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RANT: People fishing at river boat launches


HardyG

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I plead guilty to complaining about a first-world problem. However, yesterday I go to launch my boat at the Belvidere ramp on the Delaware River. The big sign says, "Boat Launch". Standing smack-dab in the middle of the ramp is a guy with an ancient dog that can barely walk. As I'm backing down, he won't move. I strop the truck, get give him a "you gotta be kidding me" look. He still won't move. Screw it, I keep backing the boat until it nearly plows into him. He finally gets the message and moves. He then proceeds to set up three bait rods literally right next to the concrete ramp. Two other guys show up and do the exact same thing. I get it that shore access on the Delaware can be difficult, but do they have to fish EXACTLY at the boat ramp? When I see a shore fisherman, I give them wide berth as to respect their space. There is a private ramp further up the river that costs $300.00 per year. While I'd rather not fork out that kind of money just to avoid ramp-fishing morons, the thought is taking on greater consideration. Rant over, please carry on.

Just imagine how happy you would be if you lost everything you have in life and then suddenly got it back
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Sorry about your problems Hardy, but I have a funny story about boat ramp fishing.

Years ago, my job took me to Reagan Airport in DC to work on some equipment on a regular basis. I worked the overnight shift, and would get off of work about sunrise.

Just to the North of the airport is a park on the Potomac River where I would cast the shorelines for LMB. One of my favorite spots was by the boat ramp. it was up a creek from the main river a short ways, with a deeper channel to the ramp. The fish caught, and kept in live wells were frequently dumped right at the ramp, and would hang out in the deeper channel, and move up in the shallows to feed at night/early am. A spinner bait was deadly there. One morning a guy with a fancy truck, and high powered Bass boat is backing down the ramp just as I am reeling in a decent fish.

I let it go, and cast out again, hooking up..

The guy, in his fancy fishing suit, gives me the once over, and kindly asks me to move while he was launching. I ask him why, I left him plenty of room. He says that the guy he is with paid him $300 to fish with him that day, and the sight of me reeling in 4#er after 4#er is making him question the decision to drop the cash when he could fish there for nothing.

I just smiled, and walked away...not trying to take food off another man's table for a few minutes fishing time.

Material abundance without character is the path of destruction.
-Thomas Jefferson
There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.
-Soren Kierkegaard

 

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So, why didn't you just get out of you vehicle and politely ask him to please move?

 

Flashing mean mugs at people and threatening them with the possibility of getting run down by a boat in a trailer isn't the best way to get people to cooperate. While he was wrong for fishing on the ramp, you were wrong for handling the situation the way you did.

 

Would have saved yourself time by not having to play chicken wit h the man and he wouldn't have felt the need to stand there till the last second to piss you off; problem solved.

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8 hours ago, HardyG said:

I plead guilty to complaining about a first-world problem. However, yesterday I go to launch my boat at the Belvidere ramp on the Delaware River. The big sign says, "Boat Launch". Standing smack-dab in the middle of the ramp is a guy with an ancient dog that can barely walk. As I'm backing down, he won't move. I strop the truck, get give him a "you gotta be kidding me" look. He still won't move. Screw it, I keep backing the boat until it nearly plows into him. He finally gets the message and moves. He then proceeds to set up three bait rods literally right next to the concrete ramp. Two other guys show up and do the exact same thing. I get it that shore access on the Delaware can be difficult, but do they have to fish EXACTLY at the boat ramp? When I see a shore fisherman, I give them wide berth as to respect their space. There is a private ramp further up the river that costs $300.00 per year. While I'd rather not fork out that kind of money just to avoid ramp-fishing morons, the thought is taking on greater consideration. Rant over, please carry on.

 

Just for the sake of asking........... You had a "slight" altercation with someone who was there, kind of bullied him out of the way (deservedly so) with your vehicle, launched your boat, and then left in the boat, leaving behind your vehicle, unattended, in I assume relatively close proximity to the person whom you had a slight altercation with?

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22 mins ago, JoeyZac said:

 

Just for the sake of asking........... You had a "slight" altercation with someone who was there, kind of bullied him out of the way (deservedly so) with your vehicle, launched your boat, and then left in the boat, leaving behind your vehicle, unattended, in I assume relatively close proximity to the person whom you had a slight altercation with?

The guy and his ancient dog both pissed on Hardy’s truck as soon as he cleared the first river bend.

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1 hour ago, Beastly Backlash said:

So, why didn't you just get out of you vehicle and politely ask him to please move?

 

Flashing mean mugs at people and threatening them with the possibility of getting run down by a boat in a trailer isn't the best way to get people to cooperate. While he was wrong for fishing on the ramp, you were wrong for handling the situation the way you did.

 

Would have saved yourself time by not having to play chicken wit h the man and he wouldn't have felt the need to stand there till the last second to piss you off; problem solved.

I don't like to sit around and judge people on the internet but I think the best thing for all parties is to just assertively tell some bro what you want. Often the people will cooperate and everyone can fish on feeling good about themselves. 

 

Upside to this policy is then you don't have to worry about it afterwards. Of course can go other way. If the guy isn't cooperative and gets combative then you have problems. But that's what that loaded firearm under the front seat is for. 

Edited by Otshawytsha
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8 hours ago, Otshawytsha said:

I don't like to sit around and judge people on the internet but I think the best thing for all parties is to just assertively tell some bro what you want. Often the people will cooperate and everyone can fish on feeling good about themselves. 

 

Upside to this policy is then you don't have to worry about it afterwards. Of course can go other way. If the guy isn't cooperative and gets combative then you have problems. But that's what that loaded firearm under the front seat is for. 

Exactly.

 

It seems like a lot of people would rather piss around then be up front with another man.

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2 hours ago, Otshawytsha said:

Or woman why would u limit issue to man-on-man?

Good question, I think Braden may be a deplorable.

 

We all have this issue while fishing in one form or another.  Its funny depending on my mood I can be murderous or really generous about it.  Lately, I have been taking the opportunity to say hello and meet a new person instead of figure out whether I want bury him at sea or swamp.  lol.

Edited by Shipwreck

"He's a good stick" - Mr. Miyagi"  ~  "Yep!" - Captain Dingo

"How are you doing that" - Jimmy the Mate  ~  "Shipwreck is one of those guys!" - Capt. Freddy Gamboa

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