Why New Jersey "boaters" SUCK.

[Skunk City]

Please excuse the rant, but this incident really pissed me off and ruined a great night out on the water for me.

Last night, a female friend and I decided to do a short kayak paddle trip from Two Bridges to Suchorsky Park in Little Falls. As it was my friend's 2nd time in a kayak, I chose this area because it is low and slow and boat "traffic" is usually limited to some paddlers, a jon boat with an electric and the occasional 9.9'er. I am always on my toes out on the water, but this is a section of river I don't usually worry about getting run over. Last night was a bit different.

Around 6:45-7:00 last night, we were paddling towards our destination when a side-console boat with 3 men in it came ripping up the river. I gave my friend a heads up and had her move between the shore and myself. At this point we were no more than 10-15ft off the shoreline, by no means in the center of the river. As this boat gets closer, I realize that the bow of his boat is aimed right at us. Not trying to end up in the water with an inexperienced kayaker, or even knowing if this guy or his passengers saw us, I put both arms up in the air and gave a very loud "YOOOO!!!". They must have heard me, because they altered their direction slightly. In the 15 seconds after this, these drunken, white trash LOSERS felt the need to get closer to us and hammer down the throttle. I gave a polite but stern "slow it down" hand signal with both hands, hoping for some BOATER ETIQUETTE, but these idiots began yelling, cursing, flipping us the middle finger and waking the sh*t out of us before continuing on their merry way.

Being as experienced as I am in the kayak on some of the busier lakes, I have dealt with the wake of a 25+hp motor in close proximity to me. Obviously my female friend has not, which is immediately where my concern went. I yelled to her to plant her feet properly, center her weight and hold on. She handled it like a champ luckily. After this, you could imagine my blood was boiling. We didn't see these idiots again for the rest of the night. Picking fight from my kayak with 3 men in a boat would not have been a smart decision.

Do people really not understand what it means to be courteous to other boaters, especially those in smaller crafts? This river is not wide, so paddling away is not an option. A 25+hp boat makes a great deal of wake, especially when the throttle is down. Besides the fact, was it necessary to throttle down, veer closer to us, and curse us out and flip us off? Every time (weekly) I am out on the water controlling the motor of my best friend's 14' 9.9hp V-Hull, I will slow down for fellow boaters, kayakers, canoes, and even guys fishing from shore with their kids. Getting tossed around is not fun nor is it comforting.

Being on the river as much as I am, I am pretty sure I have seen these low-class morons on their drunken river travels. They were probably between the ages of 40-50. I'd love to get the hull ID and call it in to the authorities. There are other things I'd love to do, but this is an internet forum and I do not come from the low class gutter these jerks did. This river is just as much mine as it is anyone else's. Just doesn't surprise me one bit how belligerent and inconsiderate people can be in this state. End rant.

[Michael82929]

People really are clueless... not to mention.. last thing you want to do is take a dunk in the passaic...

Your nuts may be glowing in 10 - 12 hrs.. :)

I see it all the time on the lake I fish... I am very suprised their are not more boater accidents... and we have strict rules on our lake... can only imagine a lawless body of water.

[Fish n Jeep]

Sorry to hear that, Skunk. Those idiots should know better. In order to be operating a boat of that power on non-tidal waters they would require a boat license. In order to get a boat license, they also need the boat safety certificate. The certificate is only granted after taking an approved class and passing an exam. The safety and navigation lessons in the class I took were very helpful. You should call the police if you can get the hull registration number, as it sounds like these yahoos were doing everything wrong.

http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/Licenses/Motorboat.htm
http://www.state.nj.us/njsp/info/pdf/marine/non-tidal_license-021606.pdf

[acabtp]

yeah, people suck. when i was out on the shed this past weekend, i watched 3 guys block the boat ramp for 15-20 minutes while they loaded their boat up (thankfully i had already launched). then, an hour or two later while i am trolling a straight line out in the middle of the lake i see these same jokers heading in my direction. they get closer and closer on an approximately parallel course and then suddenly pull a hard turn and cut across my path about two boat lengths in front of me. i had to change speed and direction to avoid hitting them. then, the clown at the bow has the audacity to ask me how fishing has been. "better, before a couple jerk-offs came across the whole lake to cut me off" i replied, which got me cursed out in russian, told how much they hated america and americans and an offer to kick my ass back in the parking lot. obviously, i had to suggest that if they don't like it here, go home, but unfortunately, i don't think they took me seriously. :(

[Fish n Jeep]

A-holes are everywhere. When I was living near St Louis, all the rich boaters went to Lake of the Ozarks. People get killed there every year in boating accidents. I never went, it wasn't worth getting run over.

