idk, i guess i cant blame anyone. if someone watched you leave they probably thought it was ok to go ahead and fish the spot thinking you were gone. could have been someone that just showed up and hadnt seen you were their either. i probably wouldnt have said anything.

only time i ever say anything is if im fishing and somebody walks right to where im fishing in the river. i encouter A-holes all the time when steelhead fishing. guys will walk right in next to me and start casting right where im fishing.

Trout parks are notorious for a lack of etiquette. Since ANYONE can fish there, EVERYONE fishes there, 'a-holes' included. I think you did the right thing. But Nan it would've been hard. The right thing often is. The only thing better, to proverbially heap coals on his head would've been to teach him that he would have better luck if he avoided retrieving from downstream up. Ha!

C’est la vie. When this happens, I try to be positive. Maybe I am getting pushed up stream to a better hole that this bozo could have had, but he was too busy trying to prove what a man he is and take mine. And that has actually happened. I have been pushed out and found much better spots. That I keep to myself

What ‘irks me is when I put in the boat at dawn and find a nice cove, start fishing it and 1 hour or 2 later some hotshot with an expensive bass boat with all the trimmings tries to “encourage” me to move. The hidden intent is guys with the most money and biggest boat wins. Clowns like that never realize that fishing is all about the presentation. The size of your boat (or anything else you are trying to prove) has nothing to do with it. Thats why 20% of the fishermen catch 80% of the fish. Then I usually don’t back down. Just quietly keep casting, until they move on.

I will back down in an instant when hunting. Too many guys who have no business carrying firearms, have a tenuous grip on reality and think hunting is zombie killing or going to war, when the other guy can’t shoot back. Then I move on (making as much noise as I can_). No deer is worth dying for.

I would have stayed and within a few moments, I would have asked if I was bothering him, just to see how he replied.
That way, perhaps you could have surmised his intenet,whether it was unknowing or on purpose.
I know it can be frustrating but you probably took the higher road.

Lose*

I think you acted appropriately. He may not have seen your gear and, if this is public land, he has a right to fish the stream. You did well to move elsewhere. If you'd been standing there and he interfered with your fishing site, you'd be justified in reacting to that.