Co angler Etiquette. What to, and not to do?

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Majorpede

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Ok so I have been mulling over joining a bass fishing club. Out of the 4 I have been looking at in my area I am down to 2. They both have a Co angler team type setup, where they place non boat owners (my self) with boat owners when possible. So I had never been on a boat to the end of last season when I got my 14footer. So this will be technically my first time fishing from a boat.

Ok my question is what are your do's and dont's for co anglers?

Don't bring 50 million rods? Is there a min, and max I should bring? like no more than 5.
Hurry up and get the net!!! LOL
Don't ask a bunch of questions about how the fish finder works? Whats that? LOL

I'm sure they will fill me in on all of this, but I thought I should talk to you guys first, and please if you have a Co angler horror story's please share.
 
When I fish with someone, when we are say trolling a bank, one person doesn't cast to every tree or limb. U skip every other one so your partner can have just as good a chance as the whoever is in front. If that makes sense
 
I would ask the boater I'm paired with,what he expects from his co-angler?And then take it from there. Whatever you do don't cast over his line,or past him,unless he states it's OK.I fished from the back for 11 years,then my partner sold his boat and I bought mine.Now the roles are reversed. When I was in the rear seat,I put us in the money singlehandedly a few times.Not all the fish are caught from the front.
 
Good advise on talking to the other guy and asking questions. Also do not forget to offer up help in paying for gas, boat launch fees, etc.

Outdoorsman
 
Ok so far we have.

1 Help with fees and gas.
2 Don't cross cast unless given permission (also does not mean to ask for permission)
3 Keep talk to a min so partner can concentrate.
4 Talk to the boat owner before hand, to find out what will be expected of you.

I also found some other useful info just searching around. Thanks for your help guys.
https://www.flwoutdoors.com/fishing-articles/co-angler-clinic/137284/co-angler-etiquette/
https://www.classicbass.com/edzoneDB5.htm
 
I'm not a fan of dishing out a bunch of money in gas to a boater. Especially in those FLW BFL tournaments.

Heck if you end up with some guy that runs a long way, or you just feel obligated you could end up paying close to the amount it would have cost you to enter as a boater, and fish out of your own boat.

I look at it this way. The boater is going to fish anyway. And in tournaments that have co-anglers boaters HAVE to have a co-angler.


I would offer gas money to a buddy going fishing, especially if it's kind of far.

I expect ZERO in gas money when someone else goes fishing with me. I would be going anyway, so even if they stayed home, I'd still be out that gas money. Them coming along doesn't cost me any more gas, so why would I want gas money from someone going fishing with me....

I can see situations where I would ask ahead of time if they wanted to split the gas, but if I was going that far I would probably be staying overnight too, so there would be a little more planning ahead of time involved.
 
BTW if those are in order, I would change number 4 to number 1.

This one is the most important. If your boater has you parked over deep water, your spinnerbait rods, slop rods etc aren't going to be needed. Just as an example. You can leave lots of your stuff out of the boat voluntarily, just based on how you guys agree to fish, and where.
 
I run a draw format tournament trail and am always asked what a co angler should do.
here are my thoughts on having a good day on the water.
1) bring no more than 5 rods, 4 would be better more than that will only get in the way.
2) Pack lite... try to fit all your tackle needs in a 1 small to med size bag. again try to keep the deck as clear as possible.
3) discuss the net before you leave the ramp, if you don't feel comfortable netting the boaters fish let him know. I would rather net my own fish than have a rider knock him off because he doesn't net fish often.
4) split the gas for the day. remember these bass boats with bigger motors are gas hogs and it is nothing to burn 25 gallons in a day on the water so offering $25 to $30 for the day isn't bad.
5) this is a biggie keep your mouth shut.. LOL I'm not saying not to talk with the boater but keeps his spots to yourself.
nothing will piss a guy off and give the co angler a BAD name is to tell someone about the spots that your boater took you for the day.
6) bring a life vest your boater should have one but be prepared.
and last but not least treat the boat like it is yours don't step on the seats don't spill dyes and have neutralizer in case you do.Don't smoke unless the boater gives the okay. Be careful you don't hook the seat and HAVE FUN...
 
redbug has some very good points there.

Just like real life, there are going to be (to put it nicely) rude people. I have seen these rude ones that basically keep the co-angler away from the areas most likely to carry fish, and in those cases you just make the best out of what you can. I tend to be a pessimist when it comes to certain situations and my experience around some smaller local tournaments has helped me keep a pessimistic view on them. Official and larger tournaments that have anglers used to running with a CO tend to be less likely to have a meanie, since they are there and know the rules, and used to it. All the same, don't be rude yourself. The bass trail has anglers that talk to each other and you may burn your own bridges with the anglers willing to take you out with them.

Typically it is best to bring 1 or 2 Planos, or reasonable sized tackle box and keep it close by and out of their way. Usually the rod limit is in the 4-6 range. Don't forget to offer gas money, depending on the stakes and entry fees, usually $20-40 (depending on the size of the lake) is a good range, AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE CASH ON HAND. If the person does more boating than fishing then that is their problem wasting the gas, not yours, so don't feel bad about refusing to give more gas money in those situations. If they sit in one spot most of the day, then less gas money should be an option.

Also make sure you go over some ground rules with the owner (including gas money, set the amount to start with) as some people prefer to do things a certain way. Don't feel bad about reporting the overly rude or overbearing boaters to the tournament staff, if they get enough complaints they may just bar that person from their tournaments that require co-anglers. I have been to (but not fished) several tournaments over the years where a certain group sees co-anglers as a burden and cause all sorts of problems, or purposely keep the boat in positions that gives them (what they think is) the best shot at fish. Assess the situation and use their rudeness against them, many times you have the opportunity to outfish them by going a different direction that suits the back of the boat. Of course if you start catching in those cases, I have seen where they swing the boat around taking your productive spot on purpose. Thats when you change up your technique and continue to use your area of the boat to continue to catch fish.

Many times you will get a great owner and they can become a friend, just do not push your luck with even the friendliest of owners. Bring what you expect to need and use (including your meal(s) :mrgreen: ). If you don't have something, then just find another way with the gear you have, do not expect the owner to freely lend any lures or gear you may not have.

If something major breaks, ask them if they want help, don't automatically jump in trying to take over thinking you know how to fix it unless you are a certified boat mechanic and really do know (if thats the case let them know in the pre-launch discussions).
 
Fish with me - i run my boat from the stern so the co-angler always gets 1st shot at the fish. Unless that co-angler is Jake, in that case - we troll :mrgreen:
 
Keep tackle/rods to a minimum. Had one guy in the back of my boat, all he would do is fish with jig and pig. But he brought 12 rods plus a oversized tackle bag with him...all he used was jig and pig, and we kept tripping over everything else he brought
Don't smoke. Former fishing partner smoked, burnt my carpet (so bad it knocked the value down on my boat when I got a new one)...no smoking in my boat now
Offer something for gas. While I see the argument that the boater is making the run in his boat anyway, by the same token, he didn't buy the boat/insurance/gas/oil etc etc to give free boat rides...it shows imho consideration for the boater, why should he foot all of the bill.
Just some more to add to the discussion
Tom
 
Musky Tom said:
Keep tackle/rods to a minimum. Had one guy in the back of my boat, all he would do is fish with jig and pig. But he brought 12 rods plus a oversized tackle bag with him...all he used was jig and pig, and we kept tripping over everything else he brought

I did that to my boater all year long :roll:

I just hate the feeling of not having everything I can throw at my finger tips. If I don't bring it, I always feel like that one lure I didn't have would have boated us 25 pounds #-o
 

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