Island trip

Took the 7 am ferry to whidbey today and did ok. Fished a bobber and naked. A variety of mids worked, root beer, wood duck, chromies and black with red rib. Fish were up about 5-6’ off bottom. Nothing huge but good fiesty fish and a nice day out with some buds. A butt hooked one took a great run, thought I had the last grass carp…Nekid did 2x as well as bobber likely cause I was holding the rod 😎 I used a 20’ leader.

When I came in, fuckwits on the ramp setting up with two canoes, why? I was nice and they moved as I went to get my of truck. If you are not launching a boat or hauling it out, stay off it. It is a boat ramp not a space to sort your stuff out. There’s a large grass verge to do that shit.

Dave
 

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Looks like a chunky fish. What was the water temperature?
 
Sorry to say but I have more trouble with kayakers and canoeists at the ramp tying it up than all the idiots with boats. Had a discussion at a ramp this winter. Guys had a truck with a rack and 4 kayaks. The ramp is designed for two rigs to launch at once but no these guys backed down the very middle blocking both sides. I asked them why they weren't getting their stuff ready in the parking area. And the "leader' said well we have 4 kayaks. I said I see that. Launch the damn things. Then move them around to the dock and tie up. THEN load up your rods, coolers, etc. There was one of the kayakers who was actually rigging his fly rod on the launch. Hadn't even strung it up yet. Thankfully this launch has two double launches and I just got my skiff in the other side once it was my turn and got out of there. In all those kayak guys had the launch tied up at least 20 minutes. I don't know how long it actually lasted because I headed out fishing. As I was pulling away I did see the owner of the marina explaining to the guys the deal. At the end of the day when I pulled out I went into the shop to get a pepsi for the drive home. The owner was there so I said hey Pat what did you say to those guys with the kayaks, He said he told them that how they were launching was not appropriate and they needed to just launch their kayaks then get out of the way. I guess they weren't too cool with him giving them some guidance so he finally said thats' how you launch here. If you can't do it this way then please take your business elsehwere. Sad.
 
I rember fishing a lake with @Northern and some lady left her float tube right in the middle of the boat ramp and started to wander off to have lunch or something. Northern politley asked her to move the float tube so she could back her pedal kayak into the water, and the lady said "No." 🤯
 
Tale as old as time?

As a dirty kayaker myself I get it. Most people with kayaks have them on top of their car or in their truck bed, and the process of getting the kayak off the vehicle is one that involves cursing and crashing of plastic vessels to the ground, kayak carts are OK, but still leave a lot to be desired when getting your kayak to the water without spilling your shit everywhere AND kayaks (for fishing) just keep getting heavier and heavier. Add to that that boat ramps are often times (surprise!) built for boats with trailers and not people wheeling kayaks down them to the water. That and when you get to that ramp and there's nobody there it doesn't seem like a big deal, so go for it only to have someone else show up and be grumpy that they can't use the ramp.

I solved all this by getting a kayak trailer for my heavy ass kayak so now I just do it like a proper boat. I park, remove most of the straps, get the rods all in the rod holders etc. and then back it in and pull it off to the side of the ramp and go back to park, but I think most people buy a kayak to avoid that whole thing. I think a very obvious dedicated "THIS IS WHERE YOU LOAD YOUR KAYAK" area would help but that takes money and effort so probably we'll just keep trying to kill each other at the boat ramp as is tradition.
 
Zak said:
I rember fishing a lake with @Northern and some lady left her float tube right in the middle of the boat ramp and started to wander off to have lunch or something. Northern politley asked her to move the float tube so she could back her pedal kayak into the water, and the lady said "No." 🤯
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Thats when you shrug and back down anyway, they'll move it real fast or find out why you don't leave it there.
 
I have a semi shitty kayak story…..this gal parked next to my truck in the parking area, about 4’ away. Plenty of room, I was on the lake fishing already when she came out and was asking whose blue truck is that? I said it was mine….she said while unloading her kayak of her roof rack, she hit my truck with her kayak. I went in with her to see what it did. Well it put a dent and a long scratch….she was very apologetic and said she would pay to get it fixed. My Dakota isn’t a show truck, but it did make a pretty visible shitty spot. But I told her because of her honesty don’t worry about it, I’ll try to rub out the scratch. This was last year, now when I wash my truck or just happen to notice that spot, it shows but still really doesn’t make me that mad. There’s still some decent folks out there even kayakers with one oar in the water!!
 
