Be Careful ...

[rps]

Forgive me a movie reference. An old Harrison Ford movie, Witness, has him hiding out from dirty cops and drug sellers among the Amish in Pennsylvania. At the end, the father figure Amish tells him "Be careful out among them English ..."

I went out today and stayed out until noon. I was nearly swamped by a wake boat, nearly run over by a poontoon pulling a child on a tube, and nearly turned to leather by the sun. Other things I learned:

1. The top water bite is non existent.

2. The Beaver generation causes the water above Beaver town to be much cooler than below Beaver town.

3. The walleye bite is slow but you can pick up one or two if you work at it.

I scored one keeper at 24 feet in the brush on a trolled crank bait. Surface temp was 85.

[Jerry Rapp]

they all have the same right as you to be on the lake. Sorry, RPS, you post good stuff, but the floaters are griping about the same thing on another forum. Everything public is public.

[Bill Babler]

Jerry, I do not agree with you. Yes everyone has a right to be there, But! you are still responsible for your boat wakes. If you cause another boat to either swamp or capsize due to the size or proxsimity of your wakes, you can and will be cited. You are also responsible for any damage that your wakes cause such as dock damage.

Got a feeling there is just about to be a new set of rules and some new marshals in town, due to these wake boats. Rumor has it there is just about to be something done.

Something is just about to happen on this and we will see. Any boat taking on balast that is causing excess wakes,might just be completly put out of business in Missouri.

[edwin]

Not that I'm the expert here, but I'll add this - I've had plenty of experiences where folks have shown extremely poor judgement in the way they operate their boat. This applies to both the pleasure boater dragging a tuber while not watching where they go...but also to the T angler cutting off others while running at WOT, rude behavior when not running, etc. In the end, there is one major difference - the wally pleasure boater doesn't know any better or even realize what they're doing.

I'd welcome the new rules to enforce keeping everyone responsible for their own wake.

[Feathers and Fins]

Sorry Jerry but I to have to disagree with you, IT IS ALL OUR WATERS! People need to learn respect from the Tourny fishermen to the Pleasure boaters, so that being said we do have a right to gripe and I will welcom new laws and STRICT enforcement. I have been swamped 3 times this year and dam near ran over several tubers and skiers when their pilot cut in front of me. I slow down every time I come up on them but how are you to pass legally when they are cutting that legal option off?

[Jeff Olson]

I totally agree guys! something needs to change. new rules and good public awareness of them! I just dont get it how someone may not even be aware of what they are doing,most of it is just having good COMMON COURTESY !!!

[fishinwrench]

Do y'all ever pull into a restaurant parking lot and say " it's too crowded let's grab a pizza and go home"?

Or ya ever look out across the water and say "screw it, it's just too crowded to go fishing here today"?

Or do you choose to launch anyway, adding one more boat to the crowd .... and then bitch about how the crowd spoiled your day?

Everyone hates crowds but few hate them enough to leave one.

[skeeter]

VERY nice to see respectful differences of opinion politely expressed here.

We have a very nice new neighbor who recently bought a used 25 foot deep-V bow-rider as their first boat. Not sure that was a wise choice for a new boater but, unfortunately, we had to tow them and their family into the Marina on the Fourth due to their boat breaking down.

My point is even though this Gentleman is completely new to boating and was in a sizeable boat, HE was bitterly complaining about the actions of other rude, uncaring boaters and their wakes and far too-close operation and was anxious to get his family, including several Grandchildren, safely off the Lake !

Bill: Guess I'm out of touch with wake-boat technology but thanks for the "heads-up" that these things actually take on ballast to sit deeper in the water and that's how they throw those ridiculous sized wakes that come over my bow and especially up and over the old Skeeter's transom. Hope your inside info. is correct about some kind of pending action regarding these boats and their operation. Found out that the local camp is operating 5 or 6 of them mainly back in Little Indian and many residents are up in arms over the damages to their docks and lifts. One guy had pictures of them posted on a flyer late last Summer in the Baxter marina office and was calling for action.

[riverfish]

i would say that "pleasure boaters" on the lake that doesnt "know" any better is total bs my personal observations see that those are people from out of town, and most likely out of state and they just don't care the way they see it this is "their lake" and they can do whatever they want i say that because i am very local living in eagle rock and spending lots of time around shell knob because of my grand mother i see it at work on the highways at the grocery store its every where you look this time of year they come down here with there money and untouchable attitudes and just flat out don't care about anybody else. heck if you stop ant any store you can see them go to the beer cooler get some refreshments and then go get in their boats and have a blast.i do agree alot of the money they bring to the area is helpful and needed but im affraid that one pro is not worth the other con for me. there not all bd apples i guess. just the ones we all like to gripe about i mean after all you will never hear a fisherman say how nice and curtious the ONE guy,or family in that 30 ft blue cobalt was to fish near on the lake today. i guess what im trying to say is that some things you just learn to live with

[Feathers and Fins]

Do y'all ever pull into a restaurant parking lot and say " it's too crowded let's grab a pizza and go home"?

Yes

Or ya ever look out across the water and say "screw it, it's just too crowded to go fishing here today"?

Yes

Or do you choose to launch anyway, adding one more boat to the crowd .... and then bitch about how the crowd spoiled your day?

No

Everyone hates crowds but few hate them enough to leave one.

I have

Wrench I try to fish in the early morning or later afternoon evening but it seems more and more the knuckleheads are launching earlier and staying later. I try to fish areas away from the crowds and people doing the stupidity in their boats but have found its getting to be wourse each time out, or more to the point dangerous. I do not begrudge anyone to be on the water and enjoy a day. My problem is people who by their actions are making it dangerous on the waters.

We do have laws and rules for safety but when people get on the water just like is being discussed in other threads, people seem to loose their fricken minds and think its a free for all to do as they wish.