Take Barry Boater here…just got himself a shiny new red pontooner and taking lil Jr. for a paddle. They went all over the lake. First to the east side and then to west side, hugging the shoreline at times and floating out in the middle at others. Little Jr. was having a ball getting sun burnt hanging out on the mini-platform designed for the electric motor.
“I don’t think they have caught a single fish.” I mutter watching them from a distance.
A few hours later I just so happened to be at the port-in\port out area just put in the volunteers and local management while Barry Boater comes paddling in. Right away I see the reason for their poor fishing success…they didn’t have any poles.
“How did you guys do out there?” I ask with a little tongue in cheek sarcasm. “Catch any fish?”
“Naw. We weren’t fishing.” He says nonchalantly. “Just got the new boat here and wanted to try it out.
“No poles, huh?” I start to chuckle a bit losing my poker face. “Did you check out this sign on the way in? Says here you should probably try to fish a lil while boating.”
Barry looks at me completely perturbed, the audacity of anyone pointing out rules and signs even with a non-ranger, non-badge-carrying smile on their face. Really this was a minor infraction and lil Jr. was having a ball out there. Out of all the things in the world that I could complain about this was so far at the bottom of the stack my anger and frustration was too lazy to reach that far down to make this a major issue. This guy is going to get off with some mild hazing.
“Just got the boat and wanted to try it out.” He repeats a bit more forcefully.
“Yep.” I acknowledge with a nod. “It’s a nice pontooner. Got one myself and don’t blame you a bit. If a ranger sees you he may give you a bit of grief. Just slap a fishing pole on the side next time and they won’t give you a second look.” This is news he can use.
He just looks at me with a bold frown and packs up. I’m probably coming off as a complete tool. I am often misunderstood and wipe the instance from my mind and continue fishing. Just then a ranger on a mountain bike speeds across the trail and practically ambushes me for a fishing license check. If you have not seen Ninja-style park rangers on mountain bikes…you do not fish in Longmont. This guy meant business and I presented the proper credentials instantly thanking him for his efforts. For an added anecdote I mentioned “Barry” and the fact I was giving the guy the “business” for not fishing.
“I don’t think that is a regulation.” The ranger exclaimed handing me my license.
“It’s right there on the @#$%^ signs all over the #$%^ place!!!” I was a bit unnerved as the conversation went on and might have come across a bit belligerent. When the ranger unclipped the holster strap to his side arm it reminded me that some people might not be as concerned about certain specific boating regulations.
“Pick your battles.” I remind myself. “This is so not worth a bullet to the leg. A bullet to the leg if I am lucky.”
My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic.
3 comments:
usually we head for the water to get away from bull chit... Sorry to hear bout the butt holes finding you, two at a time..
One of the reasons my blog exists is to help make fishing better in Colorado. So many people think that the rules, regulations and signs apply to someone else. Applauding the correct behaviors while spotlighting the poor practice helps reinforce the fact more people care about this stuff than just the rangers and wildlife officials. This was a very minor infraction in the overall scope of things.
Too many people simply rely on the officials for everything. Hopefully people feel more empowered to help the waters they fish along with embracing my word of caution\pick your battles mentality.
Fishing is good in Colorado but could be so much better.
This is a great post (rant) Matt! Folks just don’t take the time to educate themselves with the rules...it’s a world of instant gratification and self-fulfillment. Keep up the good writing!!
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