It takes a special kind of focus while fishing at night. One thing that I will never do is sit in open water on any lake. I will sit in timber because I know people know better than to run in the trees. Boats come up on you or you come up on them just too quick at night. OK has speed limit laws at night, 40mph. I don't believe Texas has speed limits, but not for sure.

Prayers to all involved in this horrific tragedy.

Why is it that no one uses spotlights anymore. I feel like people are emberrased to use them. No way you can be sure of what's in front of you without a scanning light.

Because most stare at the trail on their electronics. Experienced night fisherman still use a spotlight to check what's in front of them periodically.

I fish enough at night to know first hand how difficult it can be for me to judge the distance of a particular light at night. Bright lights on the shore all the way across a lake can look like small lights that are close.

I was on Fork this past Friday night and observed many boats running the lane using GPS without a spot light. It's just too dangerous for me to feel comfortable doing that. When I'm running, I don't go faster than I need to keep the boat on plane while trimmed all the way down. I use my spot light to check buoy reflectors and look for obstacles every few seconds. I glance at my graph some, but don't use it to navigate because I trust the spot light and my eyes more.

Prayers out for all involved in this terrible accident.

Maybe this thread can convince someone that flying across a lake at night using GPS to navigate is a bad idea.

Horrible News. Prayers to the families on both sides.

I have begun to think that maybe the white stern/masthead light (all around white light on bass boats) should be a strobing light like on aircraft. Seems to me a super bright LED white strobe would help to distinguish a boat from the steady glow of shore lighting. Then again, there is some shore lighting that strobes as well (e.g. towers). Seems like we could come up with something.

Maybe they should standardize color and type of lighting required for docks.

LCRA has no such standard only that it be lit up. I did read a draft proposal for Fort Worth and it only mentions a white light with a cap so light does not shine upwards.

The wife and I use to crappie fish off north diamond head at night. We quit going after almost getting ran over by that panel boat and a go fast (scarab) all in one night. I have not been back on that death trap of a lake in 14yrs. Not looking forward to going there with my daughter for any high school tournaments. The game wardens along with all local law enforcement need to just have cattle trailer set up on the weekends to haul all the drunk violators to jail until the point is made about obeying the laws up there. Also need to change the weigh in time on the night tournaments to 9:00. Prayers for all involved.

Hate seeing stuff like this. Prayers up for everybody involved.

A little spooky to see this article this morning and recognize the TX numbers as a boat I use to own. I cannot say for sure if was the person that bought my boat. If it was him he was a very good person, super nice. If your night fishing a QBeam ready to go to flash boater headed towards you is a good idea. I know its hard to see boats on this lake at night.

Prayers to the familys involved. Sad deal.

Like Fouz said above, I always run a q-beam at night, even if I know where Im going.

Its sad this happened with a guy trying to make his weigh in cut off time. Guys, no fish, tournament, or prize money is worth your life or someone elses.

I never understood why everyone drives down the highway with lights at night, but few use a light at night when on a boat.

Two kids were washed from a boat on PK after the fireworks last weekend. The boat became disabled and could not get to a 4 year old and a 7 year old just bobbing up and down in the middle of the lake. You are not going to see these kids without a light.

I have a Q-Beam mounted in a hard hat. That way I have light everywhere I look. Unless there is a very bright moon out where I can physically see the surface of the water, I'm running with that light on. Occasionally I will turn it off to get a good visual of the shoreline, but then the light is back on so that I can see what is on the water in front of me.

Prayers for all involved.

Probably 20+ years ago I was on Fork at night and some idiot was anchored out on SRA point with no lights on and sleeping on the front deck. I saw him with my spot light. He woke up and was bitching at me for waking him up with my spot light. Guess that was better than running him over.

I wasn't try to offend or lay blame, perhaps a poor choice of words with "blindly". I was using it in reference to not being able to see the "intersection" due to all of the houses and shore. It's almost just as tough during the day.

Do not like that lake.. if I go I stay up north