Does Fishing Really Have To Be That Aggravating?
By CAPT. MEL BERMAN, 970-WFLA

Some of our most treasured moments are those serene, relaxing days on the water – wetting a line – away from the pressures and cacophonies of everyday life. Yet, somehow, this is no longer the all too brief peaceful Shangri-La most of us seek. A case in point are the confrontations between guides netting bait at the Skyway and the anglers fishing above.

One of the main locales that hold large pods of bait is that mighty structure at the mouth of Tampa Bay. “I gotta go where the bait is,” said a local guide, “and if it’s at the Skyway, by golly, that’s where I’m gonna get it!”

It is true that many guides, because of most of their client’s inexperience with artificials, rely almost exclusively on the live greenies. Then set out to get enough to use as bait and chum, assuring a successful fishing day for their customers. So one can empathize with their determination to acquire a load of live baits -- no matter where or when.

On the other hand, those boatless anglers who paid good money to park their vehicles and pay the Skyway Pier fishing fee are also entitled to their space. “If I were fishing for snook out of a boat, I guarantee you that very few guys would come right on top of me to net bait,” said one Skyway angler. And he’s right.

Where 99-percent of the time, guides and most other anglers in boats would never throw a net where someone else was fishing, they somehow see nothing wrong to do so right under someone trying to catch fish from the Skyway Pier.

So what’s the answer? In a recent poll on my web site, most respondents felt that some sort of cooperation could be worked out to accommodate both camps.

For example, as my colleague Frank Sargeant suggested in his Tampa Tribune column, why couldn’t the guides chum and net their bait on the up current side of the Skyway. Since most of the Pier anglers fish with the current, this would take the guide boats out of their fishing zone and still give them a shot at the bait.

Many have also suggested that if some of the more assertive guides had an “attitude adjustment.” They could still net their bait while making friends and not enemies of the pier fishers.

Capt. Rick Gross – one of the nicest mannered guides out of Anna Maria Island – will often do a few simple, but courteous things before setting up to net bait at the Skyway.

He will first ask -- in a polite and friendly way – if the bridge anglers would mind him sliding in for a few minutes to net some bait. Most of the time, using this congenial approach, the response will be positive.

Then, to “sweeten the deal” – guides like Capt. Rick Gross will offer up some of the white baits he’s netted – inviting the bridge anglers to send down a bucket which he will gladly fill with a good supply of greenies. This not only helps both user groups, it makes for the kind of synergy where all anglers can enjoy fishing and the great outdoors without annoying each other or ruining anyone’s fishing day.

As we asked in our title – “does fishing really have to be that aggravating?’ The answer should be “no.” All it takes is a little common sense – and lots of common courtesy. As my grandfather used to say, “It’s a shame common courtesy isn’t all that common.”