Need to find a new lake to fish!!

[kopper36]

I was on Eldorado last weekend but only had to deal with pleasure boaters and jet skis that for some reason feel the need to blast by about 40 yards away with hundreds of yards left on the open lake side of us. I am continually amazed the past couple years of having a boat again how bad it has gotten. I truly thought one guy was going to take out one of our planer boards out which wasn't even that far out. Years ago when I fished way more there was not near the inconsideration there is now days. I would never dream of running up on someone on there fishing spot and try my hardest to go way around another boat fishing or someone fishing from the bank. It was towards dusk Saturday and we were cruising a bank looking for shad and I totally did not see a man and his son (I'm guessing) fishing from the bank. We were really not that close but I yelled out an apology and to let him no we were sorry and that I just did not see him as I turned the boat away from them. That struck up a nice 3 minute conversation about how each of us was doing for the day. Courtesy makes all the difference but it is disappearing quickly these days - not just when it comes to fishing either.

Anyway, we did ok and it was fun regardless. I kept my eye out for you Shane and thought I spotted you once but realized it wasn't you because there were no power pole thingys on the back of the boat. Sounds like you did not have yours at anyway. I still want to hook up with you for a trip sometime. Will call you someday soon.

[shane]

I kept my eye out for you Shane and thought I spotted you once but realized it wasn't you because there were no power pole thingys on the back of the boat. Sounds like you did not have yours at anyway. I still want to hook up with you for a trip sometime. Will call you someday soon.

Wasn't me. I was at Fort Gibson lake in OK last weekend. I told you guys I was going to find a new lake. Had a great time there. The fishing was not the best but we still had a great time. Did catch some nice Fort Gibson blacks and man are the big...

[zeepo]

I am starting to think the same thing as my home lake is Clinton. Yesterday we were the first boat on the lake at 6:00 am, got some shad and started fishing clinton point flats. Marked a big group of wipers and whites and threw the buoy out and started free lining shad with two rods and using jiggings spoons with the rods we were holding. We were the only ones fishing until about 9:30 am when I see this boat coming out of the old marina and he is coming right at us full speed. I think its water patrol so I start getting ready but the stops about 40 yards short of my boat and starts getting ready to fish. He then starts his big motor back and starts coming right towards me until he is about 10 ft away and he asked me how the fishing is, I could have handed him coffee he was that close. I thought he was going to run over my long lines with the shad on them so I turn the boat away from him. I turned to him and said fising was good but could he give me alittle space. He looks at me and keeps going away from me about 100 yards then turns the boat puts it on plane wide open and drives over my buoy which is only about 20 ft away from my boat. We had to kneel down in the boat to keep from getting swamped. I could not believe what the guy had done. I had no time to get a picture of his boat and did not want chase him down as no telling what he would have done. Obvouisly fishing went down the tubes after that. I am going to call the KDWP and see if there is anything I do legally the next time this happens AGAIN.

zeepo

[LBM]

I fished Hillsdale on 9/2 and it looked like the same situation was going to happen to me.

When I launched there was only one other trailer in the parking lot and one boat fishing the standing timber along the channel edge. I went directly out to the tree line I was going to work and started fishing there. I saw this other boat had eventually worked his way about a quarter mile or so along working standing timber in deeper water and around the corner and out of my sight. About 9:30 or so I had only worked my way down my tree line maybe 20 yards or less where I had confidence there was fish in there and had 4 keepers in the box when I saw this boat coming directly towards the tree line I was on and he continued directly towards my position stopping several boat lengths away from me. He didn’t get up to drop his trolling motor or prepare to fish but sat there and ask me if he could ask some questions since he had seen me work this area before on other days. I said sure and he said he had caught a few fish but no keeps and was curious as to how I was fishing this area. I told him how it was going for me and exactly how I was working the area and continued fishing while talking to him and did catch a short fish while we were talking. We discovered we both had a long history fishing Hillsdale and exchanged names. He then asks if he could work the other side of a tree I was working towards and I said sure and we continued talking. On talking I told of some of my experiences of being intruded on by inconsiderate fishers and then thanked him for asking if he could fish this close to where I was fishing.

I felt like I should post this positive interaction with another fisher I’ve had while fishing which some probably thinks never happens for me since I am more inclined to only post on the negatives rather than on the positive.

Since JL (initials) said he was a lurker on Crappie.com maybe he will join in here now.

[Ozark88]

Good post Lee, thanks for sharing it.

[fishlessDan]

Yeah zeepo Clinton can be bad especially in the spring and winter