Don't even get me started on the boat ramp etiquette topic... I've been trailering boats since I had my learners permit, and it never ceases to amaze me how completely clueless or discourteous people are.

[iceehot6766]

Hey Skunk, sorry to hear about your incident...I'm surprised I didn't see you as I was at Two Bridges last night but left at 5:30......Yeah people are a$$holes and they do suck......I like your white trash losers saying ,because it's what they are from the way you described them drunk on the water and irresponsible....I would have called the cops,I don't give a sh*t, and reported them had I known for sure they were drunk for sure.....that makes us ALL look bad when something does really happen.......lesson learned....people have no courtesy....they just don't care(not just applied to this situation, in life in general)....we had a situation very similar at Oak Ridge 2 weeks ago ......same type of crap.....A guy sees us fishing and catching fish, creeps right to us within 20 yards!!!!....50 feet away from us!!!!!!!....the lake is 400 acres and you have to fish within 20 yards of us!!!...Who you kidding?....... I say something, and all of a sudden I'm the bad guy?....WTF is that about?....then he apologises 2 hours later when he passed us in another area.... BUT wait, there's ,more.....he makes up a lame-ass excuse that he was trolling for smallmouth for bait for Muskies for Monksville later that evening...What a joker.. go F%ck yourself scumbag.....OMG, if you're gonna admit you did something wrong, just apologize and all's good......................people suck and just don't care...........glad those douchebags didn't cause you or your friend to tip over, that would have really sucked.....Alright, you got me all fired up now....FISH ON(ALWAYS!!)

[Mikeps326]

This is why I'm terrified fishing hopatcong with my 14ft. Some people are beyond idiots. Always when I have my boat and there's people 200 ft away or fishing shoreline I try to slow down so then get minimum wake. I get pissed when I'm ice fishing and someone on a quad drives 3 ft away an makes my tip ups all popup. Bunch of *******s don't respect fisherman.

[FASTEDDIE29]

That's a horrible experience!!! When those boaters crash into a tree they'll know why!!! What goes around comes around!!!

[Bicey]

Boating etiquette is mostly common sense, which a lot of people do not have! I won't even go into a boat ramp rant because its not even worth it. Thank goodness you had enough sense to know that they were gonna do that. I always try to anticipate by expecting people to make the wrong move instead of the right one. Stay safe!

[ScowardNJ]

Sucks that happened to you guys last night Skunk, I'm sure your lady friend witnessed who the real man in the situation was.

[jimmythegreek]

Skunk the prob w that stuff is nobody does anything about it, even on big water. On sunday I was out w my girl and we had just left the "market" on LH at 11am or so. Guy comes down the channel out of brady bridge in a 30+ cigarette boat w triple 250's and hammers it, passed me prob doin 60-70, and there were 3 state police boats out that I just saw go by. They did nothing they were flirting w some girls in a boat, nobody has any respect. I ALWAYS slow down or go way around when running from spot to spot for guys fishing, especially those in kayaks/canoes, and Ive towed lots of people in and stopped to help ppl stuck in open water................and for close calls just ask Eddie how close we came to getting hit a few saturdays ago on LH in my big boat at about 2am when Pavinci's bar let out after a wake-board contest. The damn drunks are rly getting to me this year too, theres a time and a place and its not on the water under power

[Eskimo]

...which got me cursed out in russian, told how much they hated america and americans and an offer to kick my ass back in the parking lot. obviously, i had to suggest that if they don't like it here, go home, but unfortunately, i don't think they took me seriously. :(

That doesn't surprise me. I've long suspected there was an element of resentment towards Americans by the way they kill every bass they can get their hands on. I guess they hate the abundance we've worked to build in America and somehow feel a vague sense of retribution when they kill gamefish.

If you've ever been on the boat ramp and seen the stringers some of these guys bring home, you'll want to cry.

(People may think I'm being unfair, but the last time I said this, I actually received a flurry of private messages from people that agreed with me.)

I haven't had too many attempts on my life this year. For the most part, everybody has been pretty good about not running me over.

Just one incident at Spruce Run. One of those ghetto rental rental boats was headed straight for me at full throttle. Every one of the eight passengers on board were facing the guy controling the motor and he couldn't see anything! At around 50 yards, they saw me and turned. For a minute there, I really thought I was going to get hit.

Ever since that incident, I've changed two things when I kayak:

1) I always wear my PFD if I'm sharing the water with motor boats. A motor boat-kayak collision will be an ugly scene and you may not be conscious or able to swim.

