Etiquette question: how close is too close off someone's stern?

[Nemytalu]

I've been wondering what's considered too close to someone's stern when their riggers are out. I'm thinking two scenarios:
- cruising past at speed going somewhere else
- trolling yourself amongst other boats, when you're on the fish
For cruising past, I've always figured about 50-75 m minimum, more if the geography permits. For trolling, obviously well enough away to avoid tangles, but can be closer if you're crossing their course behind them and not trailing them - maybe 30m?

 

[ab1752]

Sounds reasonable except if you're at the cap, then 10' is the norm.

 

[wildthing]

had a dickhead cut across my bow with is rods almost hitting the rails down at T10 a few years ago ......
now i just have the meat clever at the ready ....and the air horn to get them out from zombie mode ....lol

 

[Samnjoe]

I had a guy troll straight into the side of me at Sutil this year in the fog. He was looking back watching the rods or maybe sleeping. No damage and managed not to get pushed off my tack. Actually i had nowhere to go as i was tight across the face of the rock. Good thing it was a calm day.

 

[Aces]

If you’re close enough to be hit by my slingshot…..

 

[Mike1266]

I always seem to run into boaters who feel the need to cruise by very close to you in a very open ocean. A lot of the times they have a bigger boat than mine and their wake is huge, causing unnecessary headache. A general rule I like to go by is if I can throw a brick from my boat and hit you, you’re too close. When at the cap it’s a different story.

 

[Capt_Ed]

We find there is alot of Googans around Telegraph especially at Donegal who want to run full speed thru the trolling fleet or right against the shoreline when I'm trying to troll in 40' of water. The wife won't let me yell anymore so next year we're going to take pictures of boats and post the " Googan of the week award"

 

[Aquaholic]

I find if you play Metallica really loud, it tends to scare boats away.

 

[Pippen]

I find if you play Metallica really loud, it tends to scare boats away.

When sailing in Turkey and the party boats rolled into our anchorages I would crank up the sound system on the large yacht with "I'll Tumble For Ya" by Culture Club. Cleared them out in short order.

 

[Karlo]

I find if you play Metallica really loud, it tends to scare boats away.

Celine Dion at high volume has been known to inspire Googans to sell their boats, although stories of them jumping over the side to freeze to death might be apocryphal.

 

[Karlo]

Close enough so that you'd impact their ability to play a fish is way too close.

 

[Rain City]

Close enough so that you'd impact their ability to play a fish is way too close.

You ever seen the cap during the firefighters derby? I kid you not, 15 feet is the norm, on all sides.

 

[Karlo]

You ever seen the cap during the firefighters derby? I kid you not, 15 feet is the norm, on all sides.

Attached is the scene at the mouth of the Klamath River in Northern California when I was a kid in the 60's. It leaves out most of the fleet, and the hundreds of shorecasters flinging spinners on 4-ounce pyramid sinkers who kept the boats at bay by clanging the lead off of encroaching hulls. Some of the boat guys wore hard hats, and had knives ready to catch incoming shorecaster gear, cut it off, and make it their own. Lots of fish bonkers bonked fellow fishermen instead. That mayhem is part of why I left there as soon as I could.

Here on Haida Gwaii, the local guys tend to respect each other's space, so when off-island boats appear and crowd you when you're playing a fish, or jump the tack to cram into a non-space rather than ooze into the traffic pattern without disturbing the flow, they're likely to hear from the guys who know what they're doing, and want to keep doing it right.

 

[Rain City]

Attached is the scene at the mouth of the Klamath River in Northern California when I was a kid in the 60's. It leaves out most of the fleet, and the hundreds of shorecasters flinging spinners on 4-ounce pyramid sinkers who kept the boats at bay by clanging the lead off of encroaching hulls. Some of the boat guys wore hard hats, and had knives ready to catch incoming shorecaster gear, cut it off, and make it their own. Lots of fish bonkers bonked fellow fishermen instead. That mayhem is part of why I left there as soon as I could.

Here on Haida Gwaii, the local guys tend to respect each other's space, so when off-island boats appear and crowd you when you're playing a fish, or jump the tack to cram into a non-space rather than ooze into the traffic pattern without disturbing the flow, they're likely to hear from the guys who know what they're doing, and want to keep doing it right.

That's insane.

 

[sly_karma]

And they wonder why salmon stocks are depleted.

 

[Aces]

That's insane.

Actually the Klamath and Sacramento rivers still have huge returns, no nets!

 

[Kildonan]

I can’t stand it when people drive through the pack of boats that are fishing at just the right speed to throw maximum wake. Extra idiot points if you tear into the middle of the fishing fleet, stop your boat and fight with your crappy kicker while setting up your gear to make sure everyone with their gear set already has to alter course to fish around your selfish butt.

Set up outside the pack and troll in once you’re set up!

 

[walleyes]

We find there is alot of Googans around Telegraph especially at Donegal who want to run full speed thru the trolling fleet or right against the shoreline when I'm trying to troll in 40' of water. The wife won't let me yell anymore so next year we're going to take pictures of boats and post the " Googan of the week award"

You don’t want to be around Ucluelet then. Never seen the likes of it, not so bad on the troll but I’ve never seen so many googans fly by people at high speed while others are on the troll. And to be honest some of the charter boys are the worst by far. But once one group starts doing it it sets a precedence and they all do it.

Was coming into harbour one day this year maybe a little fast, I didn’t think so, since I was still a ways out, I think I was doing 7 mph and my light boat doesn’t throw much wake anyways. But met one of the well known charter boats and the guy is hanging over the side giving me the slow down thing. So I did, no issue. Next day the wife and I are out on the troll and out of the fog comes buddy honking on it straight at us, he never saw us until the last maybe 50’ if that, here he was on his cell phone and just about smoked us. I guess that’s ok, cruising 30 mph in the fog not watching where your going and headed into the fleet but 1 mph over his expected speed is a no, no. What a putz lol.

 

[SpringVelocity]

I can’t stand it when people drive through the pack of boats that are fishing at just the right speed to throw maximum wake. Extra idiot points if you tear into the middle of the fishing fleet, stop your boat and fight with your crappy kicker while setting up your gear to make sure everyone with their gear set already has to alter course to fish around your selfish butt.

Set up outside the pack and troll in once you’re set up!

Yeah Otter Point is classic. That's my favorite.

 

[Aces]

I can’t stand it when people drive through the pack of boats that are fishing at just the right speed to throw maximum wake. Extra idiot points if you tear into the middle of the fishing fleet, stop your boat and fight with your crappy kicker while setting up your gear to make sure everyone with their gear set already has to alter course to fish around your selfish butt.

Set up outside the pack and troll in once you’re set up!

Yes, there is my #1 pet peeve. That boat doesn't catch a break from me after that