Dealing with rowers.

[gimruis]

One particular lake I fish about 5-8 times/season has a bunch of rowers that live on it.  If there is a team of rowers, they usually have a spotter or a coach who is in a small motorboat and a loudspeaker, giving them instructions.

 

But not all of them have spotters, and they just kind of go wherever they want.  The worst is that they all face backwards when they row and just go.  I've had close run ins with them several times before but no actual collision.

 

Yesterday, there was a collison.  I was going through a no wake zone and two rowers (one in each row boat) were coming from the opposite direction through the channel.  The front one was staying on their side of the channel, but the second one was kind of in the middle, and about 100 yards out, he took a slight turn and headed right for me.

 

I immediately laid on my horn.  He kept coming.  I laid on it again.  I have a very loud boat horn and I sat on it for 5 seconds straight.  It got his attention and he stopped rowing, but his momentum carried his row boat into my boat, with a deflecting glance.

 

Let's just say I wasn't very happy.  There wasn't any damage to my boat, but that's beside the point.  I told him "you guys gotta look where you're going every once in a while.  Facing backwards is a recipe for disaster."  His response was that "well you're the one in a motorboat.  Its a lot easier for you to avoid me."

 

I was pretty shocked by this response.  Then I told him that this could be avoided if he had simply stayed on his own side of the channel like his partner was.  That seemed to satisfy him and then he said "you're right.  My apologies."

 

I'm not really sure how else to deal with these rowers other than laying on the boat horn so they know I'm there but as I already stated, facing backwards and just rowing like you're in the Olympic trials is not a good idea.

 

[TnRiver46]

They go up and down the river thru downtown Knoxville every single day many times, and they absolutely hate fishermen 😂 . 
 

The university team isn’t nearly as mean as the regular citizens that row but still get snippy sometimes talking trash on their bullhorn 

[gimruis]

5 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

They go up and down the river thru downtown Knoxville every single day many times, and they absolutely hate fishermen

 

Have you ever had an encounter, near collision, or collison with any?

 

Yesterday was the first time its occured even though I've come close numerous times.  The whole idea of facing backwards just doesn't sit well with me.

[TnRiver46]

Encounter every single time I fish near downtown with the university team. They are a little better about watching out and probably better at rowing in general. Near collision only once or twice and that wasn’t downtown, a smaller river just to my south has club level rowing and they don’t know beans from apple butter . Never a collision 

[A-Jay]

Another example of how no one knows there are even rules.

 

https://www.boatoutfitters.com/right-of-way-rules-you-really-should-know-learn-content?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw59q2BhBOEiwAKc0ijU_VI-pZ-AFVSgi_vWBgdlSNM_17hJ-mNY4D8h8t8qguYEdZMzH-4xoCUVsQAvD_BwE#paddlecraft

 

A-Jay

[Bird]

Yes.

There's a small lake that I love fishing, only 110 acres.

They do rowing classes there, like 50 of those 60 foot shells " think that's what they call them " and 8 people on board.

 

This goes on for hours and a guy screaming instructions on a loud speaker non stop.

I had to vacate the lake because of the commotion even though the fishing was very good that morning.

 

I'm not crazy about a 60ft vessel that travels backwards blindedly.

[fishhugger]

reeks that these rowers are so ----------- bull headed would be one word.  i think you may have to just not be there when they are...........  a maniac screaming at them via a bull horn is a messed up situation.  

[padlin]

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

Another example of how no one knows there are even rules.

 

https://www.boatoutfitters.com/right-of-way-rules-you-really-should-know-learn-content?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw59q2BhBOEiwAKc0ijU_VI-pZ-AFVSgi_vWBgdlSNM_17hJ-mNY4D8h8t8qguYEdZMzH-4xoCUVsQAvD_BwE#paddlecraft

 

A-Jay

I can’t say I agree with number 5, but thanks for posting, just in case I run into the Coast Guard patrol boat on any of the ponds i fish.  I’m one that didn’t know there were rules for paddlers.

[Woody B]

Timely thread.  I haven't had any collisions with rowers.  There's a bunch on Lake Wylie, but they are usually either in the big part of the main channel, or in the "cove" where they come from.   This makes it easy enough to stay away from them.  

 

The timely part,  Saturday I saw one, with 2 people in it row right into the side of a dock.   

