This pitfall isn’t necessarily exclusive to Emiquon and if you’ve put in enough time on the water, well, you’ll know exactly the guy I’m talking about.
Originally Posted 8-17-10
No, that’s not him in the picture above.
Actually it’s me.
The picture was just the best I had available to represent this nefarious character.
In reality there is no specific individual named Mr. Emiquon. He’s really a collective identity for the unsavory types who ruin things for the vast majority who play by the rules. I’ve used this sort of term for years and simply substitute the appropriate body of water so there’s also been a Mr. Storey, a Mr. Bracken or a Mr. Mississippi.
Sites have limits and regulations set by those with the background and knowledge required to effectively manage and protect the resource. Emiquon is no exception other than having more stringent rules and regulations than most other bodies of water. I’ve never had a problem with any such stipulations. In my opinion, if you are responsible and do your homework, the rules should come as no surprise so grin and bear it or go somewhere else. But I’m not a meat fisherman, rarely use livebait and grew up accustomed to on the water propulsion via a pair of oars. Thus the old school and arguably over protective approach at Emiquon doesn’t really bother me.
Mr. Emiquon, however, usually sees things differently while failing to recognize that he’s part of the problem in the first place. Perhaps you’ve run into him somewhere in your angling adventures. He’s the guy who thinks he owns the lake (hence the name) and that the rules don’t apply to him. At worst he can be a recipe for disaster (exotic species, overharvest or accidents) or at the very least a nuisance to others who respect their fellow anglers and the shared resource.
Dad and I crossed paths with a pair of the latter persuasion last fall as they cut right in front of us in order to fish the end of a ditch. Sure it’s open water to all but we’d been sitting on the spot for well over an hour and there’s plenty of other good water to fish down there. In fact, reports cite as much as 16 miles of drainage ditches running throughout the lakebed. Numerous areas on the lake were hotspots last year so the intrusion within 30 feet of our boat seemed totally unnecessary. We made several casts within splashing distance of their boat which was sitting right where we had been fishing but Mr. Emiquon and his buddy never batted an eye or even acknowledged our presence. Finally, Dad and I took the high road and found another spot; completely ridiculous.
Technically, I guess it doesn’t have to be male anglers as there certainly could also be a Mrs. Emiquon. On that general subject, I did encounter a pair of young ladies this June who could have been in the running for the Miss Emiquon title. I spotted this fit, bikini clad duo a couple hundred yards away as they enjoyed an afternoon of sunbathing and fishing. Unlike Mr. Emiquon they apparently had no desire to fish near the guy with the funny hat although I kept an eye out just in case. As such, I don’t have any photos to accompany this posting. I suppose that’s probably for the best as it saved me having to explain to Julie how exactly these images would enhance my Emiquon Top 10 list.
Absolute proof that you just never know who or what you’ll see during a fishing trip. Some you hope you don’t see again and a couple others, well…
Talk to you later. Troy