Ethics for fly fishers

Ecology

• Respect nature, and respect your fly fishing peers.
• Always flatten barbs. They don't do much for you anyway, especially when you hook yourself.
• Always read regulations.
• Avoid catching spawners. They are paired up in shallow riffles, play and move a lot, and are seldom feeding anyway. If you try you will most likely snag them.
• Don't step on spawning beds ( redds .) Trout fan their tails as they spawn to clear these rounded nests of moss and debris. If you avoid them, you are helping your future chances of catching the unborn trout.
• Be aware of where you fish. Don't fish in the current directly below where other anglers are standing and have kicked-up debris. This is chumming, and is illegal. (Locally known as the San Juan shuffle.)
• If you foul-hook a fish, use judgment as to whether you can break it off. Avoid fishing in a manner that tends to snag fish.
• Pack out trash. (Take it with you until you find a real trash receptacle.)
• I hate watching cigarette butts float by. Don't be a butt-head. Pack them out.
• Pack out pieces of fishing line, even little ones. I pack out discarded line which I find lying on the bank or in the trees.

Polite Company

• Crowds are a modern fact of life. Please ask before walking into a crowded hole. Tensions may be high, and that's not why people are on the river.
• Some of the best friends I have made, I met on the river. If you run into somebody on the river, try putting on a smile, you might meet somebody really interesting.
• When crossing the stream, please avoid other anglers. Always ask first before crossing, which way the other anglers prefer to cross. Usually crossing far downstream is best.
• Don't crowd other anglers. Avoid them by their casting distance.

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