One of the problems with talking about etiquette is that it often leads to discussions over specifics where we feel like we've been wronged because this guy did this or that guy did that, that didn't follow the local codes that have been instituted over decades from the various users adhering to those norms. We could break down every fishing hole and run and come up with ways those specific places ought to be fished that would benefit the most people when what we're really just asking is that we all get a chance to share the resource.
When I first started guiding on the Missouri almost 20 years ago, I had the opportunity to fish with some really good guides who were helping to create the etiquette that is unique to the Missouri River. Back then, we didn't have the number of guides we do now, and the Missouri was relatively unknown by the majority of the country, and not really all that desirable for most Montana guides either. In fact, because of how technical the river can be, guides from around the state didn't really want to come to the Missouri but often had no other options when their home waters were blown out. That's all changed now and there is increasingly more competition, which leads to a trampling of the norms that were established decades ago.
The objective here, isn't to tell other guides or private anglers how to fish the Missouri. The goal is to create an understanding of what has helped create the etiquette, what is now leading to friction, and what could possibly help resolve that friction in the future.
First, let's talk about the characteristics of the Missouri that differ from other rivers that has allowed for the style of guiding we do. The most obvious is the size of the river itself. The Missouri River is really big and wide and because of that, there are plenty of opportunities to get around other boats and wade fishers without rolling over their gear or the runs they are fishing. That doesn't mean it's always possible to avoid confrontation, but we do our best. Sometimes that requires a little effort from the rower and sometimes a little empathy from the angler.
Not only is it a wide river with a lot of braids, but what is considered Blue Ribbon trout water is 35 miles long. That also lends to opportunities for giving each other space as long as we're willing to work a little for it.
The next few attributes of the Missouri, that I feel are incredibly important to recognize aren't as obvious. Like most other rivers, the Missouri meanders around bends and creates pinch points where pools eddy out and swirl around and soft edges allow for easy row-arounds. These pools collect a ton of bugs and food for trout and make perfect habitat for fish to stack up. Because of how big the Missouri is, these pools and runs might extend a hundred yards or more. And again, because of how big the Mo is, it's easy to pull out of the run, slide to the side to let other boats fish, row back up and take another run at.
Last year, I believe the fish counts on the upper portion of the Missouri River below Holter Dam were around 7,000 trout per river mile. That's a ton of fish and these fish tend to want to be where the most food is so they congregate in those runs and pinch points or eddies where sometimes 10 or 12 boats can be fishing as long as everyone is following the same program. This causes a few concerns on different levels where not only etiquette comes into question but also questions of ethics. We'll talk about that later.
When I first started guiding, the cardinal rule was to NEVER park in such runs that would allow for easy row-arounds. I was also strongly encouraged to NEVER fish from inside an eddy, out towards the scum-line or seam between the eddy and the main flow of the river. Why? Because by doing so, I was screwing everyone else that wanted to fish that run and if I just followed the program, everyone could fish it, and everyone would catch fish.
This wasn't just a product of fairness to my fellow anglers and guides. A more pragmatic and self-preservation motive was at play. The guide community on the Missouri River is also a bit unique in that we are all independent contractors, not only as guides, but also outfitters and we often work with each other on group trips and aren't necessarily loyal to a specific shop but more so to each other. For example, in a single week, I might work for Mike Kuhnert, who is an outfitter and friend on one day, the next work for The Trout Shop, the next work for myself and I might even hire Mike to help me out with my own groups. We're all working for and with each other and because of that, we help each other out, both in doing trips for each other and on the river. As soon as one of us starts crossing the lines of being selfish or blocking the other from fishing a run or low holing each other; well, the relationship is strained and there quite often are consequences.
Don't get me wrong, there's still a competitive undertone within the community that is less about chest pumping and more just bantering but it's there non-the-less. However, we all want everyone to be successful because it brings people back to the area and hiring guides and we will continue to work for each other and get paid. It does me no good to sit in a run, cock-blocking everyone else just to be able to say we hung 50 at the expense of pissing everyone else off.
