This is a tough one. Not justifying their actions, but at the end of the day, I think part of the question is "how badly do you want to fish"?
I do not fish the Vedder very often. I have a feeling I may know the spot you are talking about. I used to fish it about 5-7 years ago. It has now changed and widened out a bit. I walked by it one evening a few weeks ago while exploring spots I wanted to go. Very few to no people and it looked like the changes made it not a good choice. I then walked by it prior to first light while heading for some other spots I had seen. I think there were three guys kinda standing around waiting. Later that day, while returning at 9:30, a guy who was standing where I remember getting fish had 3 to the beach. There were now about 7-8 guys there, but I just kept walking.
For me, it was the Thanksgiving Long Weekend. I actually brought the boat and we camped at the Vedder River Campground. I fished 2 days out of the boat, which were great. The Monday was pack-up day, so I walked the bank/trail to the railway bridge and fished a few spots and observed.
Throughout the day, I saw guys at all locations have fish, while rest of the guys in the various runs had none. This started at the railway bridge, and then as I went up. At all the runs, there are key spots where the best water is located and the fish will sit, If you are not fishing these spots, you are in dead water and will get few to no hits.
At the Railway bridge, I did think about crossing the river and fishing the run on the other side, but decided not to. I decided to fish the "bushed in" side in a hole I could get to. One thing I will state is I observed fishers all day and I was impressed by how courteous they were, polite to each other, cheerful, and talkative/upbeat. So, my first observation is, if you are this type of personality, can fish in this style, be patient, and contribute in a positive way to the group, this fishery may be for you. Believe it or not, I can and have fished in this way, have enjoyed it, in some instances, would still enjoy it, but on this particular weekend, wanted a bit more space, thus brought the boat, had two days of space with good fishing, and wanted this to continue.
So, I did not get fish at the railway bridge in my single person spot. But, across from me, on the other side, the group that was made up of many different fishermen, of different nationalities, who did not know each other, and was packed in a bit tight, was doing well and getting fish, and all getting along well, telling stories, and laughing.. No-body above or below this key group was getting fish. When one or two of them would be done, the group would shuffle and the whole bar adjusted in some way. Ones I observed worked out well, but I would imagine if the wrong "shifting" took place, words may have been said.
As I made my way back to the Vedder River Campground, I noted all the same scenarios at all the different bars and runs I hit. Fairly crowded, guys in key spots with fish, guys not in key spots with no fish, but all were getting along and having a good day overall. Interestingly, at each bar, fish being caught were not being caught in the same types of water, and I know these waters would vary depending on water levels over the season..
I did stop at all the bars and made casts, but never in the "best" or the "right" water. As I understood, it was too late in the day for me to get the good spots, and I was not about to wait and manoever up the line.
So, my overall impression is I was impressed by my "fellow" fishermen on the vedder, and how they treated each other. I was not feeling good for the fish thought, as I wondered about this massive gauntlet then needed to run, and felt for them. In some instances, I would have been part of this "gauntlet crowd", but now that I have been fishing as long as I have and have discovered the opportunities I have, I rarely feel the desire to move into the que to be able to fish.
Sorry you ran into a particularily not "team player" group of anglers, but I am sure they understood the dynamics as laid out above, and the positive gain "getting fish", outweighed the negative impressions they would leave by choosing not to play by the rules and participate in the "que" style of fishing. At the end of it all, with this type of fishing, and everyone working hard to be part of the solution, rather than problem, I think the boundaries between what is a "good, ethical distance" get blurred based on your personal experience.
for comparison, I have other systems I fish and do well. On one particular day last fall, I and another vehicle arrived at a hole that involves some hiking and work to get into at the same time. It was still dark and not quite first light. I had my gear on and was ready to go. He still had to get changed. Although the hole I wished to go into has room for 5 or 6, as he was the lead vehicle, I asked him about us both going in and fishing together. He was somewhat polite about it, but hinted strongly he did not want me there. I then respected his wishes. I could have raced ahead and beat him in. I would have been willing to fish with him, but it did not seem it was in the cards. Interestingly, I took another spot in the same area. I knew he went down. but something was up, he did not like the conditions, and he very quickly left. I then moved to the spot and had a great day. I think had he been flexible and willing to share, we would have had a great day fishing together, and he likely would have learned a few things about techniques.
Dano
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Topic: Centerbeaks (Read 6657 times)