the shore / rocks. I am afraid that I would just suit up and paddle out.

Just being honest

Not trying to be sarcy or funny here but assuming they were there first and you'd be in range of their hooks/fishing line, isn't that a bit lousy towards them and maybe not very smart in terms of your own safety?

rodento

I'm disgusted by this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIZtZd8fE48

motorimporter

PeakOutput wrote: »

as a new surfer i havnt encountered this problem yet and im not excusing it but it may be worth noting that there are usually very specific places on beaches were the waves are surfable and if they happen tobe were you are fishing the surfers dont actually have anywhere else to go on that beach wereas its probably possible for you to fish at another part of the beach

not excusing any particular behaviour just saying communication between both parties will probably lead to a compromise everyone is happy with

Unfortunately, the underwater features on the seabed that provide surfers with good waves, are also the very features that hold fish, and hence ideal angling conditions may also be ideal surfing conditions...........surely good manners determine that whoever is there 1st should be left in peace to enjoy their hobby

OldGuysRule

I don't see this as a big issue, but as I said above, I have never and will never drive away from surf for something like this. If a spot is going off, then I am going in.

But I will agree not to surf in a river!

motorimporter

OldGuysRule wrote: »

The difficulty here is that while the presence / actions of surfers may irk anglers, the actions of anglers can injure surfers.

Also, I cannot really see a situation where by a surfer (thinking of myself here) would arrive along to a spot, see good conditions and not paddle out because of anglers on the shore / rocks. I am afraid that I would just suit up and paddle out.

Just being honest

Unfortunately this is the very attitude that we are faced with day in day out by other water users (swimmers, canoists, snorklers etc can all be as inconsiderate) when pursuing our sport



Without wanting too sound confrontational here, your reply is somewhat contradictory I'm sure you'll agree.

You say that your actions may irk anglers, yet the actions of anglers can injure surfers

Surely if you surf/swim in front of anglers who are already fishing, then in the case of injury its actually your own actions that have brought about it.

motorimporter

OldGuysRule wrote: »

I don't see this as a big issue, but as I said above, I have never and will never drive away from surf for something like this. If a spot is going off, then I am going in.

But I will agree not to surf in a river!

6oz of lead and a number of extremely sharp hooks could be coming your way :eek:

Might be wise to start wearing body/head armour

And please dont be posting complaints on the fishing forums if you get a whack from my fishing lead :rolleyes:

Oh, and feel free to surf the river you'll only find me out fishing the salt :P

jd

OldGuysRule wrote: »

I don't see this as a big issue, but as I said above, I have never and will never drive away from surf for something like this. If a spot is going off, then I am going in.

I find this attitude very discouraging. If I arrive at a beach to fish I will avoid fishing near other beach users. If we are holding a competition we try to peg a beach in such a way as to avoid inconvenience to other beach users. You are telling me that if there are people fishing it is okay to dive out between them?
As well as annoying these people you risk entangling yourself in their line (and hooks) . An angling competition was ruined for people last week when NO consideration was shown towards them by some of the surfers on the beach.

Some of the anglers that were present on the day are quite annoyed with what happened (see here )

sheesh

ok so Maybe asking you to for a bit of respect was a bit much.


could you manage not treating us like **** so?


thanks. Its interesting to see the attitude here and I have seen it repeated on beaches I have fished.

spider77

I think most surfers will agree that it depends on the beach in this case. If its a small beach, then its going to be hard to stay out of everyones way to an extent. This is made worse if the swell is up and currents are strong.

However, If its brandon bay, then there are 12 miles of beach so I totally agree in that case that us surfers should just move to the next peak if there is someone already there fishing.

I got caught in a line once:D. I was in the water first though and the fishermen started fishing near the rivermouth close to where I was ALREADY surfing.

I think we all need to have common sense and everything should be fine:)

mga1761

spider77 wrote: »

I think most surfers will agree that it depends on the beach in this case. If its a small beach, then its going to be hard to stay out of everyones way to an extent. This is made worse if the swell is up and currents are strong.
...

I don't think it's hard to stay out of everyones way! Like I said in my initial post, if there are others already there (swimmers, surfers, etc.) and the beach is small, then I simply won't fish it. Should the same logic & courtesy not apply if surfers arrive and find anglers already there first?

spider77 wrote: »

I got caught in a line once:D. I was in the water first though and the fishermen started fishing near the rivermouth close to where I was ALREADY surfing.

A responsible angler won't do this, but I suppose you'll find exceptions in every walk of society unfortunately .

spider77 wrote: »

I think we all need to have common sense and everything should be fine:)

I agree. But based on some earlier posts in this thread, common sense doesn't always prevail and your first statement above implies that you would still surf on a small beach with anglers present! Common sense?

Some folks just don't get it, do they?

Safe surfing & tight lines!
-Martin.

Petekd

It was myself who posted that original thread on SAI and looking back on it, maybe the language was a little strong but the blood was up and to say I was annoyed was an understatement. I travelled the best part of 400 miles of a round trip to fish that competition, hoping to feature it in an article in Next months Irish Angler magazine. That, and my days enjoyment went clean out the window due to sheer ignorance.

