Fishing with your dog?

[caberguy]

I've been off the water (and the message board) for a couple of years... an ankle injury made it tough for me to wade.

But ankle has been feeling better, and as spring is on the horizon, i've been thinking about getting back at it.

I have a two year old lab mix that has been with me a bit over a year. I enjoy taking him with me on my outdoor adventures, but I'm kind of wary about taking him fishing with me. I take him off leash with me lots of places, and he stays pretty close, so i'm not too worried about that (except near busy roads, obviously). But he's still young and energetic, and can be a handful at times.

I know people take their dogs with them, but i'm really having a hard time imagining the logistics of wading, fishing, and keeping the dog out of the way (not hooking him, keeping him from scaring off the fish, etc). I'm wondering if this is even possible without a lot more training.

Any thoughts, or advice? Just wait until he's a bit older and settles down more.

 

[tsmervis]

Reuben isbeautiful

 

[karstopo]

I like dogs and take my dog along in the boat at times. I've had dogs plunge into a pool I was fishing and since I like and understand dogs, it wasn't anything that upset me.

Dogs are not, however, universally loved or appreciated and I can definitely see someone blowing a fuse or two if your dog spoiled their fishing by traipsing into their spot, urinating on their gear and doing other doggy things, especially if there was a law about having a dog on a leash.

 

[pickadrake]

Only you will know the answer to taking 'Reuben' fishing. Where I do most of my fishing there are easements for stream access that do not allow pets, but whenever I'm able, my dog comes along. She has a very calm personality, so she just watches from the bank until it's time to make a move and off we go. I'm always mindful of her location when casting so as to not to hook her. She also has a lot of hours in boats of all kinds so her boat manners are very good in all, including drift boats. Of course she enjoys coming and I like having her along. If you have a stretch of water where you can take him along not far from the car in case it doesn't work out, I think you will both enjoy the time. By the way, he looks like a good boy. Good Luck

 

[okaloosa]

Reuben doesnt want to go fishing...he wants a girlfriend

 

[huronfly]

I've got a lab cross with german shepherd, she's a great dog but she loves the water too much to be able to take her along for most outings. I've done it a handful of times while steelheading some bigger water, which was a bit better, as I didnt have to worry about her spooking fish. I would never again consider bringing her if I was casting to fish within 40'. She just loves to swim too much. She's also got a fascination with fly line so I have to keep the line away from us as much as possible. I really have to watch if I am doing sustained anchor casting or she might jump on the line before I can cast it! I'm going to keep working at it this year, she's 8 and just starting to calm down(slightly). Might be getting another pup this year too so I am excited to train a new fishing buddy while it's young. Best of luck! Make sure you have treats and and lost of patience!



If you look closely you can see two lake run browns spawning in this small river, luckily for them my doggo didn't see them!

 

[jayr]

Something to keep in mind and maybe it affects you, maybe it doesn't. But depending on where you fish, some places, most notably national parks severely restrict dogs being in the park and rightfully so. This might also be a consideration for state parks and national forests as well. Then again if you do not fish in those areas, it doesn't matter.

 

[caberguy]

I'm aware of leash law regulations. There are some spots on private land that I have access to, and on state land that doesn't have leash laws.

 

[dr d]

my undra - champion breed island girl with 7 years - is the nicest dog until i approach

to fishing utilities>>> then she barks permanent and like a "terminator" and stays

at home...we - my wife and i don`t know how to manage this problem.

when we walk to river and she sees other fishermen she behave in the same way

until we leave...


nice we.


thomas

 

[kevind62]

I used to take my original male with me everywhere. He loved to ride in the truck. My new-ish male (grandson of my original) I haven't taken him too many places due to a change in my work schedule. This changed my means of travel (to air travel vs land). He's not too receptive of riding. Took him on this road trip in spring of last year. He lost 15 lbs from the anxiety of riding. He enjoyed the places we stopped just wasn't fond to the ride. I need to ride him around more at home so he'll get used to it.

 

[pcolapaddler]

Living in the Florida panhandle, I don't trout fish much.

However, I used to wade fish some creeks for Bluegill and Bass. My wife would often accompany me and sit on the bank relaxing. We had a Golden Retriever that would come.

Scarlet loved the water and would wade and fish in and around where my wife sat. She didn't bother me fishing, but she would get nervous if I went around a bend in the creek and she couldn't see me.

Sent from my SM-G935U using Tapatalk

 

[rfb700]

My old dog was a gem of a companion when trout fishing. He'd wander the banks while I flailed away. He'd take off on his own for a bit but always came back. And he appreciated anything I caught coming over for a quick look see.


