Those poor guys!

[jbmaine]

 A few days ago we were out on the lake fishing. As we only fish during the week the lake is usually more quiet . That day we had the lake to ourselves, except for a couple of guys in a Nitro with a 200 hp. something or other on the back. I knew there was a tourney coming up that weekend so I guess they were practicing. 

 

I couldn't help but feel sorry for these two poor guys. The lake is not that big so it was easy to watch them thru out the day. 

 

They must have had motor trouble because it seemed to be stuck in WOT.  They were zipping along at full bore everywhere, close to shore, thru no wake zones, close to us, you name it.

 

Also they seemed confused, like they couldn't figure out what to do. 

 

They would zip here, cast, cast, cast, then zip there cast, cast, cast, over and over and over, like mosquitos buzzing around. I felt so sorry for them, the whiplash and wind burn must have been horrible for them. 

 

Meanwhile my wife and I were on a long submerged weed line. I had set the TM to slowly move us thru it and we were catching fish after fish.

 

I am actually grateful to them. Catching all these fish is tiring, and if it wasn't for the big waves they generated running past us 25ft. away at WOT, we might have fallen asleep.

 

Later on we were putting by the marina and I saw them tanking up their boat, and heard them complaining how bad the fishing was.

 

Those poor guys. I hope after gassing up that big boat, they had enough money left to fix their motor so it wasn't stuck in WOT, and hopefully enough left over for some meds to handle their whiplash, wind burn and frustration.

 

Meanwhile, my wife and I caught plenty of fish, and had a wonderful day.

                                                  Jim

[the reel ess]

My dad used to call bass fishermen in high powered bass boats "gnats on a turd" because they couldn't sit still. When one would come screaming by us at full throttle he would say "Hope he hits a stump." And I've seen it happen.

[kenmitch]

I call those guys the spot jockeys. They're entertaining to watch at times. I'm not really sure why they're under the impression that if you don't catch a fish within a couple of casts that there aren't any fish there. 

 

I've encountered them while fishing in my kayak, but there under full speed trolling power at times. I try to keep at casting distance from my target to not spook the fish but then one of those guys will blast right thru under trolling power dropping jigs and worms and not catching crap. On more than one occasion I've thrown my lipless crankbait behind them and caught a 4-5lb bass. It's a double reward catching the bass while seeing the expression on their faces, and hearing their vocal displeasure. 

 

 

[Mike L]

They were just trying to cover water.

As long as they weren't inhibiting someone else time and operating safely they did nothing wrong. 

 

Glad some had a good laugh. 

 

 

 

Mike

[DINK WHISPERER]

Jealousy in the air maybe.....?

[TnRiver46]

@jbmaine, what were you doing on the TN river??? Just kidding, that's how all the glitter rockets fish here too. 10 years ago you could escape it up in the shallow rivers but now jet boats turn fuel into noise ALL DAY LONG . Seems hard to catch any fish on plane. @Mike L, you wouldn't consider driving within 25 ft of someone doing something wrong?

[scaleface]

Thankfully, guys like that are in the minority .

[Mike L]

20 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

@jbmaine, what were you doing on the TN river??? Just kidding, that's how all the glitter rockets fish here too. 10 years ago you could escape it up in the shallow rivers but now jet boats turn fuel into noise ALL DAY LONG . Seems hard to catch any fish on plane. @Mike L, you wouldn't consider driving within 25 ft of someone doing something wrong?

Of Course I would!!!

You misunderstood my point. 

 

 

 

Mike 

[haggard]

9 hours ago, jbmaine said:

Meanwhile, my wife and I caught plenty of fish, and had a wonderful day.

Slow and steady wins the race. ? ?

 

[Gundog]

9 hours ago, kenmitch said:

 On more than one occasion I've thrown my lipless crankbait behind them and caught a 4-5lb bass. It's a double reward catching the bass while seeing the expression on their faces, and hearing their vocal displeasure. 

 

 

^^^This always gets them riled up.

