05-21-2014, 08:42 PM
I NEVER look for an argument, a fight, or even harsh words. I'm a lover not a fighter. BUT, I refuse to have someone intimidate me off the river.
I had an issue on the south fork once where a guy tried to pick a fight with me. I had caught enough fish to limit, but did not keep all my legal fish so that I could continue fishing. Several folks came down and I showed them my drift, let them stand on my rock, and I did everything I could to get them into fish. They eventually would give up and leave, so I'd go back to fishing as I had been before. This kid came down and told me his friends were on their way and they were going to "throw me in the river". I'm so dense and forgiving that I didn't even realize that he was trying to pick a fight with me. Not until he threatened to beat me up and throw me in himself did I realize what he was up to. Once I finally figured it out, I stayed around longer than I had intended just because I wasn't going to let him do that to me. On the way out, I became infuriated at the situation. About that time I ran into one of the few cops on the river and told him what was going on. We went back and confronted the kid that had threatened to beat me up. The cop got called away to the radio and turned his back for about 30 seconds. No sooner did he turn his back and the kid threatened to kill me if he ever saw me on the river again. No one heard it but me of course, so there was nothing the cop could do. I went home and came back a few days later. I fished all I wanted that day and went to camp. I saw the kid drive through where I was camping. He parked his truck and started digging through his tool box. I assumed he was digging for a weapon. I got myself ready hoping there would be no issues. He approached me and apologized for his actions from days earlier and then gave me some hemostats I had lost on my previous trip and that he had found. I was glad he chose not to escalate things further and of course I immediately forgave him. It's all water under the bridge now. Since that day, I always carry. I've never had an unkind word since.
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I had an issue on the south fork once where a guy tried to pick a fight with me. I had caught enough fish to limit, but did not keep all my legal fish so that I could continue fishing. Several folks came down and I showed them my drift, let them stand on my rock, and I did everything I could to get them into fish. They eventually would give up and leave, so I'd go back to fishing as I had been before. This kid came down and told me his friends were on their way and they were going to "throw me in the river". I'm so dense and forgiving that I didn't even realize that he was trying to pick a fight with me. Not until he threatened to beat me up and throw me in himself did I realize what he was up to. Once I finally figured it out, I stayed around longer than I had intended just because I wasn't going to let him do that to me. On the way out, I became infuriated at the situation. About that time I ran into one of the few cops on the river and told him what was going on. We went back and confronted the kid that had threatened to beat me up. The cop got called away to the radio and turned his back for about 30 seconds. No sooner did he turn his back and the kid threatened to kill me if he ever saw me on the river again. No one heard it but me of course, so there was nothing the cop could do. I went home and came back a few days later. I fished all I wanted that day and went to camp. I saw the kid drive through where I was camping. He parked his truck and started digging through his tool box. I assumed he was digging for a weapon. I got myself ready hoping there would be no issues. He approached me and apologized for his actions from days earlier and then gave me some hemostats I had lost on my previous trip and that he had found. I was glad he chose not to escalate things further and of course I immediately forgave him. It's all water under the bridge now. Since that day, I always carry. I've never had an unkind word since.
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