Fishing turnament - All the Jerks come out

[sdilecce]

So what is it about fishing tournaments that attract jerks like a magnet? On Sunday I take my girls, 12 and 3 year old fishing on the local lake. It?s 3:00 on a Sunday afternoon. This lake is usually a pleasure to launch and retrieve at. Double ramp, one marked ENTER, and one marked EXIT. There is plenty of parking. But on this day there are Trailers, and Hummers, F250?s parked every which way, and blocking the way in and out of the ramp. All of these turkeys seem hell-bent to be the first one out of the water. After getting the boat ready to launch I precariously get my van and trailer over to the launch side, wile my wife and oldest daughter go over to the dock and wait for our turn. As I back my trailer into line in front of two other families launching their boats, I?m greeted by an angry fishing turnement turkey. I ask him ?What?s the problem??, and he tells me he?s waiting to retrieve his boat. I explain to him that he is on the wrong side, and that the lanes are marked, and I continue to back up. When the boat behind me has left, I launch my boat and leave the Wife an oldest daughter to tie up wile I pull up on the ramp. As I do I have to stop as the guy retrieving in the next lane cuts into mine blocking me. Then the same jerk from before cusses me out, and tells me what an f-ing piece of S?T my boat is (all this wile my three year old girl is sitting next to me), then he guns it and zooms off.

I don?t get it. Fishing for me is fun and relaxing, and at the end of the day I always leave with a big smile on my face. My boat may be an old runabout, but it runs well and the fish don?t seem to mind. These fools in their$40 000 bass boats, and $60 000 tow rigs are the rudest, most miserable bunch of jerks around. This is not the first time I?ve experienced this either.

Just venting

 

[soaringhiggy]

Re: Fishing turnament - All the Jerks come out

suppose they eat all the fish they kill during an event?

 

[HappierWet]

Re: Fishing turnament - All the Jerks come out

I think it has something to do with there being more glitter and flash ontheir boats than their lures.
Either that or it's something Freudian

 

[TJDave]

Re: Fishing turnament - All the Jerks come out

You should be more sensitive to the professional fishermen.

The stress of having to fish for a living, and drive brand new sponsor paid tow rigs and boats must be overwhelming.

I really feel sorry for these poor guys that get paid to fish and travel.

 

[po1]

Re: Fishing turnament - All the Jerks come out

Cann't understand a guy making a fool of himself like that in front of your wife and daughter. With all that fancy equipment he's most likely living the lake empy handed. I'm lucky, the tournments here in central illinois are only local clubs and pretty well handled. We did have to deal with the high school bass tournments which started off as a cluster but they quickly shaped up. I get a schedule of the tournments so I can be in the water before they launch.

 

[sdilecce]

Re: Fishing turnament - All the Jerks come out

I think I need to find out the turnament schedule, and just aviod those clowns alltogether. When I pulled the boat out of the water arround 7:00pm it was plesant as usual, everybody friendly with one another.

 

[pmat1]

Re: Fishing turnament - All the Jerks come out

similar thing happened to me at the last fishing tournament. i passed him later and he asked for a tow and he got a finger. revenge is a "female dog"

 

[JB]

Re: Fishing turnament - All the Jerks come out

similar thing happened to me at the last fishing tournament. i passed him later and he asked for a tow and he got a finger. revenge is a "female dog"

So if you can't beat 'em join 'em, huh? Become the same sort of jerk you are complaining about?

I took you for more of a gentleman than that, pmat.

 

[pmat1]

Re: Fishing turnament - All the Jerks come out

The lake was full of people, if he did not have the time for us to launch before him we did not have the time to tow him. simple as that. If there wasnt 70+ boats on a 2.5mile x 400 ft lake i would have towed him no matter how much i didnt want to. I had 6 people on a boat rated for 6 and 2 miles to get to dock on 1.5 gallons of gas. He was out of fuel, but had a rather large trolling motor. He would have had an easier time getting to dock then me if i ran out of gas towing him. And before you think i am a total A-hole, i have towed 10+ people in this season. The old men at the dock with flasks of whiskey in their shirt pocket claim i am the nicest teenager they met.

 

[onedaatmc]

Re: Fishing turnament - All the Jerks come out

just know there are definately some arseholes out there ! Also know that most folks with the high dollar bass rigs and lifted Hummers, etc. are compensating for something. I personally have a boat and trailer that cost $100 bucks and a motor that runs well for $80. and I get to fish the same spots as the shiny goofs do. I personally think it's about what makes you happy, me , it's about enjoying the water and catching some fish, thats it. I do however avoid weekends at all cost, too many goofs and drunks on the water for me. I'll take a tuesday wednesday or thursday anyday over the crowded weekends where the shiny goofs come out. I'm blessed that I own my own business and can pick the days I work, likewise pick the days I fish !

