Texas Fishing Forum

Tournament Distance Rules

Posted By: Hobbs McAvoy

Tournament Distance Rules - 06/13/16 04:09 PM

So here is the scenario. I'm fishing the Skeeter Owners Tourney Saturday on fork. I decide to fish a community hole in the afternoon. 4 or so boats are already there and I make it a point to keep my distance from them. I fish for a while and then decide to retie a C-rig. So I'm working on my set up when I see a boat coming along and they are working towards me. This is OPEN water not near the bank. So I glance up again and they are closing in. Next thing I know a lure splashes a few feet from me. I look up and they are about 30 feet from me. I shake my head and keep working away. They slowly move away. I'm back up and fishing now. Within a minute of that I see a boat running towards me. He shuts down 45 yards from me and begins grabbing gear, hat, etc. By the time he drops his trolling motor he's 30 feet from me and starts fishing. My C-rig is under his boat. He looks up and says "How's it going?". I bite my tongue and mumble "Okay". Both boats were fishing the tournament and both broke the distances rule of 25 yards. I don't think I would ever turn someone in but what should I have done? Ask them to back off? I moved to a different spot shortly after that. I don't mind guys fishing close to me but that was too close. Guess they thought I was on the X or they wanted to see what I was fishing with. ?
Posted By: Fish Killer

Re: Tournament Distance Rules - 06/13/16 04:15 PM

You gotta expect that at a tournament of this size and entries. I saw points that had 10-12 boats on them this weekend, where you could almost walk boat from boat.
Posted By: Peepaw on Fork

Re: Tournament Distance Rules - 06/13/16 04:17 PM

Put in at our private ramp Sunday and had a guy tell me it was pretty sorry of me to troll around him to get to a flat 200 yards past him. Guess I should have run the outboard through his fishing hole
Posted By: Mike_Soriano™

Re: Tournament Distance Rules - 06/13/16 04:46 PM

It's the skeeter tourney. It is what it is.
Posted By: InTheClear

Re: Tournament Distance Rules - 06/13/16 04:50 PM

Originally Posted By: Peepaw on Fork
Put in at our private ramp Sunday and had a guy tell me it was pretty sorry of me to troll around him to get to a flat 200 yards past him. Guess I should have run the outboard through his fishing hole


Typical, you're showing him respect and he can't keep his mouth shut. The sport isn't necessarily growing in the right direction!
Posted By: CJ.Skeeter

Re: Tournament Distance Rules - 06/13/16 05:32 PM

I saw a lot of crazy at the tournament this weekend. From boats on pad through stump fields to people trolling 10 yards away from me while I'm anchored with the trolling motor up. It sucks, and happens a lot. Personally I believe karma will get them in the end so I fume about it for a bit, make the occasional comment about rules and safety and hope they learn something. This is my 12th year at this tournament and it seems crazy is always present.

In your case fishing a public spot, I might have mentioned respecting ones distance and ask for space. Would it help? Eh prolly not, but that's when I hope karma kicks in. Ultimately if it's that popular of a spot, might be best to find a not so popular spot.
© 2024 Texas Fishing Forum