NE Fishing Etiquette

[Offshore9393]

Reminds me of a picture I once saw in the Keys. Two guys on the flats, one guy flyfishing off the front while the other guy takes aim on jet skiers with a shotgun.

those guys are my heros I hate jet skiers

[nitroskiff]

I would much rather have some one go by me at full speed on a plane then those DUMBA@@ who think they are being polite and going 1/4 throttle throwing a 3ft wave from a 17' boat. Idle or full speed....either is good. 1/4 throttle with your bow in the air is not idle speed!!!!!

[Lights,Camera,ActionCraft]

Life is to short to idle

[spodabfishin]

I would much rather have some one go by me at full speed on a plane then those DUMBA@@ who think they are being polite and going 1/4 throttle throwing a 3ft wave from a 17' boat. Idle or full speed....either is good. 1/4 throttle with your bow in the air is not idle speed!!!!!

yes what John&Underslot said

[Capt. Ron Schurr]

You most likley was fishing in a spot that the other boats use to get to another spot or area. Although it seems like with the maze of creeks back there they can go another route, but not the case on low tide. Usually only one way in and out. Boats motoring past other boats back in the creeks, especially now in the winter is pretty standard.

[Boattronics]

Yeah, how else would you get by? I always idle by as far away as possible. That was a good point about slow speed and boat wakes.... my Hewes has that big ole motor that wieghs her down in the back, I make a bigger wake when I go slow than I do on plane. Still, I do what I can to show courtesy.

What grinds my gears is when Im going down a canal, that doesnt even have any boats in the water, on plane and someone runs outside waving at me to slow down. Freakin kooks dont realise my wake is smaller on plane! I go just fast enough to maintain plane, and these idiots still think I need to slow down. Unless its a no wake zone or I have to pass someone close by, Im staying on plane. Im one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet on the water! Oh yea, boats racing by when Im tied up to some nasty pilings, or anchored dangerously close to some jetty rocks and you have the whole river to go by but you pass within a few feet of me, that upsets me the worst. Give us sheepshead fisherman some berth! I WILL snap a pic and make an example of you, lol!

[Shine]

In a creek, I would idle by an anchored vessel. I would agree, if I am fishing, I would rather you go by on a plane then at plow speed. As for the mouth of the river, current can make idle speed impractical/unsafe. My personal view is guys get more worked up about this than they should. I don’t think either/or is any worse for fish in our waters. Now on the flats down south, or in the grass up here – different story. The minimum is, you need to operate safe – and know you are responsible for your wake in all cases if it does damage or harm.

Also, other fisherman are for many of the things you are. There are people off the water who are for keeping you off the water and/or off the fish. Fisherman need to chill on fights among themselves and focus on their true adversaries.

[Boattronics]

Very well said!
There are flats and grass up here too, and you should stay 100 yards away from someone working a school on a flat, unless you are in comunication and working together. Approaching someone that is polling after a school maybe the WORST thing you can do!

[windblows]

What pisses me off is when people anchor directly in a creek mouth… those people deserve to get a fly by.

Especially the mouth of, or anywhere in, the main channel going back to the Oak Harbor boat ramp. Really? Why would you do that?

How about kayaks? I run into these guys all the time in creeks and try to slow down to a slow idle when possible or go by on plane if it's a main creek or too shallow for me to come off plane. I can tell they don't like it when I go by on plane, but sometimes it's all I can do. Like everyone else has said, they should hate it more if I slow down to a 2200 rpm "idle" and plow by.

[Element]

Stay tuned for our next NE Florida episodes:

Nearshore Wreck Etiquette, followed by Cobia Sightfishing Frenzy Etiquette