Open Letter To Boat Fisherman

[hooah212002]

Hello boaters. How are you? Enjoying the open water and choice of fishing spots? That's good. Glad you are having a good time fishing. Me? I was until you decided to bring your boat right along into the ONLY PLACE ON THE LAKE FOR US BANKBEATERS STUCK ON LAND.

 

Ok ok, maybe this is only something that is a problem at my local spot and maybe (just maybe) I am over reacting, but it's a problem nonetheless. Delavan Lake is almost 2000 acres, so it's not small by any means. How much of that is shoreline that is open to the public? One small section of shoreline in an inlet. Oh, but everyone knows there are fish there so they bring their boats right up to shoreline and figure they can share the space. "oh, sorry Mr. boater, is the rest of the lake too small?" Not to mention that they (the lake? the DNR?) has been running the weed cleaning machines back there the last 3 times I've been fishing.

 

Do they have a right ro be there? Of course they do. I don't own it and they are well within their rights to be there. It's just a bit rude, imo, to impede on those on the shore (even though boaters are far superior, right?) and to spook the fish about with your motor right in front of me (when the only cover available is pockets of submerged grass, this matters).

 

Good fishing in my neck of the woods without a boat? Good friggin luck.

 

/end of rant,

 

/done complaining

 

/panties no longer in a bunch

[Fireguyfrank58]

This happens to me every time I fish from the bank. They block me from even casting alot of times. But its a free country and I cant teach people common courtesy.  Still makes me really freakin mad though.

[smr913]

Fishing with a guide for redfish once we were chasing flocks of birds. Sometimes folks would come up and try to get into our spot. The guide had a nice little trink to take care of the poachers. He would through his jighead about 3 feet in front of there boat and let their trolling motor rip off about 20 yards of braid be fore breaking off. That would slow them down enough and eventually they learned to steer clear.

Typing from phone. Excuse grammar and misspellings.

[derekxec]

well guess its good cause you dont need a boat to fish the good part of the lake lol....but really being in a boat doesnt = catching fish so they have to go where the fish go 

[hooah212002]

well guess its good cause you dont need a boat to fish the good part of the lake lol....but really being in a boat doesnt = catching fish so they have to go where the fish go 

 

I assure you there are, and will always will be, better spots than that that are only accessible by boat. Delavan Lake isn't some podunk junk fishery with only a handful of spots. There really is no reason for boats to come fish there if there are bank fishermen there. If none are there (which is a rarity), then game on just like a spot on open water. I can guarantee that ANY boater would react the same way if another boat came as close (within casting distance). But since we are shorebound, it's "tough luck".

[tomustang]

Do they have a right ro be there? Of course they do. I don't own it and they are well within their rights to be there. It's just a bit rude, imo, to impede on those on the shore (even though boaters are far superior, right?) and to spook the fish about with your motor right in front of me (when the only cover available is pockets of submerged grass, this matters).

 

Good fishing in my neck of the woods without a boat? Good friggin luck.

 

/end of rant,

 

/done complaining

 

/panties no longer in a bunch

 

It's all in the boaters handbook. If you are a boater it's your obligation to ride up onto a shore-bounder

[paul25]

i fish off a boat and at my local lake the best point on the lake is one of the main spots ppl fish from the bank. it is always the first and last spot i hit, but i still go out of my way to not mess up the guys fishing on the bank, i just got a boat last year and i know how it feels to be limited to a few spots.

[WRB]

You may want to address your open letter as good sportsmanship and bad sportsmanship. Public waterways are open to everyone who has a fishing license to fish. The fishing license isn't a license to disregard someone's space without asking permission to share it. Good sportsmanship is respecting others, if another angler is fishing where you want to fish and they are there before you arrive, ask to share the spot. Bad sportsmanship is moving in on the angler that is already there and without asking.

The boater can easily see you are there and vice versa. Casting a heavy weight at another angler could escalate into a fight or worse, not good sportsmanship by either angler.

Happy 4 th of July, enjoy the fire works!

Tom

[alexandboi]

I also fish from the bank the majority of the time and have run into many similar situations. I don't mind  sharing the spot, however there have been times when people will see me catch a fish and come on over and stay over the exact spot I cast at. Most of the places I fish are big reservoirs and there are plenty of other places I know contain lots of fish that is easily accessed by boat. There's also some that will cruise parallel to the bank and ruin all the fishing for us bank fishers. I'm not saying this to all boaters, most of them understand and try to avoid ruining someone else's fishing... it just those few that don't...