What you do when you travel through an area where anglers are fishing is scare everything away. Scared fish dont feed, angler doesnt catch fish, anglers day ruined. In a competition situation where people have travelled considerable distances, spent several hours gathering bait and even longer tying traces to have done all this work only to have some ignorant person who either doesnt know, or more to the point doesnt care is a little harder to take. We all have our interests and our passions, why do surfers think that their pursuit of pleasure takes precedence over someone elses? Its incredibly selfish and would not be tolerated in any other situation.

If a group of lads were playing pool and someone came along and decided to start playing cards on the table, do you think that would be OK? If someone were playing tennis, would it be acceptable for a group to hop into the tennis court for a kick about? Not on your life it wouldnt and I bet none of you surfer types would even entertain the idea. Why then, when you don your wetsuit and hoods does all sense of right and wrong go out the window? Its not all, I could see at the weekend some of those who genuinely had strayed too far and were indeed sorry. Some of the others deserved a kick up the arse all the same, in particular the one who told me we "had to share the sea". Sharing the sea is something I would love to do, the behaviour of those on Rossnowlagh was not "sharing the sea", it was rude, pig ignorant and mannerless. You wouldnt get away with that sort of behaviour on the street.

Notice had been given of our event and we had taken the top half of Rossnowlagh. It wasnt for the day, it was from 11am to 3 pm. Noone was surfing in that area on commencement of our comp. We, as anglers wouldnt dream of setting up to fish in front of surfers, its a crying shame we arent shown the same courtesy in return. Forget about the danger aspect from leads and hooks, its common decency that would preclude that you dont spoil another fellas day in pursuit of your own hobby.

Mickeroo

OldGuysRule wrote: »

I don't see this as a big issue, but as I said above, I have never and will never drive away from surf for something like this. If a spot is going off, then I am going in.

But I will agree not to surf in a river!

would you kayak in a river where someone is fishing though? or have a picnic on a football field during a match?

Maybe I'm picking you up wrong in that most areas are big enough that theres plenty of room to surf and fish without getting in eachothers way, but surfing in the exact spot where someone is fishing or vise versa is downright idiotic.

PeakOutput

as a surfer, so far im pretty dissapointed with the surfers attitudes

edit; but then again maybe its just one surfer

spaceHopper

Petekd wrote: »

It was myself who posted that original thread on SAI and looking back on it, maybe the language was a little strong but the blood was up and to say I was annoyed was an understatement. I travelled the best part of 400 miles of a round trip to fish that competition, hoping to feature it in an article in Next months Irish Angler magazine. That, and my days enjoyment went clean out the window due to sheer ignorance.

What you do when you travel through an area where anglers are fishing is scare everything away. Scared fish dont feed, angler doesnt catch fish, anglers day ruined. In a competition situation where people have travelled considerable distances, spent several hours gathering bait and even longer tying traces to have done all this work only to have some ignorant person who either doesnt know, or more to the point doesnt care is a little harder to take. We all have our interests and our passions, why do surfers think that their pursuit of pleasure takes precedence over someone elses? Its incredibly selfish and would not be tolerated in any other situation.

If a group of lads were playing pool and someone came along and decided to start playing cards on the table, do you think that would be OK? If someone were playing tennis, would it be acceptable for a group to hop into the tennis court for a kick about? Not on your life it wouldnt and I bet none of you surfer types would even entertain the idea. Why then, when you don your wetsuit and hoods does all sense of right and wrong go out the window? Its not all, I could see at the weekend some of those who genuinely had strayed too far and were indeed sorry. Some of the others deserved a kick up the arse all the same, in particular the one who told me we "had to share the sea". Sharing the sea is something I would love to do, the behaviour of those on Rossnowlagh was not "sharing the sea", it was rude, pig ignorant and mannerless. You wouldnt get away with that sort of behaviour on the street.

Notice had been given of our event and we had taken the top half of Rossnowlagh. It wasnt for the day, it was from 11am to 3 pm. Noone was surfing in that area on commencement of our comp. We, as anglers wouldnt dream of setting up to fish in front of surfers, its a crying shame we arent shown the same courtesy in return. Forget about the danger aspect from leads and hooks, its common decency that would preclude that you dont spoil another fellas day in pursuit of your own hobby.

Sorry you had your weekend spoiled, there will always be idiots who don't care, you get them is surfing to and we have to put up with them.

Having a rant on SAI forum or here might make you feel better but it won't solve it and I'm afraid I don't have an answer that will. For my part I'll try to say out of anglers way but in ten years of surfing I haven't had a problem so far.

You will get genuine cases where surfers set out a few hundred meters from you but drift out of position and end up in your way by accident. Try to be nice and not go off. As for what hapended in this case the guy sounds like he was out of order but going nuts at him only makes you look bad.

AnonymousPrime

I think the difficulty for surfers is that surfing conditions are so fickle (especially at this time of year).

