Comp fishing & personnal space P"" Off

[steve harney]

What do people think about fishing comp boats!! here's what happened which annoyed to no end.
Yamba last year Little tinny my 2 sons started early pumped yabbies in the dark & went around to Browns rocks got there just on sun rise, prefect only boat there nice & quite!! baits go over & hooking up on some nice bream plenty of fun was had, fish biting what looked like a nice day. Than son says what the hell is that dad?? looking down the river towards the month, looked like a jet on water far out what the hell, well soon enough one of the comp boat roars up 10 foot away & with all this noise waves etc start throwing plastics around you could here everything they were saying & after motoring around us a few times all fish went off the bite ok ok before too much longer they are off start the motor up & flat out leaving us rocking & rolling hanging on thinking that we were in there space, with in half a hour there were 10-15 comp boats doing the same thing I was more concerned about the our safety than fish they were flying passed with metres flat out & no fish since these clowns turned up they had no respect for no one, by this time we went closer to the bank with another fishing boat to get away from the clowns the last straw with was one went passed flat out big rooster tail in between us took out the over guys lines lost a rod, my youngest boy was shit scared oldest boy is bigger & said let go & talk to these fellows, hang on hang on we will just go home!! well these bloke were buzzing us all the way back, they were flying passed in both directions it was a long trip home just stuffed up everything, even trying to get the boat on at the ramp these tossers were giving us the shits roaring passed the ramp up & down, it the 1st time I saw the oldest boy with anger in his eyes he a lump of a kid & he was p''ssed off, We found out later that it was a pre fish for final of the bream comp, we were talking to some local at the ramp & told us your keen to be out there with the comp boats & better off not fishing while it's on, "what we cannot fish" while it's on!! they don't own the river does the world stop for these guys or what?? leaving and a bad taste in the mouth. What the go guys when these blokes are around they don't give a shit about anyone else & you need to get out of there way!! well we did catch up with them a couple of days later at the weigh in & had a talk to them they didn't give a toss, So whats the go??
Not real happy Jan & I hope they are NOT there this year as the boys are not real happy & I'm not sure if I can settle him down this year. I been teaching the boys about the boat the do's & do not's & we see these guys not helping the cause are they a law into themself's there going to be people hurt or even killed the way they get around who needs a 250cc motor to fish for bream in the rivers. Sorry guys it's just scary stuff, what do other people think of these guys!!
Regards Steve

[bennykenny]

hey steve i know that most of these comp blokes are complete tossers with a few good apples thrown in there aswell, the best revenge in this instince, since we are not going to change there behaviour is to have a steel pole ready and follow them around , when they start fishing , start banning the steel pole against the side of your tinnie, and scare the fish away. or even lobbing a number 4 ball sinker into the boat while they are on the move, should keep them away for a while

[FNQCairns]

What age where these tossers? years ago before targeting a frown at someone might see you arrested this sort of human behaviour with intent was controlled (but not unknown) by the inherent threat of a confrontational consequence real or imagined.

Today it's a legal free for all to harass and even terrorise a person or persons...how far we have fallen at the uber sophisticated hands of our betters.

Seriously your story really shits me.

just try and find the government statistics around behaviours like this.....not in their best interest because it's simply not an issue they experience in inner city coffee shops.

[leelee]

Love some of the responses here. Throw a sinker at them whilst they are on the move, smart indeed. Imagine your response if you were hit or your boat by a sinker? I bet you would not be impressed and it is also downright dangerous as you could kill someone. Not a good idea to be promoting that.

As I have competed in a fair few comps in the past I can say yes some are clown’s but most are not. Most conduct themselves in a professional manner. These individuals that caused you grief, did you get their rego numbers and or seen if they had sponsorship on the side of their boats to clearly identify them?

I hate the fact that you guys have already assumed that people that fish out of comp boats are clowns and irresponsible and that includes me which I fact I am more then courteous when on the water. Not everyone is the same, but the tables are turned on a regular basis with bait fishing anglers regularly running over my lines and ruining my day on the water and dropping in on me all the time. Does it happen all the time, well I would say at least 60% of the time yes. I just move on somewhere else.

It has nothing to do with what boat you drive etc its has to do with being courteous to your fellow anglers and no one owns the waters and yes you can fish when a comp is being run.

I seriously doubt though that most of these fast boats were within a metre from you at their top speed as you have alluded but could not be sure as I was not there, but know a few who were.

Also I do not believe anyone can stop someone buying a boat with a big HP engine because they feel that it is not necessary as that is the decision for the boat owner not everyone else as most of these boats get used for more than bream fishing, well I know mine does.


Whilst I do sympathize with you over your experience, being it probably the first time of being around these boats and what a day on the river is like when they are competing, your best bet to try to save grief in the near future or for next time is to just double check if there is being a comp run. Its a good idea to stay away if it is, not to let the comps boys "own the water" as some have already depicted, but to ensure you and your boys get a good days fishing and the day does not turn out to be wasted.

Comps get run there on a regular basis so keep an eye out.

Cheers

Lee

[MickThe]

Totally understand your feelings on having a great day out on the water ruined by others like this.

