Anchored or not anchored

[PstMactee]

As a fisherman with a spot lock on his front trolling motor I have wondered does using my spot lock constitute anchored or just position fishing?

I have been reading that drift fisherman while boat drifting, sometimes let their path get too close to spotlocked fisherman who become upset. They state that I am anchored here.

Thinking about this situation, I believe without anchor rope out to an anchor then attached to a boat you are technically not anchored. You are a position fisherman.

So who has the courtesy right of way for the spot two fisherman in different boats want to fish?

Even if one of the boats is drifting, shouldn't they still have some sort of boat control so they can avoid collision problems.

I know (all) boats are to do what is necessary to avoid a collision but what is the courtesy rule?

[Slackdaddy]

There's a lot of water out there,,,,,
I am typ no closer than 1/4 -1/2 mile of another "water craft" unless they are with me.

[paxmule]

Kayak fishing is relatively new in retrospect but i feel like there is a general lack of respect for kayak fishermen from those in pleasure boats. I anchor fish 85% of the time and i get buzzed by pleasure boats just about every trip. There is a 6 knot speed limit where i mostly fish but that seems to be handily ignored by most boaters. They will fly by me 50 or so feet away and make enough wake for me to unclip the anchor and paddle the nose into their waves so i don't take them on the side. I had to blow my whistle hard at a big wake boat last month. He was heading right for me and he had plenty of room but chose to keep his course tight to me even after i blew the whistle. I feel that if a boat or kayak is in a spot stationary, you should not closely approach that other vessel. They are in that spot.

[Red_Beard]

One thing you have to remember is big boats, if they aren't trimmed properly, will have massive blind spots directly in front of them. If a guy is heading straight for you, and isn't changing course, chances are he can't see you at all. It's no excuse for their negligent behavior, but it's a fact we have to keep in mind for our own safety. I rarely anchor anywhere outside of No Wake zones because I do not want any restriction on my mobility when speeding boats could be around.

Kayak fishing is relatively new in retrospect but i feel like there is a general lack of respect for kayak fishermen from those in pleasure boats. I anchor fish 85% of the time and i get buzzed by pleasure boats just about every trip. There is a 6 knot speed limit where i mostly fish but that seems to be handily ignored by most boaters. They will fly by me 50 or so feet away and make enough wake for me to unclip the anchor and paddle the nose into their waves so i don't take them on the side. I had to blow my whistle hard at a big wake boat last month. He was heading right for me and he had plenty of room but chose to keep his course tight to me even after i blew the whistle. I feel that if a boat or kayak is in a spot stationary, you should not closely approach that other vessel. They are in that spot.

[Jigsup]

When I had a 21ft Hydra Sports center console I had to look out for boats headed straight towards me while drifting or anchored. It was frustrating when they passed close because it would rock the boat or throw me off course. As red_beard mentioned it’s most time negligent behavior that we have to deal with wisely. Now that I kayak fish it’s even worse. I’m definitely more nervous when fishing.

What I don’t care for is the bass boats. I tend to stay away from areas were big boats can potentially come through. But still have to deal with bass boats running wide open close to me. I will start utilizing a flag on my kayak soon to try make myself more visible. But I doubt it will slow them down. Not all but I believe most boat operators don’t even think to look for kayakers.

Personally I don’t care who is fishing next to me when anchored. As long as they are respectful. If not there is plenty of water I can explore. I don’t believe in drifting through/pass anchored vessels though.

[Red_Beard]

The crazy thing about bass boats is many of them think they are doing us a favor when they zoom by at full tilt because their boats throw off less wake when on full plane. That may be true, but having a boat speed by you at such high speeds is unnerving as all heck.

[paxmule]

One thing you have to remember is big boats, if they aren't trimmed properly, will have massive blind spots directly in front of them. If a guy is heading straight for you, and isn't changing course, chances are he can't see you at all. It's no excuse for their negligent behavior, but it's a fact we have to keep in mind for our own safety. I rarely anchor anywhere outside of No Wake zones because I do not want any restriction on my mobility when speeding boats could be around.

True and i do consider that. This guy, he saw me before this instance. He was moving up the west side of river wide open before this and looked at me, then turned left into a wide flat, sat there for a while and then came back perpendicular to me, then turned toward me. He had plenty of room to have stayed in the middle and been visible to others, he chose to buzz right by me down the side i was on, and i was sitting over a channel ledge so i was way off to the side of the river. I like sitting in that spot because im visible up and down both sides of the bend and can see everything both directions. This happens in that area a lot and it makes me wonder if anyone ever enforces the speed limit of 6 knots there. Its a pretty narrow section of river with a lot of bends so its not safe to speed there. In the summer people wake board and ski along that section which is crazy to me because its not a big open area.

[nhunter344]

The crazy thing about bass boats is many of them think they are doing us a favor when they zoom by at full tilt because their boats throw off less wake when on full plane. That may be true, but having a boat speed by you at such high speeds is unnerving as all heck.

Getting buzzed by open throttled bass boats is an experience. Not one I recommend. That being said, I tend to avoid no wake areas where larger boats are present to avoid the large wakes they throw off. Kent Narrows is a good example of an area with larger boats in a no wake zone. I'd rather be passed by a boat up on plane any day (within reason).