Common Courtesy Fishing/Boating

[Gerry Zagorski]

Some people think they own the water and others don't know any better but the result is the same... You ruin the fishing for yourself and everyone around you.

This time of year the common offense is running full speed through a fleet of anchored or drifting boats or getting too close, even at no wake speeds.

If you see a bunch of boats in a certain area you can bet they are actively fishing....

1) Slow down to no wake speed
2) Even at no wake speeds give other boats a wide birth and if you see they are anchored avoid running off their stern.

You want to slow down to no wake speeds for 2 reasons:
1) You don't want to create a wake and rock the other boat
2) Running at speed though the areas others are fishing will scatter the fish.

As far as passing by the stern of an anchored boat, this is practically a criminal offense in my book...People invest a lot of time, money and bait creating a chum slick behind their boats. If you run behind their stern you've basically ruined their chum slick. Some people think 50 yards is enough of a buffer but it's not.... That Chum slicks extends way back behind the boat so you should avoid crossing their stern at all.

Best thing to do when you approach an area with a lot of boats actively fishing is to give them a very wide birth. Once in the general area determine if they are anchored or drifting and which way the current is going to take your boat.

If you are going to anchor then it's common courtesy to anchor up current of them rather then try and slide in behind them.

If you and others are drifting then start your drift up current from them.

If you see someone breaking these rules then you should approach them giving them the benefit of the doubt and let them know the err of their ways....

If they decide to continue to do it then you might want to make a few tight circles around their boat :rolleyes:

It's a big ocean everyone, certainly big enough to give people their space.

[GDubya07]

This is one of the reasons I don't own a boat , biggest reason is the wifes Money

Be careful out there peeps it will be turning into that time of year again

Good luck to everybody going out this weekend

Be Well - Be Safe and Fish - On

GDubs- :cool:

[Bucktailboys.com]

Well said, common sense is not always common :D

[Arbutis]

I know I'm preaching to the choir here but I would also like to add, in addition to everything already mentioned. . .

Be very aware of boats that are trolling. Sometimes it is difficult to tell when this is happening. It often looks as if trollers are just slowly meandering around looking for spots to fish but in reality there is A LOT of line extending out of the stern of the boat.

We were trolling bunker spoons yesterday and going about 3 knots. A guy up on plane was about to fly past us over our lines. It took a lot of waiving and pleading for him to detour. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, he just wasn't aware of all the gear we had out directly in back of us. Tough to see sometimes.

[BlueDog]

With fluke season coming up I hope a lot of guys read this thread, for some reason people have the urge to get up and motor to do the same drift through the fleet that's drifting the same area. They need to realize its worse when your not quite on plane and throwing a huge wake. It makes me especially mad when they see you with a 5 year old on board and they throw you a wave as they're plowing by.... Meatballs.

Art

[Michael82929]

Its the uneducated boater that you need to speak too.. most of the people on this site.. I would consider educated.... or informed if anything...:D

Unfortunitely, no matter if you had huge sign lite up like the garden state parkway at the top of the hook, that says speed limit 55 or boaters courtesy. Everyone will still do 80 and give your boat a nice wave...

No getting around it...sad..

[Jay]

I know I'm preaching to the choir here but I would also like to add, in addition to everything already mentioned. . .

Be very aware of boats that are trolling. Sometimes it is difficult to tell when this is happening. It often looks as if trollers are just slowly meandering around looking for spots to fish but in reality there is A LOT of line extending out of the stern of the boat.

We were trolling bunker spoons yesterday and going about 3 knots. A guy up on plane was about to fly past us over our lines. It took a lot of waiving and pleading for him to detour. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, he just wasn't aware of all the gear we had out directly in back of us. Tough to see sometimes.

At least you guys were nice about it and understood. I had two jack asses two weeks ago screaming profanity at us with my two nephews on board 13 and 14 years old. We were going slow they waited until we got close to start the waving, sceaming and ranting. They were very lucky that my nephews were on board. I had really bad intentions. They should be some sort of Flag or something to let other boats know their trolling. We could veer else where. Going forward, Now, we make sure we go very very slow.

[joeya78]

[QUOTE=Arbutis]I know I'm preaching to the choir here but I would also like to add, in addition to everything already mentioned. . .

Be very aware of boats that are trolling. Sometimes it is difficult to tell when this is happening. It often looks as if trollers are just slowly meandering around looking for spots to fish but in reality there is A LOT of line extending out of the stern of the boat.


We should have a trolling flag like scuba has their scuba flags, I've seen people run over people's line way too many times. Also we should have an anchor flag, I witnessed a boat run over the top of another boat last year it may have been avoided if there was a clear flag telling everyone they were anchored. It sporty seas it's sometimes hard to tell these thing, flags are more visible then no flags.

[THAT GUY]

unfortunately the flags probably wouldn't work either. The no wake signs don't seem to work all the time. Look at the PP canal, I see people going through there almost on plane

[Papasown]

Thank you for that, Gerry. I don't fish during the mid-days on Sat/Sun thru the summer, unless I have a special crew. I have been cut-off, experienced way too often a boat cutting thru the bunker pod, (even by supossedly profressional Captions. Yes you, Splinter.) and I turned off Channel 65 by 8:00 am because of the negative back and forth by stressed fisherman/ people/ jerks. Your sugestions/reminders are on the mark, and I appreciate them. Thank you......
ps. I can't stress enough to mark your debris from Sandy when you find it , with a laundry soap or Bleach bottle and call in to CG and DEP with GPS codinates:
Point Pleasant Beach CG 732-899-0130
Barnegat Light CG 609-494-2661
DEP 1-877-WARNDEP
Thank you, Papa. Catch ém up Guys, and have a very safe year.

