noticed most guys were flipping with
braid. so he flipped with 15-pound-test
fluorocarbon, made the top 10 and cred-
its at least part of his success to the
added stealth of clear line.
Being observant like that – whether
it involves locations or patterns of
other pros fishing nearby – can often
help whittle down the guessing game
or make it easy to set yourself apart.
however, Meyer says there is also an
unspoken etiquette when fishing and
being observant in crowds; one that
some pros follow while others don’t.
“it all comes down to respect;
respecting your other anglers,” says
Meyer. “i’ll watch what guys are doing to
see if i should be doing something sim-
ilar or switching it up and doing some-
thing different. We all do. But if some-
one gets to an area first or has figured
out something no one else has, that’s
his area, in my mind. i’m not about to
go in on top of him.
january 2018 I fLWfIshInG.com
“unfortunately, there are anglers out
there who don’t always show people
respect. they’ll get up on guys who are
catching them; or the second that guy
leaves, jump on his spot. i’ve also seen
guys get frustrated and get up on pad
right in the middle of a crowd. that’s just
poor sportsmanship. We all know those
guys, and it comes back on them.”
one thing Meyer says to remember
when it comes to dealing with crowds
RULES OF CONDUCT
flW tour rules do not specifically
restrict anglers from fishing close to
one another, with one exception: if a
contestant’s boat is anchored (with
anchor and rode or power-poles or
similar devices) and the trolling motor
is stowed, other anglers must stay at
least 50 feet away. the details are out-
lined in rule no. 14, “permitted fishing
locations.”
however, according to flW
senior director of tournament
operations Bill taylor, contestants
are also expected to maintain a high
level of sportsmanship and courtesy
during tournaments, as dictated by
rule no. 10, “sportsmanship,” which
gives the tournament director the
authority to impose a penalty for
“any other words, conduct or actions
reflecting unfavorably upon efforts
to promote safety, sportsmanship,
and fishing pressure is that the crowd
isn’t always the deciding factor in the
outcome. sometimes catching fish or
not comes down to simple dumb luck.
“i’ve had times where i was the one
catching them in a crowd, and i’ve had
times when i was doing the same thing
as everyone else and i watched them
catch them,” says Meyer. “You just have
to understand that’s the luck of the
draw sometimes.”
By Curtis Niedermier
fair competition and compliance
with tournament rules …”
acts such as casting across
another angler’s line, fishing so
close that boats drift into one
another or aggressively cutting off
fellow contestants, as well as any act
deemed to be unsafe, such as run-
ning on plane through a crowd of
boats, could lead to disciplinary
action.
taylor says he hasn’t fielded
many written protests regarding this
type of situation, but he’s heard
plenty of verbal complaints, particu-
larly since anglers have become so
skilled at locating the same schools
of fish with electronics. a stickler for
the rules, he says he plans to moni-
tor a little more closely in 2018 to
make sure the crowds don’t become
a little too crowded this season. ■
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