I'm sure this topic has been discussed before but here it goes. As a general rule I never fish on holiday weekends  as the boat traffic Is higher and the rudeness and lack of simple boating etiquette makes things unbearable and on a few occasions dangerous.

 

The only time I break this Is I might go at night(during the Summer months) or as I'm doing Sunday evening I'm going with my fiance to a private pond that receives little to no pressure.

 

I was wondering how others felt or dealt with this.

I'm winging it today. I despise the summer weekends on my home lake but it's been too long since I've taken the boat out... I planned on getting out early this morning but as we speak I'm still sitting in the driveway waiting for my fishing buddy. So much for beating the crowd.

Lately we have been going real early am and fish til about 9-10 am. Leave at the time the partiers from the night before start getting up and around. Its been working pretty good, but there is no way I am even going to try it this weekend!

I try to find the most remote areas I can to fish on the holiday weekends.

 

I do like Christmas, and New Year weekends for fishing; usually have the place all to myself. Most years we have soft water at those times.

 

I'm trying to work on my attitude about this. I fish year round here where the winters usually have air temps in the 20-40's, and I tend to get really irritated when Spring comes around and I start finding other boaters in the spots that I've been fishing all winter. I don't confront/crowd them or anything like that, it just makes me really tense and upset. I somehow feel a sense of entitlement because I paid dues braving the elements in Jan-Feb, only to come out in April-Sep and find fair weather fishermen all over the place. It's not healthy for me to get worked up like that, and I am working on finding a better perspective on this. Holiday weekends are pretty much the epitome of this phenomenon.

Headed out on the big water Sunday night as well!!  Seems the best option in the summer time.

 

Jeff

I normally stay home. I was planning on heading to a lake in SE Wisconsin next Tuesday to avoid the crazies, but my son can't take off work. Were going out on Monday. Reports say the bass and pike are on fire right now. Don't want to miss it. It's just my luck we had a cold front come thru last night and another coming thru Sunday.

I usually stick to the smaller lakes on the rare occasions I'm not working on a holiday. 

My biggest issue with fishing on holiday weekends is the traffic jam at the boat ramp.

My biggest issue with fishing on holiday weekends is the traffic jam at the boat ramp.

That can be very entertaining to just sit back and watch!

Nothing for me. My boys both have colds and fevers. Its going to be a lot of boogies and movies.

Whit, I stay off the waters and the interstates on holiday weekends.

 

Too many crazy people on the roads, ramps and waters.

 

 

We stay home and clean all of are fishing equipment and boat! Later we have a fish BBQ and make plans for mid-week trip to a lake close by ...

I go any chance i get the holiday weekends make the fish a little spooky, but my remedy is to fish off the beaten path in the back of the creeks or coves away from marinas and ramps the lakers use.

I never go fishing on the boat on Holiday Weekends. Can't stand crowds of people. But, I will go bank fishing. People gravitate towards other larger groups of people. I go the opposite way. I will be going to an industrial park that has a nice big lake to walk around with 0 people. Ahhhh!!! peace and quiet.  

My lake wasn't too bad today! I don't regret going. But I think the scattered showers helped keep the rec boats and less dedicated fishermen away.

Hit the Chesapeake Bay today out of Sandy Point; the ramp was pretty quiet and there really weren't too many people fishing out there compared to what I expected.

 

Did well... caught a few nice striped bass and more bluefish than you can shake a stick at.

 

Saw a few over the top cigarette boats out there too.

One of the lakes I fish in S.E. Wisc. gets so much boat traffic on week-ends in the summer, I wonder why folks even bother going out on the water. The only ones that can really enjoy it are the ones in pontoon boats and they have to deal with the jet skiers. Forget water skiing or attempting to sail.

The great thing about this lake is it has a no wake law in effect from 8:00PM to 10:00AM and the constant boat traffic keeps the weeds from growing to the surface . I've caught some hawgs just after things calm down. In fact, 4th of July last year I caught a chunky 23in. LM that likely went well over 6lb.

That lake is way too small for all the boat traffic it gets. Even the shallow flats that the power boats avoid get pounded by the waves, so there's no way I'm even attempting being out there when they are.

I'm winging it today. I despise the summer weekends on my home lake but it's been too long since I've taken the boat out... I planned on getting out early this morning but as we speak I'm still sitting in the driveway waiting for my fishing buddy. So much for beating the crowd.

I have my buddy to meet me a half hour before I plan on leaving. That way, if he is not there when I am ready to leave, my buddy, who is already a half hour late, gets to fish in the driveway.

P.S. He only fished the driveway one time.

He's always on time now...lol.

Hootie

 

 

Did well... caught a few nice striped bass and more bluefish than you can shake a stick at.

 

 

 

 

Snakehead, do y'all eat the bluefish? I know down here in NC a lot of the oldtimes eat bluefish but It's slowly becoming, for some, a fish most refuse to eat as they consider It a trash fish.

 

When I go home to see family at the coast I ALWAYS either buy or go catch some blues and smoke them; that's durn fine eating!

Snakehead, do y'all eat the bluefish? I know down here in NC a lot of the oldtimes eat bluefish but It's slowly becoming, for some, a fish most refuse to eat as they consider It a trash fish.

 

When I go home to see family at the coast I ALWAYS either buy or go catch some blues and smoke them; that's durn fine eating!

Every once in a while. The texture of bluefish is unlike any other fish that I know of. I like eating them lightly seared and really rare inside. Smoked sounds good too.

 

Took one home and served it to my cats yesterday. They love it.

I have my buddy to meet me a half hour before I plan on leaving. That way, if he is not there when I am ready to leave, my buddy, who is already a half hour late, gets to fish in the driveway.

P.S. He only fished the driveway one time.

He's always on time now...lol.

Hootie

Lol, I believe I will start using your method from here on out.

Now that I can, (71 years old) I fish only during the week.  No way will I get on the water on a holiday weekend.  It's like being in among a ton of disrespectful, stupid, arrogant kids. 

You know, I've held the door, to a store, open for my wife and had some of the same kind of punks bump into her getting through the door before she does.

I'm not much of a people person, anymore.  I could rant forever about rude, arrogant, inconsiderate people.  If I had acted, even as an adult, like a lot of these punks do, my mother would have lit into me like all hell.  I guess there are more and more parents that just don't teach respect and politeness, anymore.

Well, thanks for the rant time. 

There are some really good people in this world and I tend to spend my time with them as much as possible.

I came and spent the weekend on lake intending to fish as much as possible. The lake of course is over run with pleasure crafters. We took the boats out and looked at a few fishing spots but I spent most of the weekend sipping cold ones watching football and the race. Its starting to feel like fall here so the jet skis and ski boats will be put away for the year soon. I'll start fishing the lake again then.