People Letting Their Dogs Swim in Streams In Sight of Fisherman

PoconoPaul

PoconoPaul

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Joined
Nov 5, 2010
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I have to admit I love dogs, much as most other people do, and it's not their fault when dumb owners throw a dog toy in a stream for their dogs to retreive right.

I understand in most cases they do it to give the dog some excersie and to too cool off when the weather is warm, but over the last month I've experienced two instances where owners got their pets to jump for a swim right within sight / or right in front of where someone was fishing.

The first time was when I was fishing with a buddy up in near Gouldsboro where owners threw a toy in a pool just ahead while seeing we were moving in that direction, the second happened at the Newbie Fish and Chips event this past weekend.

In that later instance, the couple had their dog dive into the LL right in the same pool as one the newbie's was fishing. I mean that's totally disrespectful. Seems they had no regard, nor care for the fact the guy was fishing there.

I just don't get people like that. Again it's not the dogs fault - they don't know any better. None the less I sometimes wish there were park rules of some sort that would disallow pets from swimmng in class A streams or disrupting fisherman.
 
yes, I too also wish I could claim public waters flowing thru public parks for myself and keep other folks from using it in perfectly acceptable ways because my preferred form of recreation obviously trumps all others.
 
It's funny, when that wet, black lab came over to the picnic table, I thought about that. I can only say this, many times at work and in life, I find that awareness if the key. Being aware that a fisherman is standing right there. And/or being aware that a dog jumping in will disturb the fish. The second sounds like common sense, but the first - you'd be amazed and what people don't notice.

Either way, here's a suggestion:

"Sir/maam, I have no issue sharing the stream, but it can be dangerous for a dog to be near a fly fisherman. Our hooks are mostly on the surface of the water, or in the air and that can pose a danger to your dog."
 
tomitrout wrote:
yes, I too also wish I could claim public waters flowing thru public parks for myself and keep other folks from using it in perfectly acceptable ways because my preferred form of recreation obviously trumps all others.
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It's all fun and games, until a dog catches a hook. Then it's your fault. No issue with sharing, but a little common sense will protect the innocent (the dog).
 
I've had this happen to me more than once and unfortunately in places like the LL it happens quite often. I really don't think its a matter of common sense or ignorance, I just think people believe it is a park and what they or their dog are doing is acceptable behavior which it certainly is. It is a matter of sharing but also awareness. People who don't fish probably don't even consider what their dog is doing is actually adversely affecting someone else. I get frustrated very easily, not only by dogs but by other fisherman coming into the stream within 20 feet of me but that's allowable editicate at places like the LL. For me, the answer is to not fish park areas very often.
 
I was fishing the Tully and just upstream, folks were allowing their kids to jump in and play with a soccer ball. Didn't really bother me. I also had kayakers run right by, no issue. We're sharing the water, so it is what it is. Especially the blonde in the bikini...sometimes it's a nice distraction!

But I would HATE to catch a dog on a hook. A good caster would probably be fine, but I'm sending that hooks in all kindsa directions sometimes.
 
Foxgap239 wrote:
For me, the answer is to not fish park areas very often.
Click to expand...

In my case it happened on a wild trout stream outside of park setting. There was actually a toe path following a portion of the stream that I gather people use for giving their dogs a swim (since I was asked by a dog owner later in the day if her dog could swim in the creek) or taking walks.

Needless to say the earlier couple should have used some common sense and let the dog get into the water below us. The dog's swimming otherwise blew what may have been good fishing in a large hole.

From either point of view I just think there needs to be ethics in outdoor recreation no matter what it is.
 
Unless the dog was on a leash 6' or less in length, the owner was breaking the law in the Allentown Parkway.



"C. At Large Animals Prohibited
1. No owner or custodian of an animal shall permit the animal to run at large in the City. For the purposes of this section, an animal is considered to run at large if it is not secured by a leash no longer than six (6') feet controlled by a human when on public property including but not limited to streets, sidewalks and parks or with or without a leash if on private property without the consent of the owner of such property. It shall be unlawful for any owner of an animal to place such animal or allow it to be placed in the custody of any other person not physically capable of maintaining effective control of such animal. This section shall not apply to any person who uses an animal while engaged in a supervised formal obedience training class or show, or during formally sanctioned field trials. (12969 §1 4/18/90)
2. No dogs shall be allowed in City parks except at places designated by the Superintendent of Parks and provided that said dogs shall not be at large and no dogs shall be allowed on the Hamilton Mall except as authorized by the Director of Community Development or the Director's designee.
3. It shall be the duty of the City Official to seize and detail any animal, licensed or unlicensed found running at large, either upon the public streets or highways of the City or on the property of any other person and unaccompanied by its owner or keeper."

