Friendly warning for the beginner..

Went fishing today, this morning at around 6am in a 4-5 acre man-man lake. Was having a good time, my casting was off for some reason, might be because of my little leader and my 7wt line. But anyways.....


I'm about 50-60' out from shore in chest high water and this boater is out on the water racing around. He's plenty far away from me. So I continue to cast, and cast, and cast. Then he got a little closer to me, the wavie water was making me bob a little. So he goes around and again and I had my line a good ways out, bout 40 feet, maybe a bit more. So he gets a bit further away from me. But!!! Just close enough that my line caught onto a rope (maybe for skiing?) dragging on the side of his boat....So, my reel goes zinging like mad, and I had no idea what to do. I didn't want to try and "grab+tug" for 2 reasons, my hand burning and my rod breaking, so I quickly grab my pliars and I cut the line. Which broke an eye because it yanked the pliars up past the eye because it didn't cut fast enough.

At this time, I was angry, really angry. Because he had tons of room, he didn't need to be that close to me. And angry at myself because I didn't need to be that far out.

As I was walking home a truck pulled up, a man got out. "Was that you?" this man asks. I said "You the guy in the boat that killed my reel?" He explained to me he was very sorry and that he did not see me in the water. So we talked a bit and I accepted his apology and I left.

So my drag was toast after this morning. And I have to order new line, reel etc. No more FF till the end of Auguest.

So the point of this is......Keep an eye on those boats and your line. You may want to strip in lots of line before it's too late.

Learn from my mistake.
Shane

Edit: Was talking to a friend a little while ago, and we had a debate on how big the lake was. He told me an acre is about the size of a football field. So, this lake, probably around 20 acres...But, whatever the size of the lake, be cautious about the boats!

I hate when people do that. Either while I an wading or when in the boat. There are a lot of boaters put there that are totaly clueless. This guy was at oddds with the Ontario's boating regulations you know:

Quote:

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The offence of ?Careless Operation of a Vessel?, has been added to the Small Vessel Regulations. An operator who is doing any of the following could be charged:

traveling in a way that could adversely affect the safety of people or property considering the weather, boat traffic, hazards or potential hazards, or the number of people around the boat
operating a vessel in a careless manner, without consideration for other people or for the factors listed immediately above.

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Above is the quote from official rulebook. In other words this guy should at least offer you to make ggod on the property he damaged since it was his responsibilty to operate the boat in a safe manner.

Here in PA the minimum distance is 100 ft and authorities do not play around. Carry a cell phone with the numbers to the local law enforcement programmed into speed dial. When something like this occurs just make the call. If you can take a picture of the boat with the registration number it is even better.

You might also want to attach a boating whistle to your vest. In situation like this it coud come in handy.

I feel your pain .While im new to fly fishing I use to have a big problem with jet skis. The cure is to show them just how far you can cast a 4 oz lead sinker ...they get the idea quick :lol: !!!!!

I just remebered something. I read this story about the angler that was constantly harrased by waterfleas (jetski). One day when two of them were buzzing his fishing boat he stood up with shotgun in hands. Now he did not pointed it at anyone nor did he meake any threats, he just stood there holding the 10 gage but it was enough. Two jetskiers were straight to the park office and reported him. When rangers arrived and heard the whole story they wrote pretty stiff tickets to the complainers and kicked them out of the lake.

BTW. The gun was not loaded and there was no ammunition either in the boat or the guys truck. Now i don't know all of the laws everywhere and not reccomend that you do that but it is the funny story anyway.
Sometimes people get what they deserve.

Mickie,

That's a cute story, but I always thought that if you showed a gun in public you should be ready to use it. Its not a toy and he is lucky that the boaters did not respond by pulling out their own pieces and firing away.

jed

Oh don't get me wrong. I will not tell anyone what to to do or not. However in most places it is legal to have a weapon while fishing or hunting... With that said: most of the buzzers are bunch of cowards that tuck their tail and run when confronted. The guys that carry loaded weapons are not likely to be buzzing people although you are correct when it comes to one thing: one must be ready for consequences of his actions.

