Boat's At Night & No Running Light's

[RUSS9999]

Tonight was a little on the scary side. Seen two bass boats all but hit head on. The one was running across the lake with no lights. About and hour latter I all but ran over a kid in a kayak out in the middle of the lake. He got a light on just in time for me to turn hard right and miss him.

[Way2slow]

Yep, has happened number of times to me also.  I came around a point one time and a guy was in the middle of the creek channel about 100 yards wide working a trout line across the bow of his jon boat.  It was pretty dark in that section and he turned on a flash light when I was almost on top of him.  I managed to cut hard and miss him but got his trot line.  The motor cut it and wrapped the crap out of my prop.  Then I had to listen to man cursing a raising H*** while I was having to wrestle with leaning over the motor  getting his trout line out of my motor.  I thought I was about to have to fight him until I finally dropped the TM and went down and around the next bend a few hundred yards to get all that rope out. 

Yet, one night, while casting around a cove with four black lights on, one on each side of the bow and on each side of the back for my dad, a game warden come up and gives me a warning for not having my boat lights on.  Said I was supposed to have that white lite on so it could be seen at least two miles and the red and green lites so boats would know where to pass.  Knowing better than say anything rude back to them and just keep my mouth shut, I still wanted ask the idiot what boat was going to see me two miles and be passing me in a cove that was not 200 yards deep and 100 yards across. 

[Bluebasser86]

I watched a ski/wake boat running full tilt across Lake Minnetonka once while I was out at night muskie fishing. One of the scariest things I've seen on the water because it was a dark night, the only reason I was even able to finally see them was they got back lit by a light on the shoreline. Made me real glad there was an island between me and them. 

[Catt]

When I'm running at night I got 3 lights on; bow lights, stern lights, & Q-Beam!

[Master Bait'r]

Idiots are deadly.  Its a huge part of why I do my absolute best to avoid big boat lakes as fun as they can be...  People simply either don't care or don't know and I hate HATE subjecting myself to the casual ignorance of entitled abusers.  It only takes one.  

[Darren.]

While at Lake Gaston last week I saw boaters
flying across the lake as night settled in. Some 
with lights, and quite a few without as we could
hear them and occasionally see them as the
moonlight hit them.

Still, as a kayaker, I stuck to shorelines and coves
and avoided as best I could any big water. I also
came in by sunset.

Quite a few knuckleheads disregarded no wake
zones while looking right at me, some never
even looked just figured the no wake buoys
were for other people...

EDIT: I don't mean to make it sound like everyone 
was like this. There were FAR more very nice folks
on boats who struck conversations with me, and
I with them. They were very courteous.

[Gundog]

5 minutes ago, Darren. said:

 

Quite a few knuckleheads disregarded no wake
zones while looking right at me, some never
even looked just figured the no wake buoys
were for other people...

^^^^^This. Its happened to me so many times I stopped fishing at lakes that allow unlimited horsepower motors. I'll stick to the TM only lakes. I've had jetskis, bass boats and one guy in a canoe with an outboard motor on the back almost ram me. Its scary sometimes.

[lo n slo]

in my younger days we'd spend all night on the lake. thankfully, nothing bad happened to us nor did we witness anyone else having an accident. but we had our share of hairy experiences. we ended up amidst a sailboat flotilla one night before we realized they we even there! those mast lights dont stand out so good! another night, there was this couple making wild passionate whoopie in their cabin cruiser, oblivious to the world around them. got a good chuckle outta that one. but nothing gets your attention like running full throttle through a flock of geese at night. just one direct hit to the face from a full grown goose could break a man's neck. we were young and foolish....and lucky i suppose.

please be careful out there guys. your wife and kids just want you to make it home safe and sound. 

[Further North]

Out at night without lights = Evolution in action.

[gim]

Being out there at night without lights is not only illegal, but also idiotic and extremely unsafe.  Would you drive around a car on the road at night without lights?  Then why drive around a boat on a lake at night without lights.

