I dont understand...

[RobDar]

pleasure boaters.

My apologies if some of you are also pleasure boaters...but I just do not get it.

What did you do today bob?

I went out and the lake and drove around in circles!!!! How about you Bill?

I watched NASCAR on the Tivo!!!

nothing can screw up a day of fishing like a guy in a ski boat!

[timistall]

Don't forget to add jetskiers.

[Taliesin]

I guess you could call me a pleasure boater at times, but when I am out enjoyig the scenery I'm not going much above idle. The only time I cause problems for fishers (creating a wake) is when I am heading to a fishing spot.

Frankly, I don't mind the pleasure boaters much. It's the jetskis that tend to disturb me. I won't slam all of the jetskiers, but we have quite a few stupid ones around here.

[Guest avid]

what's not to get.

Water skiing, wakeboarding etc. is fun

Most "pleasure boaters" are like most bass fisherman,

meaning they are aware of others and take measures not to disrupt your passtime.

but some pleasure boaters are like some bass fisherman who don't give a rat's azz about

anyone other themselves, will throw a 20 foot wake past a guy in a jon boat, cross your lines and

then give you the finger when you try to say something to them.

Like I said,

What's not to get?

[roadwarrior]

Many years ago when I was living in Colorado, a friend and his two kids went camping/fishing with my family. Kids were young ang our group was kinda large so I rented a pontoon boat that we could troll Rapalas from the back. Pretty simply and safe.

With four lures out 30 yards or so, we're cruising along and some people in a jet boat come scooting by, at full throttle about 20-30 FEET! from the back of the pontoon. They cut off all my lines and acted a complete azz. Well a minute or two later, the tables turned.

The big, brand new jet came to a complete stop somewhere near the middle of the lake. People were waving their arms and acting a fool...again. Although I was in no mood to lend assistance, I thought they might have an emergency and was compelled to check on these jerks. As it turns out, jet boats can't actually "cut" your line. The water intake apparatus had "sucked in" all my lines and some of the lures! I'm sure the problem was fixed fairly easily once they took it to trained mechanics, BACK IN THE CITY, but I don't think their weekend went too well.

Oh! And no I did NOT offer them a tow. I knew the water patrol would be by...sometime...and they were.

[Bassn Blvd]

Have you ever tried using a 4/0 spooled with 80 lb on a 9 foot bridge rod (used for snook fishing) for bass fishing?  Me either, but with an eight ounce sinker tied to the end of the line makes a great detrent fot jet skiiers.

[sgbeitz]

I was out in my sunflower (11 foot sailboat, yellow, easy to see) and a few jetskiers had fun running full speed past me several times.  Fortunately, they were far enough away that I couldn't smack them with my paddle, because I was mad enough to... Being a sailor, I'm incredibly conscious of the rules of the water - unfortunately, some powerboaters and most jetskiers don't have that respect of those rules...

Luckily, most (but too far from all) people use common sense and courtesy out on the water.

[Taliesin]

Have you ever tried using a 4/0 spooled with 80 lb on a 9 foot bridge rod (used for snook fishing) for bass fishing? Me either, but with an eight ounce sinker tied to the end of the line makes a great detrent fot jet skiiers.

You reminded me of one situation I had while I was bank fishing for catfish. I had my 15' pole out (needed the casting distance) with 80# test braid, 4 oz weight, and a 5/0 hook. I ws out about 75 yards. I had other poles out, but nothing really far out.

There was a certain jetskier that came within 10 foot of clotheslining himself on my line. I don't think that would have been very comfortable.

Something for the jetskiers to learn. Catfishermen are well armed and can often reach out 100 yards with accuracy with enough weight to make you REALLY hate the rest of your day. Most of them won't bother to do something like that (I'm one of these, life goes on), but some of them will reach for a pole and hit you with the weight if you bother them too much.

[Taliesin]

Luckily, most (but too far from all) people use common sense and courtesy out on the water.

That a good reminder that many of us need.

It's just a few people making a very bad example.

Many catfishermen make similar complaints about bass fishermen, but it's the same situation.

