Fishing ethic

[Bassmaster21]

I have never had any problems at a boat ramp ever UNTIL... the other evening at Master's boat ramp me and my friends were trying to launch our bass boat and their pontoon at the same time another boat was trying to load up. The ramp has 4 slots so no problem right? Except for that a family of about 6 was swimming around and jumping off of the dock. And were parked in the middle of the ramp with their two seadoos trailered already. As we finally got backed down the boat trying to load told us that they were buzzing their seadoos through the no wake zone by the ramp and right next to people fishing the cove. Some people really do have to try to ruin it for everyone else.

[sandbc]

Well, back in the old days, one would launch his 1978 Ranger Aztec 1750 at a public ramp, without a soul around. He would gracefully glide across the smooth as silk water to his favorite shoreline, not encountering a single boat along the way. He would fish that 100 yard stretch for 4 hours, catching lots of big fish, putting them all in the livewell to feed his growing family. He would then, just as gracefully, make his way back to the ramp, trailer his boat with a smile on his face, and head to the house with dinner in the boat, without ever so much as 1 single rude pleasure boater,mor fisherman cutting in front of him, or backing down the ramp, cutting him off.

As far as the NOW, well i doubt its anything like the BEFORE.

I think I had that dream the other night

[Hammer time]

Reading all this negativity makes me wanna just stop posting and enjoying nature and all its beauty as I have always done before I joined this!

[Chief Grey Bear]

Wow. I get called out for expressing my opinion . Yeh, maybe I miss spoke and for that I am sorry. But another thread comes up bashing me for my opinion. Really ? Your opinions are ok. Mine aren't.

Welcome to my world Dennis. But I will never apologize for having my own opinion. NO body should.

When most people have a difference of opinion, they usually have a respectful discussion. Not here. It is an immediate dog pile by some. And I predict another one right here.

[cheesemaster]

One of my favorite lines. "Opinions are like azzholes. Everybody's got one and everyone thinks everyone else's stinks." Haha, lol!!!

[Aggressor1988long]

Yes topic went sideways, was not/ meaning it to come to this.

[hunting guide]

Why all the childish talk .. nothing good to say dont say it

[conorsixtakc]

Yes topic went sideways, was not/ meaning it to come to this.

Did you have any specific direction in mind before you started this thread?

Don't get me wrong, the drama you guys stir up is must see TV but how about more fishing results and less BS...

[ness]

I wandered in here because when a thread rolls over to 2 pages it's like lights and sirens to me.

I happen to know denjac very well and can assure you that he meant no malice in posting his opinion. He simply stated his view on conservation and made a point to include that the guy had a right to do as he wanted with the fish.

While I'm at it, my opinion is that this "anything goes as long as it's legal" attitude is a threat to the blessings we all enjoy as residents of the Ozarks. Keeping a mess of fish to eat occasionally is one thing. Keeping the 8-pounder is not a sin, although some of us would like to have seen it swim away. But a general attitude of "by gosh it's legal so it's OK" doesn't show the kind of responsibility we need to uphold as sportsmen and stewards of the resources that we all enjoy.

Very good point, Champ. When you blindly let 'what's legal' guide you, it's too easy to lose track of what's good or smart or best in the bigger picture.

I don't like to get into the 'ethical' thing, because that implies working within some set of rules that aren't written down anywhere; you're setting yourself up for a pissin' match about what's ethical and what's not. It doesn't make for epic threads on OAF, but I personally think about 'morals' in these cases: what is right and wrong; the underlying principals that guide you in life.

I've always looked at the law as the floor; the minimum. Beyond that it's morals. 'Don't mess stuff up for other people' is a pretty good, general-purpose moral that everybody should live by.

I believe it was Pinocchio that said, "Let your conscience be your guide."

[straw hat]

Switching this conversation a little. This reminds me of when I was growing up. Any school I went to you had to take a civics class. Every year, every year, .... In this class you learned how to care for a flag, citizenship and social norms. This included walking on the right side of an aisle or sidewalk, taking your hat off when talking to a lady, always calling your elders Mr or Mrs (that included a 30 year old talking to a 60 year old), taking your hat off inside a building, etc. You never went to visit someone without bringing some food along. Now if I try to walk down the right side of an aisle in Battlefield Mall you will get run over. Ahhh, the good ole days!! How society changes.