Where the problems come, is when out-of-area guides and other anglers enter the mix that either don't understand the etiquette or don't belong to the local guide community and what they feel is doing right by their clients is the nexus for what motivates them. Often, these guides are bringing with them an ideology that is consistent with their home waters that isn't aligned with what we do, which is understandable because that's what they know, but it also is understandable that it will cause friction.
I can't tell you how many times I've heard stories of shop managers on the Big Horn River, south of Billings, sending shuttle drivers out to stand in runs at 8 o'clock in the morning so that their guides can take over the run with their clients when they get there. The Big Horn is one of the most heavily fished rivers in Montana and is about half the size of the Missouri and only about 13 miles long where the majority of trout fishing happens. On the Madison, folks park in spots because rowing back up to a run is pretty much impossible. When these folks come to the Missouri, they bring their own set of norms with them and again, that creates friction.
We also have a lot more weekend warriors on the rivers that for no other reason than just not being a part of the community, have never been exposed to the guide etiquette. They aren't stupid or selfish or just being a-holes, they just don't know. And yes, I've been one to call people out as being clueless for dropping the hook in a run but what can you do? (One time I floated by a boat that parked in a well fished run and asked if their parents sent them out to play in the freeway when they were kids. They didn't get it.) Just yesterday, a boat with three old dudes rowed by us as I was fishing a bank with my clients, waved and asked how our day was going, and then pulled right in front of us only 25 yards downstream and started fishing that same bank we were. They literally had to push to get in front of us and then basically, took over the bank screwing us.
My client asked, "What the fuck are these guys doing?"
"They're probably from the Big Horn," I replied and probably wasn't wrong.
Instead of saying anything to those guys, I suggested checking on some rising fish on the other side of the river, got my guy set up with a dry fly, and after an eat from a good brown sipping along the willows, he quickly forgot about us getting cut off by a couple old farts in an antique, wooden, Mackenzie River drift boat.
The interesting thing about the Missouri is that these norms for giving people space and sharing runs is different the further one gets from the dam and quite often, are different in different spots along the river. For instance, if these guys had been 25 yards in front of me on the grass flats below the dam, I wouldn't have cared. There are so many fish on those grass flats, and everyone is floating over them, and most are catching fish. As you get down stream and fish the more solitary fish holding up along the banks, you're looking for a different quality of fish that might include a two-foot brown trout. Those fish get spooked easier and if a boat cuts you off, they might be blowing those scarce opportunities for your clients. And as you get way down stream, we tend to try to keep a couple hundred yards between boats because we can, and the goal isn't just catching fish but also giving your clients a perception of fishing in solitude to fish that haven't been beaten up on for months.
The norms that make up the etiquette on the Missouri change over time as the fly-fishing industry develops new strategies and niches within the sport. I hesitate to come across as bagging on particular guides and techniques but one such development that is having an impact is Spey casting. I'm not the only guide that has tried to get away from the crowds, looking forward to fishing a favorite run, only to round the bend to have a guide with clients posted up at the end of the run chucking 80 feet of line out across the river, blocking you from fishing it and in your head you're like, "God dang it..." And if there are a couple guides on that stretch doing the same thing, racing down from one run to the next, well, you can see where that might get old.
As the river gets busier and busier and more and more guides start parking in these runs, my fear is that we all start racing down to these spots and posting up with the attitude of, "Fuck it. If they're going to cock-block me, I'm going to have to do it too." Next thing you know we're paying 15-year-olds to bike down to these places and stand there with a rod in their hands pretending to fish until the guide gets there. Don't think that's too big of a stretch. It already happens on some rivers.
