I have had it with these people on my lake

[Mastercraft81SnS]

I was going to post something about my new ski, but I have had it. I went skiing for the first time last week and it has already started. The fishermen on my lake are driving me nuts they are so rude and have no common sense. They are like a pack of bees when they see us skiing and drive over to that side of the lake and sit in are way. I don't get it!!!!!! Why do they all want to fish next to each other? I had one guy tell me when, I was sailing I nee to go around him the other way as he sits there with his remote controled trolling motor setting a course in my path. How could he not see me my mast is 20ft tall? The worst part is the boat cop on are lake has tryed to wright us a ticket for skiing when people are fishing. I have no idea what to do.

[Moved2ski]

I feel for you, I really do.

[bigskieridaho]

Three words.... Private lake membership. Unfortunately public water everyone has to share.

[Ilivetoski]

Used to ski on public water, this was a major reason we went to private water. The worst part was as soon as one boats rollers was done, the next boat came down. And when you ask them to bring it down a little, they bring it down to 8-10 mph, which as far as I'm concerned is worse than 40 because the rollers are twice as large and take twice as long to move through the course

[Jody_Seal]

Trick skiing usually makes them go away. Keep the legal distance from them and ride around on a trick ski, very hard to fish when their boat is rocking..

[MISkier]

Ski early in the morning. On one of the public lakes i use, the skiing needs to be done by 8:30AM or it's not happening.

[Orlando76]

Public water is still my only regular access. It's tough. Fisherman cutting us off. I don't know why. I started out fishing and was well aware of course skiing. I used to fish near the course just to watch the skiers but never messed them up. On our lake we have somebody who does Craig cat tours. One guide boat and 4-5 boats with two people per boat who never been on a boat and part of the return trip the guide takes these people through our course and drive it like they're skiing it! Most of these people never driven a boat. and now they're encouraged to drive around a buoy with a prop!!

 

I'd join a private lake, have turned a few really good opportunities but..... I'm married.

[Fatroll]

We have more issues with wakesurfers than fisherman. Apparently they need get up early to get that awesome surf water.

[ScottScott]

Ditto with the wake surfers. And for some reason they need to use the smaller lakes (including the one with the course) rather than the bigger lakes, that aren't really ski-able anyway. At least if they would take turns. They finished a run last weekend, and I thought they were going to take a little break and let someone else go. I got ready quick, jumped in the water, and just before I was going to get pulled up I see them taking off with another surfer. Of course taking turns is tough too, as it takes 10-15 minutes for all of their rollers to calm down. They don't get the fact that one surfer on a small lake like that and no-one else can do anything on that lake. I wouldn't even wakeboard while they're surfing.

[MISkier]

The other option is to put away the skis, park nearby, and have a lengthy cannonball contest. Some loud music usually is required for such a contest.

[LeonL]

Pretty much every official body support the fishermen. In general (not all of course) fishermen are rude and think that fishing is their God given right over and above anyone else's rights. They never want to share and often vandalize courses just because they don't want to share. I often thought "if I ever get a private site and someone asks to fish there, what joy it would be to tell them to take a flying $%". You know what, I got a private site and just couldn't do it. I let people fish. Wish I'd never started though. Some leave trash. One asks and I say "OK". Then he shows up, three or four of them with three trucks and park in front of the launch ramp or right in the road beside the lake. I say "I thought it was just you". He says "it's no fun to fish alone". I say this as proof that it's just a mindset among them I guess. A perceived entitlement. Where there's water we should be able to fish.

I suppose some of you will say "why don't you tell us what you really think?" LOL

[RazorRoss3]

Public water everyone needs to share. Unfortunately due to the nature of wakes, if anyone moves anywhere on the same bay as you then you're going to catch their wakes eventually, just the nature of the beast. Just have to get up early and beat them out there. I guarantee I am a better skier today for skiing public water my whole life and learning to ski through whitecaps and boat rollers, if you can ride out of your hardest pass in those conditions you can do it in a tournament any day.

[Zman]

Have had it both ways with fisherman. The bad experience was when I lived on a river in WV. Spent all day installing cable course, then we were out at 6:30 the next morning for some early morning glass passes. As we rounded the turn to the straight stretch of river where the course was, 22 pretty buoys were freely drifting down river. Hmmmm, who else is out on the river that early. Yup.

Every buoy line had been cut, leaving cable course on bottom of the river. So, ski day turned into scuba day.

In GA a few years back, private lake, but wife and I were the only skiers. Neighbors were very cool with my course going in and our frequent skiing. The neighbor who loved trolling and fishing the most and I got along great. Like someone mentioned, he felt the fishing improved around the buoys, especially right after we finished skiing.

[Keith_Menard]

On Webster Lake our fishermen enjoy the sport of water skier fishing. When you are skiing they like to cast at you.

