Crazy incounter on Guntersville .....

I have fished all over the world and yes I do mean all over the world. My career allows me to travel and each place I travel to I try to set up a guided trip. But this past week I took my boat to Guntersville (2nd time on the lake) and we used livescope to search for brush piles. we found several and set up on one about 7am on Friday. Several boats was in the area about 1/4 mile away from us.

I heard a boat motor and looked, about 300 yards away there was a boat headed straight towards us, this older guy came to our port side and then cut hard around the back of our boat and pulled up on the starboard side, he was arms length from my boat.

This was a "GUIDE" with two other people in the boat. Then the harassment started, we were told that was his brush pile and we were not allowed to fish it and the ahe makes his money off brush piles, and that he was gonna pull us out of the boat , then he said that he better not catch us fishing there again. After all his yelling he open his Ranger with a Mercury 250 up and circled my boat at hign speed, the wake was horrinle.

So after we calmed down and processed what just happened I call 911, Guntersville police, water patrol, and the game warden all where calling me and very helpful and apologetic. Then we went the Guntersville police dept filed a formal harassment complaint, next step is a conference call with the magistrate on Monday. This gude ( I know who he is and have pictures of the indicent, plus guys at teh ramp saw it and identifed this guy as well) is facing possible warrant and water viloitions from the water patrol/coast guard.

I truly beleve this guide saw KY#### on my boat and determined I was from out of state and it was ok to bully and threaten us. This guide is in some trouble and hopefully he stops this behavior before a local stops it for him.

ALABAMA LAW:
No person shall willfully and knowingly prevent, obstruct, impede, disturb, or interfere with, or attempt to prevent, obstruct, impede, disturb, or interfere with any person in legally hunting or fishing pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the law of the State of Alabama.
Citation: Ala. Code § 9-11-270
Had to get this off my chest.....

You did right, as far as I can see. A guide, in my eyes is, or should be professional in their actions. Not only was he harassing you, but with his actions put the two others in his boat, who I assume were paying customers, in danger as well. Not very professional at all.

The guide in Florida recently harassing another boat made the news. Hopefully he will learn a lesson. Just because you place the structure doesn't give you exclusive rights to fish it.

Being a guide he should have many other places to fish besides that pile. You did good, he should know better and if not he will find out soon enough.

I can say this. If I was in his boat, I would NOT hire him ever again. Prolly would have asked him to return me to the dock. You did get good & handled better than I would have.

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I applauded you.

I fish from a kayak and know I can be hard to see on the water, so typically keep to the creeks and back sloughs. That said I've nearly been run over or swamped several times by guys that saw me and didn't care. I had a bass boat go past me on a plane in Indian Creek one day within 30 feet of my kayak doing 60 MPH. I saw the guy a little later and he said he was fishing a Bass tournament, and I need to get out of the way of "big boats", that I wasn't allowed on big water in a kayak and if something happened it would be my fault.

Similar experience in Limestone Bay one fall where I nearly got hit, the boat circled back to yell and cuss at me and took off again to the Northeast. That one had a happy ending when a few hundred yard later he broke the transom in his boat hitting a stump a foot under the water.

I love fishing and being on the water. 99.9% of the people I meet on the water would give you the shirt off their back, but every now and then you run into an idiot.

You handled the situation well and as an avid North Alabama angler, I'd like to apologize. This fool is not representative of our angling community or our state.

Very unprofessional act ! Hope they are punished to the fullest extent of the law and Captian license revoked . 66,000 plus acres lake and hundreds of thousands of brush piles and stumps what an absolute idiot.
Majority of the guides on our lake would not tolerate such behavior and most are top notch folks . Sorry for the horrible encounter.

Game Wardens as well as Guntersville will deal with that very effectively. Guntersville is a lake they like people from out of state to come too and fish. During peak season every third boat you see is registered in a different state.

I was on the water on Guntersville Friday and Saturday. It was the 2nd time in my life. Loved the town. Loved the water. The fish will live to fight again.

Thank you Sir for attempting to right the wrong. Holler at me and i will drop you some pins on Wheele anytime.

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I applaud your actions. I would have handled it in the same manner although my cordiality would have been severely tested. My curmudgeonly self would probably have boiled over. Thank you for sharing your experience

Sorry to hear of your encounter. Like others on this board, being from N AL and fishing Guntersville often, your encounter was not at all representative of our crappie fishing community here. Thanks for letting us know of this encounter, hope that your pictures and testimony will be enough to get this jerk off the water and never guide again. I hope the guys that were paying for that trip refused to pay, our got their money back.

Please don't let this one guy ruin the lake for you, come back, and don't hesitate to ask for some help on where they're biting.

Go ahead and name this guy. I don’t want to hire someone who does that. PM at least.

I cant name him yet - there is a active investigation. However I can and will update this thread as soon as the magistrate in Guntersville informs me that it is ok to do so.

you can pm me the waypoint and I'll keep that pile cleaned off this summer

Quote:

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Originally Posted by alexava

Go ahead and name this guy. I don’t want to hire someone who does that. PM at least.

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I totally agree. It would keep people from hiring a complete jerk that could put them in danger. But I understand him not being able to right now.


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I am very glad that was not me. I’m afraid my temper would have landed me in jail.


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You had the patience of Job , I wouldn’t have.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by abarkley

you can pm me the waypoint and I'll keep that pile cleaned off this summer

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That's what I was thinking also give out the way point and let some people park on that pile

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Unfortunately, this is not uncommon. After the investigation is completed the fishing community needs to be informed about the encounter.
Bill

Sad. Imagine being the clients in his boat. I miss the way things were back 20-30 yrs ago. I really do.

I know the guy's trying to make a living but come on!

I post where I fish and even put an x on a map when requested. I look at it that they're not my fish!

Judging by his unprofessional attitude I would think it's safe to assume he doesn't fair well as a guide. Will never understand why folks think they can place structure / piles in a public lake and then act like they own the water over it and around it. Once you place a pile that becomes property of the public. Same goes with dock owners in most lakes.

MS does not allow permanent deer stands on public property any more because of so many disputes over the years. Same thing you can't place a lean too next to a tree and claim 100 acres of public hunting property, but believe many idiots thought that was the case!

You handled the situation a lot better than I would have.

Unfortunately it only takes one turd to spoil a bucket of water. that guy not only spoiled the day for his clients but also the outlook they have on guides in that area. Word of mouth is a powerful thing.
You on the other hand, elevated the image of folk from your state. :fish