My new dog grows bored quickly with the whole fishing scene. He will start to bark at me and will actually try and pull me out of the stream. Not his idea of fun waiting patiently while I fish. He now stays at home when I go.

 

[gpwhitejr]

I have the fishingest dog ever. Most of my fishing trips are actually dog walking (I live near a pond and a river that have dog walking trails). As long as the line is in the water she sits like a statue staring at it. People come by to chat, other dogs sniff at her, she doesn't move a muscle. If I hook something (which happens once in a rare while) she goes nuts, and I have to fight to keep the fish away from her. It isn't bad at the pond, since we are standing on the shore, but in the stream she will run out into the water. I don't fish with her if anyone else is around.

 

[Ard]

What a beautiful friend you have!

The only way to know how things will work is to go. If he hangs around and doesn't chase things you will have a good companion. I've fished with dogs for roughly 40 years of my fishing life, two took training because they were sporting dogs. They both thought we should look for grouse while along a stream. In time they learned to stay near. I think that those not from gun dog lines are better, those developed for security are best because their job is to guard you not to wander. It'll be a year on March 15 that I said goodby to my fishing pal of almost 14 years, we had some good times.



We did it all, I hope your boy works out because the memories you'll have of your experiences will be priceless.

 

[satyr]

I used to fish with my friends dog but he would eat any trout that I wasn't fast enough releasing. And god help me if he saw a deer, he would be off and I would need to wait there until he came back in an hour or three. As much as I enjoyed him it just wasn't worth it.

 

[Txbart]

Fished recently with a friend on his dog’s second fishing outing. Very well behaved dog and responded well to most commands. When we hit the river he took her off leash. She happily swam by his side as we waded across. Stayed close as we walked about 1/2 mile to our first spot. He warned us she liked to chase casts but he was able to correct her and she stopped. She sat by the shore and watched him closely, he owed her a chance at any fish he caught. He would take the fish to the shallows and let her look, if she could catch it before it swam away it was hers, she only got 1. If he spent too long between fish she would swim out to him and swim circles around him until he walked her back to shore. When she started swimming out to others when they caught fish he took her farther down the river.

My dog loves to sit and watch me cast in the pool like it’s the coolest thing he has ever seen. He’s an Old English Sheepdog so a fishing outing where my wife can’t keep him on the shore is out of the question.

 

[trev]

I used to take dogs fishing, had several that were good companions, but there are a lot more dog people where I fish now and I have grown to despise dogs in fishing areas. I don't think much of the people that bring dogs into any public areas, either. Bring the poop-scoop and bag and I'm a little more tolerant.
I'm guessing that 96% of non-working dogs are untrained in even basic obedience, and a leash wrapped a stranger's legs or gear is not the way to win friends.

 

[Jamaicadiver]

All depends on the dog.....We have several in the family, Youngest sons' old Chessie was great but weighed almost 100 lbs , little large for a skiff and you couldn't keep him in the boat and out of the water. My Boxer's a bust, too big, clumsy and excitable. My eldest's sons Aussie is perfect and does very well on a whole days float. Working with a Chessie puppy now, looks promising but goin' to be huge.

 

[Curmudgeon]

I love dogs and am happy to see well-behaved dogs when I'm fishing (or pretty much any other time). I'm usually more than willing to ignore leash laws if your dog is obviously well-trained and under control.

The operative phrases are "well-behaved" and "well-trained." Sadly, most dogs aren't nearly as well-trained as their owners think they are.

The same pretty much applies to children...

 

[caberguy]

I'm a realist, I know that Reuben isn't as well trained as he could be. But he also doesn't jump on people and generally gives strangers a wide berth. As a rescue he is a bit wary of strangers, but I've never seen him be aggressive... he just has an uncanny ability not to be touched by anybody he doesn't know if they try to pet him.

We've seen deer when we've been out for hikes, and he's been interested, started after them, but come back on recall (so far). We've been out hiking and foraging many times with him off leash, and he almost never gets out of sight.

I also almost never fish where there are other people around.

I'm lucky to live only a few minutes away from a wonderful and huge dog park that we go to a few times a week. And it just occurred to me that the park has a 4 star trout stream running through it that I've fished many times... just not in that section. That would obviously be the perfect spot for a trial run. There are a couple of places where I should be able to get away from most of the other dogs, or just get there really early, and wade upstream a bit and give it a shot, and maybe even have a chance of actually catching something. It's also one of the few streams in the area that's open all year long.

Kind of a DUH!!! moment for me there...