[ESPNSkier]

The bass fishermen on our lake are usually pretty decent. We idle over and chat with them before we ski if they are fishing the grass line near the course. We have more issues with the jet skiers (lake cockroaches) who like to run the course....sometimes while we are in it!

[Ralph Lee]

I've always been told the guy who stole the Lindbergh baby was an avid fisherman

[Horton]

 

[ScottScott]

@RazorRoss3 Normal boat rollers are one thing. the 3-4ft swells from a surf boat are unskiable, even just free skiing. Especially on a small lake where they have been surfing in a big circle.

 

We don't have too much issues with fishermen except when there is a tournament and they take up the whole ramp area at the end of the day doing their weigh-ins, and standing around socializing while their boats and trailers are parked in the staging areas.

[skihacker]

Many years back we put a portable course in a cove early one morning hoping it was the right spot for the forecasted wind. Along comes a pontoon boat trolling with side rigs and down riggers, he shouts at us: "you guys are using an awful lot of lake!!" This lake happens to be 9 miles long and 2 to 4 miles wide. He was heart attack serious, I don't think any of us could even come up with an answer,

[6balls]

Today is fishing opener shich means I will have hooks n lures stuck on my dock, hooked thru my boat cover etc.

I like @Jody_Seal idea on trick. I pulled wakeboarders back n forth one day minding my own business and at least 2x legal distance.

After 2 passes I get the bird. I pull the trick release n bust over for some conversation. It was The woman who flipped me off, youve never seen a man pulling anchor and trying to get out of there faster.

[bishop8950]

I started on public water and trying to find a way to get my ski rides in was tough like so many stories above. Sometimes it worked well, others we took what we could get and sometimes we were totally skunked. I have skied majority private water for 15 years since. Once a year I go back and ski my parents public lake and it's a flash back. Awesome for a visit but I don't know how I could go back to that full time. It would take a while to reset my expectations.

[RazorRoss3]

@ScottScott, absolutely agree, I've run into that problem as well and those you have to wait out. And unfortunately the majority of wake surfers aren't very good so it a pull up roller, going for 100ft, fall, power turn roller to toast the whole lake, repeat for an hour, wait for 30 minutes for the lake to settle, watch another one come out and do the same thing. The fishermen have always been a more consistent annoyance where the wake surfers usually aren't capable of waking up as early but every now and then one of them slams a monster at 6 in the morning and causes a good amount of devastation.

[ScottScott]

That is one good thing, the surfers usually don't get up too early. But, by the time I drag my girlfriend out of bed to get ready, trailer the boat and launch.....we're not out too early either. Actually had some of the best skiing last weekend a little later on tge day.....by 3pm the surfers had all gone to the hangout spot to drink and we had the lake to ourselves.

[Mateo_Vargas]

I think the powerful private lake developers are paying off fisherman in an effort to drive the public skiers to buy their lots.

[parkerc2112]

Ski early and when your finished do a little free skiing being sure to buzz the "anglers" multiple times. They'll get the hint.

[LoopSki]

There's got be some sort of fish deterrent to scare them away when used by the course. No fish , no fisherman.

[jjackkrash]

I have found over the years that antagonizing fisherman hoping they "take the hint" is a losing proposition. It just starts ongoing battles and encourages ski-course sabotage. I try and be as polite and courteous as I know how to be, even if I don't get the same in return from the fisherman.

[Chef23]

We have had pretty good luck with the fishermen on our lake. I have spoken to quite a few to ask them to move a bit so we can run it ur course and have rarely had a problem. Frequently when they slow down they think they are helping.

 

When it is a bass tournament weekend I usually leave them alone as I know they are focused on catching fish as fast as possible.

[skiinxs]

@Horton Nice color, what dye do you use? I just finished putting dye in our lake for the first time and am anxious to see what it looks like after it disperses overnight. I was afraid I was going to end up looking like a member of "Blue Man Group" but came out relatively unscathed.

[gregy]

Our lake dried up a few years ago which forced us to a portable on a public lake. We had pretty good luck talking to the fisherman and explaining what we were doing. Most of the time the fisherman were understanding. The wakesurfers not so much.

[epnault]

The best solution for the highest probability is get up early. I think like most said fisherman don't understand what we are doing.

[LoopSki]

@Mark_Matis sounds like beer could be used as bribery. Handed a 6 pack and tell them in exchange go fish somewhere else !

