Parker wrote:
If the gentleman that my younger brother is referring to are the same ones I ran into last year or the one before, I may be the reason for them not moving.
Two older men were fishing the pool and not doing anything and they had been at it for the whole morning. I really wanted to fish the lower area they were ignoring so I asked if they minded.
No problem they said, so I proceeded to land a few fish. They were talking about it and finally one came down to ask what I was doing different.
Rerigged them both with the correct flies showed them where to stand and cast. Still no luck for them, handing me the rod asked if I wanted to show them what I was talking about. Landed a fish on that cast.
In talking to them they fish GLS in the spring and the "river that is known to be open this time of year" in the fall. Pick a hole and camp there because they are used to crowds - they are indeed from down south of the border and are not used to moving to find new water.
Both landed fish before we were done which is why if they are the same guys they didn't move.
We don't need to talk about my total for the day but they said they wouldn't have believed it if they hadn't seen some of it.
The great Don Lynch knows the exact spot because we had an impromptu meeting there a few years ago. I had two young men to teach that day and Don graciously gave up the pool for them.
I think the key here is anglers who are "used to crowds". Once pressure gets high enough, if you give up your spot you can't find another one. Spend enough time in that environment, and you get a lot of incentive not to move once you find a decent spot. Which makes the problem worse, and so on.
At that point, we need some kind of ethic to keep people moving. Think "pool rotation" at the Penobscot salmon pools. Or enforced etiquette about slow play and crowing the party ahead of you on golf courses. Or "circle swimming" in crowded lanes at the lap pool. Or signing up for a slot on the machines during busy hours at the Y.
All the more reason to spend more time on remote waters where the crowds--and often the fish--are smaller.