Down along the MS gulf coast when fishing the rivers/bayous he are my thoughts.

Bass boats or some something small if there is enough room blast by less wake to deal with. The large boats that we get cause way too much wake either way but I prefer they slow down so I move my boat into the right spot to not get thrown out or worse my kids get knocked out.

The heavy summer traffic is what keeps my off certain bodies of water right now. Way too much traffic out there.

I just think that if you're in a situation where it is necessary to pass a stationary boat close enough that it matters, they probably knew what they were getting themselves into by stopping to fish there. Ex: Lake Fork boat lane, up the river, in a canal, etc.

If you're on the main lake or in a large cove, you shouldn't be passing a boat that close anyways.

What he said. I hate those guys who come plowing around the corner. They throw twice the wake.

If im in fishing close to the boat road I expect to see some boat wake (IM IN THE BOAT "ROAD") stay on plane. It should be my responsibility to maitain a safe distance. Having said all that if you fish LOP in the winter the crappie guys will be "IN" the boat road and get mad if you come by on or off plane. Use common sense, keep safety first and you will answer your own question.

+1 for me as well.

If I am fishing that close, then I expect people to blow by me. The people who slow down are the ones who irritate me. Caddo may be the worst lake I have fished for people who want to come off plane and wake me out, then get back on plane just about the time they are even with me and wake me out a second time. If there is a safe distance to pass on the pad(30 yds is my limit), I am not going to check up. I have however, had some folks come by me on pad close enough to spray me with the boat. That is not cool IMO.

If the boat I am passing is fishing a boat lane I pass on pad, as long as there is plenty of room between said boat and the edge of the boat lane. Otherwise I'd never get close enough to have to worry about it.

Pass me on pad on the side I am NOT fishing on if you can! You can get as close as you want to me as long as your rooster tail doesn't get me wet. I'll give you a thumbs up as you go by.

Guys, please don't pass somebody at "Half Plane" with the bow of your boat up in the air. You think you are being nice, but that throws 3x the wake as just running by.

Look out for the little boats, and the boats with small kids in them.

Ask Swindle. I heard he knows the answer.

I like to get a good chine going as if I'm on the verge of loosing control of the boat.

I cannot throw that fast!

I will try and steer a good ways from them and slower as to not create a wake on them. Of course, I don't get the same respect from others...

Are you stating that if I am in the boat lane fishing you have the right to blow right by me on pad within say 10-20yds. I think you are mistaken. If that is your rule, then that should be the rule everywhere according to your flawed theory, fair game according to you in a cove or creek you are fishing nobody has to respect your fishing area that you selected to fish. Boat lane fishing does not expempt people from common courtesey or boating rules, although there are alot on here that seem to feel that way. The boat lane is simply a marked safer route on some lakes and nothing more. It is not a highway or a tollroad and there is no minimum or maximum speed restrictions and certainly nowhere in the rules states if I am in a botlane some idiot has the right to run their overpriced, highly financed superrig that they may or may not have control of boat near me.

You better read the rules again.

I understand that boat wake from going slowly by another boat could cause possible discomfort to the person in the boat you are passing. However, what would happen if as you were passing the person fishing something happened to your boat that caused you to loose control and you hit the boat you were passing? Forget about the law suit that you would be involved in due to your need to prove your boat is capable of running as fast as your buddy's. That person you just hit is doing what we all do everytime we go out, they are trying catch fish and as we should all know fish do not know where boat lanes are. The problem once we belive just because someone is in a marked boat lane it is ok to drive by them however we want to, it begins to be ok in areas that are not marked boat lanes. Last weekend I was on the roadbed near Dale and had two boats pass me on the pad. Now I use these same areas when as a boat lane when the lake is at normal level but two week ago as I was leaving this area before I got on the pad I bumped a stump that now is just below the surface. My point is if one of those boats had hit the stump and lost control and hit me or someone else would that be considered ok?

Fast if you like them and slow if u don't like them:)

My 2 cents! In no way does a boat on pad make less wake than a boat at idle. Try as you might, argue till your blue in the face, but at a true idle speed, no way you wake less on plane. The funny thing about this is that before all the weekend warriors saw Swindle pass on pad in the Classic there wasn't alot of "passing on pad". Now everyone feels that it's ok. Gets back to what our dads told us when we got caught doing something stupid, said "well Jimmy did it too!!!" and were asked "If Jimmy jumped off a building..." My 2 cents finally is this. Quit trying to justify your poor manners on the water with really weak reasoning. If you have to ask how close is too close....you should idle by.