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Common Courtesy and the half way rule

halfway?

i usually have a slash two thirds over the river ! but not that far into a headwind!:eek: and what strech has 50 swims ?
 
Mark Anderson said:
Hi men ,

Been following this thread , putting aside the legality side of things , I don't like people doing things to me , that I would never consider doing to anyone else . People encroaching on my fishing is one of my biggest bug bares , not just in barbel fishing , but all forms of angling . I have actually picked swims that takes this into consideration , and you should not go fishing with that attitude , or worries . I don't argue , because reasoning wont work with someone who would do that in the first place , we just move , although someone last season is now missing an eardrum who upset sue so much she cracked !.

So facts are the bloke was within his rights , legally within his rights , that's life .


Hatter
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You're right about the type of person who does this not seeing reason. He was very aggressive and responded with a good old "**** off" when I said "Could you not have picked somewhere else?" as I walked off. I then pointed up and downstream and said "You've got miles of river to go at and you pick my swim?" in an angry voice.

He said "Come over here and say that" to which I replied "I don't need to swim across the river to tell you you're a dick"

He then started trying to justifying himself, whilst giving me a mouthful of abuse. I just said "Well it doesn't matter now because you've scared all the fish off anyway" and flounced off.

Ten minutes later, just as I landed my first barbel, I could hear him shouting from 150 yards upsteam, presumably telling someone else what had happened. He's the same kind of person who talks too loud on the bank, another of my bugbears. An angler with no real idea of what angling's about.
 
Any Charlie who plonks in a swim bang opposite or even very close to you is probably not worth wasting breath on . They clearly do not see the obvious fact that if they fish what is effect a shared swim they are reducing dramatically there chance of catching . If they have pre baited the swim it's just hard luck . If it happens to me , I just give them my hardest filthy stare , pick my gear up and move . It just isn't worth getting worked up about
 
On the flip side, I have often prebaited a swim only to find when I arrive to fish that someone is already there.

I normally stop and chat to the angler to see if my prebaiting has paid off - I wouldnt dream of then setting up and trying to fish the same swim from the next peg or the opposite side of the river.

Id simply make sure I prebaited a less obvious spot next time
 
Paul Cahill said:
You're right about the type of person who does this not seeing reason. He was very aggressive and responded with a good old "**** off" when I said "Could you not have picked somewhere else?" as I walked off. I then pointed up and downstream and said "You've got miles of river to go at and you pick my swim?" in an angry voice.

He said "Come over here and say that" to which I replied "I don't need to swim across the river to tell you you're a dick"

He then started trying to justifying himself, whilst giving me a mouthful of abuse. I just said "Well it doesn't matter now because you've scared all the fish off anyway" and flounced off.

Ten minutes later, just as I landed my first barbel, I could hear him shouting from 150 yards upsteam, presumably telling someone else what had happened. He's the same kind of person who talks too loud on the bank, another of my bugbears. An angler with no real idea of what angling's about.
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I guess there are anglers and those that go fishing, in my mind they are different.
 
I wouldn't dream of fishing opposite someone who was laready there. A few seasons ago I was nicely tucked away in the undergrowth when a fellow angler appeared opposite, it was obvious he hadn't spotted me and so I reeled in and cast out again, near bank for reference, he finally spotted me and moved off after offering an apology for starting to prebait right in front of me. Do as to others as you would have done unto you.
 
It happens all the time, we all fish far bank swims and so long as nobody is fishing the other bank it's generaly not a problem. However, if you are fishing a far bank swim and someone rocks up on that side to fish it then you should just concede and move on, they after all are in the right; just because you got there first does not overrule the fact that you only have rights to the middle of the riverbed.

And to clarify what I mean by riverbed that is the middle of the river in normal conditions, ie within the banks. I say that because I know of a few places where the middle of the river bed is actually dry for much of the year, all the water being channeled through one deep gully under one bank.
 
Graham Young said:
I guess there are anglers and those that go fishing, in my mind they are different.
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There certainly are, Graham.

Shouting whilst communicating on the bank is the biggest giveaway usually. How you can get to be an adult angler without having the need to creep around and whisper instilled into you so it's second nature, I really and honestly do not know.

