Just curious

[Texasmark]

With all the "stuff" going on these days anybody having any problems going to the launching ramp and all associated with that....people not associated with the fishing/sport fun activities.......problems while trying to launch or retrieving your boat, problems with your vehicle or trailer that is parked at the ramp....... anything that we use to not have to tolerate?

 

[Texasmark]

Well I typed this just now and the software chose to delete it as I hadn't had a title posted. Will try again......... Just curious.....any problems that you never had to encounter before when going fishing or water sport activities by someone annoying you or your equipment at the ramp/parking area that has nothing to do with what you are setting out to do?

 

[airshot]

There have been some ramps I don't use because they are close to the big city and often associated with crime and vandalism. I prefer to drive an extra 15 miles to use the state park ramp. More closely watched by park officials and local sherriff. Also not as busy being further out of town.

 

[garbageguy]

I think it's similar to the progression of any machines used by people. As the machines are made for more people to use, more people use them, and there ya go...
Think of the progression of cars, and the people that operate those machines, that used to only start by hand-crank

 

[rxl650]

An influx of new boat owners during covid has me spittin nails. NO launch etiquette whatsoever. Tons of people pull off the ramp and park directly in front of the launch lanes. I have a mini van and 16' foot boat so it's not so bad for me, but folks with bigger rigs have no space to get lined up. 20 minutes on the ramp to prep. Tubing in a no wake zone, kids swimming off the ramp and docks, garbage, dog shyte. The second public launch serves food/alcohol on the outdoor patio, rents kayaks and paddle boards and on ocassion has live entertainment. You wont find a single spot to park a rig. Time to start using the private launch. I just hate having to open and close the gate. lol

 

[matt167]

Yeah. Every once in a while I come across idiots. This summer my boat got rocked by a group of 20 something’s drinking, pulling a skier down a section of the eerie canal. They were reported by multiple people to DNR. I didn’t even have to when I got back to the dock.

 

[Texasmark]

Sounds like things around here minus the concession stands and live music.
My closest lake is a Govt. lake and the local sheriff and Park Patrol keep things pretty much in order.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Survived the boating boom of the early 80s with hundreds of random people buying boats and not following proper etiquette

Survived the resurgence of boating every decade since, including the latest round. Each decade brings a new batch of newbies, they buy cheap boats, run into issues and many drop out of the hobby. Some are drunk before they dunk.

We will adjust, survive and still enjoy boating. There are ramps we do not use, there are days we don't go out, other days we go up stream and drop in the kayaks

 

[silverbul]

i guess im the exception, live in granite city il, boat at horseshoe lake, madison county, 2 miles from my house and all the boaters are a happy family. kinda like that boston lager commercial, you take the parking spot, no you take the parking spot. but then again we are low iq, simple peepool. lol

 

[stresspoint]

my pet hate at the boat ramp is when some of the Kayak people clutter the launching and retrieval ramps with their (example) AWD Subaru sport wagons .

2 kayak's on roof bars and you have to wait whilst they unload then from the roof , load the fishing gear in all the spaces , put on wet suits and life jackets, then they leave the kayaks in the middle of the ramp while they go park the car.
? i ask myself is why is it necessary to use a boat ramp for a kayak when they are not that heavy and easily carried by 2 people even fully loaded .

 

[dingbat]

Locally, participation is down if anything.

Sport fishing with their 6am departure and cruising are the primary drivers of boating in the area. Big water combined with saltwater critters keeps the “sofa” boat and water sport crowd away for the most part.

With all the restrictions put on Striped bass fishing over the past 3 years, Sport fishing participation has dropped dramatically. Parking lots that were once full by 6 am weekday mornings are pretty much barren.

 

[stresspoint]

huge ocean going fishing boats and 25 -30 foot wake boarding boats on small inland lakes are another thing that i happening more and more these days.
lots of the small inland lakes around here were not so long ago were predominantly used for water sking or a quiet day out lake fishing ,
now , the lakes are so busy with wake board boats and big cruisers that water ski ing and quiet days of fishing are out of the question ,..