I wish I could find a picture of that ad for Scott Rods
The one advertising Unmatched Lifting Power
:lol:

On the otherhand imagine HIS side of the story.
"Man I was out boating and this guy was out like 60 feet from shore...............FISHING. YOu ever seen someone out that far wade-fishing......well I haven't. And this dufous casts out at our boat and snags the ski rope behind the boat. Can you imagine someone casting THAT CLOSE to a boat?"


Two sides to every story. Plenty of blame to go to both parties in this one.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dudley

I wish I could find a picture of that ad for Scott Rods
The one advertising Unmatched Lifting Power
:lol:

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:lol: :lol: :lol:

remember too, if your chest high out in the water and someones in a boat, you may just blend into the shoreline!!!! Had that happen to me. They didn't see me until very, very close.

I wade fish nearly exclusively but I'm going to have to side with Big Bad Wulff on this one. The guy did say he din't see the fly fisher. If I feel I'm in any kind of danger regarding someone operating watercraft nearby, I step back. Who can say who has more rights in a lake, boater or wade fisherman.

They get fees from all of us to be there but I've always thought it unfair that ppl don't have to be licensed to operate high speed boats and such where ppl are doing things other than boating and that are required to have licenses, often expensive, to even be in a position to fly fish. Friendly 0 2.

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

Well, I don't know how he couldn't have seen me, buy he really did sound sincere. I was out quite a bit though, and if that lake doesn't see much wading, who knows.

I got some new gear, well used, but new to me. Will work fine till I buy some new stuff. My sister in-laws' father had some spare gear collecting dust in his basement. So I'll be back out practicing............Just not so far out:)

Take care everyone,
Shane

I go fishing from the motor boat a lot more than wading. From the local regulations I can tell you that under any circumstances it is the responsibility of a boat operator to avoid any unsafe situation in other words it is the operators job to see any obstacles be that a floating log someone swimming or fishing. If this guy did not see a one third of the man sticking out of the water than he would not be able to see someone swimming or a floating object and that is considered unsafe boat operation. In lot of places around here authorities would even consider this operating in the carless or reckless manner and at that point it could become a criminal matter. Now I do not deny that everyone has a right to go on the water and enjoy but hou can have plenty of fun with a boat without putting anyone in danger. "I did not see him" is not an excuse it is addmission of guilt. Before you ask - yes I went thrugh the boating safety course even though according to PFBC I did not had to (old enough to fall under grandfather clause) and I do have a plastic card to prove it. I see dumb people doing insane things on the water and it just rubs the wrong way. Form reading accident reports there are a lot of accidents beacuse people think that to be a boater all you need is a boat and there is no need for them to actually learn anything.

Sample: Two months ago launching from one the marinas in Raritan Bay. Guy comes up to as and asks for help. He has no clue how to put the boat in the water... Brand spanking new boat, him and his son of about 12. No rope, no idea how to turn his truck to make the triler swing the right way etc. About the only thing he did righ was putting a PFD on his kid. We have helped him as much as we could and gave him bunch of pointers including "go to the boating class" but at that point he just gave us a strage look... What are the chances that he knows the rules of the road?


Sorry . I do not mean that any of you does not know regulations or what to do. I'm just blabering...

worst i ever was there was three of us in fishing boat a few years back.
and these guys were kicked out of the camp ground. past that on either ends was two lakes still in the park, at one lake we were at just behind the camp wardens office who they pulled off duty, these guys were trying to cast and catch fisher folks they were throwing there hook into boats, then when we left
that night they had that road blocked from folks leaving.


i think if u in a tube the boat should see u there would be a way for boat
to feel a hook in a rope unless he heard the tuber or saw someting.
why would he wait til after? why would he not come over in boat?
if you said reel drag was broken to him he should of given u his ph#
and after u had new reel he should of paid for it, i think he the boat driver was up to someting.

