Northwest Fishing Reports

So 3 friends and i are fishing about 10' apart from each other having a great time actually catching fish. Its pretty early and there is a lot of river front property to fish from. All of a sudden 3 guys show up and stick there rod holders in between the 4 of us. They dont ask if its ok to fish inbetween us, (common courtesy i think) and then when we tell them (nicely) thats its not a good idea for them to fish there, especially with the 2 oz lead balls they were using they act like they dont understand... Needless to say they trew out their lines and got everyone tangled up. We then said this is going to happen everytime they trow their line out and again they act like they dont understand. Its not until i said i was going to throw one of them in the river when they asked me what did i say? in perfect english with a little accent. I then said, You heard me!!! He then mummbled something and continued to throw his line out and get everyone tangled again. Some other guys left because they were tired of these guys so we moved a little. These guys caught a couple fish and again, no catch card..... We have been calling fish and wildlife about this prob but nothing has happend yet. Next thing you know, a goup of other guys about 50 yds down start catching fish and one of the guys that wasnt catching fish in the group of guys tangling everyones lines reels in and goes right besides the other guys catching fish and throws his line out....WTF???? So i guess im asking what or how should i, we, everyone do if this should happen again which i know will. Have you guys experienced this and what have you done about it? I know the bigger thing is to pack up and leave, but why? i get there a 5 am to get to where i want to fish and these idiots get there at 8 and decide to fish right next to people when there is lots of room else where. Hope to get many replies on this topic....

Keep calling the fish and wildlife dept every 5 minutes until they show up.

I say make good on your promise, and throw one in the river.

Or when their lines get tangled with yours don't bother undoing it, just reach over and cut their line if the tangle that takes more then 3 seconds to undo or if it requires a recast.

When somebody isn't going with the flow and keep doing dumb things just keep the scissors handy, I won't take the time to untangle a idiots line, just snip it off

crw, tnj8222 i wish i could make good on my promise and throw them in the river and or just cut there line. We all wanted to so bad but in the bigger pic, i dont think getting into some kind of altercation with these guys would be worth getting arrested for. And to be honest with you if these guys have no respect for anyone including game wardens, its almost kinda scary to think of what these guys have in there pockets or cars if you know what i mean. Im not saying we let these guys walk all over us because we didnt, its just not worth getting into major drama with these idiots. I guess we all need to start calling when stuff like this happen. But believe me we wanted to kick there a---s today. So everyone please start calling on these idiots so we can actually do something about this. Looking forward to hear what else others have to say and if you have any other ideas that are non-violent...lol (darn) please speak up!!!

When idiots like that show up I just adjust my shoulder holster a bit so they can see "Mr Glock". They suddenly can speak english and usually apologize and leave.

Yeah that sux i was on the puyallup, and some russian guys showed up with 80 lb dacron braid and 3 oz sinkers and crowded me in. I kept getting snagged up with them. They would just cast out and let it sit. I was using pencil lead and the usual river set up. I finally started getting tangled with them on purpose and dragging in their gear and they left because they got frustrated even though there was plenty of room as well. Wolverine i'm with you i never go fishing with out packing mr. H&K USP .

welcome to fall salmon fishing in WA rivers.

Ahh yes, river fishing during the odd years, fun times. Its just something you have to expect during pink season. I wouldnt expect a whole lot from the game wardens, they are pretty short handed with this economy. I have fished for pinks almost every day for the last month or so, and have yet to see a game warden. In fact at 3 tree point the cops are actually down there checking licenses. What I do, when faced with this problem, is keep an extra pole handy with 2 1/2 oz egg sinkers tied on, and aim for their line.The time I spend on the water is very valuable to me, and when somebody tries to take that away from me, it gets personal. So if they want to take it to the next level, thats fine with me....

I agree that you have to cut their lines when tangled! I would try and get their line up from the gear so you can leave the gear in the river and hopefully they won't have much in their tackle box..... Another thing I do when combat river fishing is pretend I only know how to side arm cast. It keeps the right side cleared out really well!!!!!:-"

I agree with everyone else just cut their line but wait till they got a fish on.

I am fortunate enough to not have a bad taste in my mouth from my 3 trips on the Puyallup. The fellas I was fishing next to all had the unspoken language of when to cast, where to cast, when to reel in lines when battling a fish. I even was confident enough to let my son venture off to find a quiet spot by himself or if he wanted to get in with the other older kids. He did just fine. I was very fearful from all the combat fishing stories I have read about or heard stories, but really, the only taste in my mouth is from the fish I caught.