Boating courtesy

[10-Ring]

I've been into boating in one form or another for as long as I remember.  However, I got rid of my last boat in 2003 and can count the times I've been on the water on one hand since.  I picked up a pontoon boat about a month ago and I've been spending a lot of time on the lake.  I would never have imagined that so many things could change on the lake in 12 years.  I'm not singling any certain group of people out, in my past I've been a competitive water skier and participated and/or competed in nearly every discipline of watersports.    Ive also been an avid fisherman for my entire life, point being, I understand the frustrations of everyone out there because at one time or another I've been in their shoes. 

 

So, what's the problem?  Seems that everyone on the lake that you are meeting or being overtaken by feel a need to get as close as possible.  I was trolling the other day and had maybe 100' of line out behind the boat and a runabout with a tube being pulled behind it got so close that they snagged my lure.  Pretty sure there was a bass tournament on Saturday, I was in the back of a creek fishing along a bank and a bass boat comes in about half plane dang near washing me up on the bank, he has the nerve to cut in about 100 yards down the bank from me, after fishing for about 5 minutes he's hammer down like a bat out of hell.  The wakeboarders are no better, wakeboard boats throw an obnoxious wake, it's their nature, it's what they are built for.  I always considered it impolite to repeatedly board in the same area when other people are trying to use it.  Not to mention the environmental impact that these boats are having on shoreline erosion.  It seems that everytime I'm on the lake someone does something ignorant that puts me and my family in danger, or just commits some self centered act that detracts from my boating experience.  It's a big lake, there is plenty of room for everyone.  Thanks for listening to my rant.

[RED333]

Politeness has gone for the most part.

[peejman]

I went out on a boat a couple weekends ago. First time for my kids and first time for me in at least 25 years. Thankfully we didn't have any such issues, though I learned a few places I most definitely will not be going in my canoe.

[nightrunner]

Some people grow up boating and out on the water and they know what is common boating courtesy is.

Then there are these other people, likely the majority now days. They buy a boat because you can just go sign a dotted line and get one, no licensing or training at all as long as it doesn't sink they are ok. They aren't taught what is right or wrong on the water or what is accepted common courtesy. Most don't know how red/green correlates to left/right.

[bersaguy]

"Quote"  It's a big lake, there is plenty of room for everyone.  Thanks for listening to my rant.  

 

Depending on which lake you were on which I am thinking Old Hickory? Yea. it's a big lake but you have to understand that wake boarding, Sking and Wave Runners are not fun things to do without an audience. If they find a pontoon boat with folks on it or Cabin Cruiser or two anchored someplace out of the way in a pocket or back of a creek they will make it unbearable for them by waking them while showing their ass with boom boxes blasting that you can hear 2 miles away. I went through that for to many years to mention. I quit fishing about 3 years ago and sold my Skeeter bass boat and almost all my gear of over 25 years of fishing accumulation. The only peace I could find was at night fishing when all the recreational water crafts were parked. It will slow down some after Labor Day but normally it's mid October before you can fish in peace during the day. good luck with the pontoon.................. :up: :up:

[BigK]

I haven't been on the lake in a boat in a long time, but it sounds like people are boating like they drive nowadays.

[gregintenn]

It isn't confined to the lake. People in general today are self absorbed a$$holes.

 

My job requires me to deal with the public on a regular basis, and in the last couple of years in particular, I've grown to despise the public.

[runco]

People don't care anymore.  Its about self.

[itchytriggerfinger]

100 yards is a long way.  I have no problem with that.

 

Wakeboard boats can go to hell.

[enfield]

I used to keep a 9 inch muskie lure tied onto a pole, just for flinging in the general direction of jet skiers. It helped.

[Hozzie]

I think it is purely people who have not or did not grow up on the water.  My parents had a fairly large houseboat and it was amazing the people that would try to park on the gas dock while we would be coming in for gas.  Luckily, the dock hands always had pretty good control of the situation and made people move, but even the seasoned boaters didn't seem to get it most of the time.  They always got mad when we hollered at them to get the heck out of the way in a not so polite way.  We didn't typically have time to be nice about it.  Parking an 80' boat in the wind doesn't leave you much room for error.

 

The other pet peeve was Fishermen who thought they could fish 5ft off the back of your boat in the docks.  It was always fun to start the engines and hammer it forward and blow them backwards.

 

I have seen some friends damn near swamp some small runabouts because they wouldn't stop making a wake around a bunch of boats tied up.  You get three or 4 big cruisers pissed, i hope you have a decent size boat because they can make some very large waves.

Edited September 1, 2015 by Hozzie

[blewbayou]

.... I have seen some friends damn near swamp some small runabouts because they wouldn't stop making a wake around a bunch of boats tied up. You get three or 4 big cruisers pissed, i hope you have a decent size boat because they can make some very large waves.

Man, that brings back memories. We had a 42' Sundancer and have had to plow a few times to send that message. We had friends with a 360 Regal, and another with a 370 Sundancer.

Our boat moved enough water that we had to come off plane close to a mile from dock just so the entire marina didn't get steamrolled.

We got out of boating in 2008, I guess it was. We were on lake Cumberland and it was big enough to handle a lot of boats, but there were always some really inconsiderate boaters in run abouts. They were the exception though.