2) I keep one of those super-loud whistles in the front pocket of my PFD. If you see something dangerous, a whistle is a lot louder than you can yell.





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[Eskimo]

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When I see people doing something they know is wrong, I pull out my camera. It doesn't have to be on or even work. I've learned that when people see a camera, they re-think what they're doing.





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[Jigman13]

at Spruce Run. One of those ghetto rental rental boats was headed straight for me at full throttle.

Sound familiar, Dale? Three dudes on one of those rentals were making a beeline for us and eventually turned uncomfortably close to us one morning. They wound up shallow and in rocks. I'm sure the prop and hull of that tin can has seen better days!

People are idiots...plain and simple. On land and on water, you'll always and forever encounter morons with a level of absentmindedness that will never cease to amaze. You have to expect it each and every time you are out and be as proactive as humanly possible to put yourself in a position where you minimize your percentages of getting the sh*t end of the stick.

[ScowardNJ]

Ever since that incident, I've changed two things when I kayak:

1) I always wear my PFD if I'm sharing the water with motor boats. A motor boat-kayak collision will be an ugly scene and you may not be conscious or able to swim.

2) I keep one of those super-loud whistles in the front pocket of my PFD. If you see something dangerous, a whistle is a lot louder than you can yell.


3) a high flying bright orange flag works well for visibility also.

Unfortunate there is no deterrent for *******s, they live amongst us everywhere we go.

[iceehot6766]

I'd like to add this....yesterday there was 2 adults(they looked in their young 20's) fishing on the bank with bobbers and worms and lawn chairs and all......so as I approached them , I noticed one of them smoking something(I honestly have no idea what it was) out of one of those giant hookah(?) pipes or whatever you call them..that didn't bother me as much because my life doesn't change if they want to do that. I asked them how they were doing and in a thick undistinguishable accent(maybe russian or croation or some kind of Arabic), they said something which I just nodded and watched for a few minutes silently.......what bothered me is every fish they caught(and what I saw was every few casts) they put in a bucket...perch, sunnies and small smallmouth....funny thing is these"kids" were driving a newer Cadillac,strange vehicle to take fishing and park in the gravel pullover IMO... whether it was theirs or their parents who knows...just gets me how people are such idiots sometimes...

[Eskimo]

I'd like to add this....yesterday there was 2 adults(they looked in their young 20's) fishing on the bank with bobbers and worms and lawn chairs and all......so as I approached them , I noticed one of them smoking something(I honestly have no idea what it was) out of one of those giant hookah(?) pipes or whatever you call them..that didn't bother me as much because my life doesn't change if they want to do that. I asked them how they were doing and in a thick undistinguishable accent(maybe russian or croation or some kind of Arabic), they said something which I just nodded and watched for a few minutes silently.......what bothered me is every fish they caught(and what I saw was every few casts) they put in a bucket...perch, sunnies and small smallmouth....funny thing is these"kids" were driving a newer Cadillac,strange vehicle to take fishing and park in the gravel pullover IMO... whether it was theirs or their parents who knows...just gets me how people are such idiots sometimes...

It's not a money thing. They seem to do it regardless of how much money they have. There is something else at play...

There is a certain state park in New Jersey where the park service blocked the road a half a mile from the lake in order to reduce the amount of garbage at the lake. (If you know which lake I'm referring to, please don't blurt it out. You can PM me if you have any questions)

The fishing has improved substantially at the lake since this was done. This year I noticed a small group of foreigners have taken it upon themselves with fanatical effort and dedication to catch every god damn bass in the lake and take it home. (I don't know where they're from. They appear to be white guys. I don't recognize the language.)

They drive up that cratered dirt road in new Acura SUVs and minivans to the last parking lot. Then they unload brand-new mountain bikes, probably bought just to fish this lake. Then they strap their buckets of minnows to their backs (I'm not kidding) and ride down to the lake and set about harvesting bass.

They were eyeing up my kayak with envy. I fear they will ruin that lake if they buy boats.

A apologize for de-railing this thread. This has been bothering me for a while and I needed to vent. Thanks



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[gwl2oneida]

We have the same problem here iceehot. Every weekend at the public beach on GWLl it get the buffalo hunters that do the same. 4 guys lay 3 horizontal rods out. Barely a word of English. Keep everything they catch.

Seth

[GetANet]

Too Fired up to comment!!!! Except NO F'N COMMON SENSE!!!!

[Bottomfeeder]

"This river is just as much mine as it is anyone else's."

