Agressive Power Boaters

Here in the PacNW, the big fishing event of the year is salmon fishing. When the fish are running, competition for space on the rivers can be fierce and with more people fishing every year, this presents a potentially dangerous situation. Problem is, some fishermen believe that a place on the river is "their spot". If you are anchored in a place these guys want to fish, they will come right up on you, sometimes hitting your boat to make sure you get the message that you are in "their spot". Kayaks are easy marks for guys like this; if you don't move out of the way, they will run you over. A plastic kayak is no match for an 18' boat with a 100HP motor.

This has happened twice now this season; same spot, same boater. The guy has told me not to anchor in "his spot" and he almost ran me over(in the dark) the last time I was out. I have a bright LED stern light and wear a headlamp, no doubt he saw me. The lights give him something to aim for. The warped thing about this is that the guy is not even from the state he is fishing in but he feels like he owns the place. Each time he runs me off a spot, he gets bolder and bolder, the fact that he is deliberately trying to destroy property and perhaps injure or kill someone does not even register with him.

If it happens again, and it most likely will, I have to decide what to do. Call the sheriff and file a complaint? What if they can't or won't do anything? I believe that anyone on the water has a right to be safe, the same way a person in a car has a right to not be run down by someone in a car or truck. There are more boaters and kayakers on the water than ever before, sooner or later, something is going to happen.

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Waterman at Work - Kayak Fishing Photos, Video,Kayak Rigging - Blog

Try to get video and audio and turn him in!

Yes, that's an option, although there's no guarantee that will take care of the problem. I live and fish in a pretty remote area, the law enforcement who would handle this would be the county sheriffs; they are spread pretty thin, they probably don't have a lot of boats and I'm sure they don't have time to mediate problems between fishermen over fishing spots. I'm going to talk to them and see what my options are, but the primary thing is that I don't want to be rammed by a power boat and go into the Columbia River. The problem is the power boater; if I was in a boat instead of a kayak, this guy would never think of ramming me out of the way. I'm going to talk to the sheriff and see what they say.

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Waterman at Work - Kayak Fishing Photos, Video,Kayak Rigging - Blog

oops!!

http://www.billsbangsticks.com/

If it was me and I knew he was coming to harrass me I would have a few ropes strewn around my boat, then offer to help untangle the prop, while doing that take his drain plug out, but thats just me(don't really do that lol).
It's probably best to inform the police and get their advice, typically they go talk to the guy and stuff like that usually stops.
FE

You could always consult the fish and wildlife folks too. I would think they have more of a vested interest in boater safety on the river during spawning season than the sheriff's dept.

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2015 Hobie Tandem Island Hibiscus
"Third Normal Form"

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WDFW has very few officers in the field in this part of the state. Most of the fishing license and boating regulation checks are done by the state police.

Salmon fishing is very competitive and every decent fishing spot is packed to the gills as long as the fish are biting. It's especially crowded at the beginning of the salmon season. It's not very enjoyable fishing, but that's the way it is. There are more fisherman and boats than a spot can handle, and there is a a strong "weekend warrior" vibe. You know you are only going to be here for the day, nobody knows you and you're not coming back anytime soon, so there's no incentive to be civil. You are going to get yours and F everybody else. There's aholes everywhere, you can't get away from that, but when when somebody threatens another's safety, either with a gun or a boat, that is crossing the line.

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Waterman at Work - Kayak Fishing Photos, Video,Kayak Rigging - Blog

Wow! I don't even fish and that makes me want to give it up.

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2015 Hobie Tandem Island Hibiscus
"Third Normal Form"

• Trampolines
• Hobie cover
• Davis Spar Fly
• Kayakbob's Sprayskirts
• Spine Board Hakas

Don't get me wrong, salmon fishing is a great challenge and a lot of fun. Catching a hard fighting twenty pound fish in a river that's twenty yards wide makes for fantastic kayak fishing. Just like anything else, it only takes one or two idiots to mess it up for everybody.

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Waterman at Work - Kayak Fishing Photos, Video,Kayak Rigging - Blog

Try and get pictures or video and post on Ifish.net or send to me and I will help you get word out. Get some video as soon as you can.


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Get some video ASAP and I will help you get the word out here in the PNW.
Michael
www.KayakFishingOregon.com


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Thanks for the offer, but the "word" is already out to the local authorities. Posting videos on ifish.net will do nothing but bring more fishermen(and more power boats) to already crowded fishing spots.

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Waterman at Work - Kayak Fishing Photos, Video,Kayak Rigging - Blog

Bear spray. Lots of bear spray.

Paddling a kayak into a pack of power boats and spraying them with bear spray does sound like a really good idea. I'll try that the next time I fish in the metro Portland area, you know, kind of "reverse weekend warrior".

The fishing season is over anyway.

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Waterman at Work - Kayak Fishing Photos, Video,Kayak Rigging - Blog

The states are pretty aggressive about enforcing safe boating laws, as is the Coast Guard.

I'm sorry this is happening to you, but it sounds more like you want to vent here than do anything about the problem.

There are a million reasons to do nothing, there's one reason to take action: they are endangering your life. Like trying to run you down with an automobile, it's a vehicular assault.

Get a video or get a still picture. Get the CF number of the hull. Call the cops. Or just put up with it.