 
As a life long dog lover, and now a fisherman, I get where ur coming from but it’s a public park and really can’t complain. If the park allows dogs off the leash and in the stream there really isn’t much any of us can do.

Josey .. as a lab owner whose dog has had numerous issues and injuries .. I can attest that if the dog got hooked it wouldn’t miss a beat. He would just flop along the water with ur rod in tow like any happy lab in the h2o. He would just get confused trying to fetch ur rod and wouldn’t stop wagging its tail in excitement when u go to unhook em.
 
This is hardly limited to dogs. I've had the same happen. I've had kayakers decide they needed to stop in front of me and try rolling. Tubers decide that this is where they should get out and kick and splash. Walkers decide they need to skip rocks. And once, there was a tree that had fallen across the stream. I was fishing the root stump and doing quite well, when a few hikers decided to use THAT log to cross. I have to admit I cracked a smile when one fell in.

They have as much right to the resource as I do, and I know it. But there's a level of common courtesy that should be observed. Not just on their part, but on ours as well, and I'm sure FF'ers are guilty of the same on occasion. If possible, disturb somewhere else. If not, politely explain the situation, or ask permission. I recently had a kayaker approach, inform me that there was no way he could go behind me, and state that though he'd go in front of me, he'd keep the disturbance to a minimum. He did. And I thanked him for being courteous.
 
Stagger, I hear ya! They aren't genius level are they. I had a lab/rott mix. Ever see the Geico commercial...

I just recall a grouse hunting trip in Wellsboro and having to hold down a fine bird dog and a flashlight, while my friend pulled 23 porcupine quills from it's mouth. First time for me, second time for that dog (dummy). He was in so much pain, I could feel his legs buckling and we had to stop a few times, so he wouldn't pass out. No choice really, you have to get ever quill out. No vets nearby, so afterward we just threw asprin down his throat, tossed him in the cage, and hoped for the best. It was unusally cold and snowing that October and the dogs we kept in the truck bed. We expected to find him dead in the morning.

Not only was the dog alive the next day, that dope was 100% ready to go. I debarb all of my hooks, but a hook in the eye is the reason my wife won't fish. Thank goodness it was before we met!
 
Yeah…I think this or something similar (swimmers, yakers, tubers, hikers crossing streams, etc) has happened to most of us at some point or another. Not much you can do about it. As the others have alluded to…they’re allowed to use the public space for their enjoyment as well. Many people have no clue (and don’t care) that a stream has a class A population of trout. For all we know that dog owner is on a dog forum venting about how a lousy FF guy was in his favorite swimming hole for his dog. In any case, most of the time when I run into a dog owner when fishing the owner is very courteous and respectful about keeping their dog out of the water I’m working. I think what you’ve experienced recently is generally the exception, not the rule. Bottom line, we gotta share the space though.

Also, unless the guy’s an angler himself, I don’t think it’s completely realistic for us to expect him to know “angler etiquette” and that letting the dog swim nearby may spook the fish or wreck the hole. If another angler crowds your fishing space (and it’s not opening day on an ATW, or Steelies, or some other special circumstance), then yeah they should know better.
 
I think part of my patience with it all is exactly what I told OldLefty on Saturday. Part of the reason I'm joining FFing, is to learn more patience. Another member damn near fell over when he heard that!! The truth is, it's not that I expect FFing to teach me patience, but I'm committed to being more patient in my approach.

Having hunted for years, I've been tormented by squirrels, etc. Then there was the homosexuals that ran amuck in Ridley Creek State park. Boy, nothing ruins a good archery stand like a bunch of closet homosexual businessmen driving cars through every 5 minutes, hooking up at the park's men's room. Took me a while to figure out what the heck was going on.
 
And when you did, you joined them? Lmao
 
SBecker wrote:
And when you did, you joined them? Lmao
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No pineapple stuffing for you! 1 year!
 
Haha sorry
 
pcray1231 wrote:
This is hardly limited to dogs. I've had the same happen. I've had kayakers decide they needed to stop in front of me and try rolling. Tubers decide that this is where they should get out and kick and splash. Walkers decide they need to skip rocks. And once, there was a tree that had fallen across the stream. I was fishing the root stump and doing quite well, when a few hikers decided to use THAT log to cross. I have to admit I cracked a smile when one fell in.

They have as much right to the resource as I do, and I know it. But there's a level of common courtesy that should be observed. Not just on their part, but on ours as well, and I'm sure FF'ers are guilty of the same on occasion. If possible, disturb somewhere else. If not, politely explain the situation, or ask permission. I recently had a kayaker approach, inform me that there was no way he could go behind me, and state that though he'd go in front of me, he'd keep the disturbance to a minimum. He did. And I thanked him for being courteous.
Click to expand...

Definitely agree with your thoughts here. All it takes is common sense and courtesy.
 
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