Rant / Wake boats

[mike28nc]

Well it is no news that I really do not like the wake boats. Saturday at falls we had tournament from 6pm to 2am. During the rain and very low light. 5 wake boats put in and started going. Now when low light where you are required to run lights for navigation. That would mean it is to low light for wake surfing and pulling tubes. Not for these crazies. They was out until 10pm. I about hit one at 8:45pm running at 40mph. Just something didnt seem right and I shut down. Right where I shut down was a wake boat with a tube out in the middle of the lake. if they would have been running I would have seen them. (OH they have no lights on). I gave them my 2cents. But didnt make a dent. They just kept on.

I sure wish the game and fish people would go out and hand out tickets. No warnings. Big fines. That way it might make them think twice about doing stupid stuff.

[jrfuda]

We were fishing about 100' from shore at Jordan on Saturday and one went right between us and shore, rocked us hard! They had music blasting and could care less. All the others on the water were respectful and kept their distance, just not this one set of yahoos.

[ReefOctopus]

There is nothing worse than wakeboard boats, period.

They are probably responsible for more accidents, property damage, and drunken shenanigans than all other boats.

They should tax the hell out of them.

[mike28nc]

TAX and Tickets given out to any wake boats. And should be Noise tickets given out. No way I should hear your bad rap music from 100 to 400 yards away.

[kb_rn]

There is nothing worse than wakeboard boats, period.

try fishing behind 25 other bass boats…..I hate that much worse than 2000000000 wake board boats on the same body of water.

[buckmaster27012]

yea they are out of hand. try fishing hyco this time of year. never see lake authority even stop them but always got something to say to a fishing boat.

[quikcarl61]

Put a can on a 9mm and add some holes to the bottom, can always say they must have hit some rocks between your boat and the shore, lol



And for the internet police, I'm being facetious..

[Mikey N.C.]

Question kb_rn, have you tried to fish main lake points on Sharon Harris on the weekend? Unless your cranking deep crankbaits , you want even know you had a bite. If we go on weekends , we're loading at 10:30-11:00.
25 bass boats on Harris is nothing. Being a small lake.

[kb_rn]

Question kb_rn, have you tried to fish main lake points on Sharon Harris on the weekend? Unless your cranking deep crankbaits , you want even know you had a bite. If we go on weekends , we're loading at 10:30-11:00.
25 bass boats on Harris is nothing. Being a small lake.

no, I try my best to go to our good fisheries, especially if on a weekend. I thankfully get to fish mostly during the week. But if I go on a weekend it’s usually to One of our big lakes where there are a lot of pleasure boaters and hopefully few fishermen. Everyone gripes and complains about the ski boats. I could care less, they have just as much right to the water as we do. I don’t like fishing pressure. When you get to the ramp and there are 100 bass boat trailers in the parking that is way more aggravating to me. I hate seeing a bass boat on every bank, point, cove, hump, etc. I don’t compete with the wake boats. And I don’t understand your last comment. If there are 25 boats on harris(being that it is a tiny lake) then it’s just a parade for the community holes. If there are 25 boats then you have a good chance at smelling someone else’s farts and bad feet all day long. But there are always more than 25 boats on that little mud hole 7 days a week and usually a lot more.

[mike28nc]

no, I try my best to go to our good fisheries, especially if on a weekend. I thankfully get to fish mostly during the week. But if I go on a weekend it’s usually to One of our big lakes where there are a lot of pleasure boaters and hopefully few fishermen. Everyone gripes and complains about the ski boats. I could care less, they have just as much right to the water as we do. I don’t like fishing pressure. When you get to the ramp and there are 100 bass boat trailers in the parking that is way more aggravating to me. I hate seeing a bass boat on every bank, point, cove, hump, etc. I don’t compete with the wake boats. And I don’t understand your last comment. If there are 25 boats on harris(being that it is a tiny lake) then it’s just a parade for the community holes. If there are 25 boats then you have a good chance at smelling someone else’s farts and bad feet all day long. But there are always more than 25 boats on that little mud hole 7 days a week and usually a lot more.

25 bass boats on Harris is not that bad IMO.

Sorry I dont like the wake or ski boats. maybe it is because too many of them want to get close to you. Or maybe is it because they are too &&&& to know now that affects everything. If I can cast a worm and hit there boat. They are too close.

As for fishing pressure. I have no problems fishing right after someone.

[NCSURodney]

Fishing pressure is why North Carolina has produced so many good anglers on the pro circuit. They are used to having to grind, can adjust on the fly, and don't fish city lakes where the only pressure is Jim Bob dipping his night crawler off the pier.

