Fishing boat etiquette question

[CarolinaJet]

Question for the group: when we have sunny and reasonably warm winter days here in NC, I love to take my boat out solo for a cruise, drop anchor (or just float somewhere) and read a book. Love the solitude. Tough life I know.

On these winter days it’s just me and the fishing boats, lots of them are bass boats that run 40+ easily too and from the ramp. But mostly they’re trolling and I’m the only one on the move. Since there’s no recreational boaters zooming around, the fishing boats own the lake and they fish in the middle of narrow channels, middle of the main body of the lake, etc. They are not anywhere near no-wake zones.

So here’s the etiquette question:

I pick the path that creates the most distance from the most boats and might slow down a bit if things are particularly tight, but I don’t come off plane. Would you slow down to no wake speed as a courtesy? What if it meant doing no wake mode for long stretches?

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

i do the same as you, I keep the most distance I can from others.

First answer, does anybody else extend that courtesy to you or others? In my experience fishing boats, pontoons, wake boats don’t slow for me. Some of the nicer wake boat pilots will angle away from me but I still get quite the ride, but I appreciate their efforts. I’ll also drop to no wake around kayakers if I think I’m too close to them. I’ll run that speed for whatever time / distance that I think is necessary, and that’s regardless of what others do.

If distances are too close then I’ll drop my speed to what feels like a safe speed, that might moving along just under planing speed, or it might be at no wake speed #3, or at TDE idle ahead.

I suppose it comes down to….

 

[Thermobrett]

I try to leave as much distance between a fisherman and myself as a sign of respect. Nobody owns the water but we all share it. I have notice passing by 1/4 throttle throws a bigger wake than staying on plane. That being said, use your best judgement and hope everyone else does the same.

 

[seanmclean]

I slow down whenever I can, but sometimes they just sit in terrible spots right next to a main channel where nobody should need to slow down, and that's on them. I find that if you're going to slow down, you should slow down to no wake. My wake from 10-20 mph is much worse than if I went by at 30-40.

 

[adrianp89]

Stay on plane or go to no wake. I would stay on plane personally.

 

[drewkaree]

The 99% of those who will be upset at you for "racing by" have no idea that slowing down in our boats will create a bigger wake than staying on plane, and if you're far enough away, there will be little to no issue for them. As @seanmclean pointed out, slowing down really means dropping to no wake.

I had a neighbor's friend who wouldn't talk to me for well over a year when we went tooling by, easily 100 yards or more away, on the opposite side of the river, and definitely beyond what boating regs in my area address. Any further away, and I'd have run aground. This was just past a bend in the river where he was checking his set lines, and was well past any of the no wake zones on the river. It wasn't until he and his wife were following us upriver one day, unbeknownst to me, that he realized just how much worse it would have been if I had slowed down, and when we stopped for drinks, they docked shortly after, and he came up and talked about it with me and apologized (seriously thought he was going to throw hands when my "offense" first happened )

My suggestion: take a look at what it looks like when you pass. If you would be annoyed, being in their situation, act accordingly with your speed. I find that those who camp out in the middle of the river tend to be more forgiving, but there's always the possibility that you run across a "rules are rules" person with no regard for others as long as they are technically within whatever boating regs apply in your area. People tend to look more leniently at their own behavior, myself (yourself, everyoneself included), so you even asking the question and trying to be considerate makes me think you will be a better judge about your speed and distance than most.

 

[84rzv500r]

just make sure that there are no Dive flags around... down here it would be nice if divers followed the rules too... its a little scary in lobstah season...

Bottom line is that you are responsible for your wake and the safe operation of your vessel

FL diver down...

 

[CarolinaJet]

I appreciate the comments, very helpful to hear the consensus

 

[biffdotorg]

The 99% of those who will be upset at you for "racing by" have no idea that slowing down in our boats will create a bigger wake than staying on plane, and if you're far enough away, there will be little to no issue for them. As @seanmclean pointed out, slowing down really means dropping to no wake.

I had a neighbor's friend who wouldn't talk to me for well over a year when we went tooling by, easily 100 yards or more away, on the opposite side of the river, and definitely beyond what boating regs in my area address. Any further away, and I'd have run aground. This was just past a bend in the river where he was checking his set lines, and was well past any of the no wake zones on the river. It wasn't until he and his wife were following us upriver one day, unbeknownst to me, that he realized just how much worse it would have been if I had slowed down, and when we stopped for drinks, they docked shortly after, and he came up and talked about it with me and apologized (seriously thought he was going to throw hands when my "offense" first happened )

My suggestion: take a look at what it looks like when you pass. If you would be annoyed, being in their situation, act accordingly with your speed. I find that those who camp out in the middle of the river tend to be more forgiving, but there's always the possibility that you run across a "rules are rules" person with no regard for others as long as they are technically within whatever boating regs apply in your area. People tend to look more leniently at their own behavior, myself (yourself, everyoneself included), so you even asking the question and trying to be considerate makes me think you will be a better judge about your speed and distance than most.