 

[JimS123]

Yeah. Every once in a while I come across idiots. This summer my boat got rocked by a group of 20 something’s drinking, pulling a skier down a section of the eerie canal. They were reported by multiple people to DNR. I didn’t even have to when I got back to the dock.

My gripes are toward idiots who park in the boat + Trailer spaces so they can fly their kite and don't have to walk too far. Also, idiots throwing balls to their dogs at the end on the ramp, and kids swimming between ramps. Fortunately, the local police patrol frequently and give out many tickets.

When I was a kid (not old enough to drive) I would go with a buddy (who DID have a car) and rent a tinny on the Erie Canal. Grandpa gave me his Mark 10 to use. We would blast that little boat at WOT on the canal to our heart's content. That said, 2 things.... We only drove like daemons where there were no docks and boats tied up, we never had beer with us, and, uhum, we got caught by every single water cop. Since we were very respectful, I never got a ticket.

 

[airshot]

Back when I had my 14' tinnie fishing the big lake, I had a few large boats pass by quite close to give this old man a roll in their wake. After this happened a number of times by the same boats, I borrowed a friends paintball gun. When they flew past, I planted a nice line of paintball splats along the side of there boat. Then called the local coast gard and sherriff to file a complaint. Identified the boat with the paint splats along the side, sherriff made an arrest for passing to close to a boat at anchor. After a couple arrests it stopped for the most part.

 

[DeepCMark58A]

There is one cabin on the lake that is a BRB. Seems like every summer a renter with a wake boat blasting out hip hop comes up for a weekend. Rude inconsiderate citidiots. I live couple doors down from Gladys Kravitz she has the DNR and law enforcement on speed dial so she handles the complaints. There is no craft on the water, not even a jet skier is more annoying than a wake boat.

 

[airshot]

There is one cabin on the lake that is a BRB. Seems like every summer a renter with a wake boat blasting out hip hop comes up for a weekend. Rude inconsiderate citidiots. I live couple doors down from Gladys Kravitz she has the DNR and law enforcement on speed dial so she handles the complaints. There is no craft on the water, not even a jet skier is more annoying than a wake boat.

Citidiots....learn something new everyday !! Yes it fits !!

 

[DeepCMark58A]

my pet hate at the boat ramp is when some of the Kayak people clutter the launching and retrieval ramps with their (example) AWD Subaru sport wagons .

2 kayak's on roof bars and you have to wait whilst they unload then from the roof , load the fishing gear in all the spaces , put on wet suits and life jackets, then they leave the kayaks in the middle of the ramp while they go park the car.
? i ask myself is why is it necessary to use a boat ramp for a kayak when they are not that heavy and easily carried by 2 people even fully loaded .

I have watched this while waiting to take my boat out at a ramp. Grinds my gears. But your profile is accurate right down to the vehicle driven.

 

[ChooChooSnakeMan]

With all the "stuff" going on these days anybody having any problems going to the launching ramp and all associated with that....people not associated with the fishing/sport fun activities.......problems while trying to launch or retrieving your boat, problems with your vehicle or trailer that is parked at the ramp....... anything that we use to not have to tolerate?

In my neck of the woods it all depends on which ramp you choose as far as the potential for your vehicle to be broken into or vandalized. Sadly the ramps that are in state parks or Gov't areas are the safest then means they get even more traffic so they become overcrowded and you have many examples of bad behavior but at least your vehicle won't get broken into. We have many smaller out of the way ramps that are actually closer to the areas I want to fish but to use them is to invite disaster. I know law enforcement is stretched thin but the human scum that breaks into vehicles at these places would not be hard to catch if someone just staked it out and planted a nice vehicle there. If a creep got busted there the word would spread and it would help. Oh well, if there was ever an excuse for vigilante justice I propose it would be dealing with criminals who's work place is our public boat ramps and recreational areas. A good thrashing and having their piece of crap transportation destroyed before their eyes would do them good in my humble opinion.