[WRB]

If those anglers were in a aluminum boat teller 40hp doing the same thing would you feel the same? Waves are waves, bad boating manners are not resevered for expensive bass boats.

Tournament anglers can be a pain in the arse but so can pontoon boaters. The difference between recreational fishing on your own time table and tournament fishing on a limited time is night and day. When the tournament starts and you only have that 1 weed line to fish, someone will be on it before you get there and you need other options. Pre fishing is all about establishing multiple areas to fish with as many different presentations possible that work and elinimating water that doesn't work.

Tom

[Mike L]

58 minutes ago, WRB said:

If those anglers were in a aluminum boat teller 40hp doing the same thing would you feel the same? Waves are waves, bad boating manners are not resevered for expensive bass boats.

Tournament anglers can be a pain in the arse but so can pontoon boaters. The difference between recreational fishing on your own time table and tournament fishing on a limited time is night and day. When the tournament starts and you only have that 1 weed line to fish, someone will be on it before you get there and you need other options. Pre fishing is all about establishing multiple areas to fish with as many different presentations possible that work and elinimating water that doesn't work.

Tom

Couldn't have said it better 

 

 

 

Mike

[jbmaine]

41 minutes ago, WRB said:

If those anglers were in a aluminum boat teller 40hp doing the same thing would you feel the same? Waves are waves, bad boating manners are not resevered for expensive bass boats.

Tournament anglers can be a pain in the arse but so can pontoon boaters. The difference between recreational fishing on your own time table and tournament fishing on a limited time is night and day. When the tournament starts and you only have that 1 weed line to fish, someone will be on it before you get there and you need other options. Pre fishing is all about establishing multiple areas to fish with as many different presentations possible that work and elinimating water that doesn't work.

Tom

I did not write this to offend, sorry if I did. I wrote this to try to put a humorous spin on what more and more people seem to be complaining about. Rude, inconsiderate and sometimes dangerous people on the water.

In this case it was a Nitro with a 200HP motor, it could have been any watercraft of any size or shape.

They could have been practicing for a tourney or not, it doesn't matter. It doesn't give them the right to act like they did. 

 Here in Maine it is a violation to go faster than headway speed within 200 ft. of shore, go faster than headway speed in a no wake zone, and go faster than necessary to pass this close to a slow moving, or stationary water craft ( our boat). They did all of these things repeatedly. If I had my phone on me that day I would have dropped a dime on them. If F&G was on scene they would have paid a hefty fine.

                                                    Jim

[flyfisher]

I'd rather have a guy go by me on plane than not.  The wake created isn't as large and in a kayak like I am, that makes a difference.

[soflabasser]

On 9/25/2018 at 10:04 AM, DINK WHISPERER said:

Jealousy in the air maybe.....?

I do not think the OP is jealous if he is cleary doing better than them. If anything those fools can take notes from him and they might learn a thing or two about fishing that location.

On 9/25/2018 at 10:16 AM, scaleface said:

Thankfully, guys like that are in the minority .

I agree with you but more people are getting into tournament bass fishing which means more clowns speeding in no wake zones, drive the boat fast close to other people fishing,etc.

On 9/25/2018 at 9:50 AM, kenmitch said:

I call those guys the spot jockeys. They're entertaining to watch at times. I'm not really sure why they're under the impression that if you don't catch a fish within a couple of casts that there aren't any fish there. 

 

I've encountered them while fishing in my kayak, but there under full speed trolling power at times. I try to keep at casting distance from my target to not spook the fish but then one of those guys will blast right thru under trolling power dropping jigs and worms and not catching crap. On more than one occasion I've thrown my lipless crankbait behind them and caught a 4-5lb bass. It's a double reward catching the bass while seeing the expression on their faces, and hearing their vocal displeasure. 

 

 

I have lost count of the amount of times a boater drives up to me since he saw me catch a decent fish and they start fishing next to me. It usually ends bad for them since I tend to catch bigger fish than they do while they barely catch anything. Definitely a good feeling when you can out fish these types of people that is for sure!