[bigbill]

I understand what you mean. one time about 40+ years ago we were fishing from shore when a boater came so close on a joy ride he actually cut our lines. My buddy just got home from nam and was unwinding from the war. He got so mad he picked up a rock and hit the operator in the head it happened that quickly. We were all stunned he hit the guy. Luckily no one was hurt just our lines were cut. If I had a chance to stop him I'd of done it but it happen so fast.

The bottom line is we all need our space plus we need to respect each other. There is no way to make it right I guess.

I fish from shore mainly(handicapped) where no boats are permitted. Mainly small places. I'm happy shore fishing I have a chance in seconds to pack up and move to another body of water that's close by in minutes. I kind of like that.

[ww2farmer]

I fish from a boat, and often fish creeks that have bank fishing access. I do not fish the bank fishing spots, and I always ask the bank fisherman if they want me to go by close to the bank or out in the middle so I don't mess up there spot, and I always go by with the TM on low, never the outboard. 99.9% of the people are nice and we chat, wave, etc.....but every year there are a handful of D-bags who want to cause trouble. It's usually solved by me beaching my boat on there spot getting out and acting like a d-bag right back............I usually win the contest of d-baggery.

[hooah212002]

I fish from a boat, and often fish creeks that have bank fishing access. I do not fish the bank fishing spots, and I always ask the bank fisherman if they want me to go by close to the bank or out in the middle so I don't mess up there spot, and I always go by with the TM on low, never the outboard. 99.9% of the people are nice and we chat, wave, etc.....but every year there are a handful of D-bags who want to cause trouble. It's usually solved by me beaching my boat on there spot getting out and acting like a d-bag right back............I usually win the contest of d-baggery.

 

That I wouldn't mind. I mean, don't just come along and nod, leave your big motor on, then start tossing right in my area as if I am a figment of your imagination. This spot is marked on all maps as being the only area for public shore access, so they ought to know there are likely people there when coming through. Plus, I could understand if this was a smallish body of water with maybe a couple spots, but as far as fishing goes on this lake, the spots accessible from shore are definitely not at the top of any list (but still produce good fish). I really just see no reason for boaters to do it. I fish another lake by my dads house and it gets hammered by boats and shore fishermen, yet I seem to be the only person that fishes the only downed timber. Boats steer clear of all shore accesible spots even though half the lake is shore accessible. It is less than half the size of the lake in question, yet I never have a single problem with boats and that is even on the weekends.

 

Ok, I said I was done complaining, but I am kind of bored.....

[Dwight Hottle]

Do you want some cheese with that whine?

[Glenn]

Even though I own one of those "fancy bass boats", I try not to forget my roots, nor do I forget common courtesy.  I spent many years fishing from banks and from small inflatable rafts. Now I give bank anglers enough room so that I don't infringe on their casting range.  And if I come upon another angler in a boat, I give them a wide berth - tournament or not.  I don't care about the 20', 30', or 40' "rule" in tournaments - give the other person room to fish.  Period.  Trying to push it to the limit of the "rules" is just being a jerk.  You're going to see him at the weigh-in, so don't do anything dumb that you'll have to answer to at the ramp.

 

Nobody, and I mean nobody, will ever fish the same lure as I in exactly the same way.  I learned that as a back seater when I tried to copy the guy in the front, and never could no matter how hard I tried. 

 

With that in mind, I have no issues giving people room to fish, for I know I can come back and fish that water later in a manner the fish haven't seen before.  That's not arrogance, it's confidence.  Maybe the other guy has it dialed in and is slaying them.  I just know my presentation will be different, so I have no worries about fishing "used" waters. I've learned in any given section of water, there's several different "types" of fish that will react to different presentations while ignoring others. 

 

So there's no need to crowd others.  They won't catch the same fish I'll catch, and vice versa.  Make sense?

[tomustang]

When you think about it, the boaters have to same problem with pwc's. if you're that bored you can google how many bass boaters complain the same as you did about sea doos flying around like gnats..

It all rolls downhill

[200racing]

so if you ever get a boat you will never fish in this area you know so well? 

 

who is to say that the boaters weren't banks fishers at one point and like the spot.

 

i personally avoid bank fishing spots because of the excessive broken lines in the water and litter. 

 

but if i've payed to enter a tournament and your bank fishing spot fits my pattern tough luck.

[hooah212002]

so if you ever get a boat you will never fish in this area you know so well? 

 

who is to say that the boaters weren't banks fishers at one point and like the spot.

 

i personally avoid bank fishing spots because of the excessive broken lines in the water and litter. 

 

but if i've payed to enter a tournament and your bank fishing spot fits my pattern tough luck.

 

 

Then if my jig enters your hull, tough luck. You think you deserve special treatment because you have a boat?

