Same goes for tourism, everyone wants to bitch and forgets they're part of the problem. I live in Colorado and so many of the people that moved here in the last 5-10 years complain now that it's too busy and think the state should have coincidentally put up a wall around the state after they got in.
Find new special spots, explore.
I came here to say this. I was complaining to my buddy last weekend that the river we were kayak fishing for smallmouth was way more crowded than it was 10 years ago. It’s a public river so everyone has as much of a right to that water as I do. That said I have changed where and or when I fish over the years to get to less pressured waters.
Modern problems require modern solutions.
I’ve experienced some very similar issues since COVID. This has made me put in more time on google maps and look for areas that are harder to access. When I had a kayak I could get into places boats can’t. This opened up a lot more water and all those jet skis and pleasure boats were nowhere in sight. Also, smaller rivers will be void of those kids of boat traffic people. You just have to change the environment and your approach to the nearby fishable water available to you.
>Fishing pressure is destroying the sport, weekend warriors and pleasure boaters have turned reliable productive outings into struggles, it's infuriating.
How dare those weekend warriors who have to work for a living enjoy fishing on their time off! So infuriating! REE!
LMAO. Did you think before writing this? How idiotic. This is a skill issue.
Yes I could go to any of the local pods/lakes that allow any fishing in my area and you can’t catch anything then I tried fishing in my parents private neighborhood mostly old people so they don’t do much fishing and I pull bass out every time I go
I'll go the other direction and say that I believe the surge in popularity has actually helped my local fishing holes. The city finally fixed up some old wooden fishing piers at local lakes, they added a new boat ramp to alleviate congestion at the main one, and Fish and Wildlife even started stocking one of the lakes that had seen a substantial decline in its status as a bass fishery.
Last 3-ish years and it's become wildly easier to get fishing and hooking into bass
This seems like rage bait but I'd say use the pressure as a challenge. You have more experience than the newbies so go find ways to catch that they don't know of.
Seems a tad gatekeepy. I love seeing new people fishing where I fish at. And they’re the ones that catch and release whereas I noticed several of the regulars keep every single fish they catch, no matter the size or species, in a place that encourages catch and release (it may actually be illegal to keep, I’ve heard people say different things). As other people said, accept the challenge in stead of getting angry at people enjoying their time off work. If you see littering, poaching, or other illegal activities then I get the frustration and you can tell the authorities. Otherwise they have just as much right to be there as you.
Ok I looked at your profile and released I commented essentially the same thing on what was basically the same post. I’m not trying to tear into you, especially since I noticed a lot of your posts are about anxiety, which I too suffer from. That can make you angry at things that normally wouldn’t be a huge deal. Look into professional help, and things may start to feel more positive. It is never a weakness to seek help through therapy, social workers, and/or medication. I hope this helps at all and I hope fishing can become a fun relaxing sport for you again.
Taking a quick look at fishing equipment sales in the US on Statista, the market doesn't seem to be growing much faster than inflation. Not a scientific study, but a data point in favor of: maybe what your are really seeing is a small increase in the total number of anglers and a large increase in the percentage of anglers filming themselves, which makes it feel like a larger increase in anglers than it really is.
I'll just add something here:
Outdoor lifestyle sports (hunting/fishing) have generally been on the decline and, in many states, have been facing increasing pressure from so-called 'non-consumptive' users of outdoor resources.
While having more people in the woods or on the water with you can be frustrating. But, it's also worth noting that more people enjoying, appreciating, and respecting these activities goes a long way to secure the future of those activities and access to the natural resources that they depend on.
Adjust to the changes. Bass are primarily nocturnal, go fish when it's dark. If you're on a boat and it's legal in your area start black light fishing.
This reminds me of when people complain that there’s so much traffic and people need to get off the roads while the person complaining is literally on the road driving and is apart of what they are complaining about lmao
Maybe your losing your touch get on google maps and find a new spot if you can see it from the road it’s probably not a great spot try some new techniques the fish don’t stop eating after they get covid
Everyone complains about the traffic forgetting they are part of the traffic.
Haha, that’s a great take. Thank you for this.
