Winnipesaukee Forum - View Single Post - Angling in The Smile of the Great Spirit article

Mink Islander · 01-04-2005, 09:35 AM

Yeah I really worry that some guy in a Starcraft trolling at 1-1/2 to 2 MPH might get distracted watching his lines, lose control and run over another boat! You gotta be kidding! As for planer boards, I don't use them, but believe they stay well within 150 ft of the side of the trolling boat -- and all the ones I see are bright orange and readily visible. If you think you might hit them, it may just be that you're not staying a safe (or at least courteous) distance away from other boats in the first place. It's pretty easy to identify a boat trolling the lake from a long ways away and adjust your course accordingly. I have been amazed at the boats that will buzz by me at close distances even at 6:00 in the morning with the whole lake wide open - and I mean within 75 ft sometimes. Hard not to think there's something intentional about that behavior.... Like many of the grumblings you read on this site, the core issue is all too often simply lack of common courtesy.

But back to the original thread, the book's an interesting read. No, it's not just a "how to" book on fishing Winnipesaukee -- though it covers the topic very well. It's partly that, partly a chronicle of a number of the "characters" who have passionately pursued the art of fishing in these waters for generations and, yes, partly the reflections and opinions of a man who spent his life on the lake and seen the changes we all have seen. That's what makes it such an interesting read!

01-04-2005, 09:35 AM	#10
Mink Islander Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 753 Thanks: 59 Thanked 271 Times in 129 Posts	Dangers of Trolling. Yeah I really worry that some guy in a Starcraft trolling at 1-1/2 to 2 MPH might get distracted watching his lines, lose control and run over another boat! You gotta be kidding! As for planer boards, I don't use them, but believe they stay well within 150 ft of the side of the trolling boat -- and all the ones I see are bright orange and readily visible. If you think you might hit them, it may just be that you're not staying a safe (or at least courteous) distance away from other boats in the first place. It's pretty easy to identify a boat trolling the lake from a long ways away and adjust your course accordingly. I have been amazed at the boats that will buzz by me at close distances even at 6:00 in the morning with the whole lake wide open - and I mean within 75 ft sometimes. Hard not to think there's something intentional about that behavior.... Like many of the grumblings you read on this site, the core issue is all too often simply lack of common courtesy. But back to the original thread, the book's an interesting read. No, it's not just a "how to" book on fishing Winnipesaukee -- though it covers the topic very well. It's partly that, partly a chronicle of a number of the "characters" who have passionately pursued the art of fishing in these waters for generations and, yes, partly the reflections and opinions of a man who spent his life on the lake and seen the changes we all have seen. That's what makes it such an interesting read!