A true story, no names other than mine to protect the innocent
I've seen Crappie.com grow from a small brother hood of diehard fishermen to a wonderful group of friends and family over the years.
Just last year, a very good friend of mine that I not only fished with a lot, but had a great friendship off the water had a run in with someone on the water that happened to ask him if he knew Crappie Reaper from Crappie.com. My older friend was one of those who always tried to hide a fish so no one could see him land it, or lays his rod down when someone is passing by so as not to show the spot as "Hot" in case he got bit whilst they boat past him. He is also one of those people that no matter what speed you pass him, he's upset with the wake or it might be the fact that you have the gall to fish in his cove. A cantankerous old man, yes! I'd have to listen to him whine about everyone on the water but off the water, he had a heart of gold. I had no problem helping him with anything I could do and he did the same for me. But because the person he got into it with on the water asked whether he knew me, my old friend assumed I sent him to the area, thus I'm the bad guy and he's hated me for over a year. I couldn't understand why I was being treated like that without him ever talking to me about it. It upset me. It hurt my feelings because I had just lost a good friend that I'd known for about 15 years and I just couldn't understand why. I was upset and posted about it trying to find out WHO it was from c.c that mentioned my name to him that seemed to cause all the instant hate in the first place. I recieved a pm from a young man that fessed up and we traded phone numbers.
I called him and got his side of the story. I couldn't help but believe everthing he told me as I had spent so much time on the water with the man he had got into it with. I had met the young man and his bride of three days at the ramp one day while I was going in, and he was just launching. He had a small aluminum boat powered only by a trolling motor. I think he had asked me where he might catch a crappie since being limited as to how far he could go. I pointed him towards a bluff and we said our good lucks and nice to meet yous. After he had stepped up and responded to my post trying to find out who cost me my good friendship with my older fishing buddy, I was informed that he did find some Crappie and him and his new bride had a good time. He also told me that my friend had been fishing fairly close to him and was not getting a bite. The young man told me where he was fishing, it happened to be one of the older mans regular stops that he would check out each time he launched his boat which was about 275 days a year. The next morning, the young man went back with a friend to fish the same spot. It was still dark in the early morning hours as they headed towards the bluff under the power of the trolling motor and did not have any lights on which he admitted to me that it was wrong. As they were getting closer, another truck and boat were backing down the ramp and it was my good friend. He launched, parked his truck and went full power towards the same bluff. Coming close to hitting the young man and his friend as they were about 40' from the coveted spot. He cut them off, putting his boat into neutral, he tossed out his front anchor, reverse and then the back anchor. The two young men proceeded towards the spot and made a comment about how some people just had to get there first. Evidently they were really close to my friends motor and that's when he came unglued and the confrontation began. I'm not clear how it turned out right after that, but, in my friends eye, it was my fault because the young man knew who I was through Crappie.com even though at that time, I did not know him other than the brief visit with him and his bride the evening prior.
During the phone call after connecting with the young man, I found out that his friends trailer light lenses had been busted out at the ramp. He also reported a sugar like substance found around his fill cap on his truck. After hearing the young mans side of the story, and only hearing why the older man was upset with me third person, I had to believe the young man. I've since tried to reach out to my older friend to find out what and why? His heart is bitter and filled with hate about something that happened that I had nothing to do with and he lost his temper over. I'm just now realizing to let sleeping dogs lie on this whole thing.
I can't help how another person feels if it's something I didn't do and their mind is closed because of their own feelings. I can however post this story for others to read so that they might think about it and realize that they do not own the water. Anyone and everyone who is on the water is there to have fun. It does not matter whether they are fishing, God forbid, jetsking, sking or just boating. Life's too short to allow things to get under your craw and let them fester until you do something stupid. Let the little things slide and have the good time that you set out to have in the first place. But please, if you're in a bigger craft, give respect to those who might have a problem with even a small wake you might create when going by.
I'm now good friends with the young man involved in this. It's going to be awkward the first time we are seen fishing together as we pass my old friend who was so quick to disgard me simply because he thinks everyone that fishes "His Cove" has been sent there because of me and Crappie.com.
I have a feeling my situation at my home ramp will not improve much, but it's at a point it's out of my hands and I'm ok with that.
Reaper
