Idiots on the lake

[woodsman04]

Snag the skier or wakeboarder with a big super spook or like a 8" deep diving crankbait.

I've had wakeboarders attempt to splash me many times.

I don't fish big water on summer weekends anymore.

 

[THE DUKE]

People just blow my mind...

Yesterday I was fishing a ledge. I was about 20ft from a green buoy, marking the edge of the channel. I was just inside it - on the shallow side. I was in about 15ft of water casting in to about 5ft.

This group comes by in this massive wakeboard boat. He ran on the shallow side of me, no more than 20-30 yards from me - right where I was casting. I just tossed up my hands and mumbled something to myself. Mistake.

He saw me, and he pulled a u-turn and comes back and starts immediately mouthing off.

Drunk, overweight bozo (DOB): "You got something to say mother-f'er?"

Me: "You got the entire lake over here on this side but you purposely run right there? That close to me? Come on.. be safe..."

DOB: "Look, I fish too, but I don't do it in the middle of the f'ing channel"

Me: "I'm not in the middle of the channel. I'm 15ft deep casting in to 5ft. You just went out of your way to run right there where it's 5ft deep instead of staying in the channel that's 100s of yards wide."

DOB starts going bananas. F this. F that. F me. Keeps telling me to pull it to the bank and he's going to beat my @$$.

He has 2 dudes, a woman, and a kid in there with him. I'm trying not to escalate things for the sake of the kid. (and I'm pretty sure this guy was big enough to kick my butt.. but I KNOW 3 guys could kick my butt!)

DOB: "You're a b****! Your girls a b****, your mama's a b****, and your daddy is a b****!"

Me: "yeah yeah.. move on"

DOB just keeps screaming obscenities and I'm genuinely concerned he's going to ram my boat or something (wasn't even in my boat - I borrowed it!)

DOB: "I'll be waiting for you at the boat ramp, no matter how long it takes. I'm going to beat your @$$!"

Me: "If you're waiting for me at the boat ramp you're going to get a .45 put in your skull."

He kept mouthing off and drove away. Never saw him again. Glad he wasn't waiting on me at the boat ramp because I didn't actually have that .45 with me.

To their credit, nobody else on the boat even stood up or looked at me. I think they were all pretty embarrassed.

Probably had 50 other boats pass me with no problem whatsoever. People never cease to amaze me.


TWRA had just driven past me 10 minutes earlier and went in to a creek less than a mile away. I wish they'd came out and saw him. Also wish I had a phone # handy to quickly get a hold of someone to dispatch those officers to my area if needed. If I had known who to call I'd have gave them a quick ring and watch them take his drunk @$$ off the boat - especially with a little kid on it. Ticks me off.

Sorry to hear that, it's hard but glad you took the high road.

 

[woodswise]

Simply take a pic of him and make sure you get the hull ID# in the pic. Call and report his actions to TWRA and he will learn a lesson without risking your life.

 

[FLTENNHUNTER1]

I proudly open carry on my boat. Bring it DOB.

 

[Crow Terminator]

There's actually a "movement" now to specifically target fisherman and do this sort of thing on purpose. It was triggered by fisherman showing videos of people in pleasure craft and other fishing boats nearly running them over or running over their lines...and then posting it to social media (YouTube, TikTok, etc). Usually they show the fisherman raising their arms, or casting towards the offending boat. Then the commen sections erupt in a war between pleasure boaters and fisherman. This has resulted in a taunting game. They like to say "you don't own the water"...they'll go between you and the bank even if there's just 20 feet between you and the bank and 2+ miles of open water behind your boat. I only fish early morning during weekdays because I work midnights and go after work...but the last yr or so it seems people have an infinite supply of money without working so the lakes have been unusually packed even during the week.

 

[sll]

The reason I enjoy fishing in the wintertime.

Yep......I'll take November through March over the rest of the year myself. So much more enjoyable......