[A-Jay]

On ‎7‎/‎30‎/‎2016 at 9:48 AM, Master Bait'r said:

Idiots are deadly.  Its a huge part of why I do my absolute best to avoid big boat lakes as fun as they can be...  People simply either don't care or don't know and I hate HATE subjecting myself to the casual ignorance of entitled abusers.  It only takes one.  

Spent many Days & Nights looking for "Boaters" who for whatever reason seemed to fall into this category. 

Some we found, some we didn't.  Many of the unfortunate we did manage to find, took their last boat ride in a big black bag.

Sad.

A-Jay

[Master Bait'r]

23 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Spent many Days & Nights looking for "Boaters" who for whatever reason seemed to fall into this category. 

Some we found, some we didn't.  Many of the unfortunate we did manage to find, took their last boat ride in a big black bag.

Sad.

A-Jay

 

Yeah that discriptor has stuck with me over the years.  People are so entitled nowadays it's like YOU'RE the one with the problem should you say something to them about their poor behavior.  They just can't be bothered to learn the respectful and safe way to share the water, they're just too darn special!  

[dave]

On 7/30/2016 at 1:05 AM, Way2slow said:

Yet, one night, while casting around a cove with four black lights on, one on each side of the bow and on each side of the back for my dad, a game warden come up and gives me a warning for not having my boat lights on.  Said I was supposed to have that white lite on so it could be seen at least two miles and the red and green lites so boats would know where to pass.  Knowing better than say anything rude back to them and just keep my mouth shut, I still wanted ask the idiot what boat was going to see me two miles and be passing me in a cove that was not 200 yards deep and 100 yards across. 

You would have been in the wrong.  

Anchored,  360 degree all around white anchor light.  

Underway, making way,  green, red and white.  Even under trolling motor power.

Kayaks and small boats should have a white flashlight.

Any lights on a vessel while making way that are contrary to lighting regulations are not allowed.

[J Francho]

32 minutes ago, dave said:

Kayaks and small boats should have a white flashlight.

All true, except I use this when kayaking:

http://www.yakattack.us/visipole-ii-geartrac-ready-includes-flag-and-mighty-mount/

 

[dave]

55 minutes ago, J Francho said:

All true, except I use this when kayaking:

http://www.yakattack.us/visipole-ii-geartrac-ready-includes-flag-and-mighty-mount/

 

Excellent.  I have a lot of customers that kayak on the Chesapeake Bay.  Those flags are necessary equipment when the seas are anything but flat.

[J Francho]

Not unlike when I'm out in Lake Ontario.  Place is like an ocean.  I actually have the VisiCarbon product. The 4-bulb upgrade is worth the $15 as well.

[BaitMonkey1984]

Yup, I was guilty of this in the past. When it got dark I would be the last to put the lights on. If I was out in my aluminum and not my bass boat, and it was a quiet night on my small lake I would not put my lights on. I thought their are only party boats and if they get close I can flash a light at them. Well fast forward to this Christmas. Unusually warm temps, the bas boat was winterized and in storage but I throw my aluminum and 8 hp in the lake. Im out fishing. Its time to head in. Im one of like 3 boats and its getting dark, a neighbor bought a dag gummit hovercraft and was heading straight forward me. I flash my light and yell. Those things are as loud as a small plane- he can't hear me. He finally sees me and peels off from wrecking us both. Next day or so I go to walmart and get a cheap portable light set and put it on the boat and leave it on all the time. No excuse not to. 

[Way2slow]

Oh I know I was legally in the wrong, that's why I just had to grin a bare it, and thank him for just giving me a warning and not a ticket.  However, when you apply a little logic.  I was no where near a boat channel where any boat would have come through there other than at idle speed, TM or paddle.  My black lights were well visible from any place on any part of that section I was in.  When I'm fishing anywhere near a channel where there is the possibility of a boat even coming near me at night, I have my running lights on.  I even have a rear white lite that's extended and designed so that it's only visible away from the boat and you are not looking at it from inside the boat and it's not putting white light in the boat, but it's still annoying having the stuff on and that pole in the way when casting.   There is a difference between legal and logical.  While yes I was legally in the wrong, logically, it takes a guy that fights shoo flies in his face all day to say something.

If you don't know what shoo flies are, that's those little black flies you always see around a horses back end.