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The buttheads would stay home if fish couldn't be sold. No money, no buttheads and no intrusion in your space
If your on the fish or you know they are there, drill 15-20 holes and put tip-ups in them. Just place them in with the line not off the spool and set the flag. No one is dumb enough to drill in between a bunch of tip-ups, and if you want to move you just pull one up, fish and put it back in when you move. I use to have 50-60 yards to myself by doing that.
I will share a story that happened to me today up at Campbells since we are taking about how close is too close and basically sportsmanship in general. I was after flat fish and was working a series of 4 or 5 holes all close together but a ways away from the crowd. The bite fell off so I took out the power auger and opened another 5 or 6 holes from my set up to another 20 yds. I was walking back to the wheeler with the auger and here comes a wheeler with 2 young teenagers on it and they stopped at the new holes I opened. I didn't say a word and they started to fish...and catch. Along comes the dad from where he was a hundred yds away. He walked up and chewed out the 2 kids for doing that and told them they should have known better. I spoke up and said they are just kids and it is great they want to fish. I told him I didn't have a problem with them fishing. I thanked him for doing the right thing and when the kids left the hole they apologised to me for fishing "my" holes. I told them no problem and I hoped they have good luck fishing. That dad did a great thing and those kids will hopefully end up just like their father. The word good sportsmanship comes into play. That dad had it and it made my day.
Well said, esp fishing Champlain. It happens all the time so get over it or break the guys fancy orvis rod.