what ever happened to common courtesy

[HangnMoss]

I witnessed an example of true courtesy about a month ago. My brother and I were fishing some main channel docks just upriver from Mullins cove on Nickajack lake when I noticed a big cruiser coming downstream at a good clip. We'd been battered all day long by wakes from passing cruisers, so I turned to my brother and warned him that more wakes were on the way. That didn't turn out to be the case. Even though this cruiser was running mid-river and wouldn't have passed within 300 feet of us, he slowed to near idle about 1/4 mile upstream from us and didn't accelerate again until he was well past us. I was stunned. I told my brother he must have been having engine problems, or just dropped the throttle back while he went below for more beer. Within 30 minutes the same boat was on its way back upstream and extended us the same courtesy. He slowed a good distance from us, waved as he passed, and didn't accelerate until he was well past us. The wakes he generated barely lifted my bow.

Maybe he slowed because he was passing docks, or maybe at some point somebody turned him in for endangering a smaller craft. I'd like to think I had just met my first courteous pleasure boater. Whatever the case, I honestly wish I had gotten his numbers, just so I could send him a 'Thank You' card.

 

[Davo]

HangnMoss - 5/2/2007 2:36 AM

I witnessed an example of true courtesy about a month ago. My brother and I were fishing some main channel docks just upriver from Mullins cove on Nickajack lake when I noticed a big cruiser coming downstream at a good clip. We'd been battered all day long by wakes from passing cruisers, so I turned to my brother and warned him that more wakes were on the way. That didn't turn out to be the case. Even though this cruiser was running mid-river and wouldn't have passed within 300 feet of us, he slowed to near idle about 1/4 mile upstream from us and didn't accelerate again until he was well past us. I was stunned. I told my brother he must have been having engine problems, or just dropped the throttle back while he went below for more beer. Within 30 minutes the same boat was on its way back upstream and extended us the same courtesy. He slowed a good distance from us, waved as he passed, and didn't accelerate until he was well past us. The wakes he generated barely lifted my bow.

Maybe he slowed because he was passing docks, or maybe at some point somebody turned him in for endangering a smaller craft. I'd like to think I had just met my first courteous pleasure boater. Whatever the case, I honestly wish I had gotten his numbers, just so I could send him a 'Thank You' card.

He just thought you were purdy.emoPoke

 

[Possum]

HangnMoss - 5/1/2007 11:36 PM

I witnessed an example of true courtesy about a month ago. My brother and I were fishing some main channel docks just upriver from Mullins cove on Nickajack lake when I noticed a big cruiser coming downstream at a good clip. We'd been battered all day long by wakes from passing cruisers, so I turned to my brother and warned him that more wakes were on the way. That didn't turn out to be the case. Even though this cruiser was running mid-river and wouldn't have passed within 300 feet of us, he slowed to near idle about 1/4 mile upstream from us and didn't accelerate again until he was well past us. I was stunned. I told my brother he must have been having engine problems, or just dropped the throttle back while he went below for more beer. Within 30 minutes the same boat was on its way back upstream and extended us the same courtesy. He slowed a good distance from us, waved as he passed, and didn't accelerate until he was well past us. The wakes he generated barely lifted my bow.

Maybe he slowed because he was passing docks, or maybe at some point somebody turned him in for endangering a smaller craft. I'd like to think I had just met my first courteous pleasure boater. Whatever the case, I honestly wish I had gotten his numbers, just so I could send him a 'Thank You' card.

Chances are he owns a smaller water craft and understands. My buddy owns a cruiser and I had to explain to him the deal, when he got on my boat which is still about 21 ft. I think he got the message.

 

[bow_vol]

I think personal watercraft have almost made it to easy for people with little to no experience to take to the water without realizing the dange they are putting themselves and others in.

I was fishing on Cherokee one time in a cut near Black Oak boat dock and had a guy in a jet boat with the blown motor and big pipes come idling up to within about twenty feet of me and then gunned it trying to wash me up on the bank. He just laughed and waved and went on over to the boat dock to get some more beer. I started up and followed him to tell him what I thought about him and his attitude. What neither of us had seen was the game warden standing on the dock who was in the process of reading him the riot act and pulling out his ticket book by the time I got over there. I just waved at the idiot, smiled real big, turned around and left...

