Boat Ramp Courtesy

[RiverRunner]

I had a situation this weekend on the White River at the Wildcat Shoals boat launch that makes me wonder if the AGFC needs to put up signs explaining what not to do on the boat ramp. I was idling down river about dark on Sunday evening, it was beginning to rain and I wanted to get my boat on the trailer so I could get on the road home. There was one other boat on the river, a guide boat. When we pulled up to the launch, the guide had someone there with a truck and trailer already on the ramp and in the water. I let my partner off on the bank so that he could back my trailer down to take me out. The guide boat, instead of loading on the trailer, pulled onto the bank, let out passengers, and then proceeded to clean fish, all the while his associate is sitting in his truck and blocking both lanes of a two-lane ramp. I idled around for 15 minutes in the river waiting for him to take out and move out of the way. Not wanting a nasty confrontation, I had my partner back the trailer down next to the ramp so I could take out. I guess he got the message then, and he moved so that we could put all of the truck wheels on pavement and take the boat out. After we put my boat on the trailer, he backed it back down and loaded his boat. He then parked on the ramp for about 20 minutes and loaded his gear. There was one other trailer in the parking lot, so I'm glad they didn't choose to take out at that time. I see this kind of thing all the time and I am sick of it. If this had been someone who didn't know what he was doing or didn't get on the water all the time, I could understand. But this guy is a guide and I would think that he would no better. If everyone would remember a few basic rules, boat ramp problems would be minimized.

GET YOUR BOAT & GEAR READY IN THE PARKING LOT, NOT ON THE BOAT RAMP!

LOAD & UNLOAD YOUR BOAT AS FAST AS POSSIBLE, IF YOU ARE BY YOURSELF, DON'T HESITIATE TO ASK FOR HELP!

IF YOU ARE NEW TO BACKING A TRAILER, PRACTICE IN AN OPEN PARKING LOT BEFORE HEADING TO THE WATER!

IF THE RAMP HAS MORE THAN ONE LANE, DO NOT BLOCK BOTH LANES.

Enough of my rant. I'm sure that some of you folks who use Table Rock in the summer have some good boat ramp horror stories

[Rusty]

Look at the bright side...fortunatly, only about 15% of the people are "it's all about me", the other 85% are basically good people. I know that doesn't solve the problem, but just think if those numbers were reversed. Common sense is something you are born with, some people have it, some don't.

[Kicknbass]

I echo your comments, RR. Public access can be frustrating. I use a couple of access points that don't have boat ramps per-se, and it is frustrating when boaters or non boaters park their cars or swim at the river access.

[jay bird]

Boat ramps on the lake are always fun. I try to be as helpful as I can. There has been numerous times on a busy day when some one is struggling backing the trailer that I offer to do it for them. This has happened at least ten times that I can remember and I have never been turned down. Usally the person is so relived to be out of the stress of trying to back a trailer with a ton of other people waiting they are very grateful. I also try to give a quick lesson on backing in a very non-consending way.

P.S If your wife/fishing buddy is going to be backing your trailer practice this time of year until they are really comfortable. Trust me this will just save a ton of headaches down the road. Nothing will end a great day on water faster than a very frustating time on the boat ramp.

[Flysmallie]

Boat ramps are one of my favorite places, maybe that's one of the reasons I like to wade so much now. There seem to be a lot of people that think it's all about them, but there are a lot that just don't know any better. Fishing, all kinds, has become very popular. And it seems that there are a lot of people out there that don't know a thing about etiquette. They just bought them a big ol fancy boat and have no idea how to drive it, much less get it in or out of the water. I myself have never been afraid to ask someone to move. I guess sometimes they assume that you just want to float around out there in the rain. A guide should know better.

Once while fishing the Tournament of Champions on Table Rock I helped a lady that was really stuggling back a trailer down, after I got out of the truck another lady asked me to back down another truck. I backed down 7 trailers in a row and actually had to pull one boat on a trailer. All the while having the guys I was with sit there and heckle me. I've seen some strange things at the boat ramp but I will remember that day forever.

I'm just glad that I don't need a boat ramp to enjoy myself fishing any more.

[LostMyWife]

Where were you when I sunk my bass boat and had to get it out of the water, full of water.

Yep, I left out the plug. Got on the lake, filled with water, killed my elctrical system, (no pumps), and of course I had no hand pumps. By the time I got the plug in I was totally screwed. This was my second time out and my first with my wife in the boat.

I get the plug in, bail with a zip lock bag until I was high enough in the water to move it with the trolling motor.

I am sure you are asking what this has to do with a boat ramp? Well, our ramp is also right next to the Marina Bar. It happened to be filled with people I knew, (you see I did not say friends of mine) . They all had a great laugh at my expense, but no one offered to help.

My boat was still full of water when I got it to the ramp. It took me forever to get that overweight boat onto the trailer and haul it out of the water. The probem was that I could not stay with the boat and move he trailer. What a nightmare. It drained for hours.

It is funney now, but that day the humor escaped me. Every boater I know said that they had left out the plug at least once. It seems to be a right of passage for boaters.

Since then my son and I have practiced getting the boat in and out of the water a lot.

LMW

[Kicknbass]

Never left the plug out, but I have forgotton to unstrap the boat from the trailer.

I kept backing in watching the boat in my mirror, and it wouldn' come off the trailer. I had backed in almost to my running boards before I realize the problem that the straps were still attached and the boat was floating the trailer. Before I pulled it out, the boat and trailer drifted off of the ramp, and I nearly got the whole rig stuck.

Like you said LMW. It's funny know, but not so then.

[LostMyWife]

Ok, I do have one more story.

When Robbie and I first got together, our first major purchase was a ski boat. We went to TRL for our honeymoon.

But that is not the story. We were skiing at Gillispie Lake in central IL. I had Robbie back the trailer in when we took the boat out. She is actually pretty good at it most of the time. For some reason she backed the trailer in way too deep and it fell off the end of the ramp in the lake.

At the time we had a Chevy Blazer. She dropped that sucker into "Granny Low" and pulled the trailer right back out. Unfortubately, one of the wheels decided to stay in the lake a little longer than the other. She bent the axle so bad we could not get the boat out or the trailer home. That was the first time I removed an axle from a trailer. We had to leave the trailer body and the boat at the lake until we could get the axle "trued up".

BTW, there is no such thing as a straightened axle. It was never the same again.

I guess I strayed off topic a bit, sorry.

LMW

[Ham]

Hey River Runner. Send that guide down to south Louisiana. If he pulled that crap down there, he'd be educated very quickly. I would imagine that a fist fight or worse would be included free of charge in his education.

Everything you posted should be the common sense "rules" of a boat ramp.

Maybe a quick, "Hey Buddy can we use the ramp now" said after 1-2 minutes of waiting and BEFORE you got angry would have done the trick. Easier for me to say that than to be there and do it I know.

What guide service was this? A few calls to the guide service complaining about the operator of that boat/vehicle might make a difference.

If the guide doesn't know basic boat ramp behavior, I doubt he'd be a good choice for on the water stuff either.

[Gary Lange]

Some people believe themselves to be more important then they really are. This Guide is one who appears to think this way. I have met a few guides in my lifetime and most have been very good people. However, ignorant people are around in ever walk of life and every profession. The best think is to have an oversized boat partner to talk to these people.