Rock Throwers?

[phiendWMD]

I got out of work a few minutes early today and decided to stop at Glen Onoko to take a few casts. When i arrived people were there tossing stones. Ok you beat me there and we have to share. No problem. They leave and I start fishing. More people arrive after I start fishing and they also need to throw stones. At this point I got rather agitated. I wasn't sure if I should ask them nicely to stop or move further away, be as ignorant as I felt they were being, or give up. I'm curious what others would do in a similar situation.

FWIW, I don't usually fish in places where I see anyone else. Maybe an occasional hiker or dog walker who exchanges a pleasant greeting and keeps going.

 

[wildtrout2]

Upon arriving to see

FWIW, I don't usually fish in places where I see anyone else.

^ This

Upon arriving to see the rock throwing, I would have kept going though.

 

[Roofin' Trouter]

Its frustrating when that happens. Swimmers,yakers, and doggy exercise can all shut the fish down. It seems like the fish start feeding sooner afterwards at places that sort of activity is common.

 

[dc410]

I would have probably just left, I could think of a multitude of things that I could do being more productive than watching people throw rocks into the water that I was attempting to flyfish.

 

[phiendWMD]

Its frustrating when that happens. Swimmers,yakers, and doggy exercise can all shut the fish down. It seems like the fish start feeding sooner afterwards at places that sort of activity is common.

Sometimes I'm a raft guide on the Lehigh. Sometimes I'm a whitewater kayaker on the Lehigh. And obviously I fish it too. I've spent enough days on it. I firmly believe the fish aren't hiding from every leaf, stick, empty water bottle, or boater floating over them. I've seen plenty of fisherman catching fish as I come through with 120 rafters. I've also had at least a few fish come up to my feet to take a fly dangling there while I respond to a text or whatever. Stones splashing are probably an exception though.

Lol super long winded way to say I agree with you.

 

[JimNovo]

So my “rock thrower” experience this week was much nicer.

Fishing the Saucon and working downstream. At a nice deep run I found a great grand mom and her great grand son who was playing with his ride on tractor and chucking rocks in the creek.
I told him I was hunting brown trout and he cutely responded “if I see one I’ll tell you”.

That’s my kind of rock thrower.

 

[dryflyguy]

Kids - and even a few adults I've come across - seem to have a thing about chucking rocks into bodies of water.
And once they've started doing it, asking them to stop would probably be rather pointless.
They've likely already spooked the fish anyway
And I usually just move on.

I've come across something a little different several times recently - magnet throwers.
They have a large one attached to a rope
And throw it as far as they can to different spots. And slowly pull it in, as if they were retrieving a a lure.
When I asked them what they were doing - was told they were trying to "catch" metal objects - mainly lures that got snagged on the bottom.

 

[troutbert]

I wouldn't ask someone to quit rock throwing so I could fish.

Just as they shouldn't ask someone to quit fishing so they could throw rocks.

It's public land and water. I don't see that one recreational activity has precedence over the other.

 

[Bamboozle]

However courtesy should have preference over ignorance, arrogance and selfishness but unfortunately courtesy is dead and parents couldn't be bothered teaching their spawn how to give a $#!+ about anything but themselves.

If it was me, I would have thrown rocks right back at them...

 

[wildtrout2]

... but unfortunately courtesy is dead and parents couldn't be bothered teaching their spawn how to give a $#!+ about anything but themselves.

Sadly, this is very true. Lack of parenting is giving today's young people the green light to do as they please. While good, law abiding folks pay the price.

 

[Nocktavius]

I once fished behind a guy and his kid on the little J up to a railroad bridge where I often catch nice fish. The guy and his kid skipped over the spot and I was super excited that I’d get first crack, only to see the little s**t start chucking boulders down off the tracks that he and dad were now walking across. No apologies from either of em. Incidentally I caught a 17 inch wild brown like 4 casts later so who knows

 

[CRB]

In a past Fly Fisherman magazine article it was said disturbances can wake up a pool of water for fishing.

 

[wildtrout2]

In a past Fly Fisherman magazine article it was said disturbances can wake up a pool of water for fishing.

How does that work?

 

[BradFromPotter]

However courtesy should have preference over ignorance, arrogance and selfishness but unfortunately courtesy is dead and parents couldn't be bothered teaching their spawn how to give a $#!+ about anything but themselves.

If it was me, I would have thrown rocks right back at them...

but aren't you being just as selfish by telling to stop having fun so that you can have some fun?

 

[Bamboozle]

but aren't you being just as selfish by telling to stop having fun so that you can have some fun?

No more selfish than daddy rock thrower telling some loudmouth lout to stop dropping the F bomb around his inconsiderate kids or someone cutting their grass at 5:00 am.

Tell the little peons to throw rocks at each other or when nobody is enjoying the water...

BTW - How do feel when a drift boat anchors two feet from you or some spin fisherman crowds you in a hole...?

Sorta the same thing, right?

 

[falcon]

borderline harassment. I know there are laws against harassing hunters.

 

[BradFromPotter]

No more selfish than daddy rock thrower telling some loudmouth lout to stop dropping the F bomb around his inconsiderate kids or someone cutting their grass at 5:00 am.

Tell the little peons to throw rocks at each other or when nobody is enjoying the water...

BTW - How do feel when a drift boat anchors two feet from you or some spin fisherman crowds you in a hole...?

Sorta the same thing, right?

You're wrong...two different things....they were throwing rocks first. And if I was fishing first & a drift boat came up to me that is completley different. Sounds like you don't like kids having fun.

 

[Bamboozle]

You're wrong...two different things....they were throwing rocks first. And if I was fishing first & a drift boat came up to me that is completley different. Sounds like you don't like kids having fun.

I guess you didn't read or comprehend this part:

"got out of work a few minutes early today and decided to stop at Glen Onoko to take a few casts. When i arrived people were there tossing stones. Ok you beat me there and we have to share. No problem.

They leave and I start fishing. More people arrive after I start fishing and they also need to throw stones."

That's NOT the same thing...

Again I ask, How do feel when a drift boat anchors two feet from you or some spin fisherman crowds you in a hole when you are there FIRST...?

Sorta the same thing, right?

Sorry but I don't subscribe to letting kids have their fun, no matter how they ruin things for everybody else...

I can only imaging what fishing will be like 20-30 years from now with that mentality...

 

[phiendWMD]

but aren't you being just as selfish by telling to stop having fun so that you can have some fun?

If you check my original post I mentioned sharing. That works both ways doesn't it? If their actions infringe upon my ability to enjoy a state park isnt that as much of a problem as if I were doing something that bothered them?

I barely ever fish with music. Yesterday I had my Bluetooth speaker with me fishing for the first time in a very long time. Once the 2nd family came and started throwing stones I fired up some old school Metallica. About 7 seconds later the battery died. I was probably going to stand 2 feet away from them blasting it 100% volume otherwise.

My second thought was stand in the water between them and their target, and call the DCNR officer I saw driving out on my way in to let him know they were throwing rocks at me if they persisted.

My third thought was some sort of experiment to see if people could breath underwater.

It ended with me moving downstream and them following me. They decided directly in the path of my back cast was the best spot to observe me from. So I just kept casting past their face. They moved after that and I packed it up.

I'm sort of high strung to begin with. I have a lot going on right now and I'm ever higher strung than normal. I was able to mostly keep my cool. I'm going back to fishing away from people I think.

 

[wildtrout2]

I'm going back to fishing away from people I think.

I swear by it.