LIGHTS! My wife was backing me in one morning on Roberts, jumped out of the truck and asked the guy to turn off his lights so she could see the ramp. He said "ok" and continued loading his boat while on the ramp WITH his LIGHTS on! GEEZ, get a clue!

ALL TIED UP! I know there are situations where folks have to tie their boats to the dock but I have seen situations where this wasn't really necessary. Here is an idea, teach one of the other 3-4 people in the boat how back a trailer in and let someone else use the ramp.

OK, I feel better.

Lights...well, I am one of those that cannot turn them off..the things come on as soon as I start the car. I don't even bother ever turning the switch on because they come on without my intervention. I will try the emergency brake idea though and see if I can make that work.

As for catching fish the first 5 minutes...LOL...when I get up at 5am to get on that top water bite, the first 5 minutes could mean a 5lb bass.

Draining the water? Kidding right? Some times (after rigging in a parking spot) I will back down into the water without my plug in just to wash out my bilge..it's all gone by the time I hit the main road. Why would you hang out on the ramp blocking others so water can leak out of a hole? LOL...

WALNUT I think I will drive over to Walnut. Is that a free ramp??

4 days yes...I have taken the deap breath and still I am amazed that I ran across 3 in one day. I just had to post it.

foul-hook--What vehicle do you drive. If it is a Chevy, the older models, like 97 to 99 the emergency brake will turn the lights off. Just shut the engine off and push the E-brake down a few clicks. Restart and no lights. If it is a 2000 or above, you can push and release the dome light button 4 times and the lights will go out. Don't know about any of the other makes of vehicle, but I bet someone on here have figured out the other makes.

"Why is everyone so impaicient at the ramp. Theres allways someone new out that dose not have a clue. If lights are blinding wait untill they are done to back in. If your late getting on or off the lake its no one elses fault but your own. Its not very nice to rush people" said the cussed out woman in the passanger seat. personaly my worst pev besides lights on the ramp after dark is some who dosent know how to back in a trailer trying to learn while everyone is waiting.

Last weekend I was at the top of the ramp backing down when a sailboat pulled up on the ramp from the lake - lady jumped off the boat and was going to stand on the ramp and hold the boat.

I kindly asked her to move to the bank and she more than refused...she was just plain rude. I told her I did not think that sailboat would fit on my trailer...got back in the truck and backed my trailer in. I have no idea how far from shore that sailboat floated.

I am all for helping someone and have several times...I was not in a hurry and would have helped if they needed it, but it is not a good idea to get an attitude with me...that was one mouthy broad.

Last weekend on Decker my wife and I pull up to the staging area and prep our rig, there was another rig in front of us doing the same. Both of us got ready about the same time, they start to pull up to the ramp and proceed to back down. My wife does the same. The other rig is having a little trouble keeping it straight while backing. When my wife starts to back in the ol boy sitting in the other boat starts having a fit cause we are backing in, making remarks and babbling like a fool. I am not gonna sit there and take someone mouthing off to my wife so I ask what his problem is. More babbling which I ignore and just tell my wife to continue, she stabs the rig in the water on the first try which is normal for her. This ramp I am speaking of will accomadate three rigs at once, no problem. He was just a babbling fool and wrote it off as such. Came real close to telling him to just hold on and she would be happy to back their rig since it was so difficult. We just laughed it off and went caught whites and hybrids.

Not everyone is born knowing how to back a boat trailer down a ramp---it takes practice. If a person can only go to the lake on the weekends how is that person ever going to learn to back down a ramp without making someone angry? You know, when learning to do this, when you completely lose sight of the trailer either as it starts down the ramp or when it is directly behind the vehicle and you can't see it with the mirrors, this can be very unnerving to a person not familiar with that aspect of backing down a ramp. I go in the middle of the week because I can and if there is nobody else trying to launch or take out I back right down the middle of the ramp. I can put it in one lane if I have to do so, but why go to the trouble if there is nobody waiting? Patience is a virtue and everyone should try to have some.
c.j.

Yep you are correct not everyone knows how to back a trailer. Maybe they need to go to a highschool parking lot, Wally world, there are lots of places a person could practice.

Gus, I don't believe the trailer will disappear from sight at a parking lot---its flat---not a downhill ramp. An empty trailer is hard to back down a ramp! A "little" easier to back when the boat is on it.
c.j.

C.J. I think you understand the point I was trying to make, besides with a little looking a person could easily duplicate the same situation. And if you were refering to our situation at the lake we did not encroach on the other rig in any manner. We are respectful of folks on and off of the water.

Don't y'all know that sailboats have right of way over powerboats, even on trailers?

At Joe Pool state park ramp a few weeks ago, I had launched already and watched as a powerboat which had just finished prepping & lined up to back down in the far left hand lane. A small pickup with three sailboats (sunfish) on a trailer zipped behind him and cut a right angle in reverse to back down the ramp. Meanwhile 4 of the remaining 8 lanes were unoccupied. The powerboat had to cut over at nearly 90* to back down one of the other empty lanes. If I hadn't had children in the boat I'd of waited around to see what happened next!

sorry but i want to vent to. Last weekend at bridgeport runaway bay there is a duel ramp but one side is broke off from what they tell me and no one seems to use it so i dont . I am the first boat to show up that morning last weekend to be exact .I pull up to the parking lot and start getting my boat ready and i am heading to get back in my truck so that i can pull over to the ramp and put it in the water when another boat pulls in and drives around me and pulls in front of the ramp and backs down to about 3 foot from the water gets out and starts getting his boat ready . Im just looseing my mind about this time but i try to hold my temper because there was two of them and and me by myself so i asked the driver as nice as i could hey im ready to put my boat in the water if your not . He turns around and tells me that he is ready and just walks off and then yells back to me that this is a double lane ramp so i told him that the other side was broke off and he turned around and just started getting his boat ready . Now not only did he jump in front of me he wanted to see me screw up my boat on broken ramp now i think that because he just happen to pull his boat to the correct side what a quinky dink . Whats even worse is that there was two of them theyh out there boat in the water and the other guy pulled the truck up to go and park . Me by myself put my boat in the water parked my truck and i was leaving in my boat before the second guy ever made it back to there boat . So if anyone sees an aprox 94 to 98 green chevy truck pulling i think a black and red skeeter bass boat watch out because in there mind there better than the rest of us they deserve to be first i just wish between the two of them they could be as fast as me bymyself pretty bad . I know some people think that people new to the water should learn the rules but truthfully it just comes down to common sense most of the time .And it just kills me to find out most people dont have any .And if you dont beleive that just try going to the brazos river at the tintop ramp you will definately never doubt that again . Thanks yaw for letting me vent im out

I saw this at Joe Pool on Thirsday. You do not know how bad I wanted to go and pull the e-brake and put the truck in neutral.

There's no ramp etiquette signs posted at any ramp I've ever been to.It's up to us as anglers to educate these folks who have as much right to the waters we enjoy ourselves.Generally I'll go down & offer a hand especially when there's children ect. & with a less then abrasive approach pointing to the area where your vehicle is waiting provide an example of areas to prep for loading & unloading to prevent launching delays.Complimenting their boats,jet ski,color scheme or talking about water conditions as your helping smooths over this educational approach.I agree it's frustrating to see lack of common sense & courtesy particulary when it effects in an adverse manner.