I'll take a fisherman over some idiot in a wake board boat that financed it for 20 years to look cool and get some ass.

[CigarBasser]

Wake boats want clean water and a straight line when they do their thing.. So, if you wanna piss one off, cross their line to mess up their clean water..

[kb_rn]

Fishing pressure is why North Carolina has produced so many good anglers on the pro circuit. They are used to having to grind, can adjust on the fly, and don't fish city lakes where the only pressure is Jim Bob dipping his night crawler off the pier.

I'll take a fisherman over some idiot in a wake board boat that financed it for 20 years to look cool and get some ass.

oh yeah fishing pressure has been so very good for our fisheries. I can guarantee you that every single pro from nc absolutely hates fishing most of the public lakes here. One of them is a very good friend of mine and he welcomes going anywhere but nc to fish. Tournament fishing has destroyed way more lakes in nc than any wake board boat ever has.

[mike28nc]

oh yeah fishing pressure has been so very good for our fisheries. I can guarantee you that every single pro from nc absolutely hates fishing most of the public lakes here. One of them is a very good friend of mine and he welcomes going anywhere but nc to fish. Tournament fishing has destroyed way more lakes in nc than any wake board boat ever has.

That is a bold statement. How has tournament fishing destroyed lakes? I mean I tournament fish and catch fish almost every time I go out. So the fish are still there and biting. Now ask dock owners on what boat destroys the bank and docks? Unless the bassboat is taking off or sitting dwn in the water. Little to no wake. You cant say that about wake boats.

Oh and it is the Wake boat and ski boats that hate grass in lakes.

[kb_rn]

That is a bold statement. How has tournament fishing destroyed lakes? I mean I tournament fish and catch fish almost every time I go out. So the fish are still there and biting. Now ask dock owners on what boat destroys the bank and docks? Unless the bassboat is taking off or sitting dwn in the water. Little to no wake. You cant say that about wake boats.

Oh and it is the Wake boat and ski boats that hate grass in lakes.

you think 50-150 boats carrying around a limit of bass right in the middle of the spawn is a great idea for the longevity of a lake? How about this one……how good of an idea is it to haul around a limit on a fun fishing non tournament day just so you can hold up your best five for an Instagram post at the end of a day during the spawn? Typically only tournament guys do garbage like that. Or carrying around a limit of fish when the water temp is 87+ in the summertime when half of them will likely die? You don’t ever notice all the dead fish laying around a boat ramp after every tournament ? Or having a tournament every single day or 3-4 times a week is a good idea for any lake? And I never said I like wake boats……but they’re not the ones killing the grass in our lakes or hauling fish around unnecessarily. All of our lakes were a whole lot better off without the popularity of tournament fishing.


but speaking of the grass killing……2 of our local lakes we’re nuked recently …..both are decent sized city lakes that had some good grass growing in them. Now it’s gone. Neither allow pleasure boats so they had nothing to do with it.

[ReefOctopus]

I think we all need to get on board with conservation. I cringe when I see fished get livewelled in 80 degree water. Honestly we are just trying to catch fish. catch , weight, release. Even the derbys should do that. Take a picture of the fish and scale. done. Driving around with a box of fish is outdated.

[RTex]

sorry but there's bad boaters in any kind of boat you can name

[berudd]

you think 50-150 boats carrying around a limit of bass right in the middle of the spawn is a great idea for the longevity of a lake? How about this one……how good of an idea is it to haul around a limit on a fun fishing non tournament day just so you can hold up your best five for an Instagram post at the end of a day during the spawn? Typically only tournament guys do garbage like that. Or carrying around a limit of fish when the water temp is 87+ in the summertime when half of them will likely die? You don’t ever notice all the dead fish laying around a boat ramp after every tournament ? Or having a tournament every single day or 3-4 times a week is a good idea for any lake? And I never said I like wake boats……but they’re not the ones killing the grass in our lakes or hauling fish around unnecessarily. All of our lakes were a whole lot better off without the popularity of tournament fishing.


but speaking of the grass killing……2 of our local lakes we’re nuked recently …..both are decent sized city lakes that had some good grass growing in them. Now it’s gone. Neither allow pleasure boats so they had nothing to do with it.