[felinesNfreedom]

Lake etiquette is a thing of the past. I fish JPP a lott and it's been terrible for years and not just pleasure boaters and jet skiers. I have been fishing JPP out of my kayak more this year and it's terrible when it comes to other bass boats fishing around you. I was fishing a hump earlirer this summer out of my yak  and had a bass boat pull up and float past me casting down beside my yak and bringing their crank baits back parralel with my yak. At on point they got within 8' of my yak and fished the same hump around me. Later on that aftenroon I was fishing one of my points and was fighting a fish as a boat was driving by, he put the brakes on and turned right on in and started fishing within 20' of me. I ended up catching 5 fish or so while they were around me, they caught nothing, that did make me feel alittle better :)

[felinesNfreedom]

Here is the boat as it was pulling away from me. I was very pleasant with them


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[SupaRice]

We always try to get on the water at first light to avoid the pleasure boaters... they're all still hung over that early. Cooler weather keeps them away too... come November there's almost nobody out there.

[teecro]

I guess either I'm tolerant on the water or we have a better class of boaters on Norris Lake (yeah right...) as I only seem to get mildly bent at perhaps 1 out of 20 boaters... We don't fish much but I know these guys like to be left alone and I don't blame them so I do. We are usually looking for quite deep coves to go swimming in and if I see people fishing them I go look for another; if I'm there first your welcome to try fishing it but I'm not going to be bothered either way.... Lately I'm teaching my wife to handle our boat and one of the first rules she mastered is if your close to moored boats you don't go pulling no wake behind ya or you get way to the otherside and keep your speed so as to throw the smallest of wakes... 

[MacGyver]

I try not to get to bent out shape - and I try to be courteous to others, too.

 

The only time other boaters really irk me is if I've got my kids in tow.  Then you need to give me some space and not act like you're trying to draft me.

 

I've almost quit JPP.  From where I am it's almost the same distance to put in on the Cumberland up at Riverbluff Park.  I find it a lot more pleasant out on the river due to a lot less traffic.

[bersaguy]

Back years ago when I first began bass fishing and fishing tournaments all the anglers respected other boats regardless of type or style. As the years went by it was the Jet Skies that began starting the trouble. They would buzz a bass boat fishing several times until they made the anglers mad. Back years ago bass boats we not fast enough to catch them but that has all changed today. My Skeeter would run faster than most Wave Runners and so did many other bass boats so after they got chased a few times and realized they could not out run us anymore they stopped buzzing bass anglers pretty much. Ski boats pulling wake boards and skies are the real pain in the ass on most lakes now. They have boom boxes you can hear for two miles and make wakes from hell. I was glad when TWRA began cracking down on the boom boxes and were ticketing them  for disturbing the peace. Made them either turn them down or off. If they got caught twice in a month TWRA took the sound system off the boat. They ended up taking on guys whole boat because after they took his sound system he went and purchased an even louder one and was out there on a week day thinking TWRA would not be out there. A homeowner with a lake house called and reported a boat with a very loud sound system was running back and forth passed them home so TWRA sent out a team of wardens to check it out and it was same guy so they confiscated his boat. Lesson learned and all the other ski boats kept then volumns turned down. I'm not against anyone having fun on the water until it becomes an annoyance to a lot of other people trying to also enjoy the water...............jmho

[SupaRice]

I'd also add that I believe it does matter which lake your on, and when... I've been on just about every body of water in TN. There IS a different group on say Dale Hollow even than on Priest..... Priest has got to be the worst.

 

HOWEVER, Priest is the BEST for boat ramp ridicule! I've seen pure fail so many times at the ramps there.... If the fishing is bad we sometimes go to the dock to get a beer and watch the awesomeness.

[bersaguy]

I'd also add that I believe it does matter which lake your on, and when... I've been on just about every body of water in TN. There IS a different group on say Dale Hollow even than on Priest..... Priest has got to be the worst.

 

HOWEVER, Priest is the BEST for boat ramp ridicule! I've seen pure fail so many times at the ramps there.... If the fishing is bad we sometimes go to the dock to get a beer and watch the awesomeness.

 

Well what most people don't know is that J.Percy Priest Lake was actually designated when built to be a lake designed for two things. Electro-power and recreation and was not designated as a fishing lake, That is why most recreational crafts go there plus it is closest lake to Nashville making it convenient for most Nashvillians.   

[SupaRice]

Yeah, I think it's because of proximity to Nashville and the party cove crowd doesn't like to drive too far home when drunk....  All lakes are fishing lakes to me! :)

[felinesNfreedom]

I'd also add that I believe it does matter which lake your on, and when... I've been on just about every body of water in TN. There IS a different group on say Dale Hollow even than on Priest..... Priest has got to be the worst.

 

HOWEVER, Priest is the BEST for boat ramp ridicule! I've seen pure fail so many times at the ramps there.... If the fishing is bad we sometimes go to the dock to get a beer and watch the awesomeness.

Watched a guy and his wife trying to back in a pontoon boat one afternoon at Fate sanders. It was stuck on the trailer, she gunned it and off the trailer it went.... onto the ramp! 1/2 in the water 1/2 on the ramp.

[56FordGuy]

I'd also add that I believe it does matter which lake your on, and when... I've been on just about every body of water in TN. There IS a different group on say Dale Hollow even than on Priest..... Priest has got to be the worst.

HOWEVER, Priest is the BEST for boat ramp ridicule! I've seen pure fail so many times at the ramps there.... If the fishing is bad we sometimes go to the dock to get a beer and watch the awesomeness.

I used to go down to the ramp on Old Hickory by the dam in Hendersonville on my lunch break. I'd sit in the truck and watch folks trying to launch or load. It was usually pretty funny. :lol:

[gregintenn]

I've always liked Barren River Reservoir, but don't fish enough now to justify the cost of a non resident license. There is a narrow spot in the lake, and it divides the portion of the lake where one can jet ski, ski, innertube, etc, from the portion of the lake where these things aren't allowed. This makes for enjoyable fishing.

[battleop]

Politeness has gone for the most part.

 

 

I think politeness was traded for political correctness.