 

That said, and as I have said a few times already, no I won't come to this spot because I know there are better ones accessible via boat and only boat.

[WiscoBassman]

I do my fair share of each type of fishing. Though I've never had any problems while bank fishing, I have had lots of problems while boat fishing. When I anchor down (no trolling motor) at a spot I want to fish, there are always a fair share of pleasure boaters that drive really close to me, sometimes almost making me fall out of my small boat. I have no problem with pleasure boaters, I can be one too, but when you are driving around your boat please take into consideration of those that are fishing.

[aquaholic]

Ive been lucky enough to come across some courteous boaters from shore. I find most my issues come when im on a boat or when shore fishers come stand 5 ft away from me while im fishing. People have always went around my position on the bank. I do agree with you though. I wouldnt throw any lures at them incase i hung up on the boat and they cut my line. But i would have some words with them. And I dont care if someone paid to fish a tournament. That still doesnt give them the right to push into your area.

[WRB]

People wonder why it is difficult to be a pro bass angler, this thread is a micro look at what the tournament angler faces all the time. You pre fish and locate a good area that is holding quality bass that can easily win the contest on the week days. No shore anglers, no other boaters to content with, only bass.

The starting gun goes off, you run to your number 1 spot only to find bank anglers with smoking camp fires and local boaters camped out there! This is all part of bass fishing, making the adjustments to catch those green bass to earn a pay check.

My biggest bone to pick isn't with the weekenders or the bank people, I should be smart enough to stay ahead the game. What really tics me off is the local "guides" live baiting my hard earned spot on the second day of a multi day event. How the top ranked anglers put up with that BS is beyond me and my hat is off to them!

I do not fish tournaments anymore and like to relax and fish during the week days under ideal conditions...life is too short to argue with unsportsmanlike like behavior.

Tom

[JunkYard814]

I can sympathize with you. Whether you have a boat or not, if you're at a spot first, you have the right to that spot until you decide to leave it. 

 

One time I was fishing from the shore of a piece of property my friend owns. A guy came by trolling about 20 yards off the shoreline that I was clearly fishing, and made no effort to adjust his course. On principle, I waited for his boat to pass and then casted my one ounce spoon I was fishing with and just raked up all of his lines. Nothing was broken, but he had to stop his boat and sort out quite a mess. I can't fathom how some people could even begin to justify half the crap I see them do. 

[CoBass]

When you think about it, the boaters have to same problem with pwc's. if you're that bored you can google how many bass boaters complain the same as you did about sea doos flying around like gnats..

It all rolls downhill

Ain't that the truth. Two of the lakes I fish are almost unfishable on weekends because of pwc"s. They have the entire lake to play on but for some reason they insist on cutting between me and the shoreline I'm fishing.   

[K_Mac]

Then if my jig enters your hull, tough luck. You think you deserve special treatment because you have a boat?

 

That said, and as I have said a few times already, no I won't come to this spot because I know there are better ones accessible via boat and only boat.

 

Hooah, I've been following this thread with interest. As a boater I share the local honey-holes with other boaters just like everyone else. Respecting the rights of others is not always common practice. With that said, if someone getting a little close to you while fishing, whether from the bank or a boat, is going to cause you to howl at the moon you probably should find another hobby. Throwing jigs, spoons, or anything else at someone's boat is dangerous and illegal. Some boaters are as protective of their boat as others of their spot on the bank...

[Fishing Rhino]

Personally, I find the first post offensive.  Why?   Because of the first sentence.

 

"Hello boaters. How are you? Enjoying the open water and choice of fishing spots? That's good. Glad you are having a good time fishing. Me? I was until you decided to bring your boat right along into the ONLY PLACE ON THE LAKE FOR US BANKBEATERS STUCK ON LAND."

 

I have never, nor would I ever, under any circumstances do what you are complaining about.  You should never paint any group with such a broad brush.

 

Would you appreciate it if a boater lumped you in with all the shore bound slobs that litter up the banks with their trash, or leave dead fish on the banks? 

[FD.]

What Rhino and K mac said.

 

I was hoping this thread would get closed before I blasted the OP.  

 

I help everyone using the lake.

 

I give info, baits, and cold bottled water to shore bound people and "tin" fishermen all the time.

 

I have even taken people I met at the ramp out on the water.

 

I would bet you will not find 1% of the boaters here would do the things you have now accused us all of doing.

 

As many of the members here can attest, If you need info on central Florida, I give tournament winning info to anyone who asks.

 

You lumped me into a group of boat owners who either don't know any better or are just plain A holes.

Edited July 4, 2013 by Glenn
Removed personal attack comment