[WaterSkier12]

Beer is getting a bad rap in this thread;-)

[Nautibynature]

Learn to spray lol

[DmaxJC_ski]

I've had my course cut numerous times,lost my 55 gate all together, had seadoo'ers enter the course in mid ski, you name it. Have never had an encounter with anyone, try to put our course "off the beaten path" nothing works. So onto finding a pothole lake close to home to setup on, now having to deal with unrealistic landowners, compounded with the government environmental people. She's a no win situation. Let's just say the next spot I find will work on the premise " it's easier to beg for forgiveness then to ask for permission "

[Mastercraft81SnS]

I think the problem is a lack of common sence or just inconsiderate. To add to more of why I'm tired of the fishermen on my lake. My buddy borrowed my jon boat today and he said when he was driving out of the channel a guy casted a line in front of him and the guy yeld at him to go around. The channel is so small and shallow, my ski boat doesn't fit in it. This year I won't be able to do any early morning skiing, but it seems on week days there are a few less idiots out at night then in the morning.

 

I would love to go on a private lake, I had the opportunity to go on one a few times when I lived in FL it was a world of difference. The closest private lake with a ski course is around 1.5hr or farther. The lake is locked up like Fort Knox they have a gate and a guard.

[303Skier]

Just like @jjackkrash said!

 

Ask politely for them move and explain your sport a little. You are all trying to enjoy the lake equally. If that doesn't help, keep killing them with kindness.

 

If that doesn't work, get a G23! Bahahahaha! >:)

[Keith_Menard]

I will add...it isn't always the fisherman...we have this one group of skiers that comes and does donuts around the lake until the whole thing is trash. They even make a hard cut right in front of the course and send rollers down it. We have tried talking with them, thinking hey...these guys are slalom skiers with a tourney boat...they will understand. Nope. They want to do their thing and screw everyone else. So...I guess your chosen sport doesn't dictate how much of a d*ckhead you are.

[Chef23]

I did have someone on a wakeboard boat enter the course from the opposite end while we were in mid pass. I immediately stopped and flagged them down and spoke to them. The guy driving the wakeboard boat didn't see the issue saying he would have just swerved out of the course. I told him that was not a safe option never mind what it does to the water. I did tell him that if they wanted to use the course they were welcome to do so they just needed to wait in line like everyone else.

 

I have seen them on the lake since then and we haven't had any issues.

[Wish]

If being nice, talking with maturity and having a dialog does not work then..

 

+1 on trick skiing. They kind of know they have you by the nads and you will basically stop skiing and go home. They win. But if you keep skiing in some manner at legal distance or more...they don't... and you're not "skiing the course" so for them to be sitting in it becomes pointless.

[Ralph Lee]

In Oregon most fisherman behave like they are Native American and skiers are the foolish white man on sacred ground coming to slaughter their buffalo.

The only solution here is if they're not catching, they reel up and hightail it like you caught them with their pants down.

[oldjeep]

I'd chalk it up to not understanding. One of the submersible courses we use is on a large public lake, and the fishing must be awesome between the 4 ball and the island because there always seems to be a little tin boat there. They will typically move after a pass where we shadow the 4 ball. Same lake we had a big surf boat decide to run parallel to the course about a football field away. They stopped by to watch as we were waiting for the waves to clear and were real nice about playing elsewhere after we explained how far their waves were going.

 

Gotta try to play nice - but don't get me started bout the idiots around the launch on Sunday.

[Stevie Boy]

Trick lever down, 15mph and then fly a kite off the back of the boat.

[ScottScott]

Yeah, @oldjeep I'm sure we could fill up a thread dedicated to the idiots at the launch. More fun of public lakes.

[UWSkier]

Generally, we're good if we're up early. Granted, we're mostly free-skiing open water, but even when we'd use our portable course, we rarely had anyone fishing or cruising around it before 10 am. After that though... forget it.

 

The absolute worst offender is the guy who pulls tubers before 9 am. Fishermen I can usually deal with as they generally tend to know where they're going and don't make big arcing turns to get there, and they usually stop once they've found their spot.

[jjackkrash]

The pubic launch is one of my favorite places. I like to hang out there when I need a few new stories to tell at cocktail parties.

[Ed_Johnson]

We need to find a good source for shoulder launched RPG's.

 

 

[skihacker]

Old school potato gun? Built out of 2 inch pvc, fueled by hair spray, oh yeah.

 

[303Skier]

Loaded down G23 and drive right by them!

 

or this....

 

LINK

[skinut]

For me the biggest WTF moment was dragging the bottom of a cove for the course I had sunk the weekend before only to find the mainline cut into 10 or 15 pieces.

 

The only conclusion that I can come to is that some f-wad was trolling in the cove and caught the mainline with his hook. Then, to be a good Samaritan, the a**hat brought up the mainline and thought, hey, this shouldn't be here I'll be a good guy and cut the sh*t out of it. Needless to say I lost 1/3 of the course and the entire mainline.

 

Can you imagine if I took someone's fishing pole sitting on the shore that had a line in the water and broke it in half and threw the line back onto the shore just because it was in my way as I was walking along the shoreline. People can be such d-bags.