Fly Fish Nevada

This is not my usual fishing post.  I indeed went fishing, but that is not the story this time.  This is more of a rant.  I’ve seen rude people out fishing.  It is an all too common experience.  You might remember the day on the East Walker or the day up at Virginia Lakes.  Usually, these experiences are little more than annoyances.  Yesterday, however, I faced rude behavior I would not have believed if I hadn’t witnessed it.

I hiked into a small lake up above the Mammoth Lakes Basin.  When I arrived I shared the lake with only a few other people, none were fishing.  I hiked to the back side of the lake and fished for a while.  Not having any luck, I kept going around the lake looking for rising fish.  As I worked my way around, many, many more people began showing up.

This wasn’t the problem.  I’ve fished crowded lakes before.  The problem started when I was fishing in a little cove on the east side of the lake.  I was there about 5 minutes when this family came down the beach, dad pleading with his kids to stay put and not disturb the fisherman, me.  They ignored him.  Soon, mom and the four kids were behind me.  They plopped their stuff all but on top of my daypack and rod case.  Dogs started walking out into the water to visit me, kids started splashing directly behind me, maybe 20 feet.

I sighed and reeled up, grabbed my stuff and was planning on just leaving.  This was too much, way over the top.  Then dad finally caught up to his rude and oblivious family.  I was mad, but I was just going to walk by and keep going.  Then he said, “Hi, how you doing?”  That was the final straw.

I turned to face him and proceeded to lecture him on how rude he and his family were being.  He smiled and suggested I try the back of the lake.  I still don’t know if he was trying to make up for his family’s behavior by offering fishing advice or politely telling me that was now their spot and I should move along.  Either way, I was not happy.  I remember at some point saying, “You are either deaf or stupid”, as he continued to urge me to try fishing the far end of the lake.

I finally left, deciding he was either a sad man who had no control of his family and could do little more than smile and act dumb or an inconsiderate jerk, but either way my lecture was having no effect.  As I headed down the hill a local woman who had seen the exchange assured me I was more reserved than she would have been.  We both agreed that in about 3 weeks the place will once again be lacking in rude, urban types who consider scenes like that “getting away from it all”.

When things get crowded, sure people have to give up a little space.  You can’t expect to have hundreds of yards of shoreline or river to yourself when its crowded.  On the other hand, what space you occupy and a reasonable amount surrounding that is off-limits.  What really got me was the family walked over a couple of hundred yards of unoccupied beach similar in every way to the area they finally drove me from.

I have as much right to fish as another person does to sunbathe, play Frisbee with their dog or swim.  If I walk in front of a sunbathers and begin all but whipping them with my fly line, I am being rude.  If I demand a swimmer remove themselves from the water when they were there first, I’m being a jerk.  A person is free to do what they want, as long as they don’t trample on the rights of another to a little space in the process.

Over the last 50 years a sense of entitlement has crept into our society.  People, like this family, feel they are entitled to do what and go where they want without regard for others.  They see themselves as more important than you.  They deserve that spot on the beach, to talk loudly during a movie or to take 27 items into the 10 item express lane at the grocery store.

They have no common courtesy because the believe, falsely, that they are entitled, that they deserve what ever they want even at the expense of others.  This isn’t the venue to explore the dynamics in our society behind this, but it is far to common.

I believe those of us that still practice courtesy and manners have an obligation to bring other people’s rude behavior to their attention.  It is precisely because we do not call them on their repugnant behavior that they continue to do it.  It’s sad that mommy and daddy never disciplined them so now we have to, but that is the case.

I’m not suggesting throwing punches or yelling, but telling these cretins in a firm, but controlled, manner that what they are doing is wrong can’t hurt.  If even 10 percent reflect upon your rebuke and change their behavior, that’s a step in the right direction.  Beyond that, there is little you can do.  Some people are gonna act rudely and they don’t care what you think.

In any case, I’m not going to let this stop me.  I will just choose my fishing locations better.  I should have known Mammoth would be a zoo.  Live and learn.  In a few weeks, the hordes of vacationers will be gone and we can have out lakes and streams back.  Until then, I’m staying away from the more popular areas.

Filed under: Conservation, General, On the Water Tagged: | entitlement, jerk, oblvious, rude, space, stupid, urbanites, vacationers