I just wouldn't let those kinda guys get to you , just realize their unhappy in their life , and their compensating their unhappiness with their expensive toys. Life's too short to let these people get you down ! Say a prayer for them and move on ! when they say something bad to you, etc. smile and be glad you don't have to let them ruin your day !

 

[Nitro_boy]

Re: Fishing turnament - All the Jerks come out

Just to let you know if there is a boat in distress and you knowingly pass them up you can be cited considerably. I have been towed in once and I gave the guy the money I had on me even though he was obligated to pull me out. I was fishing in Michigan one day and was pulling out at the same time as a tournament and it isn't much fun. Some people are a holes but I fish a couple of small tourneys and I think each person is responsible for their own actions and you can't lump everyone together. I can't tell you how many jetskiers have buzzed me when I'm fishing within 30 ft or so. We have to share the water and being patient with people is part of it.

 

[The_Kid]

Re: Fishing turnament - All the Jerks come out

Just to let you know if there is a boat in distress and you knowingly pass them up you can be cited considerably. I have been towed in once and I gave the guy the money I had on me even though he was obligated to pull me out.

A boat in distress means that there is some type of life threatening situation. If that's the case then yes, you are required to render assistance, as long as you can do so without putting your self in danger.

You are not required to tow a boat that has run out of fuel, or broken down if they are in no danger. Offering assistance in this case is done out of common courtesy by most boaters, not because it's required by regulations.

 

[skargo]

Re: Fishing turnament - All the Jerks come out

Small packages...

 

[david_r]

Re: Fishing turnament - All the Jerks come out

why dont you just contact the tournament holders or better yet his sponsers


after all he is representing them!!


i have had my share of tournament jerks myself........... they come in like they own the place.

now the tournaments held by the locals are ok (no jerks) but launching in the middle of them when its still dark out with 30 boats in one cove is a little frustrating.... but they have a right to be there too so you just have a right to be there too, you just have to grin and bear it.

i have even seen one of those big fancy rigs with stickers all over the truck stuck in the mud right next to the bathroom facilities. he parked his rig in the parking space for the bathrooms and one of his buddies parked behind him blocking him in, and he tried to drive across the grass and jump a ditch with the truck and trailer. as i was starting to pull away, i was loading while this was going on, he asked me if i could call a wrecker since he was from out of state and didnt know anyone locally. i told him i wouldnt waste my minutes for him but i would give him the phone #............ i gave him the local sheriff departments # .

i dont know how it turned out because i didnt hang around to watch....... i should have at least waited for him to make the call lol.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Fishing turnament - All the Jerks come out

Just to let you know if there is a boat in distress and you knowingly pass them up you can be cited considerably.

towing with a small boat rated for 6 people with 6 on board IS putting themselves in a bad position. And has anyone EVER had a recorded case of someone piloting a small craft being cited for not helping? highly doubtful...

 

[pmat1]

Re: Fishing turnament - All the Jerks come out

Ontop of that, earlier that day, my mothers chair pulled right out of the deck and she fell when we hit a wave from a bass boat that insisted plowing was the best method of travel. Another sign the deck is bad.

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Fishing turnament - All the Jerks come out

Jerks do come in all packages and sizes. Let me give you an advise, from 2-4pm on a Sat or Sunday afternoon is the time when tournaments are finished. Naturally, all the participants will be at the ramp trying to get off the lake, weight in and get the hell out. A good rule of thumb is whatever the safelight time is plus 8 hours = tournament end time. Stay away from the ramp. The bad apple that you encountered was probably had a real bad day on the water.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Fishing turnament - All the Jerks come out

Most tournament fishermen are the most efficient, courteous, and friendly folks you could meet. If this happened to me, I would have snapped a couple of pictures of his rig, and sent a copy of the pictures and a note describing the encounter to each sponsor that had a sticker on his boat.

Soon the boat would be for sale, and the jerk would have to get a real job.

These guy's represent the sponsors, and a bad ambassador is soon unemployed.

My 02
John

 

[jonesg]

Re: Fishing turnament - All the Jerks come out

I never cut a taxi off, they are driving for dollars, tournament fishers are fishing for dollars too, they are kinda driven , so I'd stay out of their way, they tend to be very efficient at what they do anyway.

Its one of those times where its better to be happy than right.

 

[pmat1]

Re: Fishing turnament - All the Jerks come out

I never cut a taxi off, they are driving for dollars, tournament fishers are fishing for dollars too, they are kinda driven , so I'd stay out of their way, they tend to be very efficient at what they do anyway.

Its one of those times where its better to be happy than right.

The fisherman who has a dream job and a expensive boat should still respect the average hard working person and their not so fancy boats.