I think you made some very good points in this post. The laws of the region apply first. If someone can legally fish in a narrow channel for high traffic, they are the ones with little etiquette. But if the fishing is good, they should understand that they may take a wave over the bow to get the fish.

On that same note, if it is not legal to buzz past them above no wake speed, then they are in the wrong. For me, I keep the laws in my head at all times. And then anything within double the legal distance is what I would refer to as the etiquette zone. (would it bother me if the boaters were switched)

If my wave is disturbing someone's boat, no matter how far away, then etiquette is telling me I am in the wrong. But there are so many exceptions to that very broad statement. Now that we own property on a lake, my mind has changed a bit and am a bit more agitated by others lack of etiquette, or maybe it's just old age. HA! Unless there is damage, I can usually look past most things.

 

[kgower]

I tend to angle away and or drop my speed a little. As others have intimated, for me the bass boaters tend to be less considerate than most jet skiers.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I think you made some very good points in this post. The laws of the region apply first. If someone can legally fish in a narrow channel for high traffic, they are the ones with little etiquette. But if the fishing is good, they should understand that they may take a wave over the bow to get the fish.

On that same note, if it is not legal to buzz past them above no wake speed, then they are in the wrong. For me, I keep the laws in my head at all times. And then anything within double the legal distance is what I would refer to as the etiquette zone. (would it bother me if the boaters were switched)

If my wave is disturbing someone's boat, no matter how far away, then etiquette is telling me I am in the wrong. But there are so many exceptions to that very broad statement. Now that we own property on a lake, my mind has changed a bit and am a bit more agitated by others lack of etiquette, or maybe it's just old age. HA! Unless there is damage, I can usually look past most things.

You and @drewkaree are both spot on…. There a couple of fishing spots on my closest lake and one in particular that is above a long underwater point / finger that stretches out into a “narrower” part of the lake and the wake boaters like that area as it is sheltered from the wind. It makes for some rockin and rollin when they pass by but it doesn’t really bother me, just gotta make sure my soda is in a cup holder! Sort of the same thing in the broader parts of the lake, kinda messes up my trolling as the wakes are so big my trolling motor comes out of the water. Sometimes they’ll be making passes in one of the better trolling stretches, so I go to another spot.

Since we are talking about fishing etiquette here… what I do find annoying is when other people are trolling and are oblivious to your track and don’t make a matching slight move so the two of you can pass with plenty of room, or the guy that cuts perpendicularly across your track where you have to stop and all your lines have to be pulled in quickly. Most though are cool folks who are paying attention and mirror my moves a long ways out so there is very little turn on either boats part. And, if someone does make a mistake a quick wave indicating ”sorry I messed you up” goes a very long way.

 

[212s]

We boat in high traffic water ways and some idiots will troll into the narrow marked channels. I'm courteous and keep my distance for safety and follow the rules but don't slow down because they're not supposed to be there blocking traffic and there's literally millions of other fishing spots along the water. My boat makes very little wake compared to the cabin cruisers and yachts that go by as well so I don't feel bad for them if they want to sit in the traffic channels and get rocked around.

 

[adrianp89]

We boat in high traffic water ways and some idiots will troll into the narrow marked channels. I'm courteous and keep my distance for safety and follow the rules but don't slow down because they're not supposed to be there blocking traffic and there's literally millions of other fishing spots along the water. My boat makes very little wake compared to the cabin cruisers and yachts that go by as well so I don't feel bad for them if they want to sit in the traffic channels and get rocked around.

If you fish in a channel around us - good luck. I consider those people the assholes... our waters are shallow and going outside the channel can be dangerous. If I can stay 200 feet away I am letting her rip.

 

[1WetBoat]

If you fish in a channel around us - good luck. I consider those people the assholes... our waters are shallow and going outside the channel can be dangerous. If I can stay 200 feet away I am letting her rip.

This is what i discovered when i first moved to Tampa and went out boating for the first time. These guys were in the channels , no way was I going to risk going into shallower waters. I slowed down a little bit but im not going to go out of my way for you if you are blocking a navigation channel.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Usually a smaller boat creates less wake staying on plane. If someone is anchored in the channel or right outside of it, the wake is their problem as they should anchor somewhere off the grid. As long as I don't see swimmers/divers/kids, they can deal with my wake. I understand you are on a lake so there may not be a dedicated channel. In that case 50 yards between me and the other vessel is more than adequate to pass full speed.

 

[Dixemon]

This is straight from the Georgia Department of Resources boating rules and regulations.

"One of the most important "rules of the road" is the 100 foot law which includes all boats, not just personal watercraft (such as Jet Skis or Sea Doos), and requires boat operators to slow to idle speed when they are within 100 feet of docks, piers, bridges, shorelines or people in the water."

It is customary around here to slow to idle speed when your within a distance that is going to significantly disturb their fishing. It is a matter of respect for other boaters. If it is a wide river we stay on plane, but there are so many small creek systems around here that you would be an asshole if you blew by someone fishing the shoreline of one.