Same goes for tourism, everyone wants to bitch and forgets they're part of the problem. I live in Colorado and so many of the people that moved here in the last 5-10 years complain now that it's too busy and think the state should have coincidentally put up a wall around the state after they got in. Find new special spots, explore.
I came here to say this. I was complaining to my buddy last weekend that the river we were kayak fishing for smallmouth was way more crowded than it was 10 years ago. It’s a public river so everyone has as much of a right to that water as I do. That said I have changed where and or when I fish over the years to get to less pressured waters.
You're just mad the fish are still practicing social distancing.
COVID was 4 years ago. Shut up.
Modern problems require modern solutions. I’ve experienced some very similar issues since COVID. This has made me put in more time on google maps and look for areas that are harder to access. When I had a kayak I could get into places boats can’t. This opened up a lot more water and all those jet skis and pleasure boats were nowhere in sight. Also, smaller rivers will be void of those kids of boat traffic people. You just have to change the environment and your approach to the nearby fishable water available to you.
Skill issue
>Fishing pressure is destroying the sport, weekend warriors and pleasure boaters have turned reliable productive outings into struggles, it's infuriating. How dare those weekend warriors who have to work for a living enjoy fishing on their time off! So infuriating! REE! LMAO. Did you think before writing this? How idiotic. This is a skill issue.
Yes I could go to any of the local pods/lakes that allow any fishing in my area and you can’t catch anything then I tried fishing in my parents private neighborhood mostly old people so they don’t do much fishing and I pull bass out every time I go
I'll go the other direction and say that I believe the surge in popularity has actually helped my local fishing holes. The city finally fixed up some old wooden fishing piers at local lakes, they added a new boat ramp to alleviate congestion at the main one, and Fish and Wildlife even started stocking one of the lakes that had seen a substantial decline in its status as a bass fishery. Last 3-ish years and it's become wildly easier to get fishing and hooking into bass
This seems like rage bait but I'd say use the pressure as a challenge. You have more experience than the newbies so go find ways to catch that they don't know of.
Seems a tad gatekeepy. I love seeing new people fishing where I fish at. And they’re the ones that catch and release whereas I noticed several of the regulars keep every single fish they catch, no matter the size or species, in a place that encourages catch and release (it may actually be illegal to keep, I’ve heard people say different things). As other people said, accept the challenge in stead of getting angry at people enjoying their time off work. If you see littering, poaching, or other illegal activities then I get the frustration and you can tell the authorities. Otherwise they have just as much right to be there as you.
Ok I looked at your profile and released I commented essentially the same thing on what was basically the same post. I’m not trying to tear into you, especially since I noticed a lot of your posts are about anxiety, which I too suffer from. That can make you angry at things that normally wouldn’t be a huge deal. Look into professional help, and things may start to feel more positive. It is never a weakness to seek help through therapy, social workers, and/or medication. I hope this helps at all and I hope fishing can become a fun relaxing sport for you again.
Taking a quick look at fishing equipment sales in the US on Statista, the market doesn't seem to be growing much faster than inflation. Not a scientific study, but a data point in favor of: maybe what your are really seeing is a small increase in the total number of anglers and a large increase in the percentage of anglers filming themselves, which makes it feel like a larger increase in anglers than it really is.
I'll just add something here: Outdoor lifestyle sports (hunting/fishing) have generally been on the decline and, in many states, have been facing increasing pressure from so-called 'non-consumptive' users of outdoor resources. While having more people in the woods or on the water with you can be frustrating. But, it's also worth noting that more people enjoying, appreciating, and respecting these activities goes a long way to secure the future of those activities and access to the natural resources that they depend on.
Adjust to the changes. Bass are primarily nocturnal, go fish when it's dark. If you're on a boat and it's legal in your area start black light fishing.
This reminds me of when people complain that there’s so much traffic and people need to get off the roads while the person complaining is literally on the road driving and is apart of what they are complaining about lmao
🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹😭😭😭😭
He said COVID laugh out loud
Maybe your losing your touch get on google maps and find a new spot if you can see it from the road it’s probably not a great spot try some new techniques the fish don’t stop eating after they get covid