I've had some of my most productive and enjoyable days fishing combat zones. I've fished Blue Ck. many times in late December in some extremely tight fishing conditions and you just have to be patient. Most of the time everyone is laid-back and conforms with the fishing method predomanately used for that area. Occasionally there's some clueless idiot or the hard-arse with an attitude that can make for trying fishing. I've had weekends (2 days) where I've had up to 40 big brats (12-18 lbs.) played.... that makes it worth it to me. It's not that much different than drifting from a driftboat from the middle casting position with 2-3 buddies aboard. I've also fished the Russian River when there were guys shoulder to shoulder as far as the eye can see. Had on a dozen reds in 1.5 hours that were full of vinegar...it was a blast.