Guess Ill just gripe a while!!

Bow'd Up · Post by **Bow'd Up** » July 9th, 2007, 10:53 pm

That bird rack ain't nuthin but trouble. I would be willing as a club member to help do what ever I could to make sure no one gets hurt. If it were not for BB showing me where it was Saturday, no telling what may have happened, because me and my 6yr old may have hit the dang thing and, well, ya know. As far as the people in the channel fishing. Well, everybody has a right to fish wherever and whenever they want, but lets use common sense here. The channel is there for people to safely navigate in and out of the river. Get the heck out of the channel. Boats fishing in the middle of the channel, especially on low tide pose a problem for all who try to navigate the channel. Please, respect other people's property, namely their means of fishing, their boats, and stay to the side of the channel. I don't want to blow anyone out of the water, but, ain't no body out there willing to pay for damages to my boat as a result of their lack of common sense. I believe that we all can enjoy what is out there if we use our heads and do what is right, not for the good of ourselves but what is right for everyone involved.

Post by **BAD BEHAVIOR** » July 9th, 2007, 11:47 pm

My thoughts exactly!! You see there Bow'd , you hang around someone for thirty plus years and you start to think alike!! Im glad to see you finally got my back on something!!!

Post by **RHTFISH** » July 10th, 2007, 7:00 am

I say again....1/4 mile inside and outside the tripod....if there's water
(or even if I think there is)...jackplate up, hammer down and hunker
down! If I ground or tear up something then just laugh at me for being
stupid...but if make it how about a big ole "ATTABOY"!

Post by **CairoTrout** » July 10th, 2007, 12:51 pm

Did your wife write that for you?

grim reeler · Post by **grim reeler** » July 10th, 2007, 1:20 pm

I have spent two of the last three weekends on chactaw bay and in the sound, up the sloughs around shalimar and out the pass at Destin.

Anytime you feel that people here are rude, or just plain dangerous, spend a weekend over there and you will feel better about here. I couldnt believe some of the flat out BS I saw. It seemed the more expensive the boat they were in, the worse they behaved. I believe some of them felt the only rule of the water was the tonnage one.

Post by **Sir reel** » July 10th, 2007, 1:26 pm

So if for what ever reason, boater had to come off plane, stop to pick up a blow out.. or just prefers to idle out when on the Econfina to protect an investment...and they are in the middle of the river... they represent a navigation hazard to someone going in or out on WOT and are subject to being swamped or worse because of their not following the informal Econfina Rules?

I seem to recall a pretty serious accident last year where boats ended up in the bushes.. it can and does happen. respect for others goes more directions that just straight ahead. I'm toast now so I'll put my bunker gear on.

Soccerdad · Post by **Soccerdad** » July 10th, 2007, 3:39 pm

You know, before this thread dies entirely, I want to say a word in defense of the chuckleheads who park and fish in the channel. (...and before some poor bastard does get the warning shot across his bow). Essentially - WHAT CHANNEL? I fished the Econfina twice and although I really liked it, I'll probably not go back. The boat and motor belong to the sob-in-law ... I cannot afford to break either. I appreciate the size of the stones on the guys who go hammer down in skinny water and shoot out to the gulf, but I have seen boats aground waiting for water to come back in. If there were a channel marked I think I would try it again .. but with no knowledge of where a channel is, it is hard to tell if you are in it or not ... whether you're fishin', drinkin', or takin' a nap. If you've been there a dozen times you should know better. But I never knew better ... and some of those chuckleheads might just be new and uncertain. On the other hand, they could be dumb as a box of rocks. In any case -- these guys should maybe be maimed but not slaughtered.

