Here are a few things you could say to someone like that....
1. Some of us need to fish for food for financial reasons
2. If practicing catch and release: chances are you're educating that fish, making it less likely a catch and keep fisherman will harvest it.
3. Can try the "this is nature's way, Predator/prey ..and we're just playing are part in the circle of life" argument. Add in "If/when lab grown meat is tasty, and affordable... I'll be one of the first in line", (I'll forgive you if that's not true).
4. Tell em to google "do fish feel pain" and they should find articles like this one... https://www.sciencedaily.com/release...0808123719.htm ...So at the very least, they may not be suffering as much as wack job thinks they are.
5. Very calmly tell them you respect their right to protest and to have a differing opinion, but that you also have the right to do what you're doing in relative peace. Let them know that everyone has heard them, they've made their voice heard, and now that you've respected their rights ask them to keep the noise down, and a respectful distance so that they aren't trampling on your rights since you didn't trample on theirs. If they won't, then point out the hypocrisy of that, the fact that usually you'll catch more flies with honey, and that this approach is actually just as apt if not more so to alienate anyone that might be on the fence about the issue as it is to win someone over. So really what are they accomplishing other then stroking their own ego out of a sense of moral superiority? ...You're just gonna keep fishing, or go somewhere else and fish there.
6. If the "I respected you, now you please respect me" approach fails, you can always try calling the police on them for harassment and disturbing the peace... Maybe even catch more fish since you aren't distracted by wackos that can't be everywhere. Avoidance in this case is a good strategy because of that fact, and it just requires a little self control. They aren't winning by you leaving, you're winning because you get to fish and they accomplished nothing in the long run.
7. Don't engage, or stop engaging... especially if you can't be calm and rational. These people are attention w#ores, don't feed the beast. Violence or even verbal abuse towards them makes us look bad and potentially leads to people being more sympathetic to them and possibly by extension their cause... however satisfying it might be, it just isn't the correct course of action. Our pride/ego is often a worse enemy then the person we're fighting/arguing with and ultimately more of a threat to our cause then the loud mouth wacko ever will be.
Just one fisherman/animal lover's opinion and how I'd personally handle it. I find similar tactics in most other kinds of confrontational situations much more effective then shouting matches, and the weakest person isn't the person who walk's away from a fight, it's the person that can't control themselves enough to prevent a fight... Of course if they get violent, then by all means cane em with you're rod and tie them up with fishing line for the cops to find Batman style
P.S. ...I realize that often the instinct is to argue or fight, but in one form or another people's inability to rein in their own ego and pride and just do the most effective thing for the greater good is what leads to much of what sucks in life. You're literally making the world a better place when you manage that, and yourself a better person... and we could all probably stand to be better people. Even me... and I'm dang near perfect
Last edited by GuyWithFox; 10-01-2017 at 03:09 PM.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/53171039@N07/ And... https://www.flickr.com/photos/22373860@N02