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Posts: 125
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota | I just need to vent a little. I had the most unbelievable experience last night. Now I know that from time to time one should just expect to run into a few jerks while fishing. It is just part of the game, but last night I ran into the mother of all A-holes. I dropped into Minnetonka around 6:00 on the east end of the lake. On my way out of Wayzata Bay I decided I would fish a well-known muskie spot. About 5 minutes into my run, three guys in a fish and ski pulled up along side me about 20 feet in front of me and about 20 feet further from the weed break then I was. I couldn't believe it when they started fishing right in front of me. They where so close, at one point I had to shut down my trolling motor so I wouldn't run over their lines. It was unbelievable how ignorant these fools were. There are hundreds of good muskie spots on that lake and it wasn't as if the lake was over flowing with muskie fisherman.
What do you do when stuff like this happens? I had a notion to strap on a 10" Manta and start winging it at them, but then my rational side kicked in and I just gave them the old  and moved to another spot.
This isn't the first time someone has jumped into my line, but this is the first time someone has jumped in right on top of me. Is this something that happens frequently to others or is it just me?
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | That happened to me last night, twice. Both were panfish anglers, and both clearly saw I was moving down a rock bar. One couple actually were talking about hurrying to 'get in front of that guy in the Patriot before he spooks the fish off the rocks'. I just went on around them. In fact, Sue got her fish less than 25' from one of the boats. |
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Location: Minneapolis, MN | You should come down and fish the toilet bowl on a Saturday. You will go back home thinking your fellow Minnesotan's are very nice. |
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Posts: 259
Location: Alexandria, MN | I had the same thing happen on Tonka on opening day. Working my way around a reef and as I was finishing my pass along the north side, and getting ready to turn the corner, a boat with 3 idiots jumped right in front of me. I was going to just move to another spot and let it go, until the a-hole in the back of the boat took his first cast and aimed right for my boat! Well a few choice words were said, and then I moved on.
I can't count the number of times I have been cut-off, crowded or buzzed by a another boat. With more people hitting the water for fun or sport, these things will happen more and more. We finally had our first "boat rage" fatality over the 4th of July on Minnetonka, things will have to change.
It's still just good to get out and go fishing! Focus on the good stuff, or the rest of it will drive you crazy.
Freak |
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Posts: 1137
Location: Holly, MI | Remember what they say about getting in a pissing match with a skunk.
I would move on and say somthing to the effect about there not being any fish there anyway. Leave them with that thought.We all have delt with it and will have it happen again in the future. |
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| Might as well get used to it as more and more so called fisherman (sporstman)become so called musky anglers!There will be no safe havens anywhere in the very near future.So you maybe might think about golfing! Fore! |
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Posts: 3928
| I think this is where a super magnum sound system in your boat would come in handy. Just blast the ever-livin-sh!t out of it as you drift closer and closer to the jerks. When they start yelling at you, point at your ears and give them the old, "Jeeze, sorry, but I can't hear a thing you're saying." shrug. And drift closer and closer.
Let's see, what song would be best? |
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Posts: 3242
Location: Racine, Wi | I would go for the Barry Manilow's greatest hits.  Fall is coming soon, and all of the lightweights will soon have their boats in the garage piling up garden tools. It's a shame that it happens, but you just have to deal with them and move on. It's always nice to stick a fish right in front of them. |
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I disagree. I think that every angler out there need to understand on the water ettiquette. If someone nearly knocks you over butting into line at the Wal Mart, SOMEONE will say something. A "HEY, that is considered rude to jump in front of another boat on a drift." or something like that might get the guy thinking. Then again, it might not |
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Posts: 1996
Location: Pelican Lake/Three Lakes Chain | I am in agreement with Steve, these people need to be made aware that they are out of bounds on the ettiquette field. Some people already know this and it won't matter--but as one of my fishing partners always says--most of them just don't know any better.
I wouldn't start out in a ranting tirade demeaning everything from their dog to their mother, but a few well spoken words about proper ettiquette may leave a lasting impression. |
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| I like Rangers solution. I'd follow them around the whole lake even back to the boat ramp if they decided I was nuts and went to leave. Maybe that would keep them off that body of water for good. |
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Posts: 1023
Location: Lafayette, IN | OK, I'm being totally transparent here... I'd like to have a 25cent boat with a really pointed bow, a Bill Clinton mask, and a jetski in-tow. Enough said??? I honestly just ignore them because it's never gonna change. I just have to watch out for my own safety. Making some numbnuts mad is only gonna put me and my equipment at risk. It just isn't worth it... |
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Posts: 2691
Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin | Mikes, I have had this happen to me on my home lake, I just ask if I was too close to their spot. I didn't know it was reserved. Then I just fire up the 225 and drive over the zone I was going to fish. I usually can come back to that spot after I fish the spot I just drove to.
The other method I use it to fire up the motor and pull on the other side of them, if they bitch I just ask them "isn't that what you just did to me" and then it sinks in to their little pea brain.
