During the warm summer months both fishermen and other water sport enthusiasts share the same water, but sometimes with conflicts. These conflicts occur because of violating ones space.

Skiers love to go fast and blast loud music. This tends to eliminate a tranquil time on the water. Rather it causes a wake the size of an ocean wave. Bald Eagles, Osprey and Blue Heron, must not enjoy rap or rock-n-roll played so loud that it shakes the leaves off the trees. When you have enough boats going fast and playing loud music, it’s like being inside a washing machine filled with rocks. Everything is being rocked back and forth like there is an earthquake on the water.

This can really anger some fishermen who are out to be one with nature and catch a few fish. You see some fishing boats are smaller then a bathtub. When you add someone with “dun lap disease” (you know, their tummy, dun lapped over their belt) and 4” of clearance between the water and the top of the boat, a 6” wave can be quite scary. Especially when the music is so loud that it causes your aluminum boat to act like a tuning fork. It’s not that the fishermen are afraid of sinking the boat. It’s just difficult to hold your fishing rod, run the motor and bail out the boat at the same time. This is especially hard if you have a fish on. That’s why smart fishermen have rod holders and sump pumps on board.

And why do fishermen want to stand up in a small boat? Have they been out in the sun too long? These brave acrobats are seldom wearing a life jacket. These must be the descendants of bull riders. You know, it’s the sport where you wrap a rope around a bull. Then you sit on the bull, and wrap that same rope around your hand until all feeling is lost. You wear gloves so you don’t see your fingers explode. But the real excitement starts once the pen gate opens and someone chinches another rope around the bull’s gonads. The bull’s eyes bulge from their sockets as he leaps for joy, trying to get the fool off his back; and then stomp him into the ground. I guess that does make standing up in a small boat seem reasonable.

So the next time you are out on the water, please be considerate of one another.

Fishermen: don’t try to hook the skier as they pass by. You probably won’t be able to stop the skier, but they may run over your boat and cut it in half.

Skiers: please turn down the XX?!!!XX music before someone shoots you, thinking you are an elk on skies. Well, that’s what they are going to tell the police.

See You At The Dock,

Ken Bear Cole
Fishing with Bear LLC