I used to let this bother me, but it doesn’t anymore. If someone gets too close to me, I just move. I don’t say anything, period. I don’t say hi, I don’t say how ya doin?, I don’t engage. I just walk away. It’s a nothing burger. I’ve caught plenty of fish and know where to go and how to catch more if someone encroaches too close on me.
I don’t Trout fish the big popular streams more than a couple times a year. I don’t expect solitude, and neither should anyone else on those. A general rule of thumb is to read the conditions and crowds that day. Drakes on Penns, as long as I have enough room to safely cast as far as I want/need to/can and not endanger myself, or anyone else, I’m fine. So what is that, 30 or 40 yards maybe? Either the fish are going nuts and everyone is catching them and doesn’t care how close anyone else is to them, or, it’s dead and no one is catching anything. And then at least you have company closeby to have a beer with and ***** about the lack of action. When Penns (for example) is on, and everyone’s into them, I kinda enjoy the camaraderie with the crowds…help your neighbor net a big fish, or take a pic for him, etc. Hey that fish just tore up my last Drake pattern…That’s cool I have a few extra, here ya go, etc. It can be fun. March, in snow squalls, and there’s 3 vehicles total in the lot, I shouldn’t be able to see you, and you shouldn’t be able to see me. Highly situationally dependent.
On Brookie streams, if you know there is another angler already on the stream, unless you’re certain you know where they are and what their intentions are, and you fully yield the right of way to them, you should leave and pick a new stream altogether. The guy there first has the right of way, period. Set your alarm earlier. If you see a vehicle in an area that is likely an angler, but you’re not sure and/or you don’t know where they are, you should assume they are an angler, and punt and go to your plan B stream for the day. Kind of a Brookie angler code. Brookie anglers don’t hop in on other Brookie anglers.
On opening day on a popular STW, or Steelhead fishing during a run, elbow to elbow may be acceptable. Again, highly situationally dependent. The least common denominator is reading the situation, and the crowds, and putting yourself in the angler’s shoes who was there fishing first. If you wouldn’t appreciate someone coming that close to you for the given circumstances, then you’re too close. But yes this varies greatly based on crowds, conditions, and the type of stream.
