The bass angler was not complaining about people simply being on the same lake.
That matters, because public water is public water. Nobody owns a shoreline, a point, a grass line, or a dock just because they got there first. Other boats are going to be around. Other people are going to fish. That is part of the deal.
But there is sharing water, and then there is acting like the guy already fishing might as well be invisible.
In a Reddit post, the angler vented about bass boat guys who pull up too close, cast over or near someone else’s line, and then fire up the motor and blast off when they are done. From his side, it was less about one bad interaction and more about a pattern: boats sliding into the same pocket or stretch, crowding the water, and then tearing out like they never disturbed anything.
That is the kind of thing that can sour a fishing day fast.
If someone is already working a spot, there is a basic courtesy most anglers understand. Give them room. Do not cut off the bank they are clearly fishing. Do not throw across their line. Do not run the trolling motor right through where they are casting. And definitely do not idle in close, make a few casts, then hammer down and blow out the area for everyone.
The poster’s frustration seemed to come from that exact kind of behavior.
For bass anglers, a spot is not only the patch of water directly under the boat. It is the line they are working, the angle they are casting, the structure they are targeting, and the fish they are trying not to spook. A boat 20 or 30 feet away can completely change that. The wake, trolling motor noise, electronics pinging, hull slap, voices, and sudden movement all matter.
Then comes the cast over the line.
That is when it stops being ordinary crowding and starts feeling disrespectful. Casting over another angler’s line is one of those things that does not require a rulebook. Everybody knows better. It creates tangles, cuts off the presentation, and sends a pretty clear message: “I care more about this cast than I care about you being here first.”
It is hard not to take that personally.
The angler also brought up the way some boats leave after crowding a spot. They do not ease out quietly. They do not idle away with any awareness that another person is still trying to fish. They hit the throttle and throw wake through the area, often right after they have already pushed in too close.
That part is what makes a person sit there shaking his head.
Bass fishing can get competitive even when no tournament is happening. People see another boat on a bank and assume the fish must be there. They see someone catch one and suddenly everyone wants that stretch. On pressured lakes, that temptation is constant. But good anglers still know how to keep a little distance and work their own water.
The bad ones act like every other boat is just scenery.
The poster’s irritation with “bass boat guys” probably came from seeing the same kind of behavior more than once. Fast boats, expensive electronics, big decks, and confidence can make some people act like they have more claim to the water than the person in a smaller boat, kayak, jon boat, or sitting on the bank. That attitude rubs people raw.
And to be fair, not every bass boat owner acts that way. Plenty are careful, polite, and more aware than anyone else on the lake. They wave, ask which direction you are working, give wide passes, and idle out without wrecking the spot. The problem is that the loud, careless ones are the ones everybody remembers.
The whole conflict comes down to etiquette. Public water means no one can tell every other boat to disappear. But it also does not give people permission to crowd, cut off, or run over someone else’s fishing just because they can.
There is a simple way to handle it. If someone is fishing a stretch, do not pull in right on top of them. If you want to fish the same bank, start behind them or far enough ahead that you are not cutting off their immediate water. If you are unsure which direction they are working, ask. A quick “You headed that way?” can prevent a lot of irritation.
And when leaving, do not blast out through the exact water someone is still casting.
That one is not hard.
The poster did not sound like he wanted the lake to himself. He sounded tired of people who treat fishing courtesy like it only applies when someone else is in their way. And most anglers have been there at some point: you find a good stretch, start working it carefully, and here comes another boat sliding in like your cast does not exist.
The lake may be public, but manners still matter.
Commenters had plenty of opinions because this is one of those fishing complaints almost everyone recognizes.
Some agreed with the poster immediately and said crowding is one of the worst parts of fishing busy lakes. They talked about boats pulling in too close, cutting off shorelines, throwing wake, and acting like smaller boats or bank anglers do not count. To them, casting over another person’s line was not a gray area. It was rude, plain and simple.
Others pushed back on blaming all bass boat owners. Several people said they own bass boats and work hard not to crowd anyone. They pointed out that bad etiquette is not limited to one type of boat. Kayakers, pontoon drivers, weekend cruisers, bank fishermen, and tournament anglers can all be inconsiderate.
A few commenters said pressured lakes bring out the worst in people, especially when tournaments are involved or when certain spots are known to produce fish. Once people start thinking competitively, some forget the basic courtesy that keeps the lake enjoyable.
The practical advice was to communicate early. If another boat starts moving in, ask which way they are headed or tell them which stretch you are working. Sometimes people are careless, not malicious, and a quick sentence can keep things from turning into a silent grudge match.
Others said it is better to leave than ruin your day arguing. That may not feel fair, especially when you were there first, but some anglers would rather find new water than spend the morning mad at someone who clearly does not care.
There was also a lot of agreement on one point: blasting off near someone actively fishing is sorry lake etiquette. Even people who defended public access said there is no reason to churn up the exact water another angler is working if you can ease out like a normal person.
For the poster, the frustration was not that other people wanted to fish. It was that too many acted like their boat, their cast, and their schedule mattered more than everyone else’s day on the water.
