Perhaps we should hold off assigning blame until the investigation is complete.

The operator of the Skeeter is a good friend of mine. He and Josh are both very experienced and safe boaters. I wasn't there and don't know exactly what happened other than what has been reported. If I were a betting man, I'd guess the pleasure boat had no lights on, but that's only because I know how safe the Skeeter owner is.

I spoke to him by text a bit ago and they are both banged up but ok. Physically.

Prayers for all the families touched by this tragedy.

Prayers up for all involved.

It's hard to understand why TP&W, DPS or Montgomery Co. hasn't gotten a handle on the yahoo's on Conroe. Year after year its the same old story during the warmer months with the pleasure boaters/watercraft making all but the northern most parts of the lake unsafe for everybody on the lake. For me its not even about fishing Conroe during this time of year (I gave up on fair weather fishing Conroe many years ago), but year after year the kids in their daddy's Scarabs, Eliminators, Shockwaves and every other type of speed/pleasure boat imaginable have literally taken over the lake and made it more of a hazard than anything else. Boaters with little to no experience on the water don't stand a chance on the southern end after the open end of the lake gets all churned up due to the bowl effect, never mind the people who have years of experience on the water. Its a damned shame that the powers that be have allowed the outlaws in speed boats to continue the dangerous games they play on such a publicly utilized body of water.

Rant over.

It's hard to understand why TP&W, DPS or Montgomery Co. hasn't gotten a handle on the yahoo's on Conroe. Year after year its the same old story during the warmer months with the pleasure boaters/watercraft making all but the northern most parts of the lake unsafe for everybody on the lake.

It is amazing how many just "assume" that it is a large, over powered pleasure boaters fault. Reading the story, one of the boats is a bass boat and the other a Mariah deck type boat probably about 24 feet long. I am not an expert on Mariah boats, but it is definitely a single engine I/O setup with either a 5.0 or 5.7 normally aspirated motor with a max speed of maybe 55. I have owned two boats for years. I just sold my 2011 Nitro Z9 and are about to order a new Ranger. My other boat: A 42' Nordic Inferno with 1650+ horsepower. And guess what, I run both on Lake Conroe majority of the time!

Bottom line, boat wrecks happen just as do car wrecks. Some are due to speed, alcohol, overall inexperience, or just a complete freak of nature. It can happen to all of us and as in this case is a life changing event. EVERYBODY needs to pay attention and drive defensively regardless of the type or horsepower of their boat. I can run my 42' at 90 mph just as confidently as a 20' bass boat at 75mph. (In fact, I feel safer in the 42' at 90 mph.) But, I could be in a crash all the same if I fail to see the guy not paying attention just around the bend or encounter that "floater" just under the surface pushed down from the river after a recent hard rain. Just be careful, we all want to be able to go home to our families at the end of the day regardless of our toy of choice.

Prayers sent to those involved. I cannot even fathom this happening to us with my kids in the boat regardless of whose fault it was. You might as well let me go under as well because I am not sure I would be able to handle it.

Ever see bass boats running 80 mph from one spot to another? I guess since we fish, every one else is just out there in our way? They pay their fees and have the same rights as we do.

Prayers up. This could happen to any one. About three weeks ago at 11:30 on a Thursday my partner and I were going from papa's to April sound and we were doing about 50-55 in a z21 ranger my partner felt we were far enough into the main lake and started turning left to go around the point, out of nowhere a pontoon boat apeared in front of us with no lights on! He pulled hard left and we missed it by 15 yards and got real sketchy when we jumped their wake. Not a good deal. There is alot of light reflecting of the water and made it almost impossible to see until too late. We weren't running WOT and our heads are constantly on a swivel and it almost happened to us in almost the same spot. In the summer we will only fish Conroe at night. The lord was watching over us that night

You'll notice I made no presumption of culpability concerning the terrible tragedy which occurred the other night on Conroe, It may take several more days before all the contributing factors have been determined in this incident.

However, hearing about this tragedy did spur a general comment regarding boat safety on Conroe in which some of the operators of power boaters (yahoo's/outlaws) have chosen to conduct their activities on the lake over the past many years. Anyone who has any familiarity with Conroe knows exactly what I'm talking about and I can only assume that you do as well. As a responsible boat operator on Conroe I can also assume you do not fall into the category which I describe and have no problem either relating to the current situation on the lake or posing in a defensive posture as a result of my comments.

You are just plain wrong. Off the mark. Out in left field. I live on the lake. Right down from one of the largest marinas. We often sit on the dock at night and talk. The night fishermen never use minimum planing speed. Always going at least 30-40 or more. Not saying they are WOT, but going way too fast for dark. IMO they think they know the lake so well they feel they are safe boaters. But if you can't see what's in front of you, how is it safe to go fast? And the report says they came from around a corner. Lights or no lights on the pleasure boat, apparently they were speeding into a blind spot.

You don't know the facts. Performance boat owner/drivers, as a class, are the safest out there. I cannot even get my Fountain to stay on plane below about 25 MPH, so if out at night too bad we idle home just glad Lake Conroe is not too big. As my post above says, as a class, I would say hands down the most dangerous boater on Lake Conroe is a bass boater. Small, light, overpowered and overconfident, they never use minimun planing speed at night when they pass my house. Never.