I would like to know everyone's opinion about run etiquette. I live on a popular run on the Clackamas River (I know boo hoo) and I often show up and there are already folks fishing. I am able to fish both sides of the river as I have a little pack raft and I can blow it up and zip across in a few min. Several times I have showed up and have either been told "we have the run for the day" or "I already fished through, my friend is going to fish through, and then I am going to fish through and then you can fish through after that" (lol) or the best one was when Dustin Chromers and I ferried across in my canoe and we were paid a visit by the one and only Jeff Hickman who told us we were messing with his program and we could have the run in the evening but he needed to fish it in the morning with his clients.
So what do you all think? Should I ask to be the next angler through the run or do I need to call the clubhouse for a tee-time?
I think Rob Allen summed up the issue fairly well, except for two things. First, it is opinion. It is opinion because there is no law, no regulation, nor any universally recognized standard of fishing etiquette. There is a form of etiquette that is recognized and accepted by many anglers, but certainly it's a long ways from including everyone. So I contend that ultimately fishing etiquette is fundamentally subjective. You get to decide what yours is. Second, as Rob indicates, the person who arrives first goes through the run first, even if it's a mile long. I disagree with this when it comes to very large sections of water. It's public property after all, and none of us owns exclusive or even first rights to water that might take a half day or longer to fish. If I were going to enter a run downstream of another angler, it would have to be one of those large and long runs, and I'd give the upstream angler a couple hundred yards or so. I don't have a specific example, so I'm just sorta' guessing at what I would do.
That you live on a popular run on a river gives you no more right or privilege than the next guy because it's public water. If folks are fishing there when you arrive, and you want to follow them through, then by all means, go ahead. It's your river just as much as it's theirs. If someone tells me they have the run for the day, I would politely but firmly remind them that it's public water and that I intend to follow the other anglers through. If someone tells me they are going to fish through, their friend is going to fish through, and then they are going to fish through again, and then I can fish through, then I would repeat the above and remind the jerk that it's public water and I'm following his friend through, and he can fish through again behind me. Actually, I don't normally fish water that is occupied by other anglers, but if I encountered an arrogant azzhole like you describe, I just might do so as a matter of principle. Pretty much the same if approached by a fishing guide, unless that guide happened to be a personal friend and we occasionally trade fishing favors - so the Golden Rule might be applicable.
Your don't need to ask to be the next angler through, unless that's just how you are. It's completely acceptable to announce that you intend to follow the next angler downstream of you through the run, if that's what you want to do. Calling the clubhouse for a tee time is for private water, not public.
Years ago, as a younger angler I would let myself get bent out of shape over what I thought were breaches of fishing etiquette. I finally figured out that not everyone thinks the same way about this subject. Etiquette really is subjective. So I mostly use the Golden Rule approach. Being low holed still bothers me, but not as much as it used to. I tend to fish faster than most anglers, so I just fish down to the low holer, reel in, walk a short distance downstream of him, short of a respectful distance, to let him know that since he thought it was OK to low hole me, I assume that he expects to be low holed in turn, drop in and resume fishing. I have never had this go badly. I strive to find civil strategies to share this public resource.