 

[craazyboutbass]

Craazy's Mom here- we can't figure out why the jet skis/cruisers/ski boats can't do their thing out in the middle of the lake and leave the creeks and coves for the fishermen (and women) emoScratch

I honestly believe it's IGNORANCE for the most part -- our next-door-neighbors were out skiing last night and just ran up and back just where we were fishing- waving each time they pounded past us.

Whadya gonna do, it's your freakin neighbor!!!emoQuestion

 

[pondguy]

It happend to me and my son twice a few weeks ago near racoon mnt.I'm not sure of what the proper thing to do is but if I have to pump my boat out again I think they may be cleaning my smelly catfish bait out of theirs.lets see how they like that.But thats just me I am not encourging anyone to do the same.

 

[craazyboutbass]

Nothing happened to me so far at Parksville, but pretty close. Back up in Indian creek fishing yesterday evening, was not fun with those boats actually running 20 feet from me. There was this one boat and it created a huge wake, and it kept on running right by me. The wake from that boat was probably 2-3-4 feet high, not sure but man do they really have to run right by you all the time? Yesterday that boat went by me and several other fisherman fishing up in the creek like 10 times. The wake from this boat was barely small enough to keep water from entering my boat! The bite was really good yesterday, but only 2 spotted bass were landed, I just can't hook up with anything with the boat rocking back and forth rapidlyemoBang

 

[kickinbass35]

i wish that somehow the twra could hold like dui checkpoints on the water like the local law enforcement does here it might make some (of cousre it wouldnt all) of the boaters that drink to think twice before they got out on the water and endangered other peoples lives as well as there own

 

[Carl Guffey]

Two points, one, with all of the water ways in the state of Tennessee, there just aren't enough patrol officers to go around. Two, numbers of pleasure boaters are increasing expodentially.

There are over 900,000 fishing license holders in the state. A very large lobby group: if we could get all fishing license holders to agree to support a boat license at the current automotive rate, more officers could be hired with multiple license centers opened across the state. Would you be willing to pass a test to drive a boat, with size or boat lenght being the determining factor to type of license. All boats on state waters would have to be licensed.

 

[kickinbass35]

if it would help safty on the water i would most definatly do it safety is a key feature anywhere but one place i think it is overlooked alot is on the water

 

[Guest]

I think we've all had it happen at point or another. It's not right but its part of being out there. I've talked with several TWRA officers and the best advice I've gotten is from a TWRA officer in Marion County. According to him if you can get the registration number off the hull you can report them operating unsafely and fill out an incident report. He also said pictures help( especially if they keep doing it like some jet skis and larger ski boats seem to do). I've never done it but it makes sense. Hope this helps.

 

[cargotrailer]

Carl Guffey - 5/3/2007 11:57 AM
Would you be willing to pass a test to drive a boat, with size or boat lenght being the determining factor to type of license. All boats on state waters would have to be licensed.

If you were born after Jan. 1, 1989, you must take and pass a test, to legally operate a boat/PWC.

 

[Carl Guffey]

Everyone operating a watercraft on Tennessee waters needs to pass a proficency test, no matter the DOB.

 

[Fishin Fool]

cargotrailer - 5/4/2007 10:55 AM

Carl Guffey - 5/3/2007 11:57 AM
Would you be willing to pass a test to drive a boat, with size or boat lenght being the determining factor to type of license. All boats on state waters would have to be licensed.

If you were born after Jan. 1, 1989, you must take and pass a test, to legally operate a boat/PWC.

Yeah the key word here is "legally". I've seen kids as young as 10 riding jet skis out on the water on a busy Saturday. Plus the vast majority of pleasure boat drivers and jet ski riders have no idea of the need to pass a test. They simply put the key in the ignition and take off.

 

[trackerd2]

I work for the sheriff's department in marion county, we have a lot of calls on boaters on nickajack which increases in the summer months. we don't have a boat available to us but I have never called for twra officers and they not respond no matter what time of day.
the problem is that they just like us have not enough officers for the amount of call volume that we receive.
the help is out there .when on nickajack call the sheriff's department and they in turn will call twra to respond to the problem.
423 942 5667 or 911. as someone stated try to get the boat registration number because it can be entered in the computer for owner identification.