This has been an issue that SPAWN has been trying to bring to the fore front here on the Humber River for quite some time. Salmon fisherman and recreational boaters have been coming into increasing conflict since a high-end resort has sprung up on the banks of "The Mighty Humber." The fishermen are getting buzzed by boaters who are operating at unsafe speeds in unsafe manners and have caused very near swampings of canoes and small fishing craft, as well as drastically affecting the wading anglers. They also have been know to run over fly lines and basically shag-up a morning's fishing. In retaliation some anglers have taken to casting very large deer hair bugs AT the pleasure craft operators...which can cause some very serious damage to the boater. Either way, it's a very bad situation that we have been attempting to facilitate a solution to.
Basically, we have been trying to educate both parties on how the actions of each group affects the other group in question. The dangers are highlighted and the possible results are laid out in black and white by the Coast Guard at information sessions. I'm happy to say that I have had boaters move to the complete opposite side of the river, and slow down to a snail's pace while I am fishing in knee-deep water and have never, personally, been "buzzed" by a pleasure craft operator. My hope is that this is a signal that the message is getting through.

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Originally Posted by MikieFinn

Oh don't get me wrong. I will not tell anyone what to to do or not. However in most places it is legal to have a weapon while fishing or hunting... With that said: most of the buzzers are bunch of cowards that tuck their tail and run when confronted. The guys that carry loaded weapons are not likely to be buzzing people although you are correct when it comes to one thing: one must be ready for consequences of his actions.

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Sorry but I have to say it:

How can you hunt without a weapon?

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Originally Posted by Flyrodde

Sorry but I have to say it:

How can you hunt without a weapon?

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Snipe hunting perhaps? :lol: :lol:

The reason while it's leagal: I have no clue.

It just is . maybe it's a tradition?

Or maybe it's just good idea for self defence purposes to bring a shotgon while U fish. Maybe to protect yoursef from wildlife?

I was just as surpised when I found out.

A friend of mine told me of a time he was fishing in a lake in Michigan. A fellow in a large cabin cruiser thought it was grand fun to go by him while he was wading and hit him with the wake of the boat. My friend got fed up with it after the second time so he and his fishing buddy went to shore and picked up some rocks from the shoreline. When the boater came by the next time they were ready for him. They threw their rocks and hit him just above the waterline, make some really nasty gashes in the side of the boat. The guy was really POed so off he goes to find a game warden. He brought the game warden back to the scene where the two were still fishing. After hearing both sides the warden wrote the boater four tickets. His reasoning was that if he was close enough to hit by a rock then he was too close. Nothing was done to the fishermen.

Rusty <><

i had a pretty close encounter with a speed boater earlier this year. i was out cruising the shallows in my favorite michigan lake one beatiful summers day. i only had the trolling motor with me because the gas motor was broken. so i was fishing out in the boat and there were some speed boaters going around in their seadoos. they were annoying but i figured that id ignore them because they have just as much right to be here as me. so i was fishing and my trolling motor started to die so i figured that its time to head in. it was still only midday however. so i started heading back. to set the scene a little, the lake is shaped like a giant oval. about forty yards out throughout the entire lake it gradually gets down to about six feet and then there is a drop off down to about 15 feet. i was in about the corner of the oval and where i was staying was right up on shore and in about the middle. so i figured with a dieing battery i should take the shortest way to get there possible so i had to cut into the deep water just a little. i had just crossed the drop off when this speed boater from across the lake started heading straight in my direction. the speed boaters family were in a pontoon boat in the middle of the lake and he apparently decided to show off. so he TURNED AROUND IN THE BOAT, SAT ON THE HANDLE BARS AND TRIED TO STEER WITH HIS "ASTERIX". so he was getting closer and closer and im sitting there with a dieing trolling motor barely putting along. he continued to get closer and closer till he was about 70 feet away from me. at that point i started yelling things at him which i wont type here but basically meant to turn around. at about 50 feet his friends in the boat started shouting at him but he kept going apparently thinking they were cheering him on. at abuot 20 feet he turned around and saw me and barely avoided hitting me, and turning away at about 15 yards. of course it doesnt end there because he was going probably 50-60 mph so then i had to deal with his huge wake that he made while swerving past me. so then i did probably the quickest thinking of my life and right before the 3-4 foot waves hit me i jumped in toward them while pulling the boat so it would lean slightly towards them and wuoldnt flip. well my little plan barely worked as i was now soaked and had about a foot of water in my boat but i managed to avoid capsizing :D unfortunately there are about 4 oval like sections in the lake connected by small channels and he immediately sped away and i never got a good look at him. and by the time i got into my boat again his party boat had left too and i had no idea where they went so there was nothing i could do. however a few days later i got the gas motor fixed and when he was out there again i decided to test out my motor and i managed to make him go swimming aswell. 8) so i guess it wasnt all bad but yeah thats my encounter with speed boaters and i cant exactly blame the man in one of the other stories on here for pulling out a shot gun. ill probably do the same next time