I took my 17 year old nephew out on the Clackamas once when I was in Orygun. He is not a fisherman but likes the outdoors and as I only see him sporadically over the years, mostly at funerals or weddings, I wanted to get to know him a bit. We put in at McIver park, just below the hatchery outlet and once past the first little bit of technical water I put him on the oars; he was quick to learn and was enjoying himself. We stopped a couple of times and I showed him single spey casting which he took to. We both had afternoon plans so planned on taking out at the first ramp, Barton Park, only a few miles and 4 hours or so. At the takeout there is a rock jetty protecting the ramp on upstream side and the kid and I switched seats as I thought even with the jetty it was tricky for an inexperienced oar to keep the boat in the ramp and out of the current; compounded by the twats who were fishing off the jetty and wouldn’t pull lines in so I ran over them, the lines, putting me in a bit of a mood. To make me more upset some idiots were airing up an army surplus store type raft and had their gear all over the ramp while their idiot friends fished off the jetty. I told them they should clear off the ramp and stage their gear on the nice wide grassy area right next to the ramp, as they could see the parking lot had a lot of vehicles with empty trailers in it meaning more boat were coming and expecting to use the ramp. My message was greeted with blank expressions and someone muttering “what’s his problem, dude”. I then explained I was going up to get my truck and trailer and backing down the ramp, if their raft and gear were still there I would run over it. They moved. My nephew was in stitches.
 
Ya, one of my favorite local lakes only has room for the ramp, with brush covering the edges. Never fails to have some bait, shore fisherman set-up on it. Man, do I get the stink eye. Coming back to shore is worse as they refuse to reel in, so I just run over there lines. I told one surly guy, “it’s a BOAT RAMP.”..
 
The guys that fish off the middle of the boat ramp are the ones that drive me crazy. Then they get pissed off when they have to reel up when you are ready to launch or takeout, yet there is a dock nearby that they could easily fish off of.

Years ago at a westside lake, I pulled up to find a truck with a camper parked right on the launch. The guy had all his stuff lying around as he put it together. Toon frame, pumping up the toons, putting rod on reel then a leader. You get the picture and totally oblivious to anyone else trying to use the ramp. I got my stuff ready and walked down and launched. I anchored not too far from the ramp and fished. I took off to the other end of the lake about an hour later and he was still there putting stuff together.
I’m not sure how long he spent there but could only imagine what happened when he was done fishing. 😂
SF
 
Even worse is when guides launch their drift boats and leave the rigs parked in a designated camping spot all day... Called them out on it and the next day did the same thing. So a call to the fly shop was suppose to curb it but after the third time i called and filed a compliant the US forest service enforcement ....

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Are they using the camping site as a launch? I mean, using a camping spot is pretty douchey, but if they're parking there AND creating their own launch that's double douchery.

Trying to see their side...is there adequate parking for a truck and boat trailer there? Or are they paying for the camping spot?
 
Yep, using it to launch and then instead of moving the rig to the parking spot, they just left it there and there’s only two camp spots in this area. I was pissed as the first day I got there there was nowhere to camp because their pickups were in the way. I finally got one of the spots later that day when they left, but they were back at at the following days.
 
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Brian in OR. said:
Yep, using it to launch and then instead of moving the rig to the parking spot, they just left it there and there’s only two camp spots in this area. I was pissed as the first day I got there there was nowhere to camp because their pick ups were in the way. I finally got one of the spots later that day when they left, but they were back at at the following days.
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In my younger days I would have let the air out of all their tires, trailer included.
 
My favorite is the folks that use the ramp as the swimming area.
The little lake I'm talking about has no swimming area, the shore line is completely lined with bull rush and cat tails.
If ya want to swim go to the big lake with the nice beach
 
dirty dog said:
My favorite is the folks that use the ramp as the swimming area.
The little lake I'm talking about has no swimming area, the shore line is completely lined with bull rush and cat tails.
If ya want to swim go to the big lake with the nice beach
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Plus if it’s a wdfw boat launch…..they need the access pass like we have to use the facility!
 
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