Hell is often other anglers.
 
Adrian Williams said:
It happens all the time, we all fish far bank swims and so long as nobody is fishing the other bank it's generaly not a problem. However, if you are fishing a far bank swim and someone rocks up on that side to fish it then you should just concede and move on, they after all are in the right; just because you got there first does not overrule the fact that you only have rights to the middle of the riverbed.

And to clarify what I mean by riverbed that is the middle of the river in normal conditions, ie within the banks. I say that because I know of a few places where the middle of the river bed is actually dry for much of the year, all the water being channeled through one deep gully under one bank.
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This is where we disagree. The fact that he "has rights" does not make him "in the right".

I "have rights" to sneak in and nick a parking space at Tesco when someone else is waiting and indicating on the other side. But if I do that I am not "in the right", no matter how much I protest that the law is on my side.
 
I reckon the guy saw you tucked in out of the way & must of thought you knew something others didn't, so he'd have a go there. he probably would of carried on walking if he hadn't of saw you.
 
Paul Cahill said:
This is where we disagree. The fact that he "has rights" does not make him "in the right".

I "have rights" to sneak in and nick a parking space at Tesco when someone else is waiting and indicating on the other side. But if I do that I am not "in the right", no matter how much I protest that the law is on my side.
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This will all get terribly messy if you narrow this down to a definition of "right" or "rights" in this context. I think we all get where you are coming from and would share your frustration and deep annoyance at what this individual did. And critically, irrespective of what a person's legal rights might be, most of us would choose not to exercise them in the spirit of politeness and respect for a fellow angler. But that does not invalidate a persons rights and if they do choose to exercise them then that is their prerogative. If you then choose not to comply with the half way rule then that firmly puts you in the wrong, unfortunately.

Let it go- we all get it and sympathise with what happened. You would win the moral argument but not a legal one-not that it would ever get to that point. Unless that chap was a total ****er. Oh, hang on....
 
paul if someone wrecks your days fishing then wreck his by a massive bombardment of anything to hand into the baited area, do this for half an hour smile and give him a wave bye bye on the way back to your car mate:mad:
 
Paul,

You raised a fair point and have received a lot of feedback through an interesting discussion. Some of that feedback positive and some negative, mostly supportive of the moral stance.

Not everyone will agree on everything and I think where people disagree or have a differing viewpoint you have to accept that. Probably time to move on though now :)
 
Hi men,

I was just about to say that Ian , moral and legal arguments can go on forever . Bringing up other situations in life will not help the fact that legally one is right even if the moral high ground says different !. Sympathy allround , but life ain't fair sometimes , try supporting Luton.

Hatter
 
Paul you called this thread and I quote '' Common Courtesy and the half way rule ''
As you say the other bank belonged to another club . So by your own admission if the half way rule exist's and you cast beyond the half way line .
So in theory you could be accused of poaching another clubs water ? . So if that is the case then explain how you can take the moral high ground when you were placing your bait some where it had no legal right to be ?
 
What if the original poster was fishing on a tidal section of river?
I'm led to believe neither club would own the fishing rights,just access rights.

Jason
 
Joe Fletcher said:
Paul you called this thread and I quote '' Common Courtesy and the half way rule ''
As you say the other bank belonged to another club . So by your own admission if the half way rule exist's and you cast beyond the half way line .
So in theory you could be accused of poaching another clubs water ? . So if that is the case then explain how you can take the moral high ground when you were placing your bait some where it had no legal right to be ?
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Thats basically what I said in post 20 and again in post 69, I'm glad someone gets it.
It's a bit like the salmon fishers 'coming through' on mixed fisheries, it's bloody irritating but he is within his rights and the correct thing to do is concede.
So long as you are not spoiling someone else's fishing then fishing the far bank can be seen as acceptable but, as soon as someone wants to fish that swim you should bow out gracefully and come back another day.

It happens on the Dove all the time, in places where the club owns both banks it's first come first served but elsewhere the half way rule applies. If you want to fish the opposite bank from your bank plant a few willows over there then sit back and wait a few years till they mature. It's all yours then.
 
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