Venting

[mulv80]

This past weekend I launched my boat at the usual ramp and made my way out to the Delaware Bay. I noticed a number of fisherman on the jetty had cast there lines into the channel where the boats were running. The channel they were fishing has only about 4 ft. of water at low tide. I was making my way through the channel slowly giving anyone with a line in the water an opportunity to reel in. Well, I see 2 guys reel in and think I'm good to go. There was 1 guy left at the end of the jetty that had seen me coming and made no attempt to reel in. I figured his line must not be on my side of the jetty and since he had 3 rods in the water he must know what hes doing. Wrong, I managed to tangle his line around my motor, luckily not around my prop. I was able to shut the motor down quick enough to get his line off the motor but not before floating out of the channel and nearly into a channel marker. I was extra cautious since this was my first trip with the repaired lower unit not to tangle his line in my prop. I'm not the type of boater who feels as though just because they are in a boat they can zip through anywhere they want with no regard for others. This was not the first time I have encountered this situation and I'm sure not the last, but it is the first time I have gotten tangled. The fisherman looked at me like I was in the wrong for making them reel in, I just dont get it, maybe next time I'll just cut their line.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Venting

If you cast a line into a narrow navigation channel, you''d better be ready to reel in when a boat approaches. If you don't, you're going to lose your terminal tackle, and maybe mess up some boater's lower unit.<br /><br />Nobody owns the water, but boaters have the right-of-way in the channel.<br /><br />I used to fish in a channel in Morro Bay, CA, in my little 8' dinghy. Lots of traffic there at different times of day. The fishing was drift-fishing for halibut and the channel was where they were.<br /><br />I kept my outboard idling at all times, in neutral. Well ahead of any boat traffic using the channel, I'd pop it into gear and move out of the channel, reeling in as I went. Sometimes, I'd have to do that several times an hour. If you wanted to drift for halibut there, you had no choice. I never bothered any boater. They'd pass and I'd move back into the channel and continue fishing.

 

[Twidget]

Re: Venting

Common courtesy seems to be as rare as common sense these days. It is amazing the thing people do.

 

[Winger Ed.]

Re: Venting

Originally posted by Twidget:<br /> Common courtesy seems to be as rare as common sense these days.

True.<br /><br />Years ago, I was stopped and drift fishing on Lake Whitney near 'the island' in my freshly restored 21' day cruiser. I finally got got tired of drowning minnows, and cranked up.<br /><br />Sitting there letting the engine warm up, I watched a small fishing boat go by trolling.<br /><br />I waited until they passed well to the front and stbd,,,, and started to pull out and pass around them from the rear..... <br /><br />About the time shifted into fwd, and started moving, the 2 guys in the little whale boat started winding reels like crazy,,,,,,,,,, it dawned on me, they were trolling with about a half a mile of line out behind them.<br /><br />Realizing what was going on, I shut the engine off and waved, and they stopped frantically winding their 3-4 reels before they had heart attacks..... <br /><br />I still chuckle when I remember them guys turning those reel handles at about 10,000 rpm.

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Venting

Had the same experience last summer in the narrow channel (20ft)leading from the ramp to the lake. One guy refused to reel in despite me approaching at dead slow speed. I ran over the line and as I did I reached over with my knive and cut the line before it had a chance to get tangled. Talk about upset. He actually called the police and after some heated discussion they agreed that he was in the wrong. We each went on our way and the township has now posted no-fishing signs along the entire channel. Obviously there were other problems with fishermen as well.

 

[K Hultgre]

Re: Venting

Could go on and on about people that fish the channels on Lk Mtka. It's unfortunate that disrespect from the fisherman/women made the township post no-fishing signs along the channel.