[DINK WHISPERER]

10 minutes ago, soflabasser said:

I do not think the OP is jealous if he is cleary doing better than them. If anything those fools can take notes from him and they might learn a thing or two about fishing that location.

Cool story bro ?

[soflabasser]

On 9/25/2018 at 10:08 AM, TnRiver46 said:

you wouldn't consider driving within 25 ft of someone doing something wrong?

Many tournament fishermen are inconsiderate of other people fishing so it is hard for them to understand why it is unsportsmanlike to drive fast within 25 feet of someone. These types of tournament fishermen tarnish the reputation of the good tournament fishermen but they do not care since all they care is about winning the tournament and getting money. Those are the type of people I will never invite fishing with me even if they paid me.

On 9/25/2018 at 9:34 AM, jbmaine said:

 A few days ago we were out on the lake fishing. As we only fish during the week the lake is usually more quiet . That day we had the lake to ourselves, except for a couple of guys in a Nitro with a 200 hp. something or other on the back. I knew there was a tourney coming up that weekend so I guess they were practicing. 

 

I couldn't help but feel sorry for these two poor guys. The lake is not that big so it was easy to watch them thru out the day. 

 

They must have had motor trouble because it seemed to be stuck in WOT.  They were zipping along at full bore everywhere, close to shore, thru no wake zones, close to us, you name it.

 

Also they seemed confused, like they couldn't figure out what to do. 

 

They would zip here, cast, cast, cast, then zip there cast, cast, cast, over and over and over, like mosquitos buzzing around. I felt so sorry for them, the whiplash and wind burn must have been horrible for them. 

 

Meanwhile my wife and I were on a long submerged weed line. I had set the TM to slowly move us thru it and we were catching fish after fish.

 

I am actually grateful to them. Catching all these fish is tiring, and if it wasn't for the big waves they generated running past us 25ft. away at WOT, we might have fallen asleep.

 

Later on we were putting by the marina and I saw them tanking up their boat, and heard them complaining how bad the fishing was.

 

Those poor guys. I hope after gassing up that big boat, they had enough money left to fix their motor so it wasn't stuck in WOT, and hopefully enough left over for some meds to handle their whiplash, wind burn and frustration.

 

Meanwhile, my wife and I caught plenty of fish, and had a wonderful day.

                                                  Jim

 

Must of been a great bass fishing trip with your wife catching more bass than they did. It must suck for them since they invested all that money for a glitter boat, putting gas in the truck,boat,etc and have the type of bass fishing trip they did.Maybe next time they will be more respectful and ask your for your help.

[Big Rick]

18 hours ago, flyfisher said:

I'd rather have a guy go by me on plane than not.  The wake created isn't as large and in a kayak like I am, that makes a difference.

I fish a lake with float roads. You wouldn't believe the people that camp out IN the float road and fish!  I come boiling around a corner on plane and BAM there's an idiot in the float road, trolling motor down just easing along like he owns the place! I have no option but to blow by on plane and maintain control of my boat. I get some looks but I'm also giving some looks.  Some people have NO clue about proper boating ethics. A float road is basically the same as a state highway. You don't stop in the middle of the road and break out your picnic basket....geez...

[flyfisher]

5 hours ago, Big Rick said:

I fish a lake with float roads. You wouldn't believe the people that camp out IN the float road and fish!  I come boiling around a corner on plane and BAM there's an idiot in the float road, trolling motor down just easing along like he owns the place! I have no option but to blow by on plane and maintain control of my boat. I get some looks but I'm also giving some looks.  Some people have NO clue about proper boating ethics. A float road is basically the same as a state highway. You don't stop in the middle of the road and break out your picnic basket....geez...

Yeah i know better than to do something that idiotic in a kayak.  It is like i tell people about road cycling.  Yeah i have the same rights as a car and people are supposed to yield but it doesn't do me much good to be laying in a ditch wondering if i am gonna make it yelling, but i was in the right!!