My tournament partner casted a Power Probe and smacked the trolling motor of a boat that was cutting us off in a PMTT qualifier. The guy asked what was that for, Dan replyed that it was just a distance check, the guy moved off and never said anything more. |
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Posts: 5874
| I was out with the Extreme One last night. Usually when trolling and approaching another boat, both boats will give alittle to keep a decent distance between them. One boat last night wouldn't give an inch as we got closer. We had to be the one to turn way out. It's ok though, as I stuck this fish within 50 feet of them! Gotta love it! heee heee
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Posts: 41
Location: Minneapolis, MN | I usually fish Mille Lacs and have had many encounters with the clueless fisherman. Usually, I won’t say anything unless they do it more than once
Last summer on Mille Lacs two guys trolled past me not more than 20 yards away. I had a Jackpot on and decided I could chuck it their way without getting tangled or hurting anyone. I missed their motor by a hair landed in the propwash. What was funny is that when I worked the bait back to me, the biggest Muskie I’ve ever seen was following it. I’d like to think that I coerced him off one of their lines.
In a different twist, last weekend during the Mille Lacs tournament, I was casting the shore with another boat head-on in front of me. I was going to make one last cast before getting out of the way because I wasn’t in the tournament and I think they were (big green Cabela’s boat). Anyhow, I had a good hit that they saw. One of the guys says to me, “I’ll get out of your way”, and went around me. WOW!!! That has never happened to me before. What a guy, and a true sportsman.
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Posts: 20281
Location: oswego, il | Nothing says "your rude" like a spud shot from a potato canon.;-) |
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| Minnetonka boaters/fishers are consistently the rudest I've ever seen.
Once was figure 8ing a large fish and had two muskie guys see me from 100 yards away. They turned up their speed and quickly got to where I was and started casting to the fish I was 8ing! They even said to me, "Hey, we saw you figure 8 that fish, so we just had to come over and see what you had going". They were casting right up to my boat!
Turgeon has showed me how to handle these type of guys. While fishing in his boat, he darned near rammed a guy with his trolling motor who cut us off while fishing a weed edge - acting as if we didn't even see him. I could have stepped into the other guys boat. The guy said, "Little close, aren't we?" Turgeon said, "Yeah, that's what we thought when you pulled right in front of us." Way to go, Bob! I usually just leave.
On Tonka you often wind up fighting people more than fish. Can't wait for football season, when the lake will really get freed up.
BrianF.
Twin Cities |
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Posts: 492
Location: Lindenhurst, Illinois | For all you guys whining and complaining (kidding I am just kidding) about the rude boat traffic north, I invite you to come down the le bowl de toilet (The Fox Chain) to fish between 11am and 5pm on any given Saturday or Sunday between Memorial and Labor day. You will go back to your local waters with a new found appreciation for its peacefulness. |
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| I was wondering what the standard etiquette when trolling. If I'm trolling and someone is in my line casting I always go way around back of them. On Mille Lacs last weekend I witnessed trollers cutting in front of people casting which I thought was pretty damm rude.
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Posts: 2691
Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin | DDD, trollers should go around casters unless the casters pull out when you are approaching. I had a boat nose out just to make me move off my line. I asked him if it was too much to let me by and then pull out, he said there is way too maney trollers here on this lake. I told him there is lots of lakes to fish and even more areas to cast. This guy has not caught a muskie in the month of July, one of my friends know him and he will not troll. Thats ok with me but don't be rude and a prick to the guys that like to catch fish. Trolling is the only high percentage muskie fishing when the water get too hot and the fish move to 20ft and deeper.
Casters will get the right-a-way from me always, but the casters using a trolling motor can work with the trollers also. Plenty of room to fish if everyone works together. |
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Posts: 131
Location: Kalamazoo, MI | Been there several times this year. So far I have found a few effective ways of handling the situation, and have received suggestions I havent tried yet.
First of all, in Michigan, you are not suppose to leave a wake within 100' of an achored vessel(150' if you are on a PWC) if it can be avoided. Im not sure how the law is in Minnesota. So when someone encroaches that, and negatively impacts my fishing, be it with 15 year olds screaming and yelling, or other anglers firing lures towards us or cutting us off, or old people driving between us and shore when we are 50' from shore, I get pretty vocal. While I do get pretty loud, I try not to be outright rude about it. Usually a little yelling sends the message. When it doesnt I usually continue yelling and begin throwing my arms up in the air, throwing tackle into the bottom of the boat, and throwing a little tantrum. If all else fails, I get out the XH St Croix, and tie on a 1lb drop weight that I found attached to a chair I caught earlier this year. It casts very well, and hits the water like a 15lb bowling ball. One splash of that about 20ft from a boat usually sends a strong message.
Other suggestions we havent tried yet this year are, super soakers, paintball guns, megaphones, and airhorns (we have one of these onboard now). |
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Posts: 1294
Location: Stevens Point, Wi. | It sounds like we have a serious market for Prozak here. Me, I just find another lake. Life's to short. |
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