So, I see a lot of posting about 'bad' stuff. Everyone talking about inconsiderate people, folks fishing on 'their' spots, taking more than 48 seconds on a boat ramp, using a courtesy dock.... etc. I figured I'd shine a ray of sunshine on the internets today and start a post about positive experiences. I'll start it off with two stories.

First one:
I just bought my pontoon boat, hadn't had my own boat before, used to launch my dads boat with him all the time when i was a kid but since I moved out I never bought my own boat until recently. I'm putting it in for the first time at Benbrook Lake marina. A neighbor of mine came out to help me and one of the marina guys was sitting on the courtesy dock waiting to help me tie it off so I could go move my truck.

Well, I put everything in the boat, keys on the boat, straps off, I'm ready! my neighbor backs me in and I lower the motor and go to start it. "click" dead battery.. apparently I'd left em on for a while and they were old batteries (came with the boat) Well, I have two batteries so I run back and hook up the jumper cables between the two. Turn the key and it tries to crank. and tries, and tries, and tries. The guy I bought it from started it up pretty easy. I'm lookin for the choke, lookin for the button to put the throttle in neutral and can't find either. Looks like the button is broken off. The fella from the marina (Don) comes out and tells me I have to wiggle the throttle out then push it up to get it out of gear. So i do that and I try to turn it over.. nothin, nothin, nothin. Then Don yells "I smell gas, are you choking it?" to which I respond "I don't know HOW to choke it" He says there will eb a button or when you push in the key it chokes it. Turns out I have a push key choke and I'd flooded the hell out of it. So... now I'm pulling out of the water to free up the ramp and as I start to do this the guy waiting on me to get outa the way walks up and asks if he can help me out. He climbs up onto the boat, turns it over a bit without the choke pushed in and then goes back and checks a couple things, wiggles out the throttle and starts the motor for me. Pats me on the back and say "Welcome to boat ownership, have fun out there". I was completely embarassed but really impressed with everyones patience and willingness to help. I redeemed myself in a few minutes when a bunch of on-lookers walked over to watch me pull a 24ft pontoon boat into a 24foot slip with less than a foot on either side and less than 30ft between my slip and the next row. I'm sure they were expecting me to slam into all sortsa stuff. I'm glad to say I parked it like a pro, didn't even touch the bumpers :P

Next story.. everyone is pretty familiar with my annoyance at benbrook lake and how I've been skunked out there almost non stop for 2 months. I was setting up the boat and my wife was tryin to figure out how to throw the shad net, this guy down the row from me walks down and offers to teach her how. gives her some pointers, throws the net a few times and tell sus there's not really any good bait in the marina right now after she learns how to throw it pretty good. Then he goes back to his boat and tells me to bring my bucket. He gives me like 10-12 nice lookin perch he had in his greyline tank and tells us where to go fish, says look for him and just get upwind of him and follow the drift and we'll get on some fish. Sure enough we go out and my wife manages to pull in the biggest fish we've caught on that lake, nice lil 5-6 lb hybrid and shortly after I manage to pull in a little 3lber. He didn't have to do any of that stuff but he did it all without me even askin.

I think about those two stories everytime I see some one having trouble or even being rude and I remember there's a lot of good guys on these waters and even if I run into a jerk I'll kill em with kindness or help em out. I want to be that guy that helped me, I want to be the guy remembered for doing the nice thing that inspires some one else to do something nice. It's us against the fish, not us against us, even in competition you don't have to beat your fellow anglers to the hole you have to catch bigger fish and for that, you need to focus on the fish, not the guy in the other boat.

Well put Lance!

Well written and good points

I like your style Lance - thanks

"So, I see a lot of posting about 'bad' stuff. Everyone talking about inconsiderate people, folks fishing on 'their' spots, taking more than 48 seconds on a boat ramp, using a courtesy dock.... etc. I figured I'd shine a ray of sunshine on the internets today and start a post about positive experiences. I'll start it off with two stories."
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+1

Refreshing viewpoint.It gets old reading gripe posts on here.I think the mods help all they can but it still gets old.

