Right rod to rocks/shore

[Rain City]

Red to red works out to be the same as right rod closes to shore.

Everyone with a SOVP certificate knows r to r because it is the rule of the road in the marine industry.. Right rod closes to shore is a fisherman term. and if followed provides everyone a chance to fish the shallower water where the fish feed and it's the rules. But sure enough there is always a fisherman who want's the hit line going both ways, specially in derbies.

If there are not to many boats around like in the winter it's a different story, because there is lots of room to move around but when there are 60 boats, you better have some rules and guidance.

Al most all guide or people who fish a lot follow this rule. If the rule is followed it provides you a better understanding which way the vessel traveling towards you is going to go past you.

I try to avoid fishing weekends and derbies due to people who work Monday to Friday don't get to fish a lot and need their chance to fish the weekends and in a derby it is combat fishing, with people fishing all over the place in different directions and getting their fish cut off sooner or later.

Now a days when I get cut off, I just say sorry to the boater and hope my 20lb cannonballs and down rigger wire don't cut their lines off. People make mistakes all the time, specially in the fog, we just have to live with it and avoid the weekends.

Just think of it as Nascar fishing and everyone going around in an big oval fishing and then one car starts going the other direction. It really screws up the race.

• Right-of-Way Rules for Boaters | Boating Mag​

  https://www.boatingmag.com/how-to/right-of-way-rules-for-boaters/
  
  When two boats are approaching each other, they should pass port-to-port (left-to-left)1. This means that both boats should keep their port (left) sides facing each other as they pass. This ensures that both boats have enough room to maneuver and avoid a collision. When encountering an oncoming boat head-on, each boat should stay to its right, altering course to starboard and allowing each craft to pass to the port (left) side of the other boat2. To pass a fishing boat safely, you need to steer to the starboard side or the right-hand side of the boat3.

The people that don't follow this rule the most in Vancouver are the guides.

 

[Red Monster]

If you're hugging the shoreline with your right rod pointing at the shoreline, what are you supposed to do about the guy who chooses to cross your bow from the port side?

And the above diagram is 100% correct, but if the blue boat is also approaching another boat to his starboard, he probably needs to pass between the two approaching boats. So with multiple boats around, like most people I try to leave enough room for other boats to navigate, and I certainly avoid trolling across anyone's bow. Seems like common sense but not to everyone.

 

[Kildonan]

The people that don't follow this rule the most in Vancouver are the guides.

Also common at the Victoria waterfront with some guides. Most are good guys though and follow these guidelines of RR2S

 

[RiverBoy]

I always hang out from the flotilla, get my gear ready and then observe and join the pattern. I hear the Right Rod Rule used quite often and it’s good (as is any rule) if everyone follows it. I am curious however when people tell me it’s an actual, formal rule as opposed to a local understanding. For instance in the event of a collision does it actually legally define the stand on vs give way vessel? I can’t find it actually written anywhere where as Collision regs specifically states who has the right of way. Am I missing something? Wouldn’t be the first time

“port to port or you’re going to court.”
that’s the procedure in a probable collision course.

 

[RiverBoy]

It is practised everywhere on the coast i've fished

except chatham point north or CR. esp on a flood tide

 

[Fixit]

at the end of the day, collision regs are the only rules that matter

 

[wildthing]

Ha Ha Sandheads , north arm, T10 , the cap, not on your nelly gong show been able to touch other's rod tips and told iam in the wrong when some pull a turn in front of you ... once or twice its nearly come to bad verbal abuse no more its ram raiding and meat clever and a good blast of the air horn at the very least if they have a fish on then i'll do my best to give space and tac off if needs

 

[Ryan A]

This whole thread reminds me of the everyday chaos out of French Creek, place has been a absolute **** show the last few years

 

[grady 227]

This whole thread reminds me of the everyday chaos out of French Creek, place has been a absolute **** show the last few years

Especially at the boat ramp

 

[SpringVelocity]

I never have to worry at right rod to shore because the Nanaimo guys are obsessed with fishing the shipping lanes . Had so many spots myself this year. Was great.

Barkley Sound and Sooke most guys followed it I found. Though I didn't fish East Sooke. That usually is nightmare in The Trapp to Head.

 

[CalCom]

Hi all
As a newbie to this forum I’m finding this thread great. I just bought a new boat but have been lucky to fish with many experienced guides, especially out of Hardy. They seem to have the tacks worked out well and (in my experience) have been compliant with the red to red rule when stacked up, and polite and cooperative when someone hooked up or needed extra room. Not looking forward to getting into any gong show scenarios and until I’m more seasoned with currents and tides will probably avoid the situation. What I found extremely helpful when I was steering the boat (when guides were setting rigs up and such) was having the tracking on the GPS. I was able to follow the tracks from previous tacks. I’ll certainly have this turned on for my outings.
Thanks for all the good info!

 

[Redfisher]

I personally love watching people coming towards me that don’t understand RRTS or more importantly the Collision Regulations. I just keep following my tack with the right away and if they continue to try to squeeze me outside I maintain my course and speed until we are bow to bow then take my boat out of gear and ask the other boater if they are familiar with the Collision Regulations. After they mouth off for a bit they have to pick up their gear and move outside as I leave mine in the water and drift saying nothing more. Usually only happens once with said boater.