We condition ourselves to fall at the whims of nature rather than to dictate the times and places we wish to surf. Angling aside, if we were to adopt any other approach we would never have a good day.

Placing angling back into the picture, there is an internal dilemma going on. For instance, a poster talked about a competition which was ruined by water users (presumably surfers) from 11 - 3 on a saturday. The surfers in question, if they were passionate about their sport, would have chosen the best time yielding the best conditions, knowing that it is possible not to see these conditions for a very long time after.
If the anglers ask them to stop it is at odds with the pre conditioning and mental barriers I mentioned above.

So in summary, although some of my contemporaries put it rather crudely, it is not just a question of "I'm going for my adrenalin rush no matter who gets in my way", but rather taking advantage of conditions while they are present, knowing the length of time it may take before conditions arrive again.

May I add that I have never been in competition with an angler and I do not know how I would react to such a situation.

kodute

Its never come up, but if it did I'd stay clear.

CJhaughey

Obviously some of the surfers posting here haven't travelled outside Europe.
I can think of quite a few places where acting like a dick to other surfers or anglers will get you more than a few harsh words.
Common courtesy goes a long way and if Surfers want to continue to enjoy their sport/hobby they will have to demonstrate it.
Just remember your car is still on the beach......

cpoh1

As a surfer if i turn up at my local spot and a few anglers have decided to set up shop on a decent day im going to get in the water no questions asked. Why should all other water users suffer because one group of lads want a section of the beach to themselves? Surfers, bodyboarders, kayakers and windsurfers can all co-exist in the water at the same time, why should a well known surfing beach be cleared because a couple of guys want to take over the place to themselves?

Surfers are happy to share the water with all water users - its an angling problem if their hobby is dangerous to other water users and they need space. And dont even go into the legal/civil responsibilites and liabilities if a surfer was to get injured because of an anglers actions.

As an ex lifeguard I wouldnt be slow to tell a group of a anglers to stay away from my beach during our working hours even with no bathers in the water - it means people cant get it when they are around. You cant expect all other water users to give up a stretch of beach so guys can have a fish, there's a lack of common curtosy to other water users in expecting that - especially at established surf breaks where guys have invested loads of time in the area, surfing there regularly and cleaning up the place (we would do regular beach cleans where im from). Its not surfers faults anglers cant co-exist with all other water users.

Anyway - would i get in the water. Yes and without any remorse!

rodento

Coph1 would you do the same during a fishing comp???

spaceHopper

CJhaughey wrote: »

Common courtesy goes a long way and if Surfers want to continue to enjoy their sport/hobby they will have to demonstrate it.
Just remember your car is still on the beach......

Are you saying you'll wreck a car or hurt somebody - think that's well out of order, even suggesting it is out of order.

The op made his port well but I think you just cost him the argument.

OldGuysRule

cpoh may have put it more politely than I did, but the principal still stands. I have no problem with paddling out if there are anglers at a spot.

Interesting to note the two veiled threats above from motorimporter and cjhaughey, would not have thought that the moderators would accept them.

And cjhaughey, if you are referring to my comments, I have surfed in many spots / countries on five continents over the past 16 / 18 years. I know who to respect

cpoh1

rodento wrote: »

Coph1 would you do the same during a fishing comp???

If it was at my local beach im surfing every week and no consultation was made with the local surfers before organising the event then absolutely i would.

CJhaughey

spaceHopper wrote: »

Are you saying you'll wreck a car or hurt somebody - think that's well out of order, even suggesting it is out of order.

The op made his port well but I think you just cost him the argument.

I am not saying that I will do anything, I don't surf nor am I an Angler.

BUT I have seen these things happen and worse, not here but in other countries and not even between anglers/surfers but just localism.

OldGuysRule

Common courtesy goes a long way and if Surfers want to continue to enjoy their sport/hobby they will have to demonstrate it.
Just remember your car is still on the beach......

Or what?

So you are neither surfer nor angler but you feel qualified to ride in with your advise. Thank you for your time

spaceHopper

CJhaughey wrote: »

I am not saying that I will do anything, I don't surf nor am I an Angler.

BUT I have seen these things happen and worse, not here but in other countries and not even between anglers/surfers but just localism.

If you don't surf or fish then please either make helpfull suggestions or stay out of it, but please stop lobbing in hand grenades to kick something off.

CJhaughey

Is there a rule where only anglers or surfers can use a beach?
Hmmm I seem to remember people using beaches that flew kites, kitesurfed, swam, dived and snorkled and spearfished.
Look, I am not trying to kick anything off here, It's just that I have seen situations develop that were not in anyones best interest and all because people didn't use a bit of cop-on or courtesy, similar to what has been shown here.
I'll leave it at that

kodute

Some surfers pissed off some anglers. Some anglers ask some other surfers to respect them. Some will, some won't. Thats life.

Suggesting that criminal damage will be inflicted on a surfers car however is will get a reaction, whether it was intended like that or not. Just take it easy and not jump to conclusions.