Those damn recreational boaters.

Burke · Post by **Burke** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 8:46 pm

Was fishing Potato Slough today and happened to cruise through one of those areas where a dozen or so recreational boats were anchored. We slowed down to about 15 mph but an s#*&%* in one of the boats starts to yell at us to slow down more. We finally gave up fishing after constantly being hit with 2-3 ft waves every couple of minutes that were generated by other rec boaters that were cruising through the slough at top speed.

As we entering the marina where my buddy's boat is kept, we almost got runned over by a rec cruiser that turned a blind corner too fast so we had to speed up to 10 mph to avoid a collision. A female rec boater sitting in her boat drinking her beer yells at us to slow down -- she see a 18 ft bass boat "speeding" but does not see the "speeding" 30 ft cruiser.

Can't wait for the first cold spell...............

BIG DADDY BLUE RANGER · Thu Jul 05, 2007 9:30 pm

Oh I feel your pain.. I can't tell you how many times I've had some Yahoo with a Lotto ticket in one hand and a turkey pot pie in the other yell at me that I throwing a wake in a five mile an hour zone. Only to look down at my GPS which a reading like 4.2. Now admittedly I only have a BA degree but even with my limitted physics knowledge, I know anything moving through water is going to have some displacement... But C'mon,, my little flat bottom 19 footer moves a heck of a lot less water than any wake boat I've ever seen at the same speed. I can only assume cooking meth for a living makes one hyper-sensitive to small wakes from bass boats. I usually bite my tongue and continue about my business.

MN · Post by MN » Fri Jul 06, 2007 9:36 am

Yea I gave up year's ago even attempting to go out after Memorial day on most lake's.It just wasnt worth the hassle.That's why I spend so much time in the summer over at San Luis that lake get's hardly any recreational traffic at all.

Not the best Largemouth lake but they are in there.And there's this other pesky fish I catch all the time.

skolnuts · Post by **skolnuts** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 9:55 am

yup.......... i have small aluminum bass tracker thats pretty lite and slow so i try real hard to stay away from those wake boarding douce bags... they tear me and the boat up just yesterday we were on a good jig bite in a small, quiet, wooded slough, this slough has no wake zones on each side and is pretty slim
well all of sudden some old man and his grand kids wakeboard in an sure enough the kid falls and they have to turn around , this kid wiped out five times destroying our water
we were so pissed we showed the kids and the old man the #1 sign
the borders always speed by and disrupt your water and then wave at you, they seem to think i want to wave at the a$$hole that almost over turned my boat

Joe W. · Post by **Joe W.** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 10:29 am

The wakeboarders are saying the same kind of things about the bass guys. Nobody owns the water, that's a fact. I've seen idiots on bass boats and idiots on wake boats. I do both so I try not to get pissed at either side because I know how it is to be on both sides.

g-man · Post by **g-man** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 11:06 am

This is so true Joe. The last two times I had a close call with another boat, it was a bass boat. Its not just rec. boats, but bass guys too.

jack morris · Post by **jack morris** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 11:29 am

Do I feel your pain,yes, but some ,ok a few bass guys do the same if not worse. I had a bass boat cut my lines while fishing for catfish with my grand kids. Didn't miss us by more then 10 feet. Mad ,yes I was but more concerned about the danger to the kids. Its not the type of boat or recreation, its the fools running the boats. Jack

mac (Doyle McEwen) · Post by **mac (Doyle McEwen)** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 12:09 pm

Jack, truer words have never been spoken..

mac

Brigham · Post by **Brigham** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 4:24 pm

There are tons of idiots of the water. Especially because people seem to be lost when there is no freakin yellow and white lines. Honestly it can be scary on a freeway with no lanes. Damn jetskiers need to quit overestimating the slow speeds.

basstamer · Post by **basstamer** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 6:43 pm

that is one of the funniest things i have ever heard! " A lottery ticket in one hand and a turkey pot pie in the other"....thats funny right there now-I don't care who u r! Tight Lines boys-soon they'll be in hibernation again!
Scott

Pil9rotten · Post by **Pil9rotten** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 8:54 am

You all have valid points.
This is exactly why boat operators should be required to show basic knowledge of the rules of the road AND exhibit proficiency in the form of a driver's test and licensing. We have way too many boaters on the water with no skill, no experience and no common sense. Even the most elementary rules such as staying to the right hand side of a channel seem to be a challenge to some. I spent 27 years in the Coast Guard and have seen the disastrous results time after time. Usually booze is involved but many times simple ignorance of the basic rules of the road is what gets people killed. I will probably get flamed for suggesting licensing but thatâ€™s the only way I can see civility and safety return to our over crowded waterways.

FISH2WIN55 · Post by **FISH2WIN55** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 8:00 pm

The big difference is wakeboard boats take water into a bladder in the back of the boat. They do this so they can throw a huge wake, a big enough wake that can be dangerous if you are crusing across the lake. I live on Clear lake and have been fishing and had a wake board boat throw a wake over the front of my 520, that is ridiculous.

Dewayne · Post by **Dewayne** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 7:43 am

If you slowed to 15 MPH you had to be throwing a huge wake. I cannot say I blame them for complaining. Would you complain if someone slowed to the point they were throwing the largest wake possible when passing you? If you are going to slow then slow to below 5 MPH.

Remember that if you are within 200 feet of an anchored boat you are in a no-wake zone. It's the law.