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Originally Posted by DDRRedneck500

i had a pretty close encounter with a speed boater earlier this year. i was out cruising the shallows in my favorite michigan lake one beatiful summers day. i only had the trolling motor with me because the gas motor was broken. so i was fishing out in the boat and there were some speed boaters going around in their seadoos. they were annoying but i figured that id ignore them because they have just as much right to be here as me. so i was fishing and my trolling motor started to die so i figured that its time to head in. it was still only midday however. so i started heading back. to set the scene a little, the lake is shaped like a giant oval. about forty yards out throughout the entire lake it gradually gets down to about six feet and then there is a drop off down to about 15 feet. i was in about the corner of the oval and where i was staying was right up on shore and in about the middle. so i figured with a dieing battery i should take the shortest way to get there possible so i had to cut into the deep water just a little. i had just crossed the drop off when this speed boater from across the lake started heading straight in my direction. the speed boaters family were in a pontoon boat in the middle of the lake and he apparently decided to show off. so he TURNED AROUND IN THE BOAT, SAT ON THE HANDLE BARS AND TRIED TO STEER WITH HIS "ASTERIX". so he was getting closer and closer and im sitting there with a dieing trolling motor barely putting along. he continued to get closer and closer till he was about 70 feet away from me. at that point i started yelling things at him which i wont type here but basically meant to turn around. at about 50 feet his friends in the boat started shouting at him but he kept going apparently thinking they were cheering him on. at abuot 20 feet he turned around and saw me and barely avoided hitting me, and turning away at about 15 yards. of course it doesnt end there because he was going probably 50-60 mph so then i had to deal with his huge wake that he made while swerving past me. so then i did probably the quickest thinking of my life and right before the 3-4 foot waves hit me i jumped in toward them while pulling the boat so it would lean slightly towards them and wuoldnt flip. well my little plan barely worked as i was now soaked and had about a foot of water in my boat but i managed to avoid capsizing :D unfortunately there are about 4 oval like sections in the lake connected by small channels and he immediately sped away and i never got a good look at him. and by the time i got into my boat again his party boat had left too and i had no idea where they went so there was nothing i could do. however a few days later i got the gas motor fixed and when he was out there again i decided to test out my motor and i managed to make him go swimming aswell. 8) so i guess it wasnt all bad but yeah thats my encounter with speed boaters and i cant exactly blame the man in one of the other stories on here for pulling out a shot gun. ill probably do the same next time

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I had a similar experience several years ago. I was on Lake Erie returning to the dock right at dusk when the visibility is poor at best. I was cruising at 26mph in my 17'Bass Tracker (low profile 800# aluminum boat) with my running lights on, and out of nowhere a jet skier appears on a course headed directly at me (no lights...immediate violation). The oddity was that the moron was driving his craft BACKWARDS, and could not see or hear that I was approaching quickly over teh screaming of the chainsaw engine in his ski. I was able to take evasive action, and sounded my electric horn (very piercing sound) to alert the driver. He became startled, lost control and was thrown from his craft that was spawned in the nether world (can you tell my level of affection for these craft?). He was fine, save for being startled and sucking in a toxic Lake Erie Highball. To my amazement, he had the audacity to flip ME off for alerting him to the fact that he was as close to death as he would probably get for that day. I shook my head in disbelief and headed into the dock.

I have been out 7-8 mile from shore and had these idiots buzz fishermen that far from shore. That's a long drive to display your ignorance.

http://home.sprintmail.com/~ejb/back.gif

I Digress

Joe