 

The problem I face most is sail boats.   On a couple occasions I had to basically pull up my trolling motor quickly and fire up my outboard to get the heck out of an area that was full of them.  I've seen them running into each other.   I know they'd run into be, and then it would be my fault.  

 

 

I try to stay out of everyone's way.  I could see multiple row boats, in a narrow channel being a problem.   Many of them I see have little mirrors mounted on a cap bill so they can actually see where they're going.   

[Susky River Rat]

I don’t deal with rowers but I deal with kayaks.  They seem to love sitting in blind spot areas in green or camo yaks  next to grass beds or islands 

[VolFan]

#7 on that list doesn’t get used nearly enough….

[gimruis]

At least I’m not the only one dealing with this crowd it seems.

[@reelChris]

You've got to love when a fishing tournament and a sailboat race are scheduled for the same lake at the same time.  As soon as you find a nice spot away from the race course, the markers all suddenly change and now they're trying to run you over.  

[Nelson Delaney]

When the “crew teams” are out on my local lake I enjoy trimming the motor way up and motoring slowly from buoy to buoy.  It looks like they enjoy the 3’ rollers.   

[Functional]

super soakers are cheap and deer urine is easily accessible....just sayin...

[DaubsNU1]

Most of the lakes in my area are 5 MPH limit, no-wake. Kayak fishermen are very respectful...the kayak recreational peeps and paddle board peeps are kind of clueless.

 

@A-Jay, thanks for posting that. Great information.

 

[MassBass]

Its an entitled elitist sport. Where I fish they are sure they own the river.

[gimruis]

11 minutes ago, MassBass said:

Its an entitled elitist sport. Where I fish they are sure they own the river.

 

I kind of got that impression too with his first response "you have a more maneuverable boat than I do" meaning that I should move out of the way even though I was on my correct side of channel.  How about you look where you're going from time to time instead of facing the wrong direction.

[TnRiver46]

When I launched last night they were carrying the row boats down to the water, I started to get a pic for this thread but I forgot . Luckily we motored up before they got started 

 

I’ve tried to be courteous and idle past them but they row was faster than I idle 

[Jar11591]

A few years back, I was fishing a small 35 acre lake in my boat around 7pm. I went right to the lake after work to fish the evening bite. It was a quiet, calm evening, until about 150 people descended upon the lake like a swarm of locusts, and launched like 2 dozen of those long boats and completely over took the water. I wasn’t even able to make it to the launch because it would be like trying to cross a freeway on foot. No common courtesy, no “excuse us”, just total annihilation of a nice fishing evening for the sake of rowing in circles over and over and over. It was so insane I could only laugh at what I was experiencing. Best part is, a big, wide, long river is right across the road from this lake, but this crew decided a 35 acre circular lake was better to launch 2 dozen boats on. 
 

It’s like showing up to the basketball court in the park, and instead of trying to join the pick up game or wait your turn, you start slinging water balloons full of ranch dressing at the hoop, completely ruining everyone else’s experience. 

[gimruis]

5 minutes ago, Jar11591 said:

swarm of locusts,

 

[Alex from GA]

Fishing a point and they row between you and the point.  Happened several times to me.  

[Susky River Rat]

@Alex from GA that’s all day everyday with kayakers here. 

[CountryboyinDC]

Tell the rowers that those serious about rowing actually paddle against current rather than putting on where you're fishing.  There's a rapid on the Lower Youghiogheny River called Dartmouth.  The Dartmouth rowing team evidently practiced on that rapid.  Rowing on a flatwater channel suggests a lack of commitment on their part.

 

https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/view/river-detail/1687/main

 

On 9/4/2024 at 9:36 AM, Functional said:

super soakers are cheap and deer urine is easily accessible....just sayin.

I do wonder how you get that easily accessible deer urine (unless you'retalking Tinks 69 or something along those lines), but don't feel like you have to share.

[Bankc]

There are disrespectful and naive people in all manner of vessels or even no vessels at all.  On the water, on the road, in the air.  It's doesn't matter.  Get in line at the grocery store and there's still somebody that's convinced they don't have to wait in line like everyone else.

 

It's best to just let these things slide when they happen.  We're all out there trying to have a good time and make it home safe.  Do your best to look out for each other.  Even the entitled and selfish jerks.  Be the positive example you wish you saw in others.  You might think you're teaching them a lesson by giving them a taste of their own medicine, but the only lesson they'll learn is that you're just as bad as they are, if not worse.  And you'll just confirm in their mind that they did the right thing by treating you wrong.