I personally don't have a problem with gripes or vents. Hell, I've vented QUITE a bite about getting skunked... well, i guess it was more whining than anything :P

Either way, I'm not a saint. I get mad, I've even thrown a casting practice weight at another boat before. However I try real hard to not be that guy. This is a purely selfish post, I just wanted to hear some good stories about people being nice to each other

Lost my wallet at the boat ramp on the 4th... by 9 that evening the guy that found it called me and I got it back the next day. $100 bucks still there. offered him a reward he refused to take the money. said he had done the same thing years back and someone returned his. There are still good ppl in the world.

Nice to hear, thanks Lance.

Good to hear positive stories. Truth be told there are many more positive events in most of our lives but we are programed to dwell on the negative or at least what we feel is negative.

I often ask myself when something bad happens "If this is the worst thing that happens to me today am I going to be OK?" The answer is always yes.

Saw a feller launching a boat on Hubbard with a TX number of TX 1234AA. Made me smile.

I was right there with you when I got my first bass boat. Took my son with me to Grapevine. Little Skeeter Strada w/70 hp Nissan. First thing is back it down into the water no problem. Then I go to fire it up. Nothing. Keeps turning over and over but nothing. Luckly no one was waiting in line but I am getting frustrated. A guy shows up and asks if I need help. I explain whats going on. He shows me the gas tank bulb, how to squeeze to prime. Then he shows me by pushing in on the key it will choke the carbs. Then he shows me the thing I never knew about, kill switch. I feel silly and he says it's happened to everyone and it will happen again. He also reminded me about the plug. Which I did put in. So now I'm ready. He walks off and I unhook the boat and move trailer deeper into the water. Well the boat comes off the trailor and before I can get out of the truck to grab it off floats my boat and there goes my 3 year old son sitting in the passenger seat. Well it's a cold day and I know the water is going to be freezing but I start to take off clothes when jsut around a point comes a boat. He sees my problem, idles over to my boat and brings my boat in. My son never even blinks that there was a problem. The boater just smiles and comments about how calm my son was. When we finally take off for the first time it feels like I am doing 100 mph because I had never been in a boat over 40 hp and that Nissian could run. I look over at my son and his eyelashes are blowing like crazy and has this glued grin on his face. What a day I will remember my whole life!

Theres a lot of Good people in the world still Lance,a few weeks ago my motor after over 4 years finally died on me while running in the boat lane at Little Caney point.It acted like it was starving for gas,so I walked back to the motor and started to take the cowling off.In less than a minute a very nice couple with a small dog pulled up in a red & white Nitro boat and ask if I was alright.I said it just quit on me,so they ask were I had launched.I said Lake Fork Marina and they offered to pull me in.Now thats a long pull from little caney,it was fun watching his dog drink from the live well pump on the way back.And acasionally he would dip the dog in the water to cool him off,you could tell the dog had done this many times and just loved it.Well I called my mechanic on the cell phone on the way in back to the marina.When we made it back to the ramp I said "Thank You Very Much" and offered them some money for the tow.He refused the money and flat would'nt take it,now thats going out of your way to help someone.I meet my mechanic at the shop about 30 minutes later,where he found that my compressor had locked up and broke the belt.Well thats a $900 part that had to be ordered,luckly it was still under warrantty so we was only able to fish a half day. It could have been a lot worst my hats off to the nice couple that help us out that day!

Hey great post Lance. It's nice to see these kinds of threads, makes you feel good about being a fisherman and part of this addiction. I've been on both sides of the story (helping and needing help). When I get in any situation I always use the "do unto others as you wish others to do unto you" rule. And it's helped me enjoy my fishing experiences 100X more than I would if I was out there worring or griping about the next guy.

Great post! I try to always accentuate the positive. I hope I do!

Good story I will remember that next time I get frustrated.