So, do you have an science that back up the perspective that tournament fishing harms a fishery? If so please share because I am not aware of any and would definitely be interested in reading it. I do have to say that your estimate of 50-150 boats with a limit of bass is pretty dang optimistic. I'd guess the total number of bass going for boat rides is closer to 1/4 of your estimate which is actually only 250-750 bass. Most lakes with tournaments probably have 10s of thousands of keeper bass in them if not more. I've been in a decent number of tournaments over the last few years and see very few dead fish coming to the scales half are dying it unfounded. And I am not aware of any lake having a tournament 3-4 times a week much less every day. Maybe that would have a negative impact on the fishery but since it is not reality, its not a relevant argument.

Seems you don't like tournaments. That's fine, just don't fish them. But unless you have repeatable and reliable science that supports your opinion that tournament fishing is bad for the fishery, you really won't get much support for your ideas.

[kb_rn]

So, do you have an science that back up the perspective that tournament fishing harms a fishery? If so please share because I am not aware of any and would definitely be interested in reading it. I do have to say that your estimate of 50-150 boats with a limit of bass is pretty dang optimistic. I'd guess the total number of bass going for boat rides is closer to 1/4 of your estimate which is actually only 250-750 bass. Most lakes with tournaments probably have 10s of thousands of keeper bass in them if not more. I've been in a decent number of tournaments over the last few years and see very few dead fish coming to the scales half are dying it unfounded. And I am not aware of any lake having a tournament 3-4 times a week much less every day. Maybe that would have a negative impact on the fishery but since it is not reality, its not a relevant argument.

Seems you don't like tournaments. That's fine, just don't fish them. But unless you have repeatable and reliable science that supports your opinion that tournament fishing is bad for the fishery, you really won't get much support for your ideas.

i don’t hardly know of any wrc lakes that don’t have 3-4 tournaments every week in the spring. That includes the wildcats. And I said 50-150 boats having limits during the spawn, I didn’t say all times of the year. More limits are caught during the spawn than any other time of the year and that is when the majority of the tournaments take place. You think it’s a good idea to jerk fish off of beds then ride around with them all day only to release them at the ramp? There is a reason they have a “bass season” up north in several states that are hole to a lot of the best bass fishing on the planet. I fished a tournament at norman back in early April and in one day there were between 5-8 DIFFERENT tournaments going on the same day. It happened every weekend from mid March to mid may. That is insane. The same thing went on at lakes like high rock, badin, tuckertown, Jordan, falls, buggs. I even saw a 2 tournament day at one of our local city lakes. That is an insane amount of pressure put on fish during their most important time of the year. It’s one thing when you yank one off of a bed and then put them right back in. But when they’re busting at the seam and take a boat ride to the opposite end of the lake getting beat up in the live well and their eggs end up where they’re not supposed to be does that sound good? Or from June through September when the water temps go high it is a known fact that the mortality rates sky rocket. I don’t care how well the fish caught in 15-20+ feet of water get fizzed, the barotrauma still takes place. I was at a weigh in after a decent sized tournament 3 years ago in mid July and walked down to the ramp and there were between 40-60 dead fish and several more well on their way. That is not taking care of a fishery. But that’s what we specialize in nc and all across the south. Look at how small badin is and how much tournament pressure it gets. Places like buggs and Norman can handle a lot of tournament pressure but not badin and honestly neither can high rock. And look how bad they have sucked the last few years. Go to either of them during the week on a “fun” fishing trip and see how much “fun” you have.


it’s not so much that I don’t like tournament. I literally hate seeing any tournament take place during the spawn.…I just don’t like how the fish in our lakes are treated. The mismanagement is insane all across the state. We could have some of the greatest bass fishing of any state in the country(like we used to)in our bigger lakes……but it’s mediocre at best because of how it’s managed. I really could care less about support. Common sense tells you that the more pressure fish get, the more they die, the smarter they get and the worse the fishing is.

[mike28nc]

Well, then the fishing must be great. I see 20lb bags normal in tournaments on Falls and Jordan. Even Harris is starting to show out. I 100% disagree with you thinking tournament fishing is cause of you not catching fish, if that is what you are saying. Yes, there is more pressure on the fish. But there is more boats on the lake also. How about we help the fish out by limit how many boats are on the body of water?

The post was about Wake boats not following rules and being dangerous on the water. No lights and pulling tubes or wake boating at dark. Have I seen bass boat owners do some stupid things. YES i have. But the influx of pleasure boaters on the local water ways have taken over the stupid side of things. And I have seen water patrol out and do nothing about it.

What you will not see with tournament bass fishing:

Drinking (DQ)
Operating boat in unsafe manner (DQ)