I guess this brings me to the point of all of this; we don't want that here. We don't want the erosion of etiquette to get to the point where it's this Machiavellian form of rule where "man to man is wolf," and there's no consideration for the other guy just trying to give their clients a quality experience. I feel like we would server ourselves and our clients better by preserving a sense of community within the industry that protects all of our opportunities for success. If we don't, fly-fishing will lose its charm and it just won't be worth it for people to spend the money on trips because it won't be enjoyable. And we also stand the risk of isolating ourselves from the grater community of do-it-yourself anglers that might actually want to book us at some point or even worse, have the power to legislate against us. Without opening up that pandora's box let me be clear, if we piss off too many of the local anglers you can bet there will be even more proposed official rules changes that won't be favorable to the guiding industry.
I mentioned ethical concerns at the beginning of this discussion and would like to take a minute or two to circle back to those concerns that may also offer some solutions. As I mentioned, there are spots on the Mo that hold a ton of fish. When I say a ton, I mean like so many fish rising that a twenty-foot-deep pool will literally look like a 30 by 100-foot riffle with all the fish sipping on the surface. With the right conditions, 5 or even 10 boats could comfortably go through the pool with two clients in each boat, both hooking up every time, then pulling over and row back up to do it again. These 5 or 10 boats could continue the process dozens of times, catching fish every time through, but should they?
I remember picking clients up from a lodge one day and after getting into the truck, one guy asked, "Hey, can we see a little more river today? Yesterday our guide had us fish one pool for about 5 hours. We caught a shitload of fish but...kind of felt dirty afterwards."
Two things about that; the Missouri is really a gorgeous stretch of river with a lot of wildlife and things to see. That is part of the experience. Yes, catching fish is important but so is quality of experience. The second thing is how much are we beating up on the same fish by going through that run over and over and over again? And if ten boats are spending hours beating up the same fish, what kind of an impact does that have on the fishery?
Another thing to consider; is that the look you want to project to the general public? Trust me, there have been days that I can't wait to get to these spots because I know we're going to pad the stats a bit, but I am also hyper-aware of those perceptions and what that type of fishing does to the fishery. So, what works for me is to take a few runs at it, catch some fish and then tell my clients we're going to leave a few for the next boat. I've never had anyone every complain and in fact, if presented well, they agree that the responsible thing would be to move down and find another pool and then another and keep working our way down stream.
So, what are some other solutions? We could try to teach all these nuances to all the guides and anglers on every river across the state and at some point, everyone would follow the rules, right? Doubtful. I feel like a more realistic approach or exercise for preserving all our sanity would be to explore our own personal expectations and address the pressure we put on ourselves to be seen as successful guides. "All clients care about is a bent rod," is something I hear frequently in the guide community but is that really true?
A lot of the friction we feel isn't just because other folks aren't following the rules. It's because by others not following those rules, we feel like that is compromising our own opportunities for success. If this guide parks in a run that I know we'll hook up in, that's one less chance for catching fish. And that might be true. However, if the goal is less focused on catching numbers of fish and more on teaching new techniques or educating folks on either the specific river or local history or even entomology or any other pieces of the fly-fishing puzzle, we can take those opportunities for when someone is blocking us from fishing a run to fulfilling other aspects of what makes a great trip. Take a break. Pull over and tip a rock over and look for bugs. Teach your client how to throw a reach cast. Tell a joke. Ask them questions about themselves and actually show an interest in them. Then, when the run opens up, go get 'em.
Most of the solutions, I feel, come down to our own personal responsibility to learn the etiquette and to lead by example. As I mentioned earlier, when I first started guiding, I fished with guides who understood the local norms and were committed to preserving the community. I didn't get a list of rules or dos and/or don'ts. What I got was feedback and communication from guides and outfitters who cared enough to tell me when I was crossing a line and then it was on me to accept the feedback or not. As new guides show up, I would strongly encourage them to find guides they respect and hang out with them for a while. Buy them a beer. Maybe take them fishing and instead of trying to impress them, try listening. And if you're one of those folks fortunate enough to be solicited by an angler or a new guide, be grateful for the opportunity to help grease the wheels a bit.
Keep 'em where they live...
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