 

[Guest]

Courtesy...whats that???? Its almost a joke here any more....I have been just as mad at fishermen this year. On two seperate occasions, I have had guys come in on me close enough, I was splashing water on their boat. I shouldnt do it, because two wrongs dont make a right, but I kept right on casting as hard as I could trying to hit the boat. If people have that little courtesy for me, then they deserve to get a chunk knocked out of the gel-cote, and believe me, a 1 oz spinnerbait will do it!

 

[carolf29]

Wormhook.... same thing goes for the jet skiers that decide they need to go ripping back and forth by your boat while you are trying to fish.  Land them with a nice purdy DD22 piece of body jewelry and they fuss and cuss and go away.  They shouldnt be running any closer to you than you can cast..... If they happen to get in the way of your cast..  OOPS!!!  Still miss that bait.

 

[Guest]

For some reason or another, people seemed to have forgotten values, that were instilled in them at age 4 or 5....I am amazed at peoples behavior on a daily basis. Nobody opens doors for ladies, ill mannered drivers, rude remarks in lines at Walmart, grocery stores to the clerks, people let their kids run all over them...etc etc

I would have gotten beat to death for some of the things I see people do by my dad, not that Im perfect by no means, but this world is hateful ,and awful as compared to years ago.

 

[Fishin Fool]

Wormhook - 5/17/2007 9:00 AM

Courtesy...whats that???? Its almost a joke here any more....I have been just as mad at fishermen this year. On two seperate occasions, I have had guys come in on me close enough, I was splashing water on their boat. I shouldnt do it, because two wrongs dont make a right, but I kept right on casting as hard as I could trying to hit the boat. If people have that little courtesy for me, then they deserve to get a chunk knocked out of the gel-cote, and believe me, a 1 oz spinnerbait will do it!

I've got to make a comment here because I thought of these posts while I was fishing. Last week a friend of mine that NEVER gets to fish made the drive up from Summerville Georgia and bought an expensive non-resident fishing license so we could go shellcracker fishing. We made several stops and didn't really find them but I knew of a place that was a good run upriver so we headed there. I hated to do it with the price of gas and all but I REALLY wanted to put this guy on fish.

After a 20 to 30 minute run we got to my spot. Not a soul was around as this was a Tuesday and we were so far upriver. I slowly pulled the boat into the back of the little 60 foot wide slough, where the distance from bank to bank when it narrowed down was about 40 feet. We anchored and he tossed a red worm out. BAM! Huge yellow bellied shellcracker! He was tickled to death (65 years old and never fished, SAD) and the look on his face was priceless. We both began to pull in shellies, most around a pound or so. In about 20 minutes I hear a motor. I turn and look back out toward the river and it is two fishermen in a bass boat. Knowing how small the slough was I expected them to turn and just go on back out but they continue in. They stopped about 200 yards away and began casting. We are still catching fish on almost every cast. After 10 minutes I hear talking. Loud. I turn in my seat (my back was to them) and the bass boat is moving up BESIDE me about 10 feet from my boat! Now bear in mind we are on BEDDING fish, in shallow water. These two guys are standing and casting floats with panfish jigs under them. One of them glanced over and said "hi" and proceeded to run right over the bed we were fishing! Remember this slough is 40 FEET wide at the end, and narrows even further in the area we were casting to. The guy ended up grounding his trolling motor and had to pull it up, then use it right on top to turn around. I tossed a loaded float at them and hit the side of their boat. They both looked up but I didn't say a word. They just stared and began to ease out of the slough. They came within 10 feet of me again, never speaking and then turned on the main motor and kicked it. They never caught one fish. Needlesss to say the shellcracker fishing was over for us for the day. I could have said something to them and REALLY wanted to but I thought "is this really what I want my buddy to remember about this trip?" so I just kept my mouth shut. Sportsmanship is dying on our lake. Hopefully CFF can point this out to a lot of people.

 

[Liveliner]

FF What impression you did allow was for him to think that is a the norm for fishing.

When they got close enough to you that you saw them at ten feet. You had every right to nicely state that you are fishing "That (pointing to where you were fishing) spot. And ask them to try and avoid messing up your fishing. If they then went right on in knowing that they were harassing you, then write down their boat numbers and call the gamewarden and file a harassment complaint. If they made any threatening comments to you, even better. You had a witness. The TWRA would have to act on your complaint of harassment of your right to fish. It is or would have been evident enough that they willfully violated your right to fish. They basicly forced you to leave. There are laws that give you the right to fish without being harrassed.

I really don't know what I am talking about.... It just sounded good...emoDoh