Lake Etiquette: Mixed Recreation
The other thread, about the new Gatlin Gun, motivates this question.Mixed use lake: skiing/wakeboarding/tubing, swimming, fishing, cruising, and
shoreline camping. Some things are obvious: no wake in the no wake zones; stay clear of downed
skiers/boarders/swimmers; ski boats don't need to stay close to shoreline
and shoreline campers with anchored boats How far away is far enough, when cruising at WOT, or trying to enjoy some
speed , to get from one end of a lake to the other, and you're the only
fishing boat (or two) bobbing about. I like to go fast from one end of the lake to the other. The fishermen seem
to prefer floating about where the lake narrows. I don't want to ruin their
day, but I also don't want to ruin my fun either. How far is far enough
away that you don't feel like I'm being inconsiderate when I cruise by with
speed on my mind? I'm pretty sure that I'm overcompensating by the very fact that I worry
about how my actions effect others and try to practice the golden rule. I
just never bobbed about on a lake that allowed fishing and boating faster
than a no wake speed so I'm lacking in perspective. |
Bryan
Feb 3
2006
|
| Depends on the wake you leave. It's likely that if your boat |
DSK
Feb 4
|
| Pull up closer and give him the horn signal again. And as |
DSK
Feb 4
|
| Your floating dock idea adds some usefulness to my intended wake experiment.
Thanks for the idea. |
Bryan
Feb 4
|
| ah - screw you.... :>) |
Shortwave
Feb 4
|
| I'm a rec.boats participant. Doesn't that count for something? |
Bryan
Feb 3
|
| I love how you (plural) have interpreted my question. There's not even a
remote possibility of causing them enough trouble that they would even think
of holding on, let alone getting swamped or overturned. Geez, the drama in
this group! I guess I'm just going to have to motor up to one of these
fishermen and ask their opinion. I was more concerned with not scaring
their fish away and with not making them feel like I'm intruding. I'm
pretty sure the answer to my question is to follow the advice to make some
runs followed with U Turns to get a better feel for my wake effects on a
relatively quiet lake. |
Bryan
Feb 3
|
| Yep, what else to do? And there are other guys who don't have the foggiest idea of what a
"slow pass" is all about or how it should be executed. We find ourselves constantly waving motoryachts and sportfish by us
because they feel obligated to slow down. In reality we've got the
stabilizers on and would rather they'd go by quicker, and with a
flatter wake. |
Wayne.B
Feb 3
|
| A lot depends on the size of your wake on full plane. Some fast,
relatively light boats leave almost no wake at all at full speed. On
the other hand if you've got a 10,000 lb express cruiser you're going
to need to slow down almost to idle speed to pass a small open boat
safely if they are close by. As somebody else mentioned, do a few tests crossing your own wake and
try to imagine yourself in a 14 ft rowboat. That said, a couple of
hundred yards is usually more than enough unless you really do have a
killer wake. I try to be especially vigilant for people standing up in boats,
canoes, and boats with children hanging off the bow. |
Wayne.B
Feb 3
|
| Thanks, Wayne. One of my boats problems, according to my son, is that it
doesn't create enough wake for high level wakeboarding. And when I'm up on
a plane, my boat seems to float across the water. So, with my concern for
others, I'm probably doing just fine. I will try out the wake experiment
though; sounds like a reason to find water! |
Bryan
Feb 3
|
| if they are close to my line of travel, i will slow down or alter my
course to give the wake a chance to belly out or to give them a chance
to see it coming. however, if they are on the other side of the lake, tough. |
Shortwave
Feb 3
|
| I'm probably being a little to sensitive and overprotective (explained by
being raised in California, I think). |
Bryan
Feb 3
|
| there is an extra added aspect to this - if they are fishing close to
shore or in a shallow area, then slow down to zero wake - the shallow
areas cause fishermen the most problems. |
Shortwave
Feb 3
|
| The shallow areas are no problem with this lake. They are all no wake
zones. I'll keep the near shore idea in mind. With the responses I got to
this query, I'm convinced I've been doing right by 99.9% of the fishermen
(there's always going to be one grumpy old codger - probably a rec.boats
patron). |
Bryan
Feb 3
|
| I don't know where you are on the ICW but in the Wilmington NC area
there is significant shoaling in some parts of the waterway. A sailboat
because of their draft may not have the depth to be able move to the
side of the channel to allow a stinkpot to pass |
keith_nuttle
Feb 4
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| Good point and well taken. But not the case in the cited instance. RCE |
RCE
Feb 3
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| If you swamp one of their boats, your fun could (and should) include
spending the rest of the day in handcuffs. > How far is far enough away that you don't feel like I'm being
> inconsiderate when I cruise by with speed on my mind? There's no way of knowing that except by being observant, and experimenting
when there are NOT other boats around. Go fast, then make a wide U-turn and
figure out where your wake begins to fade. |
Doug
Feb 3
|
| Uh, Doug, does the tone of my post come anywhere near suggesting that |
Bryan
Feb 3
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| Well, you said "but I also don't want to ruin my fun either.", which
suggests you have about a 50/50 chance of making the wrong choice. |
Doug
Feb 3
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| What a cynic! ;) |
Bryan
Feb 3
|
| I consider myself a very courteous boater except when traveling the ICW and
trying to properly pass a blow-boater who, after 10 minutes, continues to
ignore your radio calls and horn signals and continues to putt-putt down the
middle of the channel. Then, I wake the hell out of him. RCE |
RCE
Feb 3
|
| Not really, Bryan. More like a very experienced observer of what really
happens on the water. |
Doug
Feb 3
|
| I say go fast! If their boats are crappy and over turn because of a wake,
then they need new bigger boats. New boats are good for the economy - so you
are doing the right thing :) |
Dan
Feb 3
|