[surfer]

Have you guys encountered the wake surfer yet? These guys take an Air Nautique or similar wake board boat designed specifically to produce large wakes. They then add 1500# of ballast and drive at about 12 mph, the most inefficient plowing speed possible. This creates a wake that is 2ft high and surfable. Yes, surfable without a rope. They drive around in large circles to aid in the pitch of the wake. There is no hiding from this large wake it will travel a half mile and still be 1 ft high. I fish a popular lake where just yesterday afternoon two boats were doing this at the same time. I had to run about 3/4 mile away and around a corner.

This might just be a Florida thing.

[Del from philly]

i definatly see were your coming from, but ya know, we cant just be the "grumpy old fisherman"

well, i guess techniquely we can......lol...where was i going with this???

oh

all im saying is this, hate idiots, dont hate pleasure boaters.......

anyone who appreciates the lake, and natural life that surrounds it, im ok with...boating is great.....

Respect me and i repect you is how i look at it......

but please, keep on hating these stupid people with no comman sence or repect....

[Del from philly]

Have you guys encountered the wake surfer yet? These guys take an Air Nautique or similar wake board boat designed specifically to produce large wakes. They then add 1500# of ballast and drive at about 12 mph, the most inefficient plowing speed possible. This creates a wake that is 2ft high and surfable. Yes, surfable without a rope. They drive around in large circles to aid in the pitch of the wake. There is no hiding from this large wake it will travel a half mile and still be 1 ft high. I fish a popular lake where just yesterday afternoon two boats were doing this at the same time. I had to run about 3/4 mile away and around a corner.

This might just be a Florida thing.

this does sound like it sucks for fishers, but i gotta say, it sound kind of fun.....lol

you say ther is no line they hold on to??? weird....

so they basicly surf it like a skateboard halfpipe???

mYBE I missunderstood this comment

[Tpayneful]

A couple of weeks ago I was fishing 20 feet from a no wake bouy.  I stopped to retie my knot as a pontoon boat approached me.  I thought that the guy would go around me without a problem.  I get ready to cast and the guy decides to cut between me and the no wake bouy.  I just shook my head in frustration .  The next week the same thing started to happened with another boat so I got his attention and pointed as to where I was going/fishing.  I will not expect everyone to understand where I am going....I will let them know.  The thing that really gets me going are the people that pack up their boats on the ramp!

[Glenn]

Yup, I've experienced the wake boarders, and their huge wakes.  We have them all over the place here.  I've seen those wakes do quite a bit of damage to floating docks, not to mention the boats tied to docks, as well as erosion and other damage to the shoreline.  I suspect, and hope, they make those boats and activities illegal someday.  Lakefront home owners are going to unite and do something about it sooner or later.

Oh, and just see how much fun it is to hit one of those rogue wakes out in the middle of nowhere while doing 70+ mph!  Not fun!

[Bassassasin12]

lol honestly I don't get the whole point of it either. Whats the difference between swimming on the beach and having a picnic on the beach with the family and paying 20,000 for a skiboat and just sit in one place, blare music, swim, and eat???

Although I must say when I went to my friends house we went wakeboarding and tubing and it is a ton of fun, kind of addiciting too. And it is defentily no fun tubing 15 mph with no jumps.

[Guest avid]

Yup, I've experienced the wake boarders, and their huge wakes. We have them all over the place here. I've seen those wakes do quite a bit of damage to floating docks, not to mention the boats tied to docks, as well as erosion and other damage to the shoreline. I suspect, and hope, they make those boats and activities illegal someday. Lakefront home owners are going to unite and do something about it sooner or later.

Oh, and just see how much fun it is to hit one of those rogue wakes out in the middle of nowhere while doing 70+ mph! Not fun!

This kinda supports my point.

A wake boarder doing his thing in the middle of  a big lake is being courteous to the shorefront property owners.  Running your bass boat at 70+ mph is a high risk endeavor, that allows for very little reaction time.  Practically any floating object could cause a fatal accident at that speed.

Does it make sense to make wakeboarding illegal, but not set reasonable speed limits for bass boats?

