My son just got back from a short week in Sarasota Florida with his buddy and his family. They have an ocean-front condo down there, and the boys basically spent the whole time fishing on the beach. They were properly licensed, in a place they were allowed to be, and going about it in a legal manner.

My son said they got heckled by a bunch of vegans who were mad that they were catching fish. One lady actually had her husband call the cops on them, then got pissed when the cops told him it was legal and they weren't coming. Another lady got off her bike, came down the beach, and tried to physically take a shark away from them (they were in the process of releasing it anyway, so I'm not sure what she was hoping to accomplish), and then told my son that what they were doing to that fish had traumatized her for life. My kid was raised to be respectful and not mouth off to people, so he didn't, but I'd not have been too upset with him if he had in her case. Apparently some other bystander did tell her to get the stick out of her butt and go away .

My son texted me about that particular encounter and I sent him the Florida statute for fisherman harassment and told him to call the cops if it happened again because what she was doing is illegal. It ended up raining the next couple of days so they didn't do much fishing and had no other problems with people. It just boggles my mind that there are so many militant assholes out there who feel like they have to be in everybody else's business to the point that they'll hassle a couple of kids fishing off the beach???

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Originally posted by 92fstech:
told my son that what they were doing to that fish had traumatized her for life. My kid was raised to be respectful and not mouth off to people, so he didn't, but I'd not have been too upset with him if he had

I'd love for you to have said he told her she'd be less traumatized if she hadn't gotten involved in it to begin with.
But truly, not spouting off at her *was* the better course of action.

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Originally posted by 92fstech:
It just boggles my mind that there are so many militant assholes out there who feel like they have to be in everybody else's business

Some people can't stand their own misery so badly that they have to go inflict it on others. Jerks.

There are a few dozen you tubes on this subject.

Some get pretty heated, law involved, threats abound.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bendable,

Oh to wish he had caught something that he could have cleaned and sliced into sashimi and eaten right in front of them. Without saying a word. I would have paid to have been there.

Fish hooks are by nature very tough to remove, and excruciatingly painful. You know, if they accidentally end up in the wrong place.

Just sayin'.

Many states have hunter harassment laws but I hadn't heard of fishermen harassment laws before. Good for Florida for having them.

Speaking of hunter harassment laws, I just saw a video where a Karen parked her SUV next to a field and relentlessly honked the horn when geese appeared to scare them away from the 4 hunters in the field. The funny thing is it caused the geese to flare and made them easier to shoot. Even funnier, the game warden wrote her up for each of the 4 hunters she harassed.

In Indiana it's called interfering with the legal taking of game...applies to both hunting and fishing, and it's a misdemeanor so theoretically you could actually go to jail. The Florida statute is a misdemeanor as well.

She wasn't traumatized. Traumatized is what she'd have been if his next cast had lodged the hook in her ear lobe.

How old is your kid? I’m amazed anyone would screw with another person fishing unless it was a sanctuary..

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Originally posted by whanson_wi:
She wasn't traumatized. Traumatized is what she'd have been if his next cast had lodged the hook in her ear lobe.

That happened to my Grandpa once. He and Dad were fly fishing on some river in Montana, and Dad's back cast snagged Grandpa's ear. This was before the days of barbless hooks, so they had to search for a pair of dikes to cut the hook in two. But by the time they got it out, they were both laughing about it.

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Originally posted by irreverent:
How old is your kid? I’m amazed anyone would screw with another person fishing unless it was a sanctuary..

You shouldn't be. This was not only a Karen, but a vegan Karen. Their whole mission in life is to be a PITA to anyone who's not like them.

They have no lives of their own, no hobbies or passions in life, and are miserable human beings who just search out things to get upset about. They think they rule the Earth and things should be exactly how they say. Not the law, but whatever they think. Social media has these people by the balls or by the tattays and they aren’t bright enough to see through the facade.

Harassing hunters or fisherman is illegal in most places . When that kind of stuff takes place , call Fish and Game immediately and video everything . Do NOT do anything stupid that can weaken your case .

she needed a good fish slap

I'm not sure when this whole mentality where people believe they need to impose their personal beliefs of other people, but it needs to stop.

It's one thing to verbally reprimand someone for not following your lead but when you make physical contact, you've crossed the line in my book.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:

got off her bike, came down the beach, and tried to physically take a shark away from them

Somebody putting hands on your son in a situation like this, has really earned a physical lesson that will never be forgotten.

This has been going on in England for decades. They have "anti-angler" groups. On the rare occasions when I fish, generally in fairly remote areas, I strap on the largest pistol I feel like carrying. It's the only time I open carry.

Not fishing, but I was using my boat in the Keys and launched in Key Largo, ran down to Robbies in Marathon for lunch, a few other waterfront stops along the way, came back to the bar/ramp in Key largo. It's a 20' Lake + Bay flats boat that does 80 mph (I don't do that with the dog on board) that's very popular in the keys. I had my wife and 8lb weinerdog wearing it's life vest. Tie up at the dock to go get my truck/trailer and wife/weiner dog (who LOVES going on the boat) stayed on the boat. Some old guy walks up and starts giving my wife crap.

OG "I don't think it's a good idea to take a dog like that out on a boat"
Wife "Why? She loveeees the boat"
OG "Even if she loves the boat, In my opinion I still don't think it's a good idea to take it on a boat like that"
Wife " Well I didn't ask your opinion, she loves boating, and I'm taking her boating, go mind your own business before my husband gets back."

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Originally posted by irreverent:
How old is your kid? I’m amazed anyone would screw with another person fishing unless it was a sanctuary..

15, but he's 6'2" 275 and looks like he's 18 or 19. He can hold his own.

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Somebody putting hands on your son in a situation like this, has really earned a physical lesson that will never be forgotten. Mad

I'm not sure if she actually touched them or just the fish. Either way. A couple of teenage boys teaching a 70-ish year-old hippie lady a physical lesson isn't a good look. I'm glad they handled it the way they did. She wasn't a threat to them...just an obnoxious busybody. For they future they now know to call the cops.

“Another lady got off her bike, came down the beach, and tried to physically take a shark away from them (they were in the process of releasing it anyway, so I'm not sure what she was hoping to accomplish), and then told my son that what they were doing to that fish had traumatized her for life“.

Maybe they should have handed the shark over to her to let her take care of the problem. With any luck the shark would have bit her and really give her a lesson to remember.