[Foul Hook]

Lets face it people are stupid. Look at the way they drive on the roads when there is cops out there giving tickets. You know they are not going to listen to anything you say and just think you being an A-hole yelling at them. Feel you pain Gerry been there many times!!

[NoLimit]

To tell you the truth, just because party boats go slow dont mean that they dont make large wakes.

I wont mention any names but the worst offenders are some party boats who do the most damage passing way too close at half throttle.

A 21' CC on plane passing that close does a lot less.

[dfish28]

Lets design a "trolling flag" that can be attached to any VHF antenna...and go from there!!! And an at anchor for that matter!!!

[Canyonfish]

Fishing in a 18ft CC in RB and around the hook .. let's just say I keep my head on a swivel .... I trust no one and assume the worst ... if someone is heading at speed in my direction I start my engine .. I assume they just don't see me or areen't even looking ....... I will only anchor when among a fleet of other anchord boats ..... I just don't like being at anchor on my own .....

Also .... and especially when I have my wife and/or kids on the boat I will avoid the fleet at all costs even if it means fishing less than productive spots.

When it is just me and my brother .. with one of us manning the throttle .. we will fish where we want ... still being aware at all times.

Witnessed an accident on the water last year and had some tool almost run up my son's a$$ waterskiing at Lake George last year while displaying skii flags and leaning on the horn ......

Just way too many careless and clueless boaters out there ......:(

[Michael82929]

I'm surprised their aren't more incidents on the water... especially with the knuckleheads that get behind the wheel of these launching missiles.. It's only a matter of time before you start hearing of regular occurences of boating accidents

[Chrisk]

Yahoos are something we all deal with. It'll be worse starting Memorial weekend thru Labor day. What I find worse are our fellow salt of the earth fishermen who fly by partyboats, popular spots, thru chum slicks et al for a quick look while going by.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Common sense cuts both ways. It's not fair to expect every boat that passes through high traffic areas to slow down for you because you chose to fish there. If you are in or around the channel or in a high traffic area that is not a no wake zone, your expectations should be that you are going to get rocked.

Point in case, if I'm running in the channel up on plane and there are boats fishing in the channel or it's edges I'm probably not going to slow down.

If you are fishing in a smaller boat or with kids and do not want to get rocked, then you should not be fishing in these areas.

[makosnax]

The ones that piss me off the most are the guys who troll thru a cluster of anchored boats. They are trolling 100' off your bow when you have 150' of anchor line out. Anchor lines dont go striaght up and down you idiots.

[Bachelor]

Gerry, I'm suprised at your last post! You are always responsible for your wake. If you are up on plane and someone's drifting in or near the channel they are still "under way" and the rules of the road would likely require you to slow down so as not to throw too big a wake and to avoid a collision. Too many operators think they can just blow by someone in or near a channel. Not the case.

After some of my experiences in the Navesink and around Sandy Hook during the weekends in the last two years (after moving up from Shark River) I'm really going to try to get out and BACK to the dock earlier this year. I want to be filleting fish by 11AM if possible! It's been real nice having the Two Rivers practically to ourselves the last couple weeks.

[NoLimit]

I think the point is that all boats on plane will make far less wake than running at 1/3 or 1/2 throttle when they are trying to reduce their wake.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Bachelor - not trying to be argumentative here but when I'm running the channels outside of no wake zones channels I'm running at speed. If I'm in an area where there is enough depth to avoid someone in a small boat I will try and do that. However, if I'm the one fishing in the channel I know and fully expect to be rocked by other boats passing through. That is the risk I run fishing those areas. IMHO it is impractical to expect every boat that is running the channel to in a non no wake zone to slow down for me.

Point in case when in a non no wake zone in a channel if the boats are running in opposite directions they dont slow down when they pass eachother, right?

Further let's look at the Ambrose channel, Raritan Reach and Sandy Hook channels. If you are fishing those areas do you think it's practical for every boat to slow down for you?? I know the tankers and cargo boats never do...

Are they breaking the law when they wake you?? I dont think so and I believe the coast guard rulings would support that. Being a small boater, I would think they would hold you responsible for putting yourself in that position.

Back in the river it's a totally different story since most of the areas are no wake to begin with and you should therefore be running at no wake speeds.

Once again, just trying to apply common sense.

[dory24]

we moved east of the train bridge on the manasquan just for all the reasons listed above. will still travel up river but if i have to back off from tossing a 4 oz. sinker thru a window of some jackoffs boat that thinks that the 45 boats waiting in line to get thru are just having lunch together just while the kids are on board one more time ill loose my mind. my wife made me promise to keep all projectiles in the v-bearth while moving thru the bridge:D

[dory24]

oh and by the way, in this order plz, boat under sail-boat being towed-boat with the tide-boat against the tide. the day that piece of junk train bridge comes down will be the happiest day of my life.