I'll stick to my little out of the way places where this kind of stuff just isn't an issue.  It's prettier, quieter, and the bassin is as good as better than in the big impoundments.

[bored_inda_ville]

I don't mind wake boarders, skiers, tubers etc. Most of the time KY lake is large enough for everyone to have a good time. My biggest problem is when a power boat or cabin cruiser goes buy while I'm paying close attention to the bank.  I swear, some of those things run in "stealth mode", and make a tsunami instead of a wake. LOL

[Skipper62]

We used to own a boat and we would go on vacation for a week at a time to various kansas lakes all summer. We "pleasure boated" but we did it respectfully because we also fished and we knew what it was like trying to fish and deal with the wake. Whenever we came within reasonable distance of a fishing boat or a trolling boat, our logic was "we're pleasure boating.. so we're going to make a detour as to not disrupt them.. doesn't spoil our boating any, doesn't spoil their fishing"

Also about the wake tearing up shorelines, there should we a limit on how far out you have to be before you can do those activities.. As far as erosion goes though, if it really bugs you that wake is eroding your shoreline, then build it up.. If you live in a lakefront home you probably have a nice house and a nice yard so it would make sense to build some sort of barrier to strengthen your shoreline, and it would look nicer if you do it right..

You don't really see alot of tubers out at our lake (cheney) it's generally a very shallow lake.. There are spots in the middle of the lake that are 2-3ft deep.. lol..

Skip

[Bass Smacker]

  Have any of you been spraid by a jet skier. Nothing like being all focest on a huge bass and having a jey skier blast you with a spray of cold water >

  They think it funner than snot.

 

[KU_Bassmaster.]

I don't understand either ......

The only place I experience this pleasure boater vs. fisherman battle is at the Lake Of the Ozarks a few times a year. And most of the time I am on the pleasure boater side. It just comes down to common sense on this particular body of water and I suspect it's the same on any other large body of water. As fisherman, we can't expect to go out on these large bodies of water and expect to have the lake exactly like we want it on summer weekends. Fortunately or unfortunately we are outnumbered. BIG TIME!!!!! It just blows my mind to see fisherman out on the Lake of the Ozarks trying to fish main lake points, in the middle of the day, on holiday weekends. And then they have the nerve to give every one of the hundreds of boats that drive past them "the look". Are they serious?!?!?!?!?!? What were they expecting??? A nice peace and quiet day out on the lake on the 4th of July. ;D ;D Then there is the docks. The only way to fish calm waters is to go back in protected coves and fish the docks. Well on summer weekends I would say about 75% of those docks in protected coves have people swimming around them. We have actually had people come fish around my buddy's dock while we swimming around it. Now who is being inconsiderate??

I will fish at the Lake of the Ozarks on holiday and summer weekends, but I am off the water by 10am at the latest. Then it's time for the jetskiing, swimming, and cruising in the big boat. That being said it's not cool for boats to get dangerously close to fisherman either.

[Buzzad]

I understand :---Waterskiers when im fishing :'( just joy riding when im fishing > BUT by the same token ---when we get on the motorcycle --most of the time we dont know where were going till we get there. ---Buzz

[grimlin]

I'm very impressed lately,the last 3 weekends the boaters and jet skiiers at the lake i fish have been really nice and respectful.I do see a few idiots now and then...you kinda just get used to them.I'm expecting the idiots on the 4th of july...i plan to go earlier in the day before it becomes bad out there by afternoon.

Only once did i get mad when somebody wake with their boaters pass a wading area....i can't swim so if i woulda got taken in by the waves and current i'd be dead.Me and along with about 4 or 5 other guys wading started yelling and one guy actually had a pole rigged with a HUGH weight on it and tossed it directly toward the idiots in the boat(which i don't recommand to do).Very scary situation right there.

I wave "HI" to boaters every time i go out there...long as they are respectful i don't have a problem with them. Alot of times they'll tell me if they see a school of fish from where they are at...which is NEAT. 8-)

People have to understand it's a "public" lake and as long as all the rules are being followed by the boaters they just have to get used to boaters and jet skiiers.they are there to have fun just like we do.