Considering how much time you spend and the fish you catch in that river, I'd say it is yours more than these bums. Sorry you and your friend had to deal with this. I bet these guys live miserable lives and could probably never convince a chick to do anything with them, never mind kayak the Passaic!

[Fish n Jeep]

what bothered me is every fish they caught(and what I saw was every few casts) they put in a bucket...perch, sunnies and small smallmouth....

I thought there was a 12" minimum on bass (I don't know for sure because I never catch any, let alone keep them)... we should be reporting this nonsense to FG&W. Someone posted a number to call on here not too long ago.

[Skunk City]

While we are on the subject of unsafe boating practices and poaching, a buddy of mine was night fishing at Swartswood 2 weekends ago from his boat. At around midnight, they saw someone launching their boat and fire up an outboard...weird because Swartswood is electric only. After realizing the boat was heading towards them, he was ready to give them a yell but before he did, he was hit with the spotlight from a Fish and Wildlife boat. Guys asked for credentials, checked fish, made one of the guys pour out a bottle of Grey Goose, then went on their way. No tickets because everything was legit, but just a heads-up to these guys who aren't doing the right thing out there. A check by F&W at midnight on an otherwise empty lake is the last thing I'd expect, but its good to stay on your toes out there.

[kcritch]

Ok that's just stupid...

Everyone knows you have to put the Grey Goose in water bottles before the trip. Talk about irresponsible boating practices! :D

Note: Brown liquors go in Iced Tea bottles so please don't put the JD in a water bottle!!!!

[Skunk City]

Ok that's just stupid...

Everyone knows you have to put the Grey Goose in water bottles before the trip. Talk about irresponsible boating practices! :D

Note: Brown liquors go in Iced Tea bottles so please don't put the JD in a water bottle!!!!

Haha smart man.

[kcritch]

Haha smart man.

Just palyin'.....no offense intended.

[Mark B.]

I thought there was a 12" minimum on bass (I don't know for sure because I never catch any, let alone keep them)... we should be reporting this nonsense to FG&W. Someone posted a number to call on here not too long ago.

http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/ogt.htm

[Skunk City]

Just palyin'.....no offense intended.

None taken :) .

[jimmythegreek]

Just a note for other guys.....if you hear an outboard on a electric only lake its 99% F&G or some type of security, Ive seen them out on the sheds in a jon w a 9.9 cruising around and I have seen them on swartswood during the day. Id hope that everybody on here has good ethics and is always doing the right thing, but its good to keep your ears and eyes open. One thing that almost everyone I know gets hit with is the throwable type IV PFD. By NJ state law u have to have a lifejacket type 1,2,or 3 in the boat for every person aboard the vessel, PLUS a type IV for throwing. I know I didnt have the type IV in my boat for years til I was told about it, I thought it was just the amount of people in the boat, not the case in NJ

[acabtp]

By NJ state law u have to have a lifejacket type 1,2,or 3 in the boat for every person aboard the vessel, PLUS a type IV for throwing. I know I didnt have the type IV in my boat for years til I was told about it, I thought it was just the amount of people in the boat, not the case in NJ
do need one wearable per person, but the throwable PFD is only a requirement for boats over 16' in length. that said, the more the better; i keep two PFD/seat cushions handy on my 14'.

here's a link to the actual requirements, makes it pretty easy to tell what's needed
http://www.state.nj.us/njsp/maritime/remember.html

[antgogz]

Rob,
I have seen these idiots on that stretch of the river. My buddy and I fish from his 8 foot bass raider plastic boat with an electric motor. They absolutely have no respect for other boaters and just cruise up and down the river at full speed while they drink their budweisers. White trash is what they are and the wayne park ranger who patrols over there should worry more about these a**holes instead of being concerned about where me and my buddy launch our boat which has happened before. I even saw a guy on a jet ski on that stretch of the river tearing it up. Its a shame because there are some deep holes over their and nice weedlines. Sorry to hear that story.

[crustyangler17]

i was at the passaic for the first time today, same area. two jetski *******s came flying past me, one of them made a loop and headed towards me, zoomed past the shoreline 30 ft from me and made some waves in a pathetic attempt to piss me off. i wanted to throw rocks at him but he never came back.

[Skunk City]

i was at the passaic for the first time today, same area. two jetski *******s came flying past me, one of them made a loop and headed towards me, zoomed past the shoreline 30 ft from me and made some waves in a pathetic attempt to piss me off. i wanted to throw rocks at him but he never came back.

Unfortunately I have had those douches fly passed me with no regard for their wake. Sorry it happened on your first trip, but at least you managed a few fish!