Interesting thread and good to se this topic being aired out a bit.
I fish from my sled, from friends drift boats and from the bank.... "Just Fish!" is my motto!
I agree with Chumcatcher's attitude and idea of the right way to go.
Common sense approaches usually work pretty well.
I would add that comments and attitude before approaching a hole with bank fishermen working it can really affect how an encounter will go.
Remember, especially if in a boat, that sound carries over water very well. If I am bank fishing a hole and a boat approaches from a couple hundred yards above and I hear "Oh #(&^%#%$!!, there's a #&^@%$% Bank Maggot in my hole!" I am not going to be Mr. Sunny Delight when you get down to my location. I am not a maggot and I will not be nice if you call me one, to my face or upriver an eighth of a mile.
Also, bank anglers need to be aware of some laws of physics...... if I am moving upstream in my sled, it matters not how slow I go, there will be a wake. It's that two opposing forces and action and reaction stuff you know.
And, it would be helpful if there were universal "rules" of the river. On the Rogue, my home river, it seems the guys in the lower river would rather I stay on plain and get the heck through (I agree) while the folks on the upper river expect you to slow down to crawl speed at every encounter.... if we can't figure out what will make each other happy on one river, how are we gonna figure from river to river?
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Do what you can do...no one can do everything, everyone can do something.