[toni63]

Covering water? Really? Here I thought they really were clueless anglers in need of assistance with their location spotting and WOT.......;)

 

To the OP, an amusing and well written short essay on your day fishing with your wife. Your last line should have been enough of a clue that none of what you said was really meant to convey "My wife and I were SO ANNOYED at the antics of these guys" but instead a humorous satire for the rest of us non-professional clueless anglers to get a smile from, while still making your point that some of what they did was uncalled for and rude.

 

Thanks for posting. 

[Sam]

Until everyone has to take a boating safety course and receive a safe boating card, we will be faced with people who have no idea of how to operate a watercraft or the unwritten rules to follow when on the water.

 

In Virginia everyone operating any type of motorized watercraft, including jet skis, must have taken and passed the boating safety course offered by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

 

Problem is that there are still so many operating watercraft who have not taken the course or passed the test. Add to this number the guys who think they own the water and you will always encounter these individuals.

 

Having motor problems is not something that we think about but they do happen on the water. It is up to the watercraft owner to make sure their watercraft is in good working order. If not, we all know that they should not go on the water.

 

And yes, it is always nice to catch a nice fish after someone has fished the same area and the other guys see your accomplishment.

[the reel ess]

On 9/25/2018 at 9:50 AM, kenmitch said:

I call those guys the spot jockeys. They're entertaining to watch at times. I'm not really sure why they're under the impression that if you don't catch a fish within a couple of casts that there aren't any fish there. 

 

I've encountered them while fishing in my kayak, but there under full speed trolling power at times. I try to keep at casting distance from my target to not spook the fish but then one of those guys will blast right thru under trolling power dropping jigs and worms and not catching crap. On more than one occasion I've thrown my lipless crankbait behind them and caught a 4-5lb bass. It's a double reward catching the bass while seeing the expression on their faces, and hearing their vocal displeasure. 

 

 

There's a good spot on our local hydroelectric lake that used to be a well-kept secret. It could produce a good bit of the year. Once the secret got out, on tourney days, there would always be a boat on it and a boat "staged" waiting to get on it.

[everythingthatswims]

Must be getting late in the summer, more than one thread of this type at the moment.

 

50-75% of people will head to the woods here pretty soon, then there will be "room" on the lakes again, and the fish will start cooperating a little more!

[jbmaine]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I wrote this in kind of a humorous slant because that's the way we took it. We are retired, so can fish whenever we want. Their buzzing around didn't bother us, it was kind of fun to watch. That part of the lake is fairly small, maybe 200+ acres, so for them to go from point A to point B,C,D etc. at full bore took them maybe 10 seconds. And even then what they did didn't make much sense. They would fish maybe 10 or 20 yards of shore line, then zip to another shore line and do the same thing. We had maybe 200 yards of water all around us so they had plenty of room to give us space, yet they didn't.

 

I am no expert when it comes to fishing, however I have fished this particular lake off and on since I was a little kid ( 60+ years now) and usually have it dialed in, so had they slowed down going past us, and engaged us in conversation, and not ran WOT thru no wake zones, etc.,I would have been happy to tell them the weather had changed in the last day or so, and the bass had moved from the shallows on the shore line to the submerged weeds we were fishing.

 

I certainly no not think they represent the vast majority of tourney fisherman, but their actions do cast a less than favorable light when it comes to tourneys on these small lakes.

 

I think the funniest part is in their zipping along, getting from point A to point,B,C,D, etc. they must have barreled over a section of submerged weed line 4 or 5 times, and after they finally departed to parts unkown, we fished that section and caught one of the biggest LM we've ever caught in that lake.

                                             Jim

[MIbassyaker]

On 9/25/2018 at 9:39 AM, the reel ess said:

My dad used to call bass fishermen in high powered bass boats "gnats on a turd" because they couldn't sit still. When one would come screaming by us at full throttle he would say "Hope he hits a stump." And I've seen it happen.

 

Classic!