Post by **BAD BEHAVIOR** » July 10th, 2007, 3:40 pm

Lets all be reasonable!@!! Stuff happens, but the original statement here was about people anchored up and fishing, Not people who are having trouble. If you choose to idle out , thats your business but If it were I who idled out I think I would stay to one side of the channel or the other, giving a wide berth to everyone else who ran out at normal operating speed. I dont think it is a case of Ecofina rules, yet just standard boating etiquette that should be observed by all, everywhere. If I come up on you and you are at idle speed, which is YOUR option to run that speed, I will give every effort to slow down as much as possible , creating as small a wake as possible, without coming off my plane. That is the responsible thing to do. What my point is in this topic is that it is not always possible to slow down that much , especially at low tide. I too remember the accident and the gentleman who was hit is a friend of mine from Adel, fishing in the channel. The young man that hit him was running WOT and panicked, losing control of his boat.

Good Times · Post by **Good Times** » July 10th, 2007, 4:51 pm

I agree with Grim. I spent 9 days at PCB. Did some trolling. I felt like an aircraft carrier in a kamikaze training exercise. It's like people had lost their minds. I had one guy in a new 19 ft Sea Pro CC actually come and circle my boat within 30 yards. He barely missed my lines.

I saw some funny things last week. There was a guy putting his brand new 42ft Sundancer in to the dock at Treasure Island. I was next in line waiting to get in at Pirate's Cove. He kept gunning it forward and backward. He did this for about 2 minutes and then went for it. I told my Dad, "Looks like he's comming in a little hot." Dad said smiling, "New boat, first time out." He came into the slip bow first at a pretty fair rate of speed. There were marina employees running everywhere grabbing his ropes and pulling to slow the boat. At the last second he went reverse WOT and stopped it. Everyone on the boat broke into applause. It was pretty funny. I feel for those dock guys sometimes.

Post by **BAD BEHAVIOR** » July 10th, 2007, 5:28 pm

Post by **Chalk** » July 10th, 2007, 6:29 pm

BAD BEHAVIOR wrote:If you choose to idle out , thats your business but If it were I who idled out I think I would stay to one side of the channel or the other, giving a wide berth to everyone else who ran out at normal operating speed.

I started fishing the river in 1976, there is no wide berth in the econfina river.

BAD BEHAVIOR wrote:If I come up on you and you are at idle speed, which is YOUR option to run that speed, I will give every effort to slow down as much as possible , creating as small a wake as possible, without coming off my plane. That is the responsible thing to do. What my point is in this topic is that it is not always possible to slow down that much , especially at low tide.

The responsible thing to do is slow down...if you idle back your wake will increase...If your boat is too big for the area, it's not everyone else's fault...if the river was navagable per the coast guards rules and regulations it would be properly marked, well it isn't...there's a reason why

I ain't trying to bust your chops, it's really just a fallacy of taking a bigger boat in small river that is not capable of supporting normal boating practices.

Post by **Jumptrout51** » July 10th, 2007, 6:54 pm

Boat size at Econfina is not the issue. I have been down the Econfina in a 15 foot boat at 1/2 throttle with a falling tide. When I turned the corner and got in sight of the tripod the flood gates opened and all the water ran out,grounding me for 4 hours.

I have also been out of Econfina at WOT passing numerous grounded boats including a Marine Patrol boat. I made it out and got 3 hours more fishing time than any of them.

Coming in on a low or falling tide means you come in at WOT or you don't get in.

Local knowledge does not constitute rude.

The lack of a government maintained channel dictates you can run where you have to when you have to,however you have to.

Endangerment is one thing. Sitting your ass out there because someone else is scared is another. If you're scared,say you are scared,and stay home.

Post by **Chalk** » July 10th, 2007, 7:11 pm

We ain't talking about going out the mouth Cletus, try to follow along closer...everyone knows that at the last bend you need to be on it if your gonna clear the tripod on a fall tide

Post by **Jumptrout51** » July 10th, 2007, 8:06 pm

PPPpppFFFfffTTTttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Post by **RHTFISH** » July 10th, 2007, 8:38 pm

Jumptrout51 wrote:
Coming in on a low or falling tide means you come in at WOT or you don't get in.

Local knowledge does not constitute rude.

The lack of a government maintained channel dictates you can run where you have to when you have to,however you have to.

Endangerment is one thing. Sitting your ass out there because someone else is scared is another. If you're scared,say you are scared,and stay home.

Prophetic and factual!

Preach on Brother!