There are heaps of other people as well as comp boaters who use waterways who also don't respect what others are trying to do out there, not competing for $$$ like the blokes in these comps are.

I've fished as a non boater in heaps of these comps and have never witnessed too much of that type of thing, but i certainly have been down the Gold Coast broadwater and had the fishing shot to pieces by morons on jet skis and nearly been sunk by the wakes off Rivieras

I've also been fishing in freshwater dams where ski boats and skiers have zoomed by within metres of where i was throwing a few lures, despite having the whole middle of the dam to use....

However, despite my protests when being constantly berated by my wife on my attitude towards all water skiers, maybe she has a point that i am tarring all of them with the same brush. She was in a water ski club at some stage and said they were very mindful of other users of the river that they used.

Cheers,

Mick.

[bennykenny]

Love some of the responses here. Throw a sinker at them whilst they are on the move, smart indeed. Imagine your response if you were hit or your boat by a sinker? I bet you would not be impressed and it is also downright dangerous as you could kill someone. Not a good idea to be promoting that.

Lee

take a pill mate, see the smiley faces they mean its a joke!! sounds like you are trying a bit hard to defend these comp blokes, so maybe it wasnt that they were 1 metre from his boat when they drove past at full speed maybe he was just trying to prove the point that what they are doing is dangerous, when he has 2 young kids in the boat, i know i wouldnt be happy either. Alot of these comp blokes are tossers no doubt, thinking that they own the water just cause they are in a "competition" doesnt mean they have the right to do what ever they want!

[tunaticer]

I have had several run ins with these comp guys roaring past me in my kayak some times within 20 feet with all 200 horses at full gallop. They usually go past me by about 500 metres to throw plastics at bream whilst my snapper fishing is totally rooted for the morning after they have thundered through.

The more this happens the more likely I will catch up with these arseholes at the ramp and give them much more than words. I have now resorted to carrying a vid cam on the yak to keep evidence to deliver to the authorities.
Why has it gotten to this stage?

I am looking forward to the next half a dozen that do this, they will regret it one way or the other.

Another thing too, they have travelled many miles to come thundering through the shallow snapper grounds, why can they not take a wider route about 1km wider well outside the reef patches? Nobody fishes wide of the reef patches and it is generally just light traffic out there.

[PinHead]

once again..it would probably be the minority doing the wrong thing which ruins things for the majority. I had a run in with a comp bloke a few years back (he suddenly saw things my way) and just after that some good laughs with some others...tis a pity but that seems to be how life works these days.

[chief]

I thought it was a comp rule that if a another boat is fishing an area , you have to give him the courtesy of distance unless you are invited in . Why is this same courtesy not applied to joe public who has already claimed his spot. Unfortunately the area is already being fished, FULL STOP. If the comps are causing these problems do not hesitate to contact Maritime Safety Queensland or the equivalent department in other states, We already have rumblings on speed limits in estuary waters!!! If people can't show respect then make them learn it.

[Lantana]

Like everything I guess there are a lot (mostly) decent people involved as comp. fishers.
However mixed amongst this lot there are some complete "wallys".
I do question how safe some of these boats operate when tearing up a waterway with, what I can see, is basically only the prop in the water. Outside of the posted speed zones, it seems that anything applies. Why is it different on the water then the roads?
I now avoid fishing on the weekends that comp's are booked.

[Angla]

I think the video camera is a great tool when taking the issue up with the perpetrators or with organisers. It's good solid evidence of wrong doing if that is the case. I also carry a small compressed air horn to alert anyone of danger. As they were passing by very close you could have blasted them with that.


Cheers
Chris

[steve harney]

Yes it not a very nice experence & I didn't go out in the tinny again that weekend!! Lee I was there & you weren't I saw what I saw!! some of the guys were ok even had one boat come up & say gday & had abit of a yak, even the guys cursed the clowns going passed at what looked like only the prop in the water when we were having a yak, so mate don't tell me it's not true!! I suppose if you were there you may have seen it also!! at the weigh-in I was not the only fellow to have a word to the comp fellows there was a heated moments over the back when a boat got there, I know it happens general fishing/boating but it was a very dangerous place to be when a 250cc boat goes passed at what looks like "not just cruising passed" I talked to some of the bait shop guys & they had also coppped the complaits from boaties about the behaviour!! not all were acting like clowns, but a few did a good job of p.,';ing off lots of people over the week-end!!! I see "clowns" ever day but mark my words there is going to be a serious accident & people will be hurt or even killed & it will be a very sad day.
Cheers Steve

[leelee]

take a pill mate, see the smiley faces they mean its a joke!! sounds like you are trying a bit hard to defend these comp blokes, so maybe it wasnt that they were 1 metre from his boat when they drove past at full speed maybe he was just trying to prove the point that what they are doing is dangerous, when he has 2 young kids in the boat, i know i wouldnt be happy either. Alot of these comp blokes are tossers no doubt, thinking that they own the water just cause they are in a "competition" doesnt mean they have the right to do what ever they want!

No need to take a pill at all mate and I am not defending them, its the fact that everyone in a comp boat is not a clown and does not deserve to have sinkers thrown at them when they go past at 70+kph. That’s all.

I know he has kids and yes I would not be happy either but since he has never experienced this before I believe things are a bit blown out of proportion, that’s all.

The fact is everyone sees comp anglers as owning the water when a comp is on but really thats not how it is. They are restricted to a certain system and must fish that system. To the uninitiated the sight of 50 boats roaring past at 7am is something most people don't see. Most will fish the known spots that hold fish, but having 15 boats on browns rocks is the norm on a weekend if the fish are there and I will bet you a normal weekend there will not be a comp boat there. 15 boats soaking a bait to catch bream is not uncommon.

As for no respect, well tell me the last time you were happily fishing and 3 or 4 boats pulled up to fish the same spot. Happens all the time everywhere. You only need to look at mud on weekends. Come to think of it what about all the bay comps (non bream ones) that get run. Man half of those people do not care. They come flying past me in their cruisers and 7 and 8 metre boats throwing 3 foot swell everywhere. My point is its not just comp anglers its more then that. Its the weekend warriors, the comp anglers, the riveria's, the skiers the jet skiers etc etc Most people don't give their fellow anglers enough courtesy.

Yes it not a very nice experence & I didn't go out in the tinny again that weekend!! Lee I was there & you weren't I saw what I saw!! some of the guys were ok even had one boat come up & say gday & had abit of a yak, even the guys cursed the clowns going passed at what looked like only the prop in the water when we were having a yak, so mate don't tell me it's not true!! I suppose if you were there you may have seen it also!! at the weigh-in I was not the only fellow to have a word to the comp fellows there was a heated moments over the back when a boat got there, I know it happens general fishing/boating but it was a very dangerous place to be when a 250cc boat goes passed at what looks like "not just cruising passed" I talked to some of the bait shop guys & they had also coppped the complaits from boaties about the behaviour!! not all were acting like clowns, but a few did a good job of p.,';ing off lots of people over the week-end!!! I see "clowns" ever day but mark my words there is going to be a serious accident & people will be hurt or even killed & it will be a very sad day.

Cheers Steve

Steve what I meant was there was no way all these guys were driving past you at 60+mph and were only 1 metre from you. If they are clowns like you state, then one of these so called "idiots" probably would have hit you if they were within 1 metre. Glad to see some of the guys came over and chatted to you as that is what most are like. I agree that some of them need to be told a few things, but if it was a fleet of skier racers would the same issues and concerns be raised considering they do not fish? I think not.

Also 250cc boats could never go fast unless they were remote control small ones because 250cc is a tiny tiny engine, I think you mean 250hp.

All in all its not to hard to give fellow boaties a wide berth and even reduce your speed, but that’s up to the discretion of the skipper, personally I tend to go out of my way to not impede or ruin someone else’s day on the water but very rarely though I ever get shown the same respect, which is a shame really. So once again please don't assume that every comp boat you see has a idiot or a clown behind the wheel because that’s not always the case.

Cheers

Lee

[NAGG]

take a pill mate, see the smiley faces they mean its a joke!! sounds like you are trying a bit hard to defend these comp blokes, so maybe it wasnt that they were 1 metre from his boat when they drove past at full speed maybe he was just trying to prove the point that what they are doing is dangerous, when he has 2 young kids in the boat, i know i wouldnt be happy either. Alot of these comp blokes are tossers no doubt, thinking that they own the water just cause they are in a "competition" doesnt mean they have the right to do what ever they want!

A few days ago , I spent the morning out at Mud with a mate and fellow ausfisher - now we were first on the scene but through the course of the morning another half dozen boats turned up - now , we were minding our own business fishing away on the leccy - trying to fish placcies with a bit of stealth ..... when 2 boats passed us within 15-20M (in all that ocean)
moving into the river .... fishing some banks we had another 2 boats pass us within 15M .....
Now these 4 boats out of about a dozen encountered - were totally discourteous and oblivious to what we were doing ....... So as you can see its not isolated to comp anglers - way too many fishoes out there are clueless.
From my own barra comp experience ...... I am yet to witness any behavior that would raise an eyebrow as these guys and gals have an understanding of appropriate behaviour and the need for steath.
With the exception ofcomp bass fisherman which drive up to other boats - most comp bream / barra fisherman would recognise the need to apply stealth .... particularly in shallow water.

So maybe there are a few tossers in the comp scene - there are many more in the general fishing population.

Chris

[bennykenny]

So maybe there are a few tossers in the comp scene - there are many more in the general fishing population.

Chris

Dont we know that for a fact!
there is no question that there is alot of tossers around, just go down the gold coast broadwater on the weekends, its full of them, but this guy is complaining about these comp guys and it has been more than one "bad apple" spoiling it for the rest, we tend to see this complaint all the time, this is not the first. the organisers of these competitions need adress the situation otherwise something bad will happen sooner or later. You cant tell him not to fish on those days when the comps are on he has every right to be there aswell. The organisers need to be held responsable aswell then im sure we would see some change, maybe with something like point deductions system.But the only way until they start to come around is the video them as proof, and hand it on to the authorities.
i sure know that if they put my childs life in danger i wouldnt be so polite.