 

[Willysman]

Never go anywhere without my friend Mr. Sig. Sad times were in. Happy you got through this safely.

 

[Headhunter]

Practice having a camera (phone works just fine) or a one mounted to the boat somewhere, keep an officers number handy, video goes a long way towards stopping a lot of that crap. With evidence, the game wardens will help out. I say practice, because almost every single day and I see lots of crazy and unsafe stuff on Priest and I still forget to video a lot. Thinking of getting a gopro or something like that to help me remember. I could write several books on the crap I have seen in the last few years.

 

[jaybird62]

Buddy of mine was fishing a couple of years ago and had an idiot on a jet ski with a boat following him pull about some of the same stuff. It didn't go quite like your's.
The guy on the jet ski got real brave and ran up and tried to board my buddies boat. Needless to say he got his chicklets broke loose, ended up in the water on his back.
The boat pulled up to help their friend that was in the water. They , 2 guys and a girl proceeded to run off at the mouth , until my buddy pulled his .45 and he asked if they wanted some of that?
They decided it was time to leave.
He said he never goes on the river without a pistol.
That's a shame that it's come to that these days.

I quit going anywhere on the water without a pistol nearly 20 years ago when I was fishing Percy Priest a lot. Lots of bad stuff happening at the boat ramps, like drug deals and robberies.

 

[Poker]

Should've dialed TWRA after the threat. No need to take a chance and get hurt. Plus, it might've taken a drunk off the water.

 

[WTM]

Yep......I'll take November through March over the rest of the year myself. So much more enjoyable......

yeah and have to deal with (some) duck hunters that have blinds in every nook and cranny on the lake. at least we get march and april and only have to deal with crowders that are too stupid to use their electronics. i swear, i know there are a couple around here that sit out on the lake and wait to see who catches fish and then drop in on them.

 

[RUGER]

, i know there are a couple around here that sit out on the lake and wait to see who catches fish and then drop in on them.

I have seen azzhats do that at Garrett Lake !
I won't go to my good spots if anyone else is there. LOL

 

[SES]

The next boat I get, I'm going to put a turret on the front deck with an m60 on it. That should deter some stupid.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

You handled it much better than I would have. I quit fishing OH and Priest years ago. Or at least be there before light and be back to the boat ramp by 10am before most of the crazies arrive. I'll stick to the bigger lakes like KY lake and at smaller, less populated ramps. Been thinking about getting a river boat

 

[TNGunsmoke]

The next boat I get, I'm going to put a turret on the front deck with an m60 on it. That should deter some stupid.

Get a cannon from Dixie Gun Works and set it up on a pedestal mount.

 

[41Magnum]

Don't leave home without it and I don't mean the credit card lol

This….

 

[West_Tn]

Simply take a pic of him and make sure you get the hull ID# in the pic. Call and report his actions to TWRA and he will learn a lesson without risking your life.

I'm going to say that they would never follow up on it.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Bet they wouldn't like a crank bait slap 'em across the cheek.

 

[EastTNHunter]

I fish chickamauga. Bass fishermen can be just as bad

 

[TRIGGER]

Most people on the water sadly have no clue what a buoy is for.
Last year I was fishing a bar outside of a busy marina. My motor was 10' away from the red buoy fishing the top of the bar when a pontoon boat drives over my line. He had kids in the boat so I didn't say anything just held my arms out like really dude. He proceeded to come back telling me that I was blocking the whole channel and what did I expect. I not so calmly gave him a crash course in what the red and green buoys meant. I was not in the channel at all and was actually outside the channel farther than I wanted to be to give other boats plenty of room. There was a green buoy 200' away marking the other side. Idiots just don't know.

This may be terrible of me but I absolutely love to watch these boats in late august and into September after the water has dropped run around big sandy hitting the tops of the bars. Makes my day. I'll be watching one and say to the ole lady "watch this" as one is heading for 2' of water lol