The Other Guy

[CATransplant]

Last season, I was fishing on my favorite lake near St. Paul, MN. Unlike my usual day, I had somehow wired in on the fish, and was soon hauling in big northerns and largemouths, fishing a stickbait in a foot of water over weeds. The actual depth of the water was about 6 feet.

Well, after about the fifth fish I caught and released, I see this pontoon headed my direction. I'd seen these guys earlier...there were about six of them, and they were sucking down the brewskies pretty heavy, so I decided that my fishing in that spot was about over.

So, I put the trolling motor in reverse and very slowly backed up about 100 yards, until I was over 20' of water, but I backed up on the same heading the pontoon guys were following, so they really couldn't see my boat moving.

The drunk pontoon guys motored up to within about five feet of my boat. "Hey, buddy...we saw you're really catching 'em. What're ya using."

Well, I'd picked up a different rod by then, with a buzzbait on it, so I showed it to them, said bye and went off to look for a new spot. When I looked back from down the lake a bit, these guys were thrashing the water with buzzbaits, over 20' of water. No fish for them.

I really do hate it when folks head right for the spot you're fishing on. Gosh...I hope they had real good luck with all that.

 

[eaglejim]

Re: The Other Guy

You are a very smart man

 

[chicknwing]

Re: The Other Guy

man that stinks that those guys ruined your great spot. Too bad there are always some jerks who just can't mind their own business.

 

[dave11]

Re: The Other Guy

His spot is safe. I love it when it works out that way. They won't know the difference.

 

[rndn]

Re: The Other Guy

Great way to deal with them. I hope they spent hours fishing with buzzbaits in 20 feet of water.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: The Other Guy

I can't remember the name of the pro bassfisherman, but when he has a really good day in a tournament, he's been known to switch out the baits on his rigs and leave them out on deck for the weigh-in.

All's fair in love and fishing!

 

[gstanton]

Re: The Other Guy

On the other hand, I've spent many hours thowing the kitchen sink into the water and STILL enjoyed it. HMMMMMMM. Maybe CATransplant tricked US!

 

[CATransplant]

Re: The Other Guy

What size hooks do you use on the sink?

 

[gstanton]

Re: The Other Guy

Treble... with a little teflon tape.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: The Other Guy

That oughta seal up real good, then.

 

[MrBigStuff]

Re: The Other Guy

My buddy and I were doing some crappie fishing one time when this boat comes idling right around us. I mean within 10' and circles us. They park right over the spot we've been catching them and start dropping their jigs. I look at my buddy and we both are like WTF?!

On this particular lake the Crappies can be real particular and they were only hitting on live bait that day, in that particular spot. Too bad for them, they didn't have any minnows. My buddy and I just casted as close to their boat as we could, many times bouncing our rigs off the side of their hull which was a bonus. Within seconds of the rig settling down, we pulled up another and another and another over and over again. Did I mention we're catch and release? Man, that burned their bacon! They went roaring off after about 15 minutes.

The gall of some people...

 

[CATransplant]

Re: The Other Guy

Idiots! I gave up getting angry, though. It isn't worth it. If someone horns in on my fishing spot, I just motor on to a new spot. Since I fish weekdays, mostly, it isn't that much of a problem, but it never fails that I get on some good fish, and someone starts heading my way. I know where there are other spots, so I just let 'em have where they think my spot was. It's not worth the bother.

I fish one lake a lot, so I've learned it pretty darned well. The guys with the big bass boats always laugh at my little aluminum boat, but they always seem happy enough to head for me when they see my rod bent. Next thing that will happen and folks will start following the old guy with the white hair and beard and his funky boat. Then I'll have to find a new lake, I suppose. But I'm in Minnesota...we've got lots of them.

 

[dave11]

Re: The Other Guy

My wife and I were out on the bay this Sunday morning watching the sunrise, drinking coffee, and shooting the breeze. We had just been sitting there for about an hour or so. As soon as we left, several guys in a big walk around came swooping in to where we had been sitting. I guess they thought we had found a good spot to fish. LOL.

 

[MrBigStuff]

Re: The Other Guy

Either that or you actually WERE sitting over their honey hole :-D
At least they waited until you left!

We're fortunate enough to be able to select between a number of fishing boats depending on the conditions. I've been nearly swamped in all of them. One day, we went out to a local lake that gets quite a bit of traffic so we took the bass boat. Some dude w/his family aboard, decides he wants to harrass the fishing folk and buzzes between us and the shore. I watched him make the decision to do it and steer for the narrow gap. It couldn't have been more than 20' wide. As they went by at full speed, they waved and chuckled and I took a decent sized wave over the deck. Nice example for your kids there buddy. Anyway, I just shake my head and mumble about the idiots and move on. That wasn't good enough for them and I see they are looking for another "opportunity". So I pick a good spot and open up enough to be inviting for them. Little did they know it gets shallow with rocks in that area. The moron trap is set, now to wait for the show. It was real entertaining to watch them nearly tear the entire rear end off their boat and the smiles wiped from their faces in an instant. We just turned away and trolled off into the next bay...

 

[arboldt]

Re: The Other Guy

Not to excuse the Other Guy at all, but here's another perspective.

Our cottage is on a small inland lake, about 1 1/4 mile diameter. It's also quite shallow -- deepest hole is 15' and 100 yards from shore it's about shoulder deep. It's a recreational lake. It's *never* been good for fishing, even when the DNR tried stocking -- it's just too shallow.

I don't know if it's law or just common usage, but boating is always counterclockwise about 200' - 300' off shore. In closer is only canoes, kayaks, paddleboats, swim rafts. In the middle is where you go for either drift-n-swim, ski course, or other hot-dogging. Everyone knows this, cooperates, and we've all enjoy the lake that way for 40+ years.

The last couple years there've been a couple people that insist on anchoring and fishing right in the traffic pattern, usually not too far off a trailer park where there's probably 30+ boats docked. We do our best to avoid them, but I'm sure they resent riding all the wakes. I've also almost run over chunks of 2x4 they've set as a float to mark a spot -- right in the traffic pattern.

 

[MrBigStuff]

Re: The Other Guy

I am surprised that your pond/lake doesn't support a good fishery due to the depth. Most of the better fishing ponds around me are less than 5' deep with the deepest spots being about 10'. They support 5+lb largemouth as well as big pickerel and even some northern pike.

Edit: I just noticed that you're in MI so the winter weather is likely harsher than here. However, I grew up in WI and we also had some great fishing spots with similar type ponds but they had to have a good inlet and outlet flow to prevent complete freeze over and support the larger fish.

Being insensitive, self-centered, ignorant or otherwise clueless is not limited by boat type or preferred activity. I've been on both sides of the fish/ski usage. There have been many times where I wanted to fish where the ski boats are running. I usually wait for the activity to wind down a bit as it always seems to do and then I will motor or drift over the area but never anchor. The ski boats will usually operate around me for the time I am in the "pattern". When I am skiing or tubing, we do the same.

Everyone has a right to use the water regardless of the historical usage. The key to enjoying it is to understand that and be tolerant. Anchoring in the "pattern" area is an example of one of the aforementioned traits that will only make for increased tensions.

Who could really need a marker on such a lake/pond? Like you can't find your spot or realize how far you've drifted off of it on such a small pond? It is ludicrous to deploy a marker in the path of the recreational ski/tube crowd. Especially one that is not highly visible.