 

[Rain City]

I personally love watching people coming towards me that don’t understand RRTS or more importantly the Collision Regulations. I just keep following my tack with the right away and if they continue to try to squeeze me outside I maintain my course and speed until we are bow to bow then take my boat out of gear and ask the other boater if they are familiar with the Collision Regulations. After they mouth off for a bit they have to pick up their gear and move outside as I leave mine in the water and drift saying nothing more. Usually only happens once with said boater.

That's the funniest part about all of this, guys act as though they literally can't stop the boat. I've done the same as you in the past. Shut it down and wait for them to figure out that I'm not going to make some kind of evasive maneuver.

 

[tigerprawn]

It’s funny how you tell people that and they look at you like you’re in the wrong. I genuinely think these people have no clue or boating skills . Well you can’t fix stupid

 

[searun]

It’s funny how you tell people that and they look at you like you’re in the wrong. I genuinely think these people have no clue or boating skills . Well you can’t fix stupid

In many situations, its just a matter of kindly explaining the rule and the reasoning behind it. Once people understand, and take few moments to think about it, maybe even observe it in action - they get it. Occasionally, some continue wearing the ding dong hat, because somehow they count turns - and it always seems to be theirs. Those are the guys that next time around I stick to my tack and as suggested stop if necessary forcing the situation to resolve itself one way or the other.

I've also had situations where I have screwed up not paying attention or get distracted - I practice the best to fess up, apologize and move on rule, cause you can't fix my stupid either.

 

[Macdeep]

Interesting discussion of the collision regs.

As far as right rod to shore, and considering trolling with or against the current- I prefer and find I get more bites when trolling with or at an angle to the current and so if I have the place to myself, or there's only a handful of boats, I find my place in the pack and troll how I want to fish but give way when it makes sense - ie. not crowding someone if there's lots of room and with consideration for the collision regs. I'd never heard of the right rod to shore "rule" till this thread and I do fish quite a bit.

I find it much more sensible to follow some more basic rules - "don't be a jerk" and "when in Rome..."

If the fleet is rotating left to shore due to the current being fished best in that direction, I don't sweat it and just join in if I want to fish there.

Of course the collision / right of way rules come into play if you want to push it, or if someone is pushing you, but I prefer to avoid all that BS. But perhaps I have a different fishing mentality than many... I'd rather fish alone or in a small pack than in a hoard of boats at the "primo spot" but I also have the benefit of living and fishing in a part of the world that doesn't get that crazy busy compared to down island or near the LML. And I have a bit of a "trout bum / steelhead bum" mentality - I prefer to fish away from the pack, and I never feel like my cooler suffers from a lack of fish.

What concerns me more is guys that 1) don't clear the way for a "fish on", and 2) guys that see a fish on and turn toward the fish and pull up next to me, behind me, or coming nose to nose on me while we're playing the fish thinking I've found a school and then they end up cutting in behind me, often into the path of the running fish...

Ironically, or not lol, the only times I've had guys running their gear across my fish were guides, local F-ing guides who should know better, and know that if you mess with another local boat, your asking for long term trouble. Luckily we managed to land the fish and get all the gear back each time but not without a 20min f*ck around that took both of our boats out of fishing mode while we untangled stuff and dealt with the chaos of hand lining fish and rafting up to deal with the BS.

Makes for good stories though, and perhaps that's what it's all about My buddies aren't paying guests and we catch enough fish during the year, so it's more about getting our gear back, but I would be pretty choked if I was paying $2k a day and my guide pulled some aggressive BS and ended up wasting half an hour during the bite.

 

[Redfisher]

Interesting discussion of the collision regs.

As far as right rod to shore, and considering trolling with or against the current- I prefer and find I get more bites when trolling with or at an angle to the current and so if I have the place to myself, or there's only a handful of boats, I find my place in the pack and troll how I want to fish but give way when it makes sense - ie. not crowding someone if there's lots of room and with consideration for the collision regs. I'd never heard of the right rod to shore "rule" till this thread and I do fish quite a bit.

I find it much more sensible to follow some more basic rules - "don't be a jerk" and "when in Rome..."

If the fleet is rotating left to shore due to the current being fished best in that direction, I don't sweat it and just join in if I want to fish there.

Of course the collision / right of way rules come into play if you want to push it, or if someone is pushing you, but I prefer to avoid all that BS. But perhaps I have a different fishing mentality than many... I'd rather fish alone or in a small pack than in a hoard of boats at the "primo spot" but I also have the benefit of living and fishing in a part of the world that doesn't get that crazy busy compared to down island or near the LML. And I have a bit of a "trout bum / steelhead bum" mentality - I prefer to fish away from the pack, and I never feel like my cooler suffers from a lack of fish.

What concerns me more is guys that 1) don't clear the way for a "fish on", and 2) guys that see a fish on and turn toward the fish and pull up next to me, behind me, or coming nose to nose on me while we're playing the fish thinking I've found a school and then they end up cutting in behind me, often into the path of the running fish...

Ironically, or not lol, the only times I've had guys running their gear across my fish were guides, local F-ing guides who should know better, and know that if you mess with another local boat, your asking for long term trouble. Luckily we managed to land the fish and get all the gear back each time but not without a 20min f*ck around that took both of our boats out of fishing mode while we untangled stuff and dealt with the chaos of hand lining fish and rafting up to deal with the BS.

Makes for good stories though, and perhaps that's what it's all about My buddies aren't paying guests and we catch enough fish during the year, so it's more about getting our gear back, but I would be pretty choked if I was paying $2k a day and my guide pulled some aggressive BS and ended up wasting half an hour during the bite.

And we haven’t even got into the conversation of the guy with the “right of way” who is trolling along a contour line at a certain depth as they start to go around a point and another boat is coming along the beach the other way. That’s where the “right rod to the beach” really makes more sense as it allows the 1 boat to actually fish the tack while the other boat should give way and both boats should pass “red to red”

 

[Doug]

Red to red works out to be the same as right rod closes to shore.

Everyone with a SOVP certificate knows r to r because it is the rule of the road in the marine industry.. Right rod closes to shore is a fisherman term. and if followed provides everyone a chance to fish the shallower water where the fish feed and it's the rules. But sure enough there is always a fisherman who want's the hit line going both ways, specially in derbies.

If there are not to many boats around like in the winter it's a different story, because there is lots of room to move around but when there are 60 boats, you better have some rules and guidance.

Al most all guide or people who fish a lot follow this rule. If the rule is followed it provides you a better understanding which way the vessel traveling towards you is going to go past you.

I try to avoid fishing weekends and derbies due to people who work Monday to Friday don't get to fish a lot and need their chance to fish the weekends and in a derby it is combat fishing, with people fishing all over the place in different directions and getting their fish cut off sooner or later.

Now a days when I get cut off, I just say sorry to the boater and hope my 20lb cannonballs and down rigger wire don't cut their lines off. People make mistakes all the time, specially in the fog, we just have to live with it and avoid the weekends.

Just think of it as Nascar fishing and everyone going around in an big oval fishing and then one car starts going the other direction. It really screws up the race.

• Right-of-Way Rules for Boaters | Boating Mag​

  https://www.boatingmag.com/how-to/right-of-way-rules-for-boaters/
  
  When two boats are approaching each other, they should pass port-to-port (left-to-left)1. This means that both boats should keep their port (left) sides facing each other as they pass. This ensures that both boats have enough room to maneuver and avoid a collision. When encountering an oncoming boat head-on, each boat should stay to its right, altering course to starboard and allowing each craft to pass to the port (left) side of the other boat2. To pass a fishing boat safely, you need to steer to the starboard side or the right-hand side of the boat3.

Just go back to my post on page one. It is easy to understand.
When there are a lot of boats fishing it really helps (R-R) and when there are few boats out fishing it really doesn't matter unless someone wants the hit line going both ways.

 

[searun]

What concerns me more is guys that 1) don't clear the way for a "fish on", and 2) guys that see a fish on and turn toward the fish and pull up next to me, behind me, or coming nose to nose on me while we're playing the fish thinking I've found a school and then they end up cutting in behind me, often into the path of the running fish...

Maybe what's happening there is you stop in the tack while playing fish, taking up prime real estate? Usually fish will tend to follow you while being played, and if you keep going less chance of what you described happening. And yes on occasion we all hit fish that rip so hard you have to chase them, and if warned, most guys help by getting out of the way. That said, like you, I do experience a lot of guys on the water who are not really paying attention to what is going on, which explains how so many fish can get riggered out there, so s**t happens sometimes.

 

[Macdeep]

Maybe what's happening there is you stop in the tack while playing fish, taking up prime real estate? Usually fish will tend to follow you while being played, and if you keep going less chance of what you described happening. And yes on occasion we all hit fish that rip so hard you have to chase them, and if warned, most guys help by getting out of the way. That said, like you, I do experience a lot of guys on the water who are not really paying attention to what is going on, which explains how so many fish can get riggered out there, so s**t happens sometimes.

definitely happens sometimes. Lots of places are pretty much "combat fishing" and not that different than some of the meat hole spots on the more popular rivers. It's just disappointing when that is caused by local guides who should be pretty motivated to be paying attention. That being said, in 10 years of fishing the North Island and plenty of time fishing other spots before I moved up here, I've only had two fish tangled in the riggers of other boats that swooped in behind me. But both times if was due to aggressive fishing/boating once we had our fish on and into the second good run and after a good deal of arm waving. Made for interesting conversations during the untangling. The guests were a definitely not impressed. Felt sorry for them.

Regardless, it doesn't make me want to go down island to fish spots where there are >50 boats and sometimes >100 boats... I don't fish the Stamp or the Vedder during steelhead season for the same reasons. I feel sorry for nice people trying to get into this sport but start their fishing in areas where it's super busy.