Really bad incident on the Ramp today

[Mitch f]

Don't know which side is worse, both sides can be pretty annoying. The "Lets just kick back and watch these rich city f'ers try to launch their boat"....or the "get out of my way, you hillbillies" crowd. The guy was going to take his family out for the 4th, which is s good thing. As far as his comments to his wife, he was obviously frustrated and wanted to load as quick as possible, especially after the Champion dork started opening his mouth. It is the summer and these type of things are going to happen. I might add that these lakes are recreational as well as fishing lakes! Everyone gets to use it. Give the guy a break.

[Old plug]

It is also a reflection of what our society has become.

[Flysmallie]

As you all remember from last week, I did offer assistance there, but this situation regardless of the price of the rig was totally out of hand. Human Safety was at issue last week, not today, only foul tempers. You could tell this guy usually got his way and was going to own the ramp regardless. I heard his wife ask him 3 times to let others launch. He told her to "Be Quiet. and do what I tell you."

That is when the Champion guy starting making noise, and he was far from the only one. I had sneaked out on the edge of the ramp using one tire on concrete and one on gravel. I was out of the way, but would not recommend that for others. As been stated I do it everyday.

Another point has been made here. I would not have jumped in that truck nor that boat to try and launch it. Just flat to valuable, one mistake and I'm in big trouble, and to tell you the truth, I know nothing about that type of rig, I would have been as green as he was with an outfit that size.

I had no problem jumping in a 5 year old F150 and backing it in last week to pull out a 10 year old boat that the owner was swearing I was going to tear up by doing it the way I was. Figured I could pay for that if I screwed it up. Could not have paid for gas for the rig yesterday.

Did not see any shooting deaths in the area yesterday, so I guess it sorted its self out.

Good Luck

I didn't want you to take that the wrong way Bill. I wasn't calling you out, I remember what you did last week and I'm sure you do that a lot with as much time on the water as you spend. But the loud mouth was out of line. Offer some assistance. If they don't want it fine.

[Flysmallie]

i repeat the same that i posted on another thread. do you really think this person can drive that boat with the skill needed on a lake as busy as table rock is anymore?? do you think they have a clue where to safely drive the boat?? the answer to both questions is NO!!!!!

So if you can't back a trailer you automatically can't drive a boat? That's an ignorant assumption. You know how many people can't parallel park? I work downtown and get to witness it daily, there aren't very many. So I guess none of those people should be driving a car.

[Bill Babler]

Plug you pretty much nailed it. It is now-a-days, all about me. The rest of you including my wife can take a flying leap at a rolling tire. I don't care how long it takes me or how long you have to wait, I got here first and I'll do what I please.

This ramp launches 3 boats at a time, and he had the entire 3 lanes blocked. Would have taken him but a few minutes of his time to pull completely out and perhaps watch a little bit. If he would have asked anyone in a polite manner, including his wife for help, as you all know if any of you know me, I would have been the first one to assist.

This was not the case.

Know it all and belligerent was.

Denny that pretty much would not work for either you or I.

That pretty much covers it, lets go fishing.

[Flysmallie]

That pretty much covers it, lets go fishing.

Or wakeboarding if that's what you want to do.

[mjk86]

I could totally understand the difficulty of launching a boat that size and a rig that pricey....id be frustrated and angry and everything that guy was and then some. My question is......if you spend all that crazy money on a huge boat like that, then get super frustrated and angry every time you use it is it worth it? I mean, I could spend 100000$ on a trip the the DMV if I wanted too, but most people would think i was nuts right? Having a cheap boat means your less nervous about using it, and a small boat is quite a bit easier to launch....I only need 8 feet, and have launched from gravel, mud, flooded steps, bushes, and yes have also squeezed up on the curb (trim the motor up in case your tire falls off the other side...). This all severely decreases the amount of stress involved in boating/fishing.

My cousin has a "who knows how much it costs" bass cat with a 200hp merc and power poles and all the nonsense. He doesnt allow any live bait in his boat, he wipes off his shoes before entering the boat, and is very very careful not to hit the hull of his boat with a crank bait. Then after taking his boat out gives it a nice shiny wipe down and polish. Im too scared to fish outta his boat for fear of scratching it, thats not fun to me.

[Riverwhy]

I actually find most folks to be pretty good guys when you take a minute to get to know them. I absolutely detest wake boats and wish they did not exist but the guys that own these are just looking for a good time. Same as me in my 17 foot bass tracker.

As I was reading the thread I reflected a bit on how I use to view other boaters. My buddy and I started referring to the guides and tournament anglers as "the Gore-Tex boys". We knew that by and large we could count on the Gore-Tex boys to make constant wakes as they zoom from one pre-fished spot to another. We also knew that they must be a friendly bunch because they always seemed to enjoy pulling in next to my little boat to fish.

So now we have the wake boaters arriving on the scene. There is a bit of karma for the Gore-Tex boys.

While I will use my limited abilities to help a guy at the ramp, I think Bill made the correct decision in this case.

[snagged in outlet 3]

Nice!!

I'm coming down for the week Saturday.

After reading this I'm leaving my 8' pond prowler at home.

Pete

[ryan27]

I grew up fishing on this lake with my grandpa 30+ years ago and he taught me everything I know about fishing and how to be a gentlemen helping others whenever you can. He has since passed away and needless to say the lake he lived on and loves for 30+ years has changed less fisherman and more wake/ski boaters.

I can say with my time on the water the attitudes of the wake boaters is it's all about them you use to be able to fish on holiday weekends and the only noise would be from passing boat engines which I grew to like. I swear every wake boat with a sound bar comes with the stereo set on full blast concert mode. No one wants to hear your poor taste in music but everyone within a 2 mile radius has no choice.

When I was a dumb teenager we would listen to music but we where respectful to others and that meant not running someone else's time on the lake by blaring our music so loud that others couldn't have a conversation. Selflessness has been replaced by selfishness and I hate that for my kids because the lake I grew up on and loved has changed along with the since of community that used to exist.