Quote:
Originally Posted by Mink Islander
There are all kinds of hazards in the water close to shore (trees & rocks to name the obvious). If you're trolling in really shallow water, your risk of getting hung up on all kinds of things is pretty high. Cost of doing business, as they say. I just don't get all the vitriol against people with mooring balls and how they "winterize" them. And if your reaction to getting a line hung up on a mooring line is to be so PO'd that you'd cut their line, then I'd say you are exhibiting dangerous "road rage" like behavior. Think about that. The lake doesn't need hot heads that grossly over-react to the minor inconveniences of life. Hakuna Matata as they say....
And BTW, I caught lots of salmon last weekend and was never closer than 150 ft from shore in 50+ feet of water.
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MI, very well put......
Now some comments of my own.... about salmon fishing and trolling close enough to shore for winterized moorings to be an issue. First off, the lake became open what let see 14 days ago.... a little over two weeks, and this post started 6 days after that....
I am sorry Nightrider your post was way premature. At this point, most people have now started the activity of opening there camp and getting these things taken care off. But fishermen need to be realistic on time lines. Give people a chance to get going. Now if your trolling that close to shore you should be keeping a dam vigilant eye on your navigation and be able to spot these things.... because if your that close to shore there are also, as others have pointed out, rocks that are more of a danger then any submerged mooring marker. But at last I realize keeping a watch out and navigating really isn't that important when you more worried about catching that record winning fish.... that is why almost every year, I scream at the top of my lungs as someone almost hits the rock in front of my house and then I watch as they don't listen and end up hitting the even bigger rock just down the shoreline a piece. Luckily no one has ever hit hard enough to cause any real damage. But some day I fear, I am going to have to rescue someone as their boat sinks.
I understand that fishing has its excitement, and its allure, the capt. of a fishing vessel needs at slow speeds needs to be just as vigilant and on the look just exactly the same as someone in a speed boat. The obstacle of avoidance my be different, but the attitude should not be. One most always maintain a vigilant lookout for any obstacles above or below the water that may interfere with navigation, not only of the vessel but in regards to any activity that vessel is involved with.
Now that I am really worked up here..... this would be like me saying hey don't leave you mooring balls floating if your boat isn't tied to the mooring, I might be water skiing, or tubing in that area, and what if the person behind my boat ends up over there. And then falls off, the could be thrown into it.... the fact of the matter is this.... not only do I stay 150' away from the shore and docks etc. But I also make sure I know the are well enough that if someone skiing tubing behind my boat has a disastrous spill there is no way that can end up in dangerous spot.....
Case in point.... I see people pull skiers and tubers through the six pack all the time..... there are rock I can stand on either side of the six pack and be waist deep.... there is a rock in the middle of the six pack that at low lake is only about 7 feet deep. In short, if someone spills in this area... especially if the splatter outside of the markers a collision with a rock is possible.
Bottom line here... fish, waterski, tube, where ever you want, remember as the captain, you and only you are responsible for navigating the vessel and water every is attached to the vessel safely around all obstacles above and below the water........ Don't cry because someone didn't make the obstacle bright orange with flashers so you couldn't possible miss it.
Dam now that my blood pressure is off, I have to find that post with the conversation with the animals it makes me smile.....