Boat Etiquette - Being Followed

[tomfisher]

Hey Ausfishers,

I'll just start off with what made me think of making this post: So I'm out on my boat and i had just launched off the boat ramp and i see a guy just drifting right next to the ramp looking at me, I think maybe he's just waiting for someone or something so i shrug it off.

Anyway, I take off toward one of my spots for Flathead on plastics and as I'm getting close i look behind me and the bloke was right on my 6, Out of curiosity i veer away from my spot a bit and start casting at a random sandbank and guess what happened next? Yup, He starts casting his plastics on the same bank as me. I ended up going to my spot anyway and yes - he followed me there, I got a couple but he had no success from what i saw. I wasn't sure if i should be p'd off or is this normal? I've only had my boat for a little while now and i found it a bit frustrating, but i guess i don't own the sea so i was okay with it.

What do you guys think?

[lee8sec]

Not what i would do, but as you say, we dont own the water. It happens abit up here with tourists, who have know idea about where to fish. And i suppose its the same else where. Leigh

[Lucky_Phill]

I think we could write a novel on Boat Etiquette.

There are those that have it and those that don't.

It is safe to say, practice good marine manners / boat etiquette yourself and at least you will sleep well at night.

Yes, you will get the " blow-flies "....... usually a first timer / novice boatie / fisher.

Also, as you have found out.... " you can lead a horse to water "... etc etc.... as the saying goes.


LP

[Mossy247]

Get used to it buddy there is always going to be those ones that follow you and those who see your rod bend pull stumps come wide open about 15meters from your boat and throw in an anchor. You are unfortunately going to find idiots on the water and encounter many more to come, I have gradually myself taken it as normal procedure for people with No IDEA, some through ignorance and some I believe just don't know any better. I am often fishing off mud only boat in about 80-100m radius yet some tool squeezers feels they need to cut past wide open 20-30 meters away from your boat? WTF? They have the whole bay yet do that? I am used to it now still sh!ts me to tears but there isn't much you can do that won't ruin your day, have a spray if you get close enough but the best way to get them is to get tight on some fish.
tight lines - Mossy

[tomfisher]

Yeah i would understand a tourist doing it but back at the ramp i saw him with a bribie island sticker on his car so i was kind of frustrated, But Bribies pretty heavily fished so i dont blame him for following me really considering how tough it can be here (Using plastics anyway) I don't think i'd ever get fired up over it though, Gotta learn somehow.

[tomfisher]

Get used to it buddy

Yeah i guess I'll have to. Let's just hope they don't get too close or they might hear from me haha. Another thing that added to my frustration was that he kept firing up his engine to re-align him self to drift where i was drifting, He'd motor right infront or behind me going full throttle which made wakes to make things worse.

[Jeremy]

Honestly, that is piss poor. Seems like the bloke is a leech unwilling or unable to do his own hard work to find his own spots. I bought a boat to get away from tools like that, and you shouldn't have to put up with it. Here are my options once you realised he was following you:
1. ask him politely if he plans to follow you. If yes, why? Maybe give him a couple of suggestions of spots he could try himself without having to follow you
2. If that doesn't work, wait for half an hour at the ramp and see if he finds someone else to follow
3. If you know the area well, maybe there is somewhere shallow you know you can just get through on the planne but where he wil get stuck in the sand or mud
4. Ask him to pay you $50 to act as a guide for him for a couple of hours, and give him some rules to follow so he doesn't spook the fish

Anyway, hope you never see him again

[kingcray]

hey Tomfisher. I wasnt there but mate worse things have happened. Maybe the dude was just starting out on plastics and watned to pinch an idea or 2. He may have even seen your plastics setups in your tinny at the ramp. Annoying, yeah ... as i fish plastics for flathead a lot and get the same thing from time to time, but then i think ... hey i have done similar things when starting out as i more or less wanted to teach myself how and where to fish with them.
Anyways, while on the subject id like to bring up a little incident that happened to me down the pine solo a few weekends ago. I was drifting down the channel from the bridges, along with another boatie doing the same who was about 30 meters away from me. Nobody else within cooee.
Then the jetskis turn up. Being a weekend only fisher, i have learnt to tolerate all kinds of morons but this 1 in particular goes out of his way to come straight between us back and forth several times, then even starts to run loops around both our boats, grinning as he does it. (by now i am eying off the container of snapper leads up the front)
Any fish that may have been in the area by this time have retreated many kms upstream. i was pissed but not half as pissed as the other bloke who had his missus and at least 2 kids in his boat.
So i head up the river a bit to get away, and call it quits not long after. I arrive back at the ramp adn here is old mate sittin down on the rear step of his boat (kids and missus sent home). We have a short chat about the @sshole on the ski. Turns out he was sitting there because he was waiting for ski dude to arrive back at the ramp!! i wish i could have hung around to see how that panned out!

[gruntahunta]

I guess it takes all kinds to make the world up. Those with big Egos of themselves, those that have no idea they are doing something that annoys, those that don't care they are annoying, and some like Tomticer who are tolerant and can understand how things can happen.

Seriously it is not the end of the world and the ethics are only the ones that you have created urself for things you don't like to happen. I for one regulary give info to others to help them out, makes me feel good to help. The other option is to call people you don't even know, or don't know their circumstances, Leeches and tools. I know what I prefer.

[tomfisher]

this 1 in particular goes out of his way to come straight between us back and forth several times

Far out that's outrageous, what a D-head - i don't know how i'd handle that one mate i'd be red hot.

[tomfisher]

Here are my options once you realised he was following you:
1. ask him politely if he plans to follow you. If yes, why? Maybe give him a couple of suggestions of spots he could try himself without having to follow you
2. If that doesn't work, wait for half an hour at the ramp and see if he finds someone else to follow
3. If you know the area well, maybe there is somewhere shallow you know you can just get through on the planne but where he wil get stuck in the sand or mud
4. Ask him to pay you $50 to act as a guide for him for a couple of hours, and give him some rules to follow so he doesn't spook the fish

Not bad ideas there mate, Only problem is I'm a catch and release fisherman so i don't really like the idea of guys finding out some good spots from me then raping them silly with full bags etc.

[shauno555]

I dont do a lot of bay fishing but offshore the charters can be the biggest problem. When i was doing a lot of jigging you get the charters show up at 8 am after you have been there working since 5:30-6am and they pull up drop baits and then get pissed off with you because your drifting over their bait ball. which you have been on all morning. Same thing wwith newbies but everyone has to learn and i understand that. jetskis can all go f themselves. not the fisho ones but those smart ass guys that come within meters of your boat at mack 3. just rude and ignorant. doesnt suprise me old mate wanted to wait for the wank to come back to the ramp.
As for the guy following you out Tomfisher. Its rude that the guy followed you. There is a whole ocean out there to fish but i understand that people want to use others spots but why not ask 1st for some hints and tips. Just rude!!

[WalrusLike]

The jet ski between boats.....,

Were you tempted to throw a line between the boats? I don't think it's a good idea.... But I would've been tempted.

That sort of behaviour is actually illegal so I would've photographed him with rego details and reported him.

[kingcray]

no camera WL and he was moving so quick and eratic had no chance of seeing any rego details. Im sure he got some payback when he arrived back at the ramp.

[Jeremy]

The other option is to call people you don't even know, or don't know their circumstances, Leeches and tools. I know what I prefer.

Of course I don't know the person. I am giving a label to the behaviour that was described in the original post. If that is the sort of thing that you do or think is acceptable, then maybe there is something you want to tell us?