Sunday at The Jewel

[Jimbo1963]

Well, had a ok day today, boated 7 Largemouth, lost 3 other, nothing of any size, largest was 3# 2oz. So a good day, what I do want to rant about just a tad, was some rude Tourney boaters,
I rent a boat when I go and do so about twice a month, but some of the boaters today were just plain rude, on more than one occurance today I would be heading into a cove and a boat would zip
past me drop their trolling motor and go at it, so I would head somewhere else. Then i would already be in a cove and I would have a boat zip in once again drop the trolling motor and start to work
their way around, but twice today I had a boat get close enough to me as they motor around that could have easily casted into their boat, so I would wait for them to past, the second time it happend I said really do you have to be so close. and the responce was "too Bad"....really...I know you are trying to win a tourney, but you know I am trying to catch fish also, I have talked to some people about wanting to Backseat in a tourney, but i can promise you I would want to make sure that I would not act like that...and mess with someone else's day on the lake...Just had to say how I felt about today.

[sweetfish]

I know your feeling. I had that happen at that lake several times so I try to find out when the tournaments are beforehand and go a different day. Sorry about you day.

[pescadito]

What a jerk that guy was. If i had the time, i would have followed that guy around all day and made THE MOST NOISE POSSIBLE. If he asked me wtf i was doing? i would say "Too Bad." A little common courtesy goes a long way, but sometimes you need to fight fire with fire. I try to keep my distance from guys as much as i can too, but if you need to encroach, always ask first. If they say no, move on. Ther eare plenty of other spots to fish.

[snakeplissken]

i've run into rude boaters like that....when i'm in a float tube..that's when i wish i had a paintball gun...with frozen paintballs....no mercy for obnoxious, arrogant boaters.

[Geraldlim]

Some bass boats, not just tournament guys, don't seem to understand that if a boat has a rod out and is trolling, even in deep open water, that boat is fishing, and blowing by 10-15 yards away at 40 mph right over the trolling line is just not courteous. The guy trolling apparently in the middle of the lake is fishing and may be working a submerged ridge. Don't do that unless you think it's ok for someone to do that to you when you are working a dropshot 10 yards from shore.

There's a line of trees in the water near shore in the southeast corner of the lake that forms a 50 yard channel between the trees and shore.
One time there was a bass tournament and a competition boat was working the channel between the trees and the shore. I came up and was casting outside the treeline to some boiling fish, where he could not fish until he finished the channel and came around to the outside. He told me in no uncertain terms that I should not fish that area, i.e. that I should "reserve" that area until he could come around the corner to fish it himself!!!

I try to give tournament guys every consideration and not compete for fish they are actively fishing for, i.e. I stay out of their casting range. But it's a public lake guys. Share the lake and treat other fishermen like you want to be treated.

But I have to say that I don't usually see the best tourney guys doing this kind of stuff, so props to you! Most of them are friendly, considerate and respectful guys.