Trouble with old friend and local tournament

[Dnewpo57]

Hey guys I’ve been having a problem with a local tournament the last couple weeks and was wondering if anyone could give me some advice. I fished the tournament with a friend for 3 or so years until I got my own boat and started fishing by myself this year and the guy I fished with pretty much told me anything we fished together I’m not supposed to fish unless he says I can before hand so Saturday night I did my normal thing and fished just whatever I could find and two community holes well the friend I fished with saw me fishing the community holes and he also fishes them then I fished a point that we found together 2 years ago and I also waited until he fished it before I went over there and caught two decent ones and after the tournament he asked where I fished so I told him and he got pissed because I fished those two community holes  and that one point he made a big scene at the ramp yelling and cussing telling me I had no right to fish where I did. am I in the wrong ? What should I do from this point on? Thanks guys

[GreenPig]

I'd simply make him a Ex old friend and cut ties. So he and anybody else can fish those spots but not you. That's control freak logic.

[Dnewpo57]

That’s how I feel man but I hate to be like that because he is the one who taught me how to night fish and everything but at the same time it’s a public lake ya know

[Loudsplashbassn_]

Leave him alone and make new friends sounds like a drama queen when he should be happy his friend got his own boat lol and if he got mad fr fishing tourneys id give him a one two punch. Sounds like the type to yell at people and thinks all public water is "his spot "

Edited July 13, 2021 by Loudsplashbassn_

[casterus]

As James said. Make him EX. Anyway, you won't be his friend anymore.

Adam

[DrewManFishing]

This is why I don’t tournament fish….. lol

[Dnewpo57]

It’s to the point I’m almost fed up with it man it’s not like a big tournament or anything it’s a 10 boat wildcat of Saturday nights and they all act like it’s the damn classic or something 

[Tony91723]

You have to get permission from this person to fish a tournament?  Yyeeshh.   That alone is a big red flag, cut your losses and do your own thing.

[Mtrose23]

In my opinion a real friend wouldn’t care where you fish and would be proud/excited for the fish that you catch and would probably try to point you to the spots with the most luck (within reason) even in a tournament. Of course competitiveness between friends is fun but ultimately I only stick with guys who support me and I support them. Our local waters are pressured as hell but we get excited when either one of us lands fish 

Also it’s very cringe that he’d turn something as fun and relaxing as fishing into dramatic fight and yes he does sounds like a drama queen

[SVT THUNDER]

Ahh...you have the "old fishing partner syndrome". It’s very common. I’ve had two fishing partners in my life that I trusted and shared all of my knowledge with over many years. Those two were the only guys that were my trusted tournament and practice partners. The first was really good at fishing s l o w. Which I hate. So he would pick up bass on days that I was blasting lures right past them. But he NEVER bought rods, reels or baits. But I let him use anything in my boat. But after about 3 years, I kicked him to the curb because of things he was into outside of fishing that was getting me involved in without my knowledge. He got a boat about a year later and asked me how to line up in some of my isolated stumps, deep water structure etc. I just laughed and said if he hadn’t already figured that out after spending 3 days a week in my boat for years I couldn’t help him. 

Second was a friend and old coworker. He had his own gear and ended up buying a lot of my my rods and reels as he learned more about techniques. We fished for many years. Wildcats and big team tournaments. Had a blast. He eventually bought a boat and didn’t want to fish "my" spots. But since he was a good guy and kept his nose clean, one day after he got a gps unit installed, We went out and I set that boat on every single hot spot I had and marked them all. He didn’t care about fishing tournaments since his boat was small and had a little 4 stroke. So we still fished tournaments in my boat for awhile after that. If he knew I was in a tournament and saw me coming, he’d pull off of those spots for me. But i finally got him to sit there a few times and we fished the same little spot. He was just there for fun and I was chasing a check. I can’t count the times he would catch throwing a different lure than I was and I actually swapped to that type of bait and it saved my day. I had zero problems with him. We’re still friends to this day. 

So that’s my perspective as the guy that was always in the front of the boat. A true friend will always be a true friend. To me anyway. But those that turn out to be a piss poor human being....they’re on their own. 

[MA Frog Man]

"Not Allowed" him. I'm glad I don't fish tournaments anymore. Too many politics from a bunch of guys throwing senkos into 12 inches of water. 

[MEGAMAG119]

Can you kick his ass? Hypothetical question. If so, be respectful like it seems like you are, cut ties with the douch and carry on. Tournament fisherman are some of the most sensitive psychos I’ve ever seen. Stick up for yourself and beat him in the next tourney. 

[Kyle1387]

As others have said be careful with who you share stuff with. I'm fromthe school of thought if he found the spot/ or Bite let him have it first and you get seconds, and vice versa if it's your spot. But ppl in the tourney scene are pretty cutthroat. Cut him off and tag that spot next time you catch a big there

[ferrulewax]

If it’s known knowledge, fish it. If it’s something someone else showed me/taught me I only hit it with them. 

[Lj17luke]

Sounds like a bad girlfriend lol.