How Do We Share the Water Well?

Posted by Peter Stitcher on 18th May 2021

How Do We Share the Water Well?

Photo: Colorado Trout Hunter Guide Chelsey Christy & client

With the sport of fly fishing exploding in popularity we have seen a host of new fly fishers on the water, and this can be both exciting and frustrating as anglers increasingly crowd local waters. While it is great to see others experience the life and joy that is fly fishing, rivers close to town are getting inundated, and what was passed onto many of us as basic angler courtesy is largely unknown by this fledgling generation of fly fishers.

The inherent territorial nature of some older anglers and their reticence to share the water makes it difficult for new anglers reluctant to approach them and acts to further alienate them and enforces their unwilling ignorance of river etiquette and angling courtesy.

We can all agree that it is frustrating to have someone wade into the top of a hole you have been eagerly fishing towards for the last 40 minutes. We've stood dumbstruck as a witless angler wades through the exact point the fish are holding, and our angry thumbs have flown across smartphones to condemn blissfully grinning anglers who are holding an exhausted brown trout freshly pulled off of their spawning redd. Instead of responding in anger let's offer each other some grace and understand that these are most often the actions of ignorance and not aggression.

I invite you to join me, to share your thoughts with the Ascent community, and be part of the solution. Together I would like us to form an angler ethic that we can all embrace, and commit to sharing with the new generation of anglers (along with a fly recommendation or two!)

Instead of coming to you as some sort of authority, I invite you to share your ideas on how we can sustainably, ethically, and equitably share the river. Here are a few of the questions I'd like us to discuss.

What is the minimal spacing anglers should try to keep from each other? How does this vary on remote waters vs waters close to town on a particularly busy day?
Is it more acceptable for someone to drop in upstream or downstream of you?
If an angler arrives after you but engages you in conversation and asks where you would be ok with them dropping into the water, would this affect your attitude toward them and willingness to share the water?
When you are on a hot spot and other anglers are standing by, when or how should we invite others in to wet a fly and share the water?
How can we best approach and educate anglers who we see doing something that shows poor angling etiquette or is harmful to the fishery?
How do we encourage and foster communication and community on the water?

This is a big conversation but it is one that we need to have. Let the thoughts and ideas shared among the Ascent Fly Fishing community be the seeds of a sustainable future for